Is your life measured by how many platinum credit cards you have? Is it measured by how many frequent flier miles you have accumulated? Is it measured by how many parties you are invited for? Did you measure your life by saying my success equals my happiness? Our journey on this planet earth is once in a lifetime opportunity! If we measure it with wrong standards, then the journey would have just ended without anyone wanting to remember us.
In our lifetime, we are seeing leaders who are changing the course of history. Many a times, we want to understand what made their lives great and what might be missing in ours. The people who engineered great culture, were not ruled by thoughts and emotions. They were guided by awareness and perception. They became examples for us to design our lives.
We all remember Mahatma Gandhi, the Mahatma who had a dream for his countrymen, a dream that they live in Tolerance, Ahimsa and Love. Perhaps, he was the only Indian in whom there was no contradiction between his creeds and deeds. For him, commitment to Truth was the only source of social transformation and universal Love the means to such radical social changes. How did the Mahatma fashion his life? He was able to sit still. Working only on his body was not enough. He also had to settle his mind, emotions, and energy.
People will praise the Mahatma for his ideology. But hardly anyone has dared to follow his lifestyle. Many so-called leaders of today will lure the common people by sweet talks and quoting the great teachings of the Mahatma, but secretly they prepare for atrocious actions. What has happened to the dream of this great Mahatma?
Tolerance, Truthfulness, and genuine love are rare commodities found in our world which is marred by violence. One feels nausea at the merciless and brutal massacre of innocent people, wars, political and religious intolerance, destruction of peace, destroying of places of worship, killing of unborn babies etc. Our society today seems to be ruled by the rude philosophy of “An eye for an eye.” Gandhiji said, “An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind.”
Many of us remain passive spectators to the lawlessness of our society and run behind momentary influence of top politicians who proclaim from roof-top that they are guardians of society, when they are no more than venomous snakes. What is morally wrong cannot be politically right. Again it was Gandhiji who said, “A person cannot be good in parts.” Either you are good or bad. That is all.
I understood that the lives of great leaders are measured by how many lives they touched. Mahatma Gandhi touched the lives of millions of Indians when he spearheaded the freedom movement. So did Nelson Mandela and many others who spoke and worked for the voiceless millions around the world. Mother Teresa, showed how caring for the most deprived can be taken to the highest level.
The stories of individual sacrifices, which made people great, all revolve around one common theme – how they touched the lives of others and changed it for the better.
Rotary International’s President during 1982-1983, Dr. Hiroji Mukasa from Japan reinforced our ancient saying to the Rotary World through his theme “Mankind is One”. He asked every Rotarian to build bridges of friendship throughout the world. I was fortunate to be the President of my Rotary Club in Mulund, Mumbai during that period.
Rotary is a medium for us to touch the lives of others. When we started the polio eradication movement more than two decades ago, it was a pledge that we took to touch the lives of millions of people around the world and save their children from polio. We have now nearly achieved it. The struggle people undertook for this cause worldwide cannot be written in a few pages of history.
Today, India has been free from polio for nearly five years. The task was formidable. But we did it. The Government of India and the countless workers, including Rotarians, who went from door-to-door, did it.
The formation of the Muslim Ulema Committee by Rotary in some states of India, hastened the end of polio. This committee has stalwarts and leaders of the Muslim community along with Rotarians and they succeeded in breaking the myths surrounding the polio vaccines that resulted in resistance to immunisation.
I, as the Chairman of this movement in India, have interacted with all our Muslim brethren leaders and have been admiring their commitment to eradicate polio from India and in few other parts of the world including Pakistan. Many people have supported Rotary’s noble effort in this eradication programme. In India, Mrs. Rajashree Birla, the doyen of the Aditya Birla Group, has as of now given The Rotary Foundation over US $ 9 million dollars for the programme.
She and her team of volunteers pair with Rotarians during the National Immunisation Days and go from house to house to ensure that children are vaccinated.She is an example of how a great industrial empire builder can work with the lower most strata of the society for the welfare of the people.
The industry her family has built itself is for the welfare of the people and thousands of people are getting employment in their organisation.Mrs. Rajashree Birla has inspired other Indian owned business houses to donate liberally to the cause of polio eradication through Rotary.
If you want to follow the examples of great teachers, live and grow by their principles then you will have to clean your energy system of the residue of violence that may be there. Then you change your destiny. This is why yoga and meditation are important.
There is an urgent need for peace movements in the world. Democratic minded citizens, political parties and progressive sections of the society of all the countries in this region must come together to evolve an agenda and a road map for peace, and build pressure on the governments of the countries.
It is very rightly said that if there is to be peace in the world, there must be peace in the hearts of people. There are many ways to promote peace in the world but perhaps the best way to promote it is to promote it within ourselves.
How your thoughts about others behaves within your system, makes the difference between wellness and illness, peace and turmoil, joy and misery in your house, your neighbourhood, your community, your city and your country.
Inner peace means staying balanced , both physically and mentally. Even in the face of undesirable situations. It is a sense of stability and contentment which carries us through all the trial of life. Inner peace is the ability to handle ourselves and our life situations with serenity, acceptance and creativity.
Inner peace does not happen overnight. It is attained through a gradual process as we learn to take off control of our mind. “To different minds , the same world is a hell and a heaven” reminds Ralph Waldo Emerson. Meditation, outward thinking , helping the needy , emotional detachment etc are only some of the means to keep our mindset free of negativity.
Peace is a gradual and wonderful event that occurs because compassionate people are inspired to help others discover the joy of peace! Helping others also has the direct effect of increasing our personal peace and well-being, but this is merely one of the many bonuses that come from sharing our kindness with our fellow human beings. An Irish Proverb says, “It is in the shelter of each other that the people live.”
Peace, like reading, writing, mathematics, drawing, emotional intelligence and enlightenment is a learned skill that improves our knowledge, maturity, health, happiness and longevity.
The advent of the World Wide Web may just provide the boost in knowledge and peace humankind has been waiting for. Improved communication may be the difference between extinction and survival.Through knowledge, Peace will evolve. Knowledge is power. Knowledge combined with enlightenment leads to wisdom – Wisdom is Peace.
The role of youth in India, like any other country, is vital in developing the nation and today they are finding that they have to go beyond the call of their vocation and take active interest in the society.The need for inclusive development has been understood and people realise that no one can trample upon others and try to come up.
As, I told you in the beginning, the necessity to measure your life against higher values is now understood by the new generation.So, what do we do to measure our lives? We are good to people. That in turn makes us happy.While most are dreaming of success, winners wake up and work hard to achieve it – this is perhaps the most important message that needs to be sent across to the leaders.
Canadian economist and humourist Stephen Leacock once remarked, “People who believe in luck and work harder always find that they have more of luck.” He also said, “It may be those who do most, dream most.”Rotary has made us realise that our greatest success is achieved only when we see the smile on the face of the people whose lives we have touched.
Is a life of happiness so simple? Can it be free of complications? I think so.Great leaders in Rotary have shown us how to be better persons, not wealthier, more successful or more powerful – just better persons. And the result was sheer happiness. It is that simple.
The Rotary Foundation is a tool in your hands to show that you can be a better person. In fact, when many people join together to complete a humanitarian project, the end result is joy for every individual.
The Rotary Foundation takes us through life, which is a series of experiences, each of which makes us bigger and better. In Asia and around the world, India is not simply emerging; India has already emerged. And it is my firm belief that the relationship between our neighbouring Countries and India-bound by our shared interests and values-will be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century.
This is the partnership we wish to strengthen through Rotary. This is the vision that our people can realize together by supporting each other through Rotary and The Rotary Foundation and its Programme .“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” said Mother Teresa.
It is not enough to say , ” we must not wage war ” it is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it. We must concentrate not merely on the eradication of war but on the affirmation of peace.
The need of the hour is to come to grip with the deep rooted values of our Society. Mahatma Gandhi , who fell in love with Indian philosophy and Indian people spared no efforts to reform the Society. Time is ripe for us to make the positive force of Ahimsa come alive. It is time to act in love shedding hatred.That is what peace is all about. That is what we are stressing in Rotary, year after year. Many Rotarians have wondered whether peace is possible in today’s environment. Why not? It
It is that organisations such as Rotary have to work for it. Winston Churchill said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.”We need to forge partnerships amongst Rotarians and non Rotarians in our country to fight against hunger, disease and poverty.
Together we can resist forces that tend to slow down the growth of Our Country.The youth in India form the talent pool from which we can constantly build a stronger Country that will grow for centuries to come. Living by example is the best way to inspire others. Mahatma Gandhi rightly said ” Be the change that you want to see in the world ” . It is only by becoming the messenger as well as being the message your role as the model becomes effective.
There is a South Indian Legend about a holy man who became known all over India as a famous preacher. He showed kindness to all who came to him. Hundreds and Thousands of pilgrims came to learn from him. Everyone who visited him went back inspired. Yet this great preacher had never in his life even able to utter even one word ,for he had been born dumb. The example he set by his actions was the only sermon he could preach.
People prefer to watch what you do more than they listen to what you say.”Action speaks louder than words ” goes an ancient proverb. No matter how convincingly you may try always to speak in an impressive way, yet you can be failure, if your actions do not co-relate with your words.Let your example speak more than your words. Reform yourself and be yourself what you want others to be. Live what you preach. Otherwise do not preach.
Albert Schweitzer, the great Scientists/Humanitarian and an Honorary Rotarian once said ” Example is not the main thing to influence others; it is the only thing.”Think and act now. Kindle the spark of Mahatma Gandhi ‘s Philosophy in every Indian and let the light of his teachings illuminate the World.
Let every individual in this room be an example, a role model to the society which you belong and make the dream of Mahatma Gandhi come true. That will be our true tribute to that great a man who sacrificed his life for the citizens of India.When you live to make a difference in the life of others ,your life focuses on intentional living. It is only by being conscious of your purpose in life you can set an example to the people who look up to you.
Every saint who wrote all the famous scriptures in our culture is an example. Every preacher who took forward the message of love of God, is an example.
Every Ulema who works for the upliftment of the community and integrates everyone into the one big social fabric is an example.
But not everyone sees them. You have to learn from others, as if you will live forever. That is how you will be able to live peacefully daily. It is said that, “It’s better to go slow in the right direction than to go fast in the wrong direction.”
By following the good examples of others, you may feel that your progress in life is slow, but in the end you will end up being an example yourself to the next generation.
What more can you want in your life? Even if the whole world is silent, your one voice can become powerful. This is what makes people as leaders and makes them examples to others.
Albert Einstein, when talking about our great Mahatma Gandhi said, “Generations to come will scarce believe that such a man ever tread the earth.”
“I wanted to change the world. But I have found that the only thing one can be sure of changing is oneself,” said – Aldous Huxley. Finally in the words of Gandhiji, “Be the change you want to see in this world.” Live by it and become an example.I have to quote Nelson Mandela before I conclude. He said, “A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.” Everyone of us here must be that formidable person.