The Peace Place

The staff at the kendra is composed of followers of Swami Vijnananand and his ideas that are an amalgamation of religion,science and philosophy. Swamiji authored over 250 books before attaining samadhi in 1993,and for all his devotees,his words lead the way. The kendra was set up to promote the ideas of service,kindness and a stress-free lifestyle,based on the research and studies conducted by Swamiji. “The scientific and philosophical parallel adopted here has made it very attractive,” says Mayur Chandane,who has been a resident for the past two decades. An engineering student from Mumbai,he quit his studies and came to the centre on the call of Swamiji.

Some walls in the musty rooms inside the buildings are plastered with posters extolling the virtues of the different courses. “Everyone is running after happiness,but when we run after material happiness,only sorrow follows us. The aim of this centre is to teach people how to cope with stress and tackle their problems,and how to develop peace of mind,” says Chandane.

The centre covers topics like preparing expectant parents to cope with the demands of raising a child,helping improve concentration in children,inculcating values of respect and kindness in them,methods of peace of mind,curing diseases without medicines,protecting oneself from jealousy,improving focus in life,discussing life after death,and more. Each session often attracts close to 300-350 people. The sessions are augmented by ‘machine tests’ of stress and concentration levels,followed by counselling.

The teaching,administration and other work are kept up by 125 lifetime devotees,who stay in the premises and are paid minimal honorarium. Apart from them,about 8000 ‘sadhaks’ are encouraged to pledge one hour a day of social service or one hour worth of their income to the centre. The in-house book store has books by Swamiji and a monthly magazine. The sale of the books has been critical in the centre’s self-sustainability,as all classes are conducted free of charge,with a minimal amount charged for food and stay.

Aditi Lohot,23,is a Mumbaikar with a post-graduate degree in physics. She has been a resident at the centre for the past year,and is so impressed by the teachings that she wants to become a lifetime devotee. “The way Swamiji has combined physics and philosophy just blew me over. Everything that is taught here is scientifically explained,and that is why so many youngsters get attracted to this place,” says she.

The centre is overlooked by a trust that of 12 trustees,of whom Pramod Shinde is the most senior. “We also take up medical and other service camps for the adivasi communities around,” he explains. “Though 80 per cent of our work is centered in Maharashtra,we do take up workshops in other cities across India.”