Have you tasted
Amrit? Do you have the desire to become one with the Divine?
The Amrit (अमृत) that I am referring to, comes from a very different Manthan (churning). A daily Manthan of Love,
Devotion, Selfless Service and above all Grace. A Manthan where everyone can
participate and partake in the distribution.
In her book, Bittersweet: Thoughts on Change, Grace, and Learning the Hard Way, Shauna Niequist writes, “I think preparing food and feeding people brings nourishment not only to our bodies but to our spirits. Feeding people is a way of loving them, in the same way that feeding ourselves is a way of honoring our own createdness and fragility.”2
Our post this
week is on
"Amrit – the Food for Divine Mortals".
The post below is by Mr. Rajiv Narain. Mr. Narain left his leadership position in
the hospitality industry, where he headed operations for the Jaypee Palace
Hotel in Agra and earlier headed operations for key hotels of the Taj Group to do “Seva” (selfless service) as the Deputy General Manager at the “Bhandar
Ghar” in Dayalbagh, a community kitchen that serves both the residents of Dayalbagh and the pilgrims that make their way to Dayalbagh from far and near.
Eat Healthy,
Anurag
-----------------------------
Mr. Rajiv Narain writes…
Anurag
-----------------------------
Mr. Rajiv Narain writes…
Dayal Bhandar or
Bhandar Ghar (Dayalbagh Community Kitchen) opened on 16th Feb 1915.
As a child, I
remember sitting on the floor of our mother's kitchen at home and eating food
served from the Patila (pot) along with hot Phulkas (puffed Indian bread) straight
from the Tava (pan) and Sigri (stove). Food which was fresh and tasty
accompanied with lots of love and affection.
This is exactly
what is happening at the Bhandar Ghar. It is the Rasoi (Kitchen) which prepares
lunch and dinner for the residents of the Dayalbagh colonies and for the
visitors.
The raw material
like wheat, rice, lentils, mustard oil, vegetables including potatoes and
onions are grown and produced in the Dayalbagh fields with selfless service of the
Dayalbagh Residents and Visitors and in which the Revered Leader also participates
hence all the ingredients are blessed with Grace, Love and Affection.
The Bhandar Ghar
operations start at 4:30 AM in the morning with a group of lady volunteers
cutting vegetables and cooking starts at 6 AM by trained and experienced staff
and the food is ready for dispensing at 9:30 AM sharp for about 1,000 diners
normally, the number goes up to anywhere between 6,000 to 15,000 during Bhandaras
(a gathering of pilgrims). As the lunch finishes the preparations for dinner
starts by another group of lady volunteers and the dinner is ready by 6:30 PM
sharp. Simultaneously the roti (puffed Indian bread) making happens
between 6 AM and 12:30 PM in the morning and between 4:30 PM and 8 PM in the evening by a group of
lady volunteers and is made manually on wood/coal fired Bhattis (furnace)
and about 10-12,000 rotis are made every day.
The Bhandar Ghar
has minimal number of regular staff and the major part of the operation is
supported by teams of volunteers in the age group of 18 to 90 yrs. The
dedication and punctuality of the elders is unmatched and exemplary.
The biggest
challenge for the Bhandar Ghar management is to keep the food cost under
control and as per the budget as there is an unbelievable price of Rs. 6/- meal
(vegetable, dal, roti, rice) charged to each diner. The monthly expenditure is checked
and audited to keep it in line with the budget.
The menu changes
every day with a special menu for lunch on Sunday’s followed by khichadi for
dinner, so that you are ready for a busy Monday.
The Bhattis (furnace)
are lit with wood cut from the dead trees from our fields and the challenge
ahead is to find an alternate fuel as dead wood is becoming scarce day by day. We
also use solar energy and gasifier and are dependent on sunlight and wood
respectively. Efforts are on for induction cooking as an alternate with the
help of solar and steam generation.
There is a
continuous effort to maintain and improve hygiene in preparing and serving food
by way of training and providing appropriate tools. In order to ensure food
safety, water from an R.O. plant is used for all preparations.
In case of any
excess food, the same is informed to the rest of the
Agra branches for
pick up and leftovers are relished by Cattle at the Gaushala (Cowshed).
The day ends
with utmost satisfaction if all diners are satisfied with our Seva in preparing
tasty, hygienic and safe food.
Welcome to
Bhandar Ghar!
Attribution:
References:
- Photograph of Samudra Manthan by Ram Samudrala - Own work by the original uploader, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30569352
References:
- Samudra Manthan - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samudra_manthan
- Shauna Niequist - Bittersweet: Thoughts on Change, Grace, and Learning the Hard Way
Food nourishes the body and thereby the mind.Food prepared in Bhandar Ghar is imbued with values of selfless service and pureness.No wonder that all those partaking of this are imbued with the same and reflect these values in their lifestyle and conduct.
ReplyDeleteWith earnestness and utmost devotion, volunteers offer selfless Seva for the betterment of the society.
ReplyDeleteBelly rules the mind,says a spanish proverb,while the Amritam partaken at Dayal Bhandar Ghar serves the soul.
ReplyDeleteThere is a popular saying "भूखे भजन ना होये गोपाला". Food is a necessity to keep one going. The Garden of the Merciful caters to the needs of the body, i.e. food, education for the mind and creates a charged atmosphere for the enlightenment of the Soul.
ReplyDeleteThe brick red building with huge gate embossed with bold letters 'Dayal Bhandar'. The nostalgic aroma of a simple tasty fresh, healthy balanced food hygienically prepared with good quality ingredients, amidst the reverberation of Holy name adding the value to the food which cannot be measured by any parameter.
ReplyDeleteThe food cooked by self-less volunteers with utmost devotion and dedication while at the same time singing prayers in praise of the Supreme Father, transforms the food into real nectar. The satisfaction oozing out in the surroundings is just inexpressible.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful words used to describe the pious effort put in by all the sewaks to make tasty healthy and delicious food.
ReplyDeleteStrangely what I think should have also been expressed in this blog is the recitation of path (verses from holy books) that is done while preparing food. When one has such food laden with feelings of love and birah (separation from God) we too imbibe the same feelings when one partakes this food. One would also observe that when field work is going on in full swing and when brothers and sisters work tirelessly towards fulfilling the agriculture targets, Bhandar Ghar organizes food for them at fields itself so that one can have food and immediately start working. Thirdly, during days of bhandara the opportunity of Seva is given to people participating from different states.This gives an opportunity for people coming from outside Dayalbagh to serve the brothers and sisters with the same love and affection. Fourthly, Bhandar Ghar though only charges Rs. 6/- per meal, which is so less that it can be afforded by anyone, still it keeps it's door open to all those pilgrims who have come for darshan and satsang by saving their entire life savings and cannot afford more ; by offering them food and not charging anything. The cleaning system implemented for cleaning used utensils is one of the most efficient ones. Lot of precaution is taken to ensure that water is not wasted. Lastly one can't miss the message of " Waste Nothing" that is placed at different places in bhandar Ghar reminding everyone who consumes food there, not to waste it. The message of Param Guru Mehtaji Maharaj, the sixth revered leader, is aptly placed near bhandar Ghar reminding everyone who is visiting bhandar ghar not to waste food, wealth, clothing, thought or anything they possess. This message of saving teaches us economy which is very essential during this era.
ReplyDeletetrue, nicely compiled missing points.
DeleteAs a medico, I would also like to add that in most mass preparations, likelihood of tummy upsets is practically difficult to avoid but I have never in my lifetime of visits, faced any such problem with the food served at Bhandar Ghar! Though I would still like to suggest keeping the chilly levels down which tend to go out of hand at times since children and people not used to spicy food also partake of the Grace served
This article has a very deep rooted message of Community Seva at Bhandar Ghar Dayalbagh depicting that the thoughts of Seva generated during preparation of meals create same Sanskaaras and Moral Values in the human beings having these meals. The price of these meals at this price of RS.6/- might not be available in whole of World. Thanks and Salute to the Management of Dayalbagh Bhandar Ghar for this Noble Seva.
ReplyDeleteबचपन से भंडारघर को देख रहे थे - और अब कितने ही वर्षों से , दयालबाग़ में प्रवास के दौरान दोनों वक्त का भोजन प्राप्त करते हैं। खाते वक्त हमेशा लगता है कि मालिक अपनी मेहर भरी द्रष्टि से देख रहे हैं। और क्या चाहिये?
ReplyDeleteIt's rightly said, You are what you eat". This saying implies that it's not only important for the food to be nutritious and clean but also the environment and the person cooking it play a pivotal role in the effect that the food consumed has on the individual. It's not without any reason that we say that there's nothing to match mother's cooking because of the love and care that goes into the food.
ReplyDeleteIn Dayalbagh, we are blessed beyond words. Not only is the food cooked with love and care by volunteers in the spirit of selfless service but also the raw material namely the grains, vegetables,pulses are grown on the land blessed by the Almighty with the Satsangis involved in the entire process right from tilling the land to the harvesting of the crop in a spirit of selfless service, a means of spiritual upliftment. Such Divine food, rightly called 'Amrit' is priceless because nowhere else in the world will one be able to partake of such Amrit which is essentially not only food for the body but also for the soul! Blessed are the people who are fortunate to have such food from the Bhandar Ghar.
This blog is worth reading infinite times. I feel like even using the word 'heaven' as too little to express or describe Grace, Mercy and Divine Love obtained in the form of morsels relishing our mouths and filling our stomachs with HIS subtle hands.'Super Satyug' is on the way.
ReplyDeleteIt is time when "Kalyug" is at its extreme and only The Living Sant Satguru will Save us and can take us with HIM after our death. After this, the there will be NO Transmigration of our soul and there will be NO 84 lakh cycles of births and deaths after that. That is the real "Amrit or Salvation" in "Kalyug" according to "The Sant Mat Philosophy"
ReplyDelete• The speed with which the meal is served is commendable. Volunteers speedily clean the place and arrange the place quickly with new set of utensils to serve the meal to next batch.
ReplyDelete• Children at an early age learn to leave nothing in the plate and clean the plate, themselves.
Those who rely on Dayal Bhandar (Bhandarghar) exclusively,and who either dine there or take home personally,are healthy, physically and mentally,of course,the unseen spiritual progress is vouchsafed.
ReplyDeleteLANGAR IS PROVIDED TO PILGRIMS AND OTHERS FREE OF COST.THOSE WHO WANTS TO CONTRIBUTE CAN GIVE MAXIMUM Rs.6 AS THEIR CONTRIBUTION.THOSE WORKING HERE SINCE LONG AND DEDICATED THEIR LIFE ARE REALLY GREAT
ReplyDeleteRadhasoami/Good morning, only we serve with "tan-mann-dhan & belives our "dayal" in any situation, then u don't imagine how to found the solutions your confusions in any task...
ReplyDeletethanks for being a superman.
we are the luckiest persons and protected children of Radhasoami dayal. It's wonderful to enjoy seva of any sort in dayalbagh where HIS Grace showers continuously!
ReplyDeleteBhanusree, B.V.S
Now even RS.6/- is also not charged from diner. Now diners are provided free food.if they wish so, they may give bhent of RS.1-10. with unlimited food which they can have in the premises. Diners can also take away food in a prescribed quantity which is more than sufficient.
ReplyDeleteI feel very fortunate to have this Amrit almost everyday.
ReplyDeleteAll the healthy practices are being taught and implemented in Dayal bhandar.
1. Getting a token from Langer seva kendra and walking up to the bhandarghar stretches the limbs and is a good physical exercise.
2. Queuing up for the food enchances our patience levels and always keeps us down to earth with the feeling of equality.
3. Carrying heavy utensils full of food material from the kitchen till the distribution point enables some seva to the satsangis waiting for the food.
4. Sitting in the folded legs (Artha padmasan) posture strengthens our joints, limbs, keeps our spine erect and facilitates proper flow of blood to all the organs.
5. Eating with hands is proved to be healthier compared to taking the cutlery help (unless required). Most of the satsangis eat with their hands. All the food items are Saatvik in nature, which means simple and healthy with moderate quantities of salt and spices. They are natural immune boosters.
6. Food is served by the volunteers only as much is required and not in excess so as to ensure zero wastage policy advised by GH Mehtaji Maharaj.
7. After completion of eating, the consumers washe their plates in the washbasins and then drop them in Potassim permanganate solution, which kills the harmful microorganisms. Then the volunteers engaged in the dishes pass the plates through 3 level washing and keep them ready for the next lot of satsangis to use them.
8. All these activities happen quickly, perfectly and systematically without any hassles. Social distancing and community healthcare initiatives are in practice since the foundation of Dayalbagh. Usage of masks and helmets, proper washing of hands and maintenance of hygiene started way before this Covid19 crept in. And that is the reason why despite many people dining in or taking away the food, there isn't a single positive case so far and never will it happen in future.
9. Satsangis consuming in the bhandarghar have the satisfaction of taking the food as holy prashad as they got involved in the field work to grow the ingredientsof the items they were eating later. It is like eating the fruit of our own grown tree.
10. Above all, the unbound grace and mercy of Huzur Radhasoami Dayal is immersed in every single grain of the food and every drop of the water used in the preparation of food in bhandarghar.
Though the looks are not so appealing compared to the glorified edifices or the langers of other institutions, the quality of food in terms of nutritional value and HIS grace being the key ingredient, keeps Dayal Bhandar at the top and is above this material world.