HUMBLE GREATNESS
Not far from the majestic precincts of Gwalior Fort is Vivekananda Needham, a place for relaxation and reflection, that left Anita Limaye full of admiration for the profound goals of the project, ecological and humanitarian
The drive to Gwalior by road from Agra passes through some of the most notorious places of the days of yore i.e. Dholpur and the Chambal Ravines, known to harbour hideouts of the local dacoits for centuries. The dubious fame of those days is now lost amongst the barren ridges and the nonexistent water of the Chambal River. The road itself is nothing to write home about and with this uncertain beginning we entered the town of Gwalior.
We had read our “standard” guide, The Lonely Planet, before embarking on our weekend trip and we knew that there is not much to look forward to in this historic city except for the famous Gwalior Fort and a bit of ancestral value for me since my mother was born here. Little did we know that we had a wonderful surprise in store for us!
During our stay with a fellow Army officer, our host decided to take us to a place called Vivekananda Needham. He simply told us that he found this place peaceful and soothing. We knew nothing else about it. Vivekananda Needham is tucked away on a small hillock on the outskirts of Gwalior.
This unassuming place has been built painstakingly and all alone by Mr Sukumar, an engineer by profession who left his hometown in Kolkata to devote his life to charity. He greeted us with a genuine smile, minimally clad in a kurta, pyjama and a Nehru jacket. “A Bengali in Madhya Pradesh?!!”, I wondered with bewilderment. I asked him what motivated him to leave his fellow men to come and settle here.
He said, “Ever since childhood I have had a desire to do something different.” In plain terms, he said, “Sadharan jeevan to sabhi jeete hain.” (“Everyone lives an ordinary life.”) I instantly recognised that he was simply following his own inner calling, which most of us ignore or are unaware about! And his idol is none other than Swami Vivekananda, whose fibre glass statue stands impressively at the entrance and the only imposing structure inside.
Mr Sukumar told us how he transformed this barren hillock into a green patch by planting more than 300 varieties of trees and plants. He has taken the land on lease from the government and operates it solely through voluntary donations and his own blood and sweat! He does not get aid from any other source like the government or NGOs.
He then took us around various cottages built inside the premises, which are rented by different groups and companies to conduct workshops for their employees periodically. Individuals who are looking to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life or need time to introspect also come here often. At first, these looked like ordinary mud huts with basic amenities like a tiled bathroom etc until we took a closer look.
Each cottage had a unique design wherein scrap materials like beer bottles, PVC and cement pipes, tube lights, bamboo, stones and broken or leftover tiles were ingeniously used within the construction. The cottages were made of either mud or with hollow bricks in order to control the temperature inside. There was a difference of 5-6 degrees between the outside and inside temperatures during any season!
Then we saw a barrage of innovative ideas where day-to-day things were used creatively — a matka embedded inside the wall of one of the huts, which was used to keep keys and loose change. Cement pipes formed a fence surrounding a cottage, with the open end used to grow some plants, in other places upright tube lights formed the fencing! Leftover bamboo pieces were cut and stuck on doors to make creative designs.
The round stones of some rustic “chakkis” were placed in a circle to form a small sitout in front of one of the cottages. The most amusing was the use of old beer bottles to make ventilators in all the huts, so as to allow sufficient light and air inside them! One of the huts even had glass vials of penicillin injections used for the same purpose!
Next, we saw the use of “gobar gas” to provide fuel for the kitchens and compost pits all around where dried leaves were used to form natural manure. He also showed us an innovative “Bio Toilet” where bacteria were used to convert human waste into clean, clear water! This water was then recycled and used to water the plants. It sounded a bit weird but seemed to actually work since the likes of Laloo Prasad Yadav had visited Needham to understand this concept and implement it in the Indian Railways. Wow! No more muck on railway tracks - that will be the day!
But, all this was just the tip of the iceberg...
Soon we reached a clearing where a group of young children were playing cricket. While we were thinking what these children could possibly be doing there, we discovered the actual purpose of Needham. These children stayed at Needham until they completed their education. They were either orphans or came from very needy families who could not support them further.
Needham had adopted some fringe villages around Gwalior and around 20 -25 children were chosen from very poor families to come and stay here. They were given clothes, food and shelter and were sent to nearby schools to pursue their education. I for one was happy to see all children wearing woollen caps to protect them from the cold. Mr Sukumar also told us that without exception all of them consistently scored 90% marks and above and some of them had even gone on to work in the IT sector! He also explained to us that these children could stay on as long as they wanted to, there was no time limit imposed on them.
Before leaving Needham we gave this humble human being a small donation from our side, whatever we could do in our capacity, to help this unique place achieve its miraculous goals. He told me that I should send my son here during the summer vacation when he conducts workshops for children of different age groups. I also added with pride, “Coincidentally, my son was also born on the 12th of January, the same date of birth as Swami Vivekananda himself, so I am sure he too will be motivated by Needham!”
My son learnt that day how fortunate he is to have a home to call his own and a set of loving parents to come back to. Each one of us left this place feeling totally awed and inspired by this individual in our own different ways. Just imagine what a single person could achieve, all he needed was a clear goal in his heart and mind to attain his goals!
I hope this account of a chance encounter in Gwalior will inspire many others to also pursue their dreams. For me, Mr Sukumar is a true hero and the “king” of Gwalior, not those who ruled from the heights of Gwalior fort.
We had read our “standard” guide, The Lonely Planet, before embarking on our weekend trip and we knew that there is not much to look forward to in this historic city except for the famous Gwalior Fort and a bit of ancestral value for me since my mother was born here. Little did we know that we had a wonderful surprise in store for us!
During our stay with a fellow Army officer, our host decided to take us to a place called Vivekananda Needham. He simply told us that he found this place peaceful and soothing. We knew nothing else about it. Vivekananda Needham is tucked away on a small hillock on the outskirts of Gwalior.
This unassuming place has been built painstakingly and all alone by Mr Sukumar, an engineer by profession who left his hometown in Kolkata to devote his life to charity. He greeted us with a genuine smile, minimally clad in a kurta, pyjama and a Nehru jacket. “A Bengali in Madhya Pradesh?!!”, I wondered with bewilderment. I asked him what motivated him to leave his fellow men to come and settle here.
He said, “Ever since childhood I have had a desire to do something different.” In plain terms, he said, “Sadharan jeevan to sabhi jeete hain.” (“Everyone lives an ordinary life.”) I instantly recognised that he was simply following his own inner calling, which most of us ignore or are unaware about! And his idol is none other than Swami Vivekananda, whose fibre glass statue stands impressively at the entrance and the only imposing structure inside.
Mr Sukumar told us how he transformed this barren hillock into a green patch by planting more than 300 varieties of trees and plants. He has taken the land on lease from the government and operates it solely through voluntary donations and his own blood and sweat! He does not get aid from any other source like the government or NGOs.
He then took us around various cottages built inside the premises, which are rented by different groups and companies to conduct workshops for their employees periodically. Individuals who are looking to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life or need time to introspect also come here often. At first, these looked like ordinary mud huts with basic amenities like a tiled bathroom etc until we took a closer look.
Each cottage had a unique design wherein scrap materials like beer bottles, PVC and cement pipes, tube lights, bamboo, stones and broken or leftover tiles were ingeniously used within the construction. The cottages were made of either mud or with hollow bricks in order to control the temperature inside. There was a difference of 5-6 degrees between the outside and inside temperatures during any season!
Then we saw a barrage of innovative ideas where day-to-day things were used creatively — a matka embedded inside the wall of one of the huts, which was used to keep keys and loose change. Cement pipes formed a fence surrounding a cottage, with the open end used to grow some plants, in other places upright tube lights formed the fencing! Leftover bamboo pieces were cut and stuck on doors to make creative designs.
The round stones of some rustic “chakkis” were placed in a circle to form a small sitout in front of one of the cottages. The most amusing was the use of old beer bottles to make ventilators in all the huts, so as to allow sufficient light and air inside them! One of the huts even had glass vials of penicillin injections used for the same purpose!
Next, we saw the use of “gobar gas” to provide fuel for the kitchens and compost pits all around where dried leaves were used to form natural manure. He also showed us an innovative “Bio Toilet” where bacteria were used to convert human waste into clean, clear water! This water was then recycled and used to water the plants. It sounded a bit weird but seemed to actually work since the likes of Laloo Prasad Yadav had visited Needham to understand this concept and implement it in the Indian Railways. Wow! No more muck on railway tracks - that will be the day!
But, all this was just the tip of the iceberg...
Soon we reached a clearing where a group of young children were playing cricket. While we were thinking what these children could possibly be doing there, we discovered the actual purpose of Needham. These children stayed at Needham until they completed their education. They were either orphans or came from very needy families who could not support them further.
Needham had adopted some fringe villages around Gwalior and around 20 -25 children were chosen from very poor families to come and stay here. They were given clothes, food and shelter and were sent to nearby schools to pursue their education. I for one was happy to see all children wearing woollen caps to protect them from the cold. Mr Sukumar also told us that without exception all of them consistently scored 90% marks and above and some of them had even gone on to work in the IT sector! He also explained to us that these children could stay on as long as they wanted to, there was no time limit imposed on them.
Before leaving Needham we gave this humble human being a small donation from our side, whatever we could do in our capacity, to help this unique place achieve its miraculous goals. He told me that I should send my son here during the summer vacation when he conducts workshops for children of different age groups. I also added with pride, “Coincidentally, my son was also born on the 12th of January, the same date of birth as Swami Vivekananda himself, so I am sure he too will be motivated by Needham!”
My son learnt that day how fortunate he is to have a home to call his own and a set of loving parents to come back to. Each one of us left this place feeling totally awed and inspired by this individual in our own different ways. Just imagine what a single person could achieve, all he needed was a clear goal in his heart and mind to attain his goals!
I hope this account of a chance encounter in Gwalior will inspire many others to also pursue their dreams. For me, Mr Sukumar is a true hero and the “king” of Gwalior, not those who ruled from the heights of Gwalior fort.
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