One Month Later...

It's going to be a month since I attended the Swaminarayan Museum grand opening festivities.  After a couple of days of getting adjusted to the time difference, sorting through mail, and getting acclimated to the weather, life was back to normal.  Well not exactly, more just a little bit of the experience has been preserved.

The impression the Swaminarayan Museum left on me goes beyond the experiences of witnessing some fantastic historical artifacts.  It's transcends having been in the presence of our divine gurus, His Holiness Acharaya Maharajshri, His Holiness Lalji Maharajshri, and His Holiness Mota Maharajshri.  The time spent with my fellow American, UK, and Indian satsangis resulted in memories I will treasure as much as, if not more, than the experience of coming into close contact with prasadi items from Maharaj's time.

In no way am I belittling the enormous effect the actual museum had on my trip.  Rather, I am touching on the essence of what I've come to associate with the term "satsang".  It's about "true association".  The building that was constructed to house the prasadi items and allow Haribhaktas to have the privilege of their divine darshan was also the site where satsang was commenced.  During the opening ceremonies, I was seated by my American and UK brethren.  I remember looking over at them on numerous occasions exchanging a glance of amazement.  A moment of unspoken truth.  That we are right where we are supposed to be.  That we are associated with people who are true. 

I think of my friend Ravi from UK who we affectionately refer to as Pablo.  His matter of fact observations on topics ranging from politics, sports, the environment, and the economy continue to make me smile and more often laugh.  Ravi's carefree, but mind you not careless, commentary on life contributed to the soundtrack of my trip.  My time spent with Super "Smart" Steve (SSS), Mr. Svetan of Woolwich who is so humble that news of his name being mentioned in this blog entry will surely result in an extended "whoaaaaaa" combined with some red in the face.  He spent ample time caring for his dear friend Bhaven after he had contracted a stomach ailment, typical for NRI's visting Hindustan.  Triple-S as he's known across Europe and in the Americas, took care of his buddy.  Such a simple thing, but what an important aspect of satsang. My memories of James Dean's alter ego, Rajni; aka Rodney; aka Roders (long o) and how he effortlessly managed to get the greatest tan an Indian possibly could and never was there a sliver of perspiration on his brow.  Not only was Roders the essence of cool, but he taught me how to negotiate and bargain with riksha drivers.  A lesson that I can say I am a few rupees wealthier for having learned.  I'm probably safe from any altercations at the point of sale as well. 

There are so many other satsangis I can remember who helped paint the walls of my heart with their memories.  Satsang is a term that is thrown about and used routinely.  Without careful inspection though, the mahima, the meaning, the heart of the term can get lost in the mix of all other emotions and actions.  Satsang for me is the true association with those who have deep adoration for Bhagwan and his bhaktas.  Though the memories of the museum remain vivid in my mind, it's the time I spent with the satsangis from near and far that reside in my heart.  One month later, but it's as if I'm there right now with my fellow Americans, UK, and Indian satsangi brothers.  It's as if I'm at the museum, right now.  Satsang, aka true association, preserves the memories that are worth having.   

Day 1

Finally after all these years and all this hard work this time has finally come. Those were the opening words of His Holiness Mota Maharajshree's speech this morning. The rapturous round of applause from the thousands in attendance was a fair indication that that His Holiness' sentiments are very much echoed by all. The divine wish of Baapji is finally being realised. His dream is finally being made a reality. This building project is finally becoming the beacon we all imagined.

Yes the Swaminarayan Museum utsav kicked off this morning in the glorious sunshine and backdrop of the city of Ahmedabad. The entire NarNarayan Dev Dharmakul in attendance, Shreemad Satsangi Jeevan recited by the great Nirgun Swami a grand picture of the building itself overlooking the enormous arena. This simply had "greatness" written all over it.

Posters and huge banners have plastered all over Ahmedabad. Swaminarayan Museum. Preservation Plus. 4 words that epitomise the very essence of these celebrations - are being stamped all over the city, the state, the country.

When you first see the venue you are simply in awe of the size of the venue and the structures that have been put up. However if its impossible to imagine how that can be topped it's the number of and dedication being shown by the volunteers. A tried and tested group of loyal and hard working devotees, they have made everyone feel as welcome and comfortable as possible.

Scattered around the ground are extracts of Vachanamruts written by Mota Baapji relating to Shree NarNarayan Dev. Perhaps a reminder to all that none of this would have been possible without the guidance of the great murti and the centre of all of this. The vast backdrop on the stage had pictures of the various landmarks of Ahmedabad. Kalupur mandir, places, ancient monuments, the rail bridge, the city landscape and in the middle of it all - Ahmedabad's newest landmark.

The atmosphere may have been somewhat low key, however you can't help but feel like that a science experiment - things are only beginning to kick off and we're all awaiting with great anticipation the explosion in the end.

My favorite museum experience...

The season was Fall and I was 10 years old and in the 3rd grade while attending public school in New York City. I was quite small in stature, but my imagination was vivid. I had yet gotten glasses, so I had the look of an angel. But how many 10 year olds live up to that label? The Museum of Natural History is located uptown on 5th Avenue along Central Park West in Manhattan, New York. It’s an exhibition of fantastically displayed dinosaur fossils, historical artifacts of ancient cultures, and information spanning the natural world and universe. At the time of my initial visit though, I knew it as the place where dinosaurs lived and Native American tribes continued to roam free. To this 10 year old, I was going to see history; I was going back in time.

I boarded the bus with a book-bag that was filled with some snacks, Hawaiian Punch juice, and a peanut butter & jelly sandwich in a paperbag. The bus ride was ripe with anticipation. Kids were munching on snacks and sharing with each other. Teachers and chaperones were hollering instructions to stay seated and to keep the noise down (talk about unenviable tasks). I was seated in the middle of the bus with my good friend and the buzz from all the kids’ chatter was electric. Everyone was so enthusiastic (sugar from the snacks probably helped). I had $10.00 tucked away in my wallet which my mom gave me to spend in the gift shop! My dad reminded me to get something for my mom. I got each of us a dinosaur pen! The excitement compounded with each pothole the cheese-bus rolled over with a gasps of oohs and ahhs. As we pulled up to the museum, there was a roar from all the kids. What isn’t thrilling about seeing larger than life creatures the size of apartment buildings we lived in? I was in awe that I was about to see a T-Rex in attack mode, with its teeth set to rip into its lunch. I was ready to see the Native Americans.

We entered the Theodore Roosevelt Rotunda and checked our bags and coats. As I turned around, I was greeted by a magnificently large creature with every bone visible. So this is how humongous a dinosaur was? It wasn’t the T-Rex, but rather the Brontosaurus. I instantly grew fond of this gentle giant because it was a vegetarian like me. From the start, the group was told to stay together, but my buddy and I had to be told more than once to not go too far ahead. We just wanted to see it all and couldn’t be bothered to wait. I had to be told more than once not to go over the ropes to touch the fossils. Looking back, I am shocked I didn’t bring down one of those beasts. The eagerness within me was alive and harnessing it was just not easy. I would go on to witness an amazing array of exhibitions portraying dinosaur after dinosaur as well as ancient Native American tribes as they lived long before the U.S. was colonized. All the while I was under the watchful eye of chaperones. Though I wasn’t going to cause any trouble (most likely), or break anything (somewhat lucky I didn’t), I just wanted to get as close to the history that was within my reach. I wanted to touch what lived on Earth more than 240 million years ago! I wanted to talk to the tribesman who hunted bison and lived in America before it was America. I was 10 years old and my imagination had a large appetite. I ate the history up and it has stayed with me since. The notion of something being historic threw my imagination into hyper-drive.

My love affair with history was cemented at that point and I’ve never been the same; for the better. My appreciation for natural and scientific history has continued to escalate into different realms. I value learning about different eras and important people who have influenced the world in subtle and profound ways. Through museums, as different artifacts have been put on exhibition over the years, I’ve been able to bridge the education to my still vivid imagination. I’ve continued to develop my knowledge of history by educating myself by reading books and studying it. The study of history opens a great many doors, it all depends on your imagination’s hunger.

It’s with great passion I look forward to the grand opening of the Swaminarayan Museum in March, 2011. Though I am no longer 10 years old, my imagination continues to hunger with great intensity. I am afforded an opportunity to be amidst the presence of artifacts from Swaminarayan Bhagwan’s life which is most humbling. I look forward to being on the plane with great anticipation as I will be traveling with a good friend. I will have a little more than $10.00 to spend at the gift shop. I’ll certainly remember to get something for my mom and my dad this time. I probably won’t have to be told more than once to keep a good distance from the artifacts. I’ll probably be well behaved; I’m so excited so no promises.

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Heighten awareness for the Grand Opening of the Swaminarayan Museum http://preservationplus.blogspot.com/

Not just a museum..

If you get the chance to see the DVD video His Holiness Maharajshree has brought along with Him to the UK then it's very much worthwhile. Apparently its being shown at all the Mandirs He is visiting.
Although its in Gujarati, it highlights how the holy artefacts and relics (prasadi items) from Bhagwan Swaminarayan's time need to be kept in a temperature controlled environment with state of the art preservation techniques putting large demands on electricity usage. I guess that's why the cost of finishing the project has increased - installing modern renewable energy sources does not come cheap although it does help our planet and environment in long run.

The Swaminarayan Museum then becomes more than just a storage for prasadi items. It is actually a beacon, a pioneer in eco-friendly energy usage in India and will be a leading light in encouraging other institutions and NGOs to embrace environmentally friendly technologies. When you consider it will also be running Art Exhibitions and an Academy for studying museumology, it quickly becomes apparent that it's not just a Museum..