-By: Brig.(Retd.) Shamsher Singh

Spiritual awakening by itself is a great service to society, rather humanity. Those slumbering in darkness of ignorance and living in a world of dreams are sought to be shaken and awakened, shown the light and linked with the Ultimate Reality i.e. God. Otherwise, who knows how long the ignorance may prevail?

According to the Mission, if there is no peace in the world, if, mankind is afflicted by hatred and violence, it is because the man is failing to see the image of God in fellow beings. Once the distance between man and God is removed the distance between man and man will also disappear. Every heart will be filled with love and goodwill and there will be peace and prosperity all around.

As essentially a spiritual movement, the Mission’s principal commitment to its followers is, therefore, to make their minds conscious of the eternal Reality and unite their soul with the Creator, the Formless God. Congregations and big Samagams are organized for this purpose. The long and hectic spiritual tours undertaken by the Nirankari Baba and a large number of Missionaries (Parcharaks), have also the same objective. They constitute a part of the Mission’s endeavour to remove the ignorance by making spiritual enlightenment within the reach of every man and woman-young and old, rich and poor, high and how, whatever the language, faith and culture, whatever the State or the nation.

Link with Society

The Mission, however, believes that God can be realized while fulfilling one’s responsibilities towards self, the family, the society, and the humanity as such. One need not become a recluse in search of Truth. On the other hand, one must work hard, save as much as it is possible and spend the same in the service of the needy. In a way, the Mission would like every Nirankari to set an example of day-to-day life based on spiritual awakening. Universal Brotherhood must not be a hollow slogan but a practical way of life, which implies that one should always be prepared to sacrifice comforts for the others. Devotion to God, it says, must find expression in man’s behaviour towards fellow-beings.

Guided by this spirit the Mission would, therefore, like to participate in the social welfare effort including health care and education, to the extent it can afford to divert its resources from its primary activities as a spiritual movement. Interestingly even this token participation is receiving mass support from the followers of the Mission all over who see no difference between devotion to God and service to others.

Sewa Dal

No doubt the Sant Nirankari Sewa Dal (voluntary corps) is primarily committed to make arrangements for spiritual assemblies and ensure and appropriate environment for the devotees to sit together and sing the praise of God. Yet when it comes to social welfare activities of the Mission, they present an excellent example of service to mankind. They symbolise the Mission’s commitment to the spirit of unity, equality and fraternity with an added virtue of self-discipline. Coming from the different layers of society, they work shoulder to shoulder, least conscious of their social, economic or official status. The men in their Khaki (brown) and women in their blue and white are seen vying with one another to snatch an opportunity to be of help to others. They may be officers, doctors, engineers, businessmen or ordinary workers; they would not mind working in the kitchen, sweeping the floors and even clearing the toilets.

Natural Calmities

The Sewa Dal remains ever ready to help the people in pain and misery, and they reach wherever they are needed. During 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak conflicts when the police personnel and the Home Guards volunteers were deployed for paramilitary jobs, the Sant Nirankari Sewa Dal effectively helped the traffic management in various cities, including Delhi. In 1977 when many areas of Delhi were hit with the floods, these selfless volunteers not only saved the flood-hit people and removed them to safe places but also ran a dispensary to give free medicines to the sick, round the clock. They also made arrangements for a free kitchen. In 1994, and 1996, the Sewa Dal did a yeoman’s service to the flood victims in Punjab and Haryana. It also lent a helping hand in mitigating the miseries of earthquake victims in Latur in Maharashtra. In November 1996, the Sewa Dal did a fine job to rescue and rehabilitate the cyclone sufferers in Andhra Pradesh, which was highly appreciated by the State Government.

Varied amounts of money were donated by the Mission to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for the rehabilitation of the victims of natural calmities. Such contribution were made following an earthquake in Uttar Kashi, floods in Punjab and Haryana and cyclone in Andhara Pradesh. A sum of Rs.500, 000 was given to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund in Maharashtra following bomb blasts in Bombay in 1993, even though the calamity was man’s own creation. The violence smacked communal hatred but the Mission sympathized with the victims declaring that the attack was against humanity and the blood thus shed was that of human beings. Essentially the Mission’s gesture was in the spirit of Universal Brotherhood.

Blood Donation

The Sant Nirankari Mission today is one of the leading blood donation voluntary organizations in India. Scores of blood donation camps are organized in the month of April every year to commemorate the martyrdom of Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji who fell to the bullets of some fanatics on April 24,1980, as also the other martyrs. The day is observed as Human Unity Day (Manav Ekta Diwas) by the Mission all over the world. These camps are held in close co-ordination with the Indian Red Cross Society and in perfect hygienic conditions.

The Mission has organized about 200 Blood Donation Camps in India during the past one decade. It is estimated that nearly 1,50,000 units of blood have so far been donated by the volunteers of the Nirankari Sewa Dal and other devotees. Quite often, His Holiness, his esteemed spouse and other members of the gracious family also donate blood during these camps. The miracle is that the number of blood donors always exceeds the capacity of the blood collecting teams. From 1997, the Blood Donation Camps have, therefore, been staggered over the entire summer i.e. from April to August. This will make blood available when the Blood Banks generally face the shortage.

Health Care

The Mission is running a full-fledged Health Care Centre with modern facilities at the Headquarters in Delhi. Moreover, land has already been acquired adjacent to the Nirankari Santokh Sarovar Complex to set up a General Hospital. In Madras, the Mission has a mini Hospital. In addition, the Mission has about 75 charitable dispensaries attached to Sant Nirankari Satsang Bhawans in different parts of the country, where medicines and treatment are provided free to thousands of patients every month. In addition, the Mission is now organizing health check-up camps also.

Free Eye Camps

Free Eye Camps for cataract operation are also organized by the Mission from time to time. Two such camps, one at Faridabad in Haryana and the other at Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh are still remembered for their success. The patients were not only provided free treatment but glasses also, on behalf of the Mission. There are instances where Nirankari devotees have donated their eyes so that even after death they serve humanity.

Education

The Mission is running Nirankari Baba Gurbachan Singh Memorial Degree College at Sohna, Distt. Gurgaon (Haryana) where students have university positions to their credit. The Mission has also a number of Senior Secondary Schools and Public Schools in and outside Delhi where apart from curricular instruction, moral education is imparted so as to prepare the youngsters to come up as ideal citizens with high moral character.

The Education Department of the Sant Nirankari Mandal is running a scholarship scheme under which the merited students of the educational institutions run by the Mandal are given scholarships. The Nirankari children achieving distinctions in other schools and colleges run/recognised by the Government are also covered under this scheme. This scheme benefits the proficient and the needy students in academic, technical and professional fields. The Nirankari students showing excellence in foreign languages, all-India and state level competitions and sports are also attracted under the umbrella of the scheme.

The Social Welfare Department of the Sant Nirankari Mandal has a scheme for the welfare of women. It has set up 17 Tailoring and Embroidery Centres for women, including five in Delhi. The training is imparted to the needy women so that they can earn their livelihood and stand on their own feet.

Compassionate Aid

The Mission is providing adhoc relief or financial assistance in individual cases to the aged, infirm, handicapped, widows, poor, and the needy persons, who have no support and cannot make both ends meet. They also include many families who lost their bread earners in terrorist-violence in Punjab.

The Mission is also in the process of setting up a 'Home for the Aged' in Delhi. The scheme may be extended to other areas provided the State governments concerned make suitable land available.

Social Reforms

From spiritual point of view, the Mission is convinced that whatever one eats, drinks or wears is related to body and has nothing to do with the soul. One may, therefore, eat, drink or wear what one likes or what is dictated by Nature through varied climatic conditions. But when it comes to practice, the Mission advises its followers to refrain from taking any kind of intoxicants, because it considers the same as the root cause of all kinds of social evils.

Similarly, the Mission believes that man should be a man first and anything else later. It means that one should rise above all considerations of religious faith, caste or creed in the matter of social relations. Accordingly, the Mission advises its followers to observe austerity in marriage ceremonies and other social functions. It counsels them to avoid show of dowry etc. The Mission, of course, exhorts its members to spare whatever they can and utilize the same for the common good of humanity.

Thus we find that the Sant Nirankari Mission has not only been awakening the people from ignorance and revealing the Truth to every thirsty soul, but also working for improvement in the day-to-day lift of its followers. It is expanding its social base to ameliorate the conditions of the people, with more and more social welfare schemes. Transformation, of course, gets reflected in the attitude of the Mission’s followers towards others, which is certainly based on love, cooperation and understanding.