What seems to be currently occurring in the rural countryside near Tiruvannamalai, is a gradual replacement of the population. The farmers are selling up, mostly to developers and planners, and their farms are being levelled, surveyed and sold by the square foot as plots to accommodate the growing influx of people wishing to settle at Tiruvannamalai.
There are many organisations and ashrams who have (and will) come into the area who are enhancing the rural ethos of the countryside, but in the main part the future of most of the land is for plot housing.
What is surprising is the eagerness that most farmers have to sell up and move out. From talking with farmers and having information about what’s happening in the area, I would say that the vast majority of farmers wish to sell -- and the only thing delaying them is their wait for the “Right Price”.
There are many organisations and ashrams who have (and will) come into the area who are enhancing the rural ethos of the countryside, but in the main part the future of most of the land is for plot housing.
What is surprising is the eagerness that most farmers have to sell up and move out. From talking with farmers and having information about what’s happening in the area, I would say that the vast majority of farmers wish to sell -- and the only thing delaying them is their wait for the “Right Price”.
I recall somebody telling me that the nature of Grace is that you are only aware of it once it has gone. Is this what will happen to the local farmers? Being born into an idyllic life in the most psychically serene spot on earth – and selling that birthright without a backward glance to relocate with their “pot of gold” in whatever place they choose. Sadly most of the farmers, who have probably lived their lives in a condition of “feast or famine”, and have not had the opportunity over the years to plan their finances, will through inexperience quickly waste their “pot of gold” and end up some years hence with both land and money gone, gone, gone.
Arunachala has everything well in hand and maybe those people moving out have completed their karma with the Hill and are now making way for a “new batch” of souls upon which the Hill can work its magic. Its all in the Great Lord’s hands.
Arunachala has everything well in hand and maybe those people moving out have completed their karma with the Hill and are now making way for a “new batch” of souls upon which the Hill can work its magic. Its all in the Great Lord’s hands.
Further to the subject of losing one’s idyllic life and opting for civilization, I have posted below a fascinating, edgy video entitled “Civilization” which definitely stimulates thinking!
"Maybe those people moving out have completed their karma with the Hill and are now making way for a “new batch” of souls upon which the Hill can work its magic. Its all in the Great Lord’s hands.
ReplyDeleteMeenakshi Ammal, you said that so beautifully. That is exactly what is happening.
I remember, at the height of the terrorist problems in the world, I read something Sivaya Subramaniamswami of Hawaii wrote. He wrote, "the world is exactly as Lord Shiva wants it to be. Everything is perfect right now". It was really hard to imagine it at that time but now, thanks to grace, I understand what he meant.
A western non-profit should help these farmers get the support they need to manage their finances. They have had a very hard life and we owe it to them for taking care of sacred earth for us.
ReplyDeletePardon my saying this: but there is nothing idyllic or serene about the indian farmer's life. Dependent as he is on monsoon, his whole life is a gamble. And he has to struggle from one harvest to another. So if he gets good price for his land he will jump at the first opportunity. of course, its anybodies guess if that will give him security of essential needs of life.
ReplyDeleteI also wonder where the farmers are going? They will get a big payoff for the land, which we all know won't last long. Marriages, health issues and family & friends will swallow it all. Then what?
ReplyDeleteLoved the video, it is absolutely correct! In the old days people did everything themselves, made their own clothes, food, etc. Now, we have to slave away doing the same thing every day to pay for other people to provide everything to us. What a pity! But as the video stated, there is no alternative.
maybe it is good to mention that land has gone from, say, a lakh an acre to 30, or more, lakhs an acre ...
ReplyDeleteconsequences? no farmer can afford to buy the next farm to give to his sons or to expand his own ...
the cost of living has risen dramatically, fertilizer, clothes, foods, while income has not ... much of this is driven by people from out of the area, both from other states and from other countries, who have disrupted and distorted the local economy in myriad ways ...
and the talk in the tea stalls? the life is becoming ruined by outsiders ...
and more ...
Hi Anon,
ReplyDeletewhat Satuguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami really said is:
"After receiving grace of a God, the devotee can never be the same again, never look at life again in the old way. By grace we are directed deeper into spiritual life, pointed in the right direction, carefully guided on the San Marga, the straight path to our supreme God.
After grace has been received, our thoughts are enlivened, our life is inspired with enthusiasm and energy, and we live daily in the joyous knowledge that everything is all right, everything is happening around us in accord with our karma, our dharma and God’s gracious will."