श्री रामकृष्ण , श्री माँ सारदा देवी , स्वामी विवेकानंद जी के पाद पद्मों में श्रद्धापूर्ण प्रणाम।
I offer my devoted pranams to the revered Secretary Maharaj of Ramakrishna Mission Morabadi Ranchi , Swami Bhaveshananda Ji Maharaj , & My Namaskars & Warm regards to the Padma Shri Awardee , Independedt Scientist , Dr Khadar Valli ji from Mysore.
I express my gratitude for the opportubnity they provided to host and deliver this progamme.
Please join me in Welcoming Him with an enthusiastic round of applause.
Dear audience in the hall and all those who will witness the programme online , I truly appreciate your choice that you chose to prirotise attending this amidst the innumbrable other pressing needs.
This prorgmme has a trigger that is quite personal but as you will shortly see it seeks to address some issues that are truly global and issues that affects each of you individually and collectively as well.
My mother was diagnosed with Cancer in Aug 2011. She had seen many of our relatives succumb to the disease and the treatments costs devastating their familes.
She had therefore decided to undergo sufering silently like most mothers do out of love and concern for their family. Thannkfully I came to know and asked. She accepted but refused treatmeant .
Only after she got convinced that my employer at that time , The Maharatna NTPC Ltd
would bear the major costs of dependent parents did she accept to undergo treatment.
My eternal thanks to NTPC Ltd for helping rescue my mother from clutches of imminent death.
Though she survived , The side efects of treatments – surgery, chemotherapy slowly crippled her. For 14 years she bore all the pain with equanimity. A few days ago we lost her helplessly watched her strurggling for every single breath , a result of extrmely weakend enalrged heart, ICU montors showing low pulse rate , oxygen saturation and respiration rate .. She had decided to give Up her body and discard like worn our garment and by strange coincidience on ekadasi day,
Then My mausi, her only sister also was diagnosed with cancer next year. Story repeated.
Fast forward in 2020 , the Early days of Pandemic , I called my Childhood Priya Prakash My Co-alumnus , posted in NCR in ONGC Videsh Ltd. asked him in the casual Delhi Style
सब ठीक ठाक !
नहीं संजीव ! कुछ ठीक नहीं है।
He had been diagnosed with a rare form of Cancer “Multiple Meyloma Light Chain deposit disease” , which is a Dotors way to say that
Man You have a rare form of Blood Cancer and the Prognosis is poor.
Thankfully his employer also is a Navratha PSU and his medical treatments costs were covered.
I was afraid we will not see ever him beyond 2021 .
All the pains that the patients and the family goes through raced through my mind
I was desparte to save him .
Till now the triggers is Pain and Fear of losing near and dear ones.
Is it my story ?
I just gave you few sample cases
The pain due to diseases and fear of अकाल मृत्यु many of you would have faced on daily basis. If your are the rare lucky one , ask a few friends and relatives and they wil have long sob stories to narrate to you,
And the Irony of this all is -Abnomal is the New Normal
If you say ” I have diabetes ”
The other will join and make you feel like a loser that you have just one ailment while he or she Looks like a Mega Mall of Ailments, BP, Thyroid, Kidney issues
मेरे पास तेरे से अधिक है Not Health Not Wealth But Plenty of Ailments
The irony is WE accept his as Normal and have Surrendered without fight.
Thakfully , In 2020 I came across a video of a lecture delivered at IIT Mumbai by Dr Khadar Valli, It was long one and when I started listening
I said to myself : This is a Divine help .
Dr Khadar Valli ji had Given me Gift of ज्ञान
Without ever meeting me , He had wiped away my Unseen Tears
Helpess tears of gloom and Depair Transformed into to Bright Sunligh of Hope and Boldness to Face All ailments.
तस्मादुत्तिष्ठ कौन्तेय युद्धाय कृतनिश्चयः।
इसलिए हे अर्जुन, उठो और युद्ध के लिए दृढ़ निश्चय करो
No doubt it has been said .
न हि ज्ञानेन सदृशं पवित्रमिह लभ्यते” इस लोक में ज्ञान के समान पवित्र करने वाला कोई दूसरा साधन नहीं है
And My primary school teacher Sri Anup Sir had once written on Black Board
There is NOTHING So Cheap as Knowledge and nothing so costly as ignorance.
माँ की चचेरी बहन, नीलू मौसी ने शोक व्यक्त करने हेतु हमें call किया . I lameted there are solutions but people don’t even wish to listem .
She consoled me
And She said
कोई करे या न करे , जान कर रखना चाहिए। En echo of What Adi Shankarachaya has said
शास्त्र तु ज्ञापाकम् न तु कारकम् The Shastras Give you Knowledge , Whether you put into practice or not or to what extent is a freedom you always have.
I hope you get a. fair idea of the context & purpose of the Programme
But there is even a Larger Purpose and that Larger Conext , I wil leave it for Dr Khadar Valli jo highlight and enlighten you .
Its an Awarenss Progamme On Health Nutrition and Sustabity issues .
It’s my pleasure to now introduce you to our esteemed guest , the Padma Shree Awardee, Dr Khadar Vall Ji, widely known as the Millet Man of India. I am happy to share that today morning he was Specal .Guest at Sarla Birla University and has been conferred the Award of Honorary Doctorate Degree by the Chief Guest, Hon’ble Governor cum Visitor of SBU,
———-
How Shall I introduce you to such a towering personalty ?
नाम ही काफी है .
Hello ! I am Dr Khadar Valli. Period.
I will not waste time in telling what is already known widely . Google AI is there already.
You wil know who he is. But then ok , I will spare you the trouble of Googling as well. let me still satisfy your curiousty :
Born in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh, he completed MSc in Regional institute of Education (RIE)Mysore and Phd in steroids at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and he became a postdoctoral fellow in Environmental science at Beaverton, Oregon, US
Khader Vali ji was working in the US as a scientist and returned to India during 1997.
He is advocating the benefits of consuming millets rather than being restricted to JUST two grains i.e. paddy rice and wheat and is engaged in studying the benefits of millets for the last 20 years.
He also works on saving fertility of soil and the right kind of agricultural practices.
I will now rather focus on What AI will not be able to Discern about him.
I will quote a few things from our Indian Spiritual Heritage and some words of Swami Vievkandada.
The more you get to know about him, the more you will see those ideas manifested and played out beautifully in his life,
The way Dr Khadar Valli has led his life
It reminds of the phrase from Gita 12.4
A) सर्वभूतहिते रताः
Engaged in the welfare of all beings‘
Also some of the Utterances by Swami Vivekananda ji see manifestation in him
B1 ) Even the most arrant coward becomes brave when the world praises him. A fool can do heroic deeds when the approbation of society is upon him, but for a man to constantly do good without caring for the approbation of his fellow men is indeed the highest sacrifice man can perform.
B2 ) Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life — think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success,
B3 ) Three things are necessary for great achievements.
First, feel from the heart.
Second, have you found any way out, any practical solution, some help instead of condemnation
Third, Have you got the will to surmount mountain-high obstructions? If the whole world stands against you sword in hand, would you still dare to do what you think is right?
Well let me also tell what is well known already.
I am sure you all will listen to him with rapt attention.
If you just do this much – Pay Attention , I can assure you , You will thank yourself for having chosen to spend your valuable couple of hours on this.
“सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः सर्वे सन्तु निरामयाः सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु मा कश्चित् दुःखभाग्भवेत्”
“May all be happy, may all be free from disease, may all see goodness, may none suffer.
ॐ श्री रामकृष्णार्पणमस्तु
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