Reflections on the Sigma Six Q Outreach

In this post, I thought it will be a good idea to reiterate the purpose of this blog, our objectives and the outcomes that we have been able to attain to date.

Every day, we hear or read about Sustainability. There are so many theoretical constructs on climate change, overpopulated continents, lack of education; debates on need vs. greed, secular vs. communal, atheism vs. agnosticism vs. monotheism vs. polytheism. There are brotherhoods of terror, there is poverty, malnutrition, slums, predatory men, child abuse and trafficking, gender based violence, regional conflicts, child labour, child marriages, nuclear weapons and missiles, war crimes, neo-Nazis, falling morals, polluted air, drying rivers, receding glaciers, plastics… The list goes on and on.

There are so many attributes to work on for Sustainable Human Life on Planet Earth, and these attributes are not just natural resources. And each of these attributes interacts with the other!

And as artificial intelligence becomes a larger part of our lives, values become more important, as the consequences of deranged values will get more amplified.

Our aim through this outreach is to highlight long term sustainability solutions, solutions that have been scale tested in the melting pot in Dayalbagh, and are not some utopian theoretical solutions. These are practical implementations taking into account the socio-economic effects on society.

In our blogs and posts we have talked of Agriculture, Dairy, Values Inculcation, Women’s Empowerment, Innovation, Renewables, Air, Water, Education, Marriages, Healthcare, Community Services, and building the next generation of super-humans that are smarter, morally upright and grounded.

We hope to convert this outreach into a movement with Dayalbagh as the reference implementation of this Sustainable Way of Life. You and me, are both emissaries of this outreach and role models of the Dayalbagh Way of Life.

There is a long-long way to go though, Billions to reach!

We have presence in three of the social media platforms. We are on the blogger site (www.sigmasixq.com), on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/sigmasixq/) and on Twitter (https://twitter.com/SigmaSixQ). Our posts are primarily in English, and we plan to attempt other languages before the end of the year. Details as below.

1. Weekly Blog Post on Blogger

• Between 600 to 1,500 words, typically posted every Friday afternoon/ evening IST
• We have done 23 Blog Posts to date
• Our Top Post is the one by Dr. Bani Dayal on “Supermen of Dayalbagh: A Glimpse into Their Unique World”, with a view-count of 17,319. This post is followed closely by a post by Ms. Juhi Singh on, “Made-in-Heaven Marriages”, with a view-count of 16,163.
• About 68% of our viewership is from India, 22% from US, 5% from Germany and 5% from other countries.

2. Facebook Posts (about 5 every week)

• Complement the Weekly Blog Post
• We have done 200+ posts to date.
• In a four-week period we reach close to a Quarter Million Unique Individuals
• Our Top Posts have reached close to hundred thousand people each with Ten Thousand Reactions, Comments and Shares for each. The top post has been on Values, on Brotherhood of Man, and one on Children’s Learning.

3. Twitter Tweets (about 5 every week)

• Complements the Weekly Blog Post. Similar to the post on Facebook, sometimes shortened because of character limitations.
• We have done 200+ tweets to date.
• Every day we create close to Ten Thousand impressions on Twitter, with the top tweets creating close to Twenty Thousand impressions.

Why am I telling you all this?

In a public meeting in Dayalbagh on 28th December 1936, Revered Sir Anand Sarup ji was graciously pleased to observe that a study of the history of the world reveals to us that, in the past, some nation or community has always been selected from time to time for carrying on the work of the advancement and progress of humanity and that in pursuance of this law this honour has now fallen to the lot of the Satsang Community. That the services of the Satsang Community be utilized in drawing the attention of the nations of the world to the necessity of true spiritual life, social equality and devotion to duty…1

Further in a chat with Satsangis, Revered Sir Anand Sarup ji on the evening of 23rd June 1937 on the Beach in Madras, said, “Never, Never, during my life have I shirked my duties and responsibilities. I have always discharged my duties and responsibilities without fear or hesitation and without sparing myself, with the result that my efforts have achieved success to the chagrin of enemies and to the joy of my friends”.1

It is OUR bounden duty to be of service to ALL of humanity and to be of service to Planet Earth.

In our interactions with Revered Prof. Prem Saran Satsangi, what I understood is as follows:

• The message, practices and the model of the Sustainable Dayalbagh Way of Life needs to reach many more individuals and communities in a spirit of brotherhood, participation and dialogue, so that all of us, together can make this planet a better place for all humanity and other life forms.
• As use of super-intelligent machines becomes widespread, Values need to be highlighted and emphasized; our Innovations should be governed by a strong value system.

What can you do in this outreach?

1. Follow us, read our posts

• Blogger posts at www.sigmasixq.com or sigmasixq.blogspot.in
• Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/sigmasixq
• Twitter at https://twitter.com/SigmaSixQ

2. Like, Share and Comment

• Your comments are very useful for us, gives us a feel for the pulse and keeps us motivated
• And we would love to have a dialogue even if you have a differing opinion

3. You could blog with us

• Send us your Ideas/ thoughts for the weekly blog
• Share write-ups
• Share content (photographs etc.)

4. And lastly, to err is human, so there would be mistakes in the Blog/ Posts/ Tweets from time to time, we will correct these if you make us aware.

Our contact email ID is sigmasixq@gmail.com.

Happy Dusshera. May our “Good” always win the fight over our own “Evil”!

Regards,

Anurag Singh

Reference:

1. Writings and Speeches of Param Guru Huzur Sahabji Maharaj

Dayalbagh Mahila Association: Spearheading a Social Revolution

Phylicia Rashad, the American actress, singer and stage director said, “Any time women come together with a collective intention, it's a powerful thing. … magic happens”.

Today’s post is about Dayalbagh Women coming together and making this magic happen,

Dayalbagh Women Spearheading a Social Revolution.

This post is by Prof. Nandita Satsangee and Prof. Sarla Paul from the Education Faculty of Dayalbagh Educational Institute, with inputs from Mrs. Asha Sinha, Secretary, Dayalbagh Mahila Association.

Read on...
Anurag
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The Professors write…

John Amos Comenius, a philosopher and a pedagogue of seventeenth century highlighting the importance of women in raising the future generations remarked that the first and the most lasting impression on a child comes from, “The school of mother’s knee”. The centrality of women in the society has been illustrated in the following lines of Revered Sir Anand Sarup, “It is really the women on whom rests the mental, moral and spiritual development of the coming generation… What motherhood can do for a nation is indeed indescribable! How fully human life becomes sweetened by the potency of maternal affection and how man’s nature is ennobled and purified by the impress of motherly love and devotion, cannot be adequately appreciated !.... That a society which metes out a shabby treatment or pays but stinted tribute of esteem and attention to its women folks, is doomed to a calamitous downfall. If man is the right limb of society, woman certainly is the left”.

The importance of women has been realised since ancient times. It is stated in Vedas that, “If you want to form a society that stands up the highest benchmarks of principles and nobility, accord highest glory to woman, and let her possess knowledge, dignity and leadership”. The society in Dayalbagh accords a unique status to women who are not only exemplary daughters, wives and mothers but also spearheading social transformation in an evolutionary manner. 

Dayalbagh Mahila (Women's) Association: Its origin and development from a historical perspective - All forms  the community services  rendered by womenfolk have been  organised under the flagship organisation of Dayalbagh Mahila Association. Soon after the foundation of the Dayalbagh colony, Mahila Association was constituted with various facets and wings to ensure their steady growth.

In world history, we find that the condition of women deteriorated during Medieval times, they were suppressed and forced to lead a restricted life within the four walls of their houses under the dominance of their men folk. In 1937 when the Industrial Revolution started, the women of Dayalbagh under the stewardship of Revered Mehta Ji took part in it with utmost zeal and fervour. They came out of their confinements in homes, discarding the rigid and superstitious bondages that were imposed upon them, organised themselves and started participating not only in multifarious skill - based activities like stitching, printing, embroidery work and selling the finished products through door to door service but also imparted education and knowledge to the illiterate and less privileged sisters of the community. That served as an initial bold step towards their becoming self-reliant.  The activities of Mahila Association from the day of its inception advanced with steady steps. In 1938, Mahila Stores and a Tailoring School was established.

Mass exercise programme and learning of self-defence skills including exercising with the Lathi (Bamboo Stick) started in 1940. Training on precautions to be taken against air attacks and that of providing first-aid services, training in production of hair oils, tooth powder, Surma powder for eyes, stuffed toys, woollen shawls and agricultural field work on extensive scale started in 1943. Hands-on experience in stitching, knitting, hosiery work, carpet making, etc. were started to make women economically independent. Participation in ‘Save Grain Campaign’, preparation of non-cereal food items, establishment of Play Centres for Toddlers belonging to age groups from 2 to 5 years under supervision of women, establishment of Women’s Club for solving social problems of women and cultivating literary, musical and dramatic skills helped them tremendously not only  in honing their talents but also in enhancing the quality of life of the entire community. 

In 1975, which was celebrated by UN as the International Women’s Year, the ladies of Dayalbagh participated and took part in jumble sales, preparation of  readymade garments, pickles, squashes, murabbas, chips  etc. A social revolution was initiated by the establishment of Vivah Sangam in 1976 for simplifying marriage ceremonies and arranging group marriages. Their other services included  offering shoe guard services to pilgrims and  providing coaching to weak children, To develop their reading interests a Women’s  Library was set up as a resource of recreational and informative  reading material  to women,  and later a children’s library also started  functioning independently  in 1993.

The Present Scenario:  

At present, in almost every new endeavour, women play an active role. They are part of the preparation of spices, pickles, squashes and other ready to cook food stuffs. Apart from these they are actively involved in internal security forces, educational enterprises and agricultural operations. The aim is to skill the womenfolk in tandem with government schemes, promoting entrepreneurship, specially, for the upliftment of weaker, illiterate and semi-literate sections of the society. At present, they are not simply confined to traditional feminine tasks but are also handling challenging tasks which are traditionally expected of male counterparts. It is the natural spirit of valour which has earned them the title of ‘Virangnas’ (brave women) by Revered Prof. Prem Saran Satsangi. Their participation in chivalrous endeavours has not withdrawn them from their skill and expertise in household chores which is reflected in their preparation and serving tasteful, savoury and nutritious meals and snacks at cost price to pilgrims who frequent Dayalbagh to pursue their spiritual quest through the year.

Dayalbagh has large population of working women who do a fine balance between their profession and household responsibilities with the support services provided by other sisters who contribute by producing ready made fresh and grinded items, ready to cook mixes, sprouted grains, stitched clothes, knitted garments, Ilaichidana for Parshad etc. In return of their support services they generate a supplementary family income which promotes their standard of living. A feature of any value-based and progressive society is the care that it gives to the elderly and disabled members of the community. This role is executed in an exemplary fashion by the younger women volunteers of Dayalbagh with a sense of responsibility, and a spirit of service. Besides this they provide counselling services. Recently Acupressure service has also been started.

Barack Obama, former US President emphasised that, ‘The best judge of whether or not a country is going to develop is how it treats women.’ The Dayalbagh community, by its efforts in this direction will ensure its continued development.

Made-in-Heaven Marriages

Marriage is the legal or formal recognition of union of two people as partners in a personal relationship. In Asia, over time, the associated ceremony has overtaken the marriage and become a vulgar display of wealth and power, a display “worthy” of the so-called social standing of the two families, where typically the bride’s family gets harassed with demands of dowry and for putting up an ostentatious multi-day display worth the groom’s family social standing.

Further, in India, the institution of marriage perpetuates and feeds the caste system. As I edit this blog post, my thoughts go out to my own family coming from the hinterlands of India where the caste system is deeply rooted. From an Indian society perspective, my own marriage and that of my siblings and that of my parents (in 1961) are inter-caste marriages. You may ask how did that happen?

To answer this question, our post this week is on the 

“Made-in-Heaven” Marriages in Dayalbagh.

The word “marriage” brings to mind a coming together of two persons and their families mixed with festivities, rituals, lots of fun, meeting cousins! Sadly, marriages are more of a social “tamasha” (grand show), one-upmanship and a vulgar display of wealth highlighting class and social distinctions and differences thereby strengthening divisions of society based on economic status.

In Dayalbagh, the stress is on promoting social equality and brotherhood of man. Caste system is a strict “no”, rather it is expected that each person following the Dayalbagh Way of Life will develop the stated qualities and abilities of all the four varnas (castes) in themselves. So, depending on the need, I am a Sudra or a Kshatriya or a Vaisya or a Brahman or a combination thereof.

Marriages in Dayalbagh are simple and austere fostering social equality. They are conducted under the auspices of the Marriage Panchayat, Dayalbagh. The Marriage Panchayat arranges for three pre-marriage counselling sessions (over a six-month period) for the parents and the couple to enable a better understanding of each other’s expectations and backgrounds.

The rules are crystal clear. Total expenses permitted for the wedding are Rs. 18,000 (USD 280) each for the bride and for the groom. This amount is inclusive of the Rs. 1,200 (USD 19) for the post marriage lunch hosted by the Marriage Panchayat for 100 guests, 65 from the bride’s side and 35 from the groom’s. All expenses are auditable by the Marriage Panchayat and violations are unacceptable.

There is no dowry – no cash and nothing in kind. Even a whiff of this happening can lead to big trouble.

The girl, the boy and their parents are required to report in Dayalbagh seven days prior to the marriage date and immerse themselves in self-less service in the fields.

Typically, there are four to five marriages on a particular day (typically Sunday). All marriage groups get together for a joint prayer function with all guests two days prior to marriage.

The day of the marriage is simple and straight-forward. The ceremony starts with a Sagai-Samaroh (engagement ceremony) early in the morning during community service in the farms. This is solemnized by an exchange of garlands and prayers for well-being of the couple and all others. This is followed by the marriage rites performed in the presence of a designated marriage officer either by registration (preferred – but requires either the girl or the boy to have residency in Dayalbagh) or vedic rites. The bride and groom take a vow to uphold mutual respect and their duty towards their parents and for each other.

Everyone can bless and congratulate the couple, only blood relatives can give a token gift of Rs. 11 as Shagun (auspicious gift).

We have not touched on the fun and festivities in this post, because without the need to spend one’s full life’s savings, without the need for social one-upmanship, without the need for caste matches, without the need for angst on whether some other relative gave a bigger gift, without the need to arrange for marriage lunch or without the need to arrange for the marriage venue the fun and festivities increase dramatically.

And when two individuals come together there could be ups and downs. The marriage panchayat provides a counselling session six months after marriage to re-emphasize the importance of adjustment and empathy. Violence in marriage is totally unacceptable.

Is it “marriages made in heaven” or “marriages in heaven”? or maybe both…

The above post is by Ms. Juhi Singh and Anurag Singh.