Decolonising Lifestyle – The Modi Way

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been engaging the country on various aspects of pride in our civilisation, history, and achievements of our forefathers. The sense of decolonisation stems from the need to yoke off the baggage of colonial thinking – without giving up the benefits of engaging with the outside world. This engagement should be from a position of pride & confidence and not from a position of weakness & defensiveness. As citizens, it would be worthwhile to implement small but significant changes in our day today lives, that will cumulatively impact our country’s journey towards prosperity in a positive manner. The impact will be at multiple levels – individual, family, social & economic.

The following may be some “lifestyle changes” that is required from us to make ourselves Kartavya focused on our country’s progress.

1. Yoga – Those who have seen the benefit of this excellent program will vouch that Yoga is a hugely beneficial program and improves individual’s productivity, health (thereby saves time & money on healthcare) and mostly brings about a quality of life that is hugely better. An energetic, healthy & productive citizen indeed is a big asset to the nation.
2. Ayurveda – almost goes hand in hand with Yoga, this native medicinal program is very effective especially in the preventive mode, that is more meaningful in saving time, money & efforts than in curing disease. And hugely affordable, this acts as an easily available-in-kitchen ingredients, that also brings discipline into our lives, along with Yoga. And this spills into other activity domains, making us more disciplined & energetic. Obviously, will be good for the country indeed!
3. Bhagavad Gita – A simple 15 mins everyday reading of Gita, say even one sloka with the commentary (available in dozens of languages) will get us a sense of Kartavya & clarity in the most challenging situations. As many management gurus have noted – there is hardly any better leadership guide than the Gita. So, it is not just for one’s philosophical understanding that Gita is required, but as a very handy day to day mentoring book in all situations. Build up your leadership qualities, read the Gita!
4. Sanskrit learning – It is important to stay in touch with our roots and as a minimum step, it is important we understand the basics if not the advanced mode of the language that we come from. With a huge overlap of Sanskrit with many of our regional languages, this will act as a “bridge language” – to understand other regional languages better! Mostly, it will make us realise the thought and words that are part of the lifestyle changes that we are envisioning through some of the above (like Yoga, Ayurveda and Gita)
5. Temple Economy – Making this part of one’s life, gives us insights into the social & non-commercial aspects of our lives, that we have ignored or forgotten due to our hectic lifestyle. The skilled local artists, musicians, sculptors etc that are part of the temple economy, will surely benefit from this larger engagement. And also the local economy that thrives on the temple. Be it the local temple, regionally important ones or the nationally important ones – these are all part of the “Teertha Yatra” that our ancestors did religiously. The advantage to the temple economy town, as well as the larger region is indeed amazing- as we have seen in the case of Kashi Vishwanath Corridor.
6. Seva to your community to become Aatmanirbhar (to start with) – One of the exemplary social organisations that we can come across that strives to positively bring about a change in their community is DICCI. (Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry). Notwithstanding the historical course of action that has resulted in their present condition, DICCI is working on policy advocacy & implementation to make the Dalit community empowered through their hard work and vision. And this is worthy of emulation for the larger society. If the society is a sum of all communities, then strong, Atma Nirbhar communities will further strengthen the overall society. A duty towards one’s community is surely a duty towards national cause. So, like DICCI, work to empower your own community, that will help the country! Philanthropy needs to be strongly complemented by these advocacy initiatives. This is a good start before you contribute to the entire society!
7. Social connect (NGO / Social organisation / civil society organisation) – Along with and / or after contributing to your community, it is very important that each one of us contribute to the larger society. This is in the spirit of “वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्” that all citizens of Bharat are part of one family. This is surely expected to enrich our leadership skills too. An interesting development in the last 9 years is about the People’s Padma – Padma awards being given to the unsung social heroes who have contributed immensely to the society. Their story is one of grit, success, patience & perseverance in the service to the society! This is highly inspirational to us and will be helpful in our professional lives too! Please note – mere donations to the NGO etc are not good enough for you to build a good leadership skill set- it requires your time commitment and efforts with a service mindset that will help you get the true satisfaction of joining hands with the society as well as build good leadership capabilities for yourself.
8. Social celebrations of Key festivals – Any country, has its own grand festival seasons. Christmas and new year for example in the predominant Christian countries. This adds not only to the festive cheer in the country, gives a priority focus on family & social live, but also acts as a huge booster to the economy due to accelerated push for purchases in festive season. Durga pooja in Bengal, Deepavali all over India, Ganesh Pooja in Maharashtra, Yugadi in many Southern states are some small examples that show the strength of our diverse cultural celebrations. So, celebrate our Hindu festivals with fervor both at home and in social settings in temples or associations etc. And no, festival time is NOT for vacationing at resorts – but a time to rekindle our civilisational celebrations and pass them to our next generation.
9. Balancing Dharma, Artha & Kama – rather than a singular focus on monetary matters alone as in the western world is the need of the hour. Bharateeya view of life is all about “balance” – As Gita says- समत्वम् योग उच्यते. The above points made earlier, add to the overall concept of balance – which is what gives the human better happiness, content, and wellbeing. And most importantly, one reinforces aspect the other (Dharma, Artha & Kama) – thereby getting the benefit of synergy. Better not to focus on “all or none” kind on one aspect viz money, that finally leads nowhere in the absence of the other three “Purusharthas”. The western world with a singular focus on money to the exclusion of other aspects of life – is a sad case in point.

This is the intrinsic Bharatiya way of life, that had generated enough prosperity for our country till the foreign Muslim invasion and British rule happened. (Ref Angus Madison’s work) It is now important, to rediscover our way of life in the backdrop of the very historic Rama Mandir rejuvenation. And this lifestyle is indeed tried & tested, hence must be implemented in our individual lives without any delay. There cannot be a better way to usher in Rama Rajya – than taking care of our health, wealth, time, and happiness. Not to speak of the immense happiness coming out of being in a strong & prosperous society – that Bharat rightly deserves to be like in the earlier days.