By Varghese Alengaden

Indore, Oct 29, 2021: India was blessed by many foreigners who came to India and made it their home. Many of them not only mastered Indian languages but also wrote dictionaries, translated the Bible in to Indian languages and made research in Indian culture and Hindu scriptures. They were able to speak Indian languages with perfect accent and grammar.

Usha Mataji, the only daughter of her parents, left her home in France and came to India at the age of 31. She travelled all over India and lived in various ashrams to understand the spiritual traditions of India. At the age of 33 she settled in a small house, Sachidnanad Ashram, in Coorg or Kodagu. She became an Indian citizen and made India her home.

On October 27, a handful of her friends gathered in the simple house to greet on her 80th birthday. There was sacredness and solemnity in that simple gathering. Everyone who had gathered testified their relationship with Mataji and how they drew inspiration from her. I was blessed to witness this unique event.

My conviction of the power of spirituality of being was confirmed during a visit to Sachidnanand Ashram in a village in Koorg, 110 km west of Mysore. I visited the ashram to meet Usha mataji who had written a letter to me admiring the work we do through Universal Solidarity Movement. I was eager to have a firsthand experience of this French woman who had adopted India as her home since last 50 years.

I was critical of ashrams and cloistered convents as they were not the way of Christ. Christ was an itinerant preacher who blended contemplation and action. He had a hectic life with people during the day and he spent the nights in prayer and contemplation. Moreover amid his hectic life Jesus was able to contemplate. He made contemplation his way of life without running away from the people. I remember the prophetic words of Baba Amte to a group of Sisters, “my dear Sisters, do not delegate your job to God.” He was urging them to be alert and active in the service of people who are in need, instead of praying to God to help them.

Usha mataji was prompt to answer my criticism when she said, “Though we do not go out of this ashram campus we are available to people always.” Being a trained nurse she comes out even during the prayer when people bring sick people to ashram. We welcome visitors even during the prayer. I could feel the family atmosphere when I saw the woman who helped in the ashram and her children sitting with us during meals and discussion.

“We want to be present for the people who come here. We are united with all people who suffer through our prayers. We update ourselves through magazines and books,” Mataji said.

Her words confirmed my conviction that BEING can be more powerful than DOING. Consciousness is what makes difference. Consciousness makes the being creative, dynamic and even eloquent. Mataji humbled me and reminded me that God reveals himself in diversity. Everyone need not be hectic and crisscrossing the country to proclaim the Good News. SPIRITUALITY OF BEING is equally effective as the dynamism of the active people who travel around the world to preach about God.

I discovered the spirituality of being in a hard way. Years ago when I was transferred to an interior village mission against my will I was frustrated. My anger further increased when I was not given any responsibility except to offer Mass daily for a community of four Sisters. It was a sudden transition from a hectic life of travelling across the country for organizing meetings and conducting seminars for various groups.

However, my practice of daily appointment with God and myself (contemplation), serious reading of books and interaction with the simple villagers enabled me to reinvent myself. I discovered my hidden talents of creative writing. I started writing articles and lyrics to express my emotions and ideas on various sociopolitical realities of the country.

Every day new possibilities unfolded from my solitude and contemplation. Within six months I could complete writing a book which contained wisdom of the simple village people. In solitude I could listen to the voice of God and reformulated my vision of life with specific goals, policies and priorities which shaped my future mission which was to affect the lives of hundreds of lives.

This vision and goals enabled me to write more than two dozen books in later years. Universal Solidarity Movement and many trend setting initiatives which I launched later were conceived during the short span of contemplation and solitude in this interior village where I was sent by force. In this village where I had no responsibility but my presence became more powerful and effective than all my doings during the hectic life of the past. For the first time I realized the power of spirituality of being.

Every time I visit Sachidanand Ashram and meet Mataji I am enriched. I am convinced that God dwells in this simple place. Indeed it is a genuine pilgrim center.

(Father Varghese Alengaden is the founder director of Indore-based Universal Solidarity Movement, an NGO centered on developing enlightened leadership, responsible citizenship, and promoting harmony among religions and ethnic groups.)