SVYM and the Start of Routine

Our schedule said Monday was orientation videos and introductions, so I geared up for a morning of respectful boredom. I was very pleasantly surprised. As we walked to the administration buildings, we passed a herd of goats and a roaming cow. Then, peeking out from above a tall wall were the tops of domes that Steve pointed out as "places we could meditate but not practice...". A dome enthusiast and lover of human silence, I gave thumbs up. We walked through a gate and into a lush garden that hugged the gap between two buildings. As we got closer, Sindhu - the program coordinator - greeted us, along side a number of smiling staffers carrying jasmine flower necklaces, saffron for our foreheads, and orange sugar to eat for a sweet welcome. Each one of us was greeted in earnest with these treats, and then escorted inside one of the buildings. In the lobby of the Vivekananda Institute for Indian Studies (VIIS) is a large and multifaceted mural, painted by a graduate of one of the programs. There are also posters describing their work philosophy, a large and illustrated multi-fold about the life of Vivekananda, and countless signs with wholesome, inspirational quotes about life and service, in both English and Kannada (the language most common in Karnataka).

The orientation followed in a supremely earnest, choreographed manner, I was reminded of the ways that I've heard visitors were greeted to Hawaii just after it became a part of the US. Likely when the culture was still rich and personal, not yet terribly commercialized or assimilated. In communities with long standing culture, it would seem necessary to have greeting rituals, to begin new relationships with good intentions in line with the traditions of heritage. In spite of the desperate and often harmful industrialization I've seen thus far, there seems to be a throbbing vein of Indian pride among many citizens and organizations. SVYM, with a slogan "Building a more resurgent India" seems to be very much on board with this. That being said, I wonder what the role of "outsiders" is. I had a conversation with a couple folks about taking the Mridangam to us in other music, and what appropriation is. I feel that if we learn from something - place person or animal - there is an exchange waiting to happen. Gifts are beginnings of relationships that are meant to be upheld. Investments waiting for returns. This is not to cheapen them - sharing adds a richness to life. So if we are taking without giving back, using without keeping in touch, it is abuse and stands to harm both giver and receiver (though in very different ways).

We were invited into a classroom labeled "Ahimsa" with an accompanying plaque briefly explaining (again in both English and Kannada) what Ahimsa - non-violence - means in a historical and theoretical context. The videos they shared with us were about the Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement (SVYM), which seems to have their hands in a variety of projects. Most inspiring to me is their work in tribal communities, which introduces integrated education into the community. It allows the children to remain involved with their cultural practices, while learning basic skills and secular knowledge. There's a health sector, which includes a hospital near to the school, as well as a program that nurses the newborns of mothers diagnosed with AIDS back to health. VIIS is another program, of which we are a part, that introduces Indian culture to primarily international students. They've got students from multiple universities - including Cornell, University of Iowa and University of Michigan - coming every year to intern, study or volunteer in one of the aforementioned programs. There is V-LEAD, Vivekananda Institute for Leadership Development, which hosts students or staffers from various international and domestic organizations for leadership training. There's also a 2 year masters program in business management, and definitely many things I am neglecting to mention.

Read more at svym.org

Regardless, the result is an absurdly welcoming atmosphere - both bustling and calm, full of smiling collaborators and surrounded by flowers, bushes and trees. In the backyard there's a volleyball court (that is actually USED - I was invited to join a game just yesterday), a meditation dome, a dome that discussion groups are often held in, and a music/dance practice dome full of gorgeous murals of dancers and musicians painted by a graduate of the SVYM primary school. The model at SVYM is a really good example of the exchange possible for growing economies, as it simultaneously allows the culture to be articulated and preserved, defining itself and thus establishing organized gifts. If the rest of the world can connect, respect and give props to what they receive, then we're sharing. It means getting creative - a friend mentioned yoga studios donating a percentage of their proceeds to Indian non-profits, microloans etc. - but creativity keeps the brain ripe and makes life more interesting!

The same room we had our orientation on Monday also housed our first yoga class the next morning. Guru ji is buff, chipper and straightforward, encouraging us through long held, sweaty side bends and stiff necks that melted over the class. There was an energy acquired from practicing at 6, just before breakfast, that no doubt added to the momentum of day.

After our first lessons, everyone spoke highly of how kind, humble and insanely talented their gurus seemed to be. Along with different material, it was also the fist time all of our schedules have differed, Allie goes off to study violin, then the Veena players and vocalists going to their separate lessons. After lunch, Anu is off to dance and later the Mridangam players to their lesson. It's been exciting seeing everyone find their own rhythms with practice, self care and socializing, and I feel we have the potential to learn even more from one another in these absences than we would if we were together all of the time. The space gives time for individualization, learning to be shared, and growth to inspire one another.