|Some Glimpses into Human Values
Swami Pramatheshananda 

I had joined the Ramakrishna Order as a Brahmacharin in Ramakrishna Mission, Jamshedpur. Severe drought conditions prevailed in many parts of Bihar at that time. The Ramakrishna Mission started drought relief activities to serve the drought-affected people. I was deputed to carry out the relief work at Hazaribag area in Bihar. The drought conditions existed there since the previous three years. When we started our camp, it was quite late. We had immediately organized our camp. We first took a survey of the area and the peoples' needs; then started distributing doles.

When we were distributing the food grains and other articles, the people had packed a major portion of the grains on one side of a towel or cloth and a small portion on the other side of the cloth. Since we were busy in distributing articles, we could not ask them for the reason. Slowly we observed that most of them were doing in this way. At first we thought that the small portion of the grains were to be given to their parents, who might live elsewhere.

But, Oh! We were stunned when we learnt the reason behind tying separately that small portion of grains! They told us with respect, 'a monk is living in our locality and starving like us. As the monk is completely dependent upon God for all his needs, he would not approach relief centers for any help. As we are householders, we have the duty to share the needs of Holy people. We give the small portion of grains and other articles to the Holy man'. For decades the householders have supplied the monks their needs in spite of their constraints and dire poverty. I was rather surprised when I learnt about the good nature of the people whom we were serving.

This incident showed me, a novice at that time, the pathway to reach their level of understanding and care. Householders have kept up their duties unfailingly in most testing and daunting times, like foreign rule, poverty and so on.

After some years, I went to an East Bengal (now Bangladesh) refugee relief camp conducted by the Mission in West Bengal. The camp was called as Gaighatta Relief Camp. I was made as camp-in-charge in one of the areas. Day and night people were coming from all over East Bengal endangering their lives on their way. They were traveling long distances without any food. Shelters for taking rest at nights also were not available. They were in a very helpless condition. The Mission had arranged. several relief camps at various places. It had undertaken the huge task of providing cooked food and water to the people coming from far off places; medical aid also was given to the needy people.

Since the Mission was a charitable organization, it did not have huge resources to meet this man made calamity. Our resources and manpower were very limited. So we could not plan to alleviate the sufferings of all, who needed urgent help. But help came from an unexpected place. We were surprised when the Food Corporation of India permitted us to draw from FCI Warehouses one thousand tons of food grains and also fuel for cooking! Every three days in a week we had to collect food grains. The remaining four days we distributed them. In the beginning we supplied only food grains. Fuel could not be supplied.

The refugees used to gather near schools. To cook the food we had to use furniture, fencing materials and other wooden articles from the schools as fuel since the fuel supply was very minimal. In the beginning we had to face a lot of resistance from a section of the local people. They were against the use of school materials as fuel to cook the food grains. But another group of people had understood our difficulties and also the sufferings of those helpless refugees! They told that survival of human lives was more important than the education of their children at that time. They were happy that their school furniture had saved the refugees from starvation. They allowed us to use school wooden materials as fuel to cook food for the refugees. Here also we were wonder-struck to see the innate nature of goodwill and kindness manifest in those people! They were ready to help those unfortunate people at the cost of their own life and comforts.

We did not know then, from where the resources would come from. Our camps never went out of stock of articles. Our relief work continued even after East Bengal, as Bangladesh, got freedom. Though people depict India as a poor country, we wonder how such quantities of materials were supplied. But we are instruments of the Lord. We did at His bidding and His work goes on.

Lastly, I like to mention about our Orphanage Home at Malliankaranai Center. This institution is not only educating orphans and needy children, but also rehabilitate them. Many times we ran short of funds to conduct the Orphanage. But goodwill of the people is constantly flowing and helping. I have been blessed to serve these orphan children by educating them and looking after their emotional and physical developments. Swami Vivekananda says, 'Blessed are we that we are given the privilege of working for Him, not of helping Him. Cut out this word 'help' from your mind. You cannot help. It is blasphemy. You are here yourself at His pleasure. Do you mean to say, you help Him? You worship. When you give a morsel of food to the dog, you worship the dog as God. God is in that dog. He is all in all.' Having this thought in mind, let us serve our brethren in all possible ways.