Green Grace

The Yuvak Vibhag of Jnana Prabodhini is a powerhouse of charged up individuals who are determined to eliminate the unnecessary traditions and customs and infuse one religion amongst all-the religion of nationalism. 8220;Ganesh festival for us is an opportunity to unite and present to people the ideals we strive to uphold. The dhol presentations that we perform not only make people curious and inspired, but they also put forth the values like unity, discipline and patriotism,8221; says Siddharth Dhomkar, head Yuvak Vibhag.

Santrika, a department in Jnana Prabodhini also works towards eliminating the unnecessary customs in the rituals. According to Yashwantrao Lele, head, Santrika, 8220;We understand that there are a number of stanzas in the mantras and rituals that can be misinterpreted. So we have our students who ensure that the true meaning reaches the homes of the people.8221;

It is due to the same reason that the students of Jnana Prabodhini read Marathi translation of Atharvasheersha in front of over 20 Ganesh mandals. What has been a revolutionary step is doing Matrubhoomi pooja during Ganesh festival. 8220;We believe that we all have a common culture and the castes and religions are just the differences of opinions. But today, what we are doing is fighting on the differences rather than concentrating on what we have in common,8221; says Dhomkar as he further adds, 8220;So irrespective of whichever religion we belong to, we have one thing in common and that is our nation. It doesn8217;t matter which god or goddess we praise, what is true is that our country has to be our God.8221;

As a part of Matrubhoomi pooja, the students present a one-and-a-half hour programme that includes 45 minutes of patriotic chanting followed by a lecture on patriotism along with a question and answer session. 8220;And the response is very positive. To give you an example, Sainath mitra mandal that has been inviting us to perform this programme for years, initially used to put up flashy decorations but today, their decorations represent social issues. And that8217;s not enough because, they are also involved in a number of social activities like rehabilitation of children, cleanliness drives and so on,8221; says Sachin Supekar, member, Yuvak Vibhag.

With a realistic approach towards their mission, the students of Jnana Prabodhini are aware that the task they have taken up is gigantic. Dhomkar concludes on a positive note saying, 8220;It is not an event but a process. We also know that it is not impossible. We do not want to change people, we want to change their approach towards life and even if 10 out of 500 Ganesh mandals starts doing what we do in their area every year, the day is not far when we would all be together despite of our differences as Indians.8221;