I can hear you saying either 'Wow!' or 'Finally!' or 'What?!' based on from when we know each other. In this post, I thought of sharing my perspective and the thought process behind this decision as quite a few of my friends and colleagues were curious about it and also addressing some of the sincere concerns that keeps coming back to me in many different shades.
A year and half ago, when it was time for the next rung in my career ladder, I had an opportunity from a startup in silicon valley - a cliched way of making it in the valley - for being a part of the team that develops microprocessors tailored for cloud computing. At the same time, I also had an opportunity for supporting rural schools in India, set up by Isha Vidhya. I chose none of them at that time, but was clear that pursuing a technical career will not address what was really throbbing within me. Since I started with my master's program, there were two things that didn't let me settle down, one was the state of education in India after enduring some of the most butchered version of the dissemination process, and an inexplicable inconsistency I felt with the world - an unbalanced perception of the world within me.
I felt that a PhD would come handy in bringing about a fundamental change in the way the education is being delivered and it kept me going through the course. And in attempts to resolve the inconsistency about the world, I approached some of the seemingly knowledgeable people that I knew. All I heard in response was just statements like, 'everything is said in Vedas', 'Krishna deployed an atomic explosion during the times of Mahabharat itself', 'what we do in this culture is the best', blah, blah... None of them were able to give a context or a scientific basis or the basic purpose behind it and my inconsistency still remained unresolved. But I couldn't completely dismiss it either since I saw some uncanny similarities between highly energy efficient resonating structures that is used in modern microwave communication and the ancient temple structures. All that happened in the process was that my curiosity to resolve the inconsistency became a priority.
At the same time, I also started researching on student organizations and NGOs that work in India towards education and upliftment of people, and as to how they are addressing all the social issues related with education. Most of them were focusing only on a particular aspect within an issue as suppose to an effective holistic approach for varied reasons like lack of: vision, understanding, resources and so on. I soon realized that this isn't something that can be solved exclusive within the four walls of a boardroom. The major kind of work that needs to be done in this country is of hands-on nature and may be unromantic many a time, say providing essential things like potable water, hygienic restrooms, basic healthcare, basic education, footwear, nourishment, employment and so on. What I mean by this is, the country doesn't need superheroes who can stretch one of the hands to poke the cloud and pump the water through the other hand filling the empty pots. Instead it needs a lot of sensible and committed people who can design and implement ingenious ways of providing clean water that is both cost effective and sustainable, for which many times one may even go unnoticed for their efforts given the scale of things that needs to be done.
It's at this point of time that I encountered Isha Vidhya, one of the facets of Isha Outreach (Anukampa) - a social upliftment project from Isha Foundation, founded by Sadhguru. Just the elegance of the project design along with its sustainability, snapped me right on to it and I was able to deeply relate to it instantly. It was the first organization out of the many that I came across that was addressing the issues right at its roots along with the other associated social issues through many other projects under the umbrella of Isha Outreach. The foundation has been slowly growing in terms of its outreach extents over the last 30 years. To my surprise, I later found that these outreach projects are just the periphery of what the foundation has to offer. Then I attended the Inner Engineering program, the flagship program of the foundation, designed to address one's personal and professional excellence hand in hand. It brought about a fundamental shift within me. It did quench my thirst to resolve my inconsistency with the world. It's not that I found or was given the missing piece of the puzzle that I was looking for but I was equipped with tools with which I can figure it out by myself. Using these tools, I have come a significant distance towards realizing the fundamental mechanics of this life. But this ride till now in terms of both the social outreach and inner exploration has been a bit of lukewarm due to various limitations and compulsions within me. Now I have reached a phase in my life where I have realized that this needs to be done before I go way past my prime age. It's not that I am not passionate about what I do in engineering, it's just that I don't see a pressing need for this when compare to other passions in my life. May be if there wasn't this need in this world, I would have continued with my Sadhana (meaning instrument or practices for spiritual growth), research, teaching electromagnetics and sipping ginger tea while listening to Indian music in a 5.1 surround sound environment.
It's not that I have to take this step for my spiritual growth alone either which is a requirement for many other traditions in this land offering genuine potent spiritual processes. The competence of Sadhguru is such that it empowers one to be in the spiritual path and at the same time carry out one's day to day activities in a way that is both effective and efficient. If I wouldn't have encountered Sadhguru in my life, I would have been wandering in the streets of sacred spots in this country leaving behind everything that I know of, looking for the one who knows. Even if I was really fortunate to encounter such a one, many a time what I would have done may be highly relevant for my own growth but would have no immediate social relevance - may be it might have some relevance in future if I am successful but never at the current point of time. But here with Sadhguru since the last decade, I have been constantly growing in terms of my technical capabilities, leadership qualities, career, relating to things and people around me with a much deeper bond and involvement and at the same time cruising through my spiritual path, constantly breaking my own limitations. I am not trying to epitomize Sadhguru in any way. I have given up in doing so right since I encountered him because the moment I describe this is what he is, I have already brought him way way down from where he actually belongs to. He is way taller than all the measures that I know of.
One other question that keeps coming to me is why can't I address these social issues under my own banner. I think it would be better for me to give an analogy rather than trying to explain the intricacies involved. Let's say one's kin has a prostate cancer and needs to be operated right away to avoid the spread. On hearing this, if the person decides that he himself will pursue MD, graduate, practice a bit and then operate the tumour out from his kin, then it can happen only in these two situations: either the person is frivolous without fully understanding the criticalness of the current situation or he is self conceited. Hence, if someone seriously wants to make a significant difference in addressing these complexly intertwined social issues in one's own lifetime it is better to join hands with an existing well designed movement, adding to the required critical mass to set the flow, rather than wasting one's lifetime in reinventing the existing wheel.
Upon hearing my decision, many comment that I am courageous to take this step. But it is not really so. Knowing and experiencing Sadhguru in many different ways beyond my comprehension, there is no way that I will go past this life unrealized. It is just a question of time as to when it will happen depending on my commitment, dedication and endurance. Actually in this regard, the most courageous person is my mother. She has invested her whole life only in me and my three sisters, since my father passed away when I was a toddler. Her exposure of this world is such that it is only us and our immediate family circle. But now I have put her in a situation where she is being constantly advised, irrespective of one's age, or getting cynically poked by others as to what she should have done or do with my life. On the other hand, I constantly try to explain her what this step means to me. Staking all that she has done for me till now, I have grabbed this opportunity to show what really matters to me in my life. One thing that I remember from my childhood is the advice that she constantly gave me namely, don't let this life pass by like any other animal on this planet. But unknowingly in this process, she has instilled something much profound in me without her own knowledge. Hope that someday she will have a glimpse that what I am doing is highly relevant in terms of life existentially rather than crafting my life in a way that the societies have dreamt for me.
Initially at Isha Yoga Center, I will be participating in a seven month program designed by Sadhguru called as Sadhanapada. The program brings about a balance in body, clarity in mind and intensity in life enabling one for an effective, efficient and enduring actions while handling real world situations without getting lost.
From a land of superhumans like Adi Shankara and Vivekananda, who by their 30's not only realized the fundamentals of life but offered their contributions to this world - which is highly relevant till date - and also effortlessly walked out of their human body, here I am at my 30's taking a baby step towards grasping the fundamental mechanics of life in THE place for it!
Till I see you during your next visit to Isha Yoga Center, bye-bye!
