Spirit of Service of SFV Ladies

Last time we had a glimpse of SFV menfolk devoting their time, energy, and finance to give something back to the society. Let’s see if SFV ladies can stake a similar claim.

Take Shanthy Vaidya. She takes offline classes on Devi Khadgamala. On Tuesday mornings one could see ladies rushing to Alder at around 11 am, not just to be on time, but to get a place to sit. Her impeccable English, switching over to vernacular only occasionally to convey the message aptly, is heard with rapt attention. Only the physical exertion back home to complete the domestic chores before the class, gets the better of one or two ladies to dose off just for split seconds. Precisely to augment this, I learn Shanthy used to share the recordings later.

Then Lalitha Sundaram, of Maple 3195. Oh my God, she happens to be my saha dharmini and ethically I am disallowed to write about her. But I guess it is a writer scribbling not about his spouse but about the exponent of a spiritual book, Narayaneeyam, and hence might be excused. She is busy readying the third batch of students (13 in number this time) to chant Narayaneeyam. She explains the meaning of each stanza so that they know what they are chanting and don’t chant it routinely. Occasionally she invites the first two groups to recite together Sampoorna Narayaneeyam or mini Narayaneeyam which they do with aplomb. Time well invested, I hear her murmur often. 

So much for spreading spirituality. Physical wellbeing is no less important. They say you can draw or scribble only if there is a wall. Similarly basic good health is pre-requisite for everything. Kamala Krishnamurthy and Preeti Hari, qualified yoga teachers, conduct regular classes. Covid cut short the sessions, but both are now back in full swing. 

Both spiritual knowledge and physical exercise take their toll in terms of mental and physical exertion. Thus equally important is something light which keeps one pleasantly engaged, and one enjoys doing it. That’s where this team comes – Savita Paneendra, Sowmya Kashyap, Krishna, Sowmya Kumar, Kalpana (Dilip), to name a few. They conduct Satsang, Ganesh Chaturti, Ramanavami, Navaratri…

I deliberately wrote Dilip within bracket, as there are a host of ladies by the name Kalpana, each having her own individual identity – one having served as Treasurer, and brought outstanding-payments list to a near nil, another a leading sportswoman… Yes, similarly we have several ladies by the name Vidya. I once complimented one Vidya for a creditable job that had been reported about her, until she corrected me, “Uncle, I am not the one. It is someone else. There are about 14 Vidyas in our community.”

Then you have Uma of Oak (again, I have my friend’s wife bearing the same name in Cedar), who ably guides the musical sessions; Vidya Vinod choreographs many dance and skits, Suma of Oak spearheads the Cultural front as a member of the MC, Hemangi as Treasurer once or twice; Vijetha Mysoremath, Nandini, Vidya Eashwar et al  who volunteered to teach the children of the under-privileged sections of the society, Shobha Ravi Shankar (Ebony) and Lakshmi Suresh (Oak) who do seva regularly at ISKCON temple…There could be many more who do yeoman service quietly,  but this is what comes to me off the cuff.

WHO defines health as: “A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” It has since identified a fourth dimension of health, i.e. the spiritual health. Against this backdrop, three cheers for SFV ladies for taking care of physical, mental, social and spiritual wellbeing of the community.  Or, better still, as Mahatma Gandhi said, “If you educate a man you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman you educate an entire family.” Either way Jai Ho.