A rich harmonious accordion buzzed in my ears as I stared out over the Ganga rapids of Munger, India. After practising the vedic lifestyle for weeks at the Bihar School of Yoga, I was bestowed a souvenir of 108 prayer beads as a reminder of what true dedication to oneself requires: simplicity, harmony and balance.
From the outside and through the textbooks I read earlier, I fell under the impression that this community, like so many in rural parts of India, was incapable of maintaining an efficient system because they ‘lacked resources’. I used to feel a sense of relief when hearing that some big tech billionaire was planning to test their company’s latest innovations in these so-called underprivileged locations. With their powerful tools and endless wealth, wouldn’t they be the ones to improve these areas? Isn’t ‘service’ just that – those with resources deciding how seemingly unstructured communities should be helped?
But upon my arrival to the Yogashram, I came to understand that it was quite the opposite. Members of the Yogashram were actually the ones most effectively utilizing the resources around them to uphold their community. Their spirituality and yogic practices are backed by years of scientific research, allowing many individuals to achieve the paragon of happiness we often search for in piles of WEALTH.
In my short visit, I realized that my initial assumptions were wrong. Because, while from the outside this area seemed to be suffering, they had in fact crafted a well oiled, unique system of their own, which nurtured values that we rarely find in our world today.