Being Enrooted

“Mass Shooting in Primary School of U.S.A by an eighteen year old”

These were the headlines which greeted me in the morning just a few days back. This was the tenth mass shooting news which I was reading in just a span of a year and to be honest it was quite disheartening too, to watch my younger generation in such a crippling situation. Though the news was not related to India, but I was quite aware of the fact that in no time soon, I shall be encountering the same instances in India too, because with time mental health was becoming a major concern for a majority of teenagers and even toddlers in India. So this news forced me into a deep slumber to try and figure out what might be the actual cause behind such news and if possible what solution I could figure out for this problem.

To be quite honest to oneself, it will be true to state that stress is something which every Adult witnesses each and every day and the situation is so severe that days without stress are considered to be counter-productive by the modern corporate houses. So, in a place where stress and work pressure is considered to be good for creating motivation to work, won’t the younger generation also resonate to the same. It is something which I have observed in a number of kids nowadays that they have a fear of future in their minds ever since the beginning of their lives. They have fear of scoring well in school tests, clearing the JEE entrance exam, getting a reputed college, passing out with a high GPA and then finding the ideal package only to end up with nothing but a huge void in their hearts, as to why did they actually even work so hard. It is this pressure from such a young age that leads to such barbaric instances to take place.

It was the COVID Lockdown worldwide which forced every human being in this world to come across and face the voids that they had created in their hearts over the years of being busy in things which never really mattered that much. Many people actually reported that staying at homes made them realise that their lifestyle was merely way of keeping themselves busy and not productive, and with the free time that they found during the lockdown they could actually try new productive things and realise that there were multiple ways to pass time rather than merely roaming around in the city. So, now the question is that was a Global Pandemic the only way for us to realise that life is not just about running and running for something which does not really exist or is there some other way as well through which we can train ourselves and most importantly our younger generation to never really get lost in this race of life. For me the answer was found in Uttan!

Uttan has its meaning with upgrading yourself to understand yourself and to reach the level of you being in process of self-development. Any person who has desire to excel for any reasons no doubt is in the practice of Self-development as there is nothing “DONE” as everything means “IN PROCESS”. Anyone who gets into DONE mode are actually a closed chapter and no doubt will not be able to excel in their path whatever it may be and anyone who has firm belief “IN PROCESS” mode, they are in the process of achieving even if takes longer time. The story of Acharya Mahashraman is the perfect story of what happens if you are activating yourself for the “IN PROCESS” mode and till date Acharya Mahashraman is the “IN PROCESS” mode and the energy which he speaks and does the acts only makes his followers or any person to believe that there shall be only one mode “IN PROCESS” mode.

Uttan can be read in line with Anuvrat Movement in the manner that the meaning of Anuvrat was “small”, “micro level” etc and Uttan also means small steps towards being IN PROCESS mode but learning is important. For understanding its deeper meaning, I’ll narrate you a story which was once narrated to me,

“Mohan as child was very intelligent. Mohan started thinking of future monkhood and told his mother of his intention which surprised his mother but being determined he expressed his intense desire to Ganadhipati Acharya Tulsi. Ganadhipati Acharya Tulsi seeing the desire took the test of renunciation and detachment of Mohan and Mohan passed every test and thereafter, Mohan became Muni Mudit Kumar. Thereafter he started learning Hindi, Sanskrit, Prakrit and English and at times he lived in seminary. Because of his eagerness to learn and attaining various dimensions of development, Ganadhipati Acharya Tulsi presented him as the intimate associate of Yuvacharya Mahapragya. Working under Yuvacharyaji as his intimate associate; Muni Muditkumar gained a vast knowledge of Agamas, Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. Seeing the Uttan in Muni Muditkumar Ganadhipati Acharya Tulsi appointed him as Sajhpati in Beawar. Assessing his ability, Ganadhipati Acharya Tulsi appointed him on the significant and dignified post of MAHASHRAMAN which was an absolutely new post in the religious order of Terapantha. Thereafter he undertook independent journeys in order to give a new direction to the religious order and to have contact with his followers. Thereafter he was declared as Yuvacharya and then since then, Muni Mudit Kumar has come to be known as “Yuvacharya Mahashraman”. After the death of Acharya Mahapragya, Yuvacharya Mahashraman became Acharya Mahashraman and now he is being referred to as Yugpradhan.”

Uttan not only means to always be learning, but it also means to always be learning about who we are. It focuses us to understand on the roots which make us who we are and indentify oneself uniquely in this world of Billions.

Under my perspective, Uttan as a practise is vital for the younger minds particularly, for it helps them indentify with their culture, understand their belongings or in simple words stay enrooted to who they really are. Essentially it helps them find answers to basic life problems through the lens of what our ancestors had said, communicated or tried to teach us years back. I firmly believe that the ways taught centuries ago still have their applicability in the modern world for the human haven’t changed. They still slumber, they still envy, they still argue and still think that their actions are controlled by them. It is with Uttan that the kids will be able to reflect upon the teachings of the Scholar and it would work in the same way, the tales of our lovely nani’s and dadi’s used to work, help in creating the child a better human being, alas! the art of storytelling, something which is on the verge of getting lost now. I hope that this article finds its way to those who seek to find sense in this modern world and those kids who still believe that the world is not a good place to live.