YAH CHINGARI BANI JWALA


यह चिंगारी बनी ज्वाला
The spark ignited flame, and blazed up. Stop Smoking. Just a spark sometime back. Today? This small spark has been converted to flame and has lit up life of many people. Let the readers of ‘Express Yourself !” read about an inspirational activity started in Bangalore city by a group of enthusiastic people.

The Art of Living different courses with different focus. DSN is one of such courses that makes you very strong, dynamic leader with goal to create a divine society. I attended DSN course during Christmas of year 2008. Our DSN teacher Sri R.R. Naickji instructed us to convince the smokers to quit smoking. Normally, many such exercises are given to the course participants during the DSN program, by the teachers for some purpose. But this exercise created a difference… We approached to strangers in group. They were wondering about who we were! Why we were concern for their health, their family! We had many unique and amazing experiences during those few hours. Most of those strangers welcomed our concerns with smile. They gave excuses to smoke. They superficially agreed to quit smoking to get rid of us. Some people even insulted us. It does not matter to us. At the end of day, we achieved many positive results. We made difference in lives of many people. So this was spark. DSN course was over, with excellent learning
.

However, this process of talking with strangers, made us aware about our social responsibility for the people, who are misguided and wasting their life, their health due to bad habit of smoking. What can we do for them? Some of us gathered and under guidance of Art of Living teacher Sureshji we continued to work. Sureshi started a blog to share experience. Stop Smoking!! Start Living ! We had brain storming discussions about how to approach a stranger smoker and convince him to stop smoking. Many more volunteers joined with us. We prepared banners. We started campaign to bring revolution and make smoking free society. As such our goal is not to close tobacco companies. Our goal is to create healthy society. We approached many smokers on new year day and they took new year resolution to quit smoking. We have lit a lamp and given a name to it - "Stop Smoking Start Living" campaign. So now, spark got air and fuel. It become flame.

So far, this campaign was happening only at one part of Bangalore. That area is recognized as HAL, MurugeshPaliya, Old Airport Road. Yes, we got many encouraging e-mails from across the globe, that we posted on our blog. We expand the reach of our campaign. We approached other near by Art of Living center. The same campaign replicated by Art of Living volunteers of other centers. Koramangala Art of Living center took it forward. Probably, Sri Naickji’s DSN course students were holding that spark of “Stop Smoking” campaign, at Koramangala also. We all approached Guruji Sri Sri Ravishankar. He blessed this campaign. We identify some useful tools like specific breathing techniques, some processes, some specific medicines etc . All these tools, scientifically strengthen will-power and reduce tendency to smoke. We put all these tools in a package and created a week program. Now, our approach was well-structured, equipped with necessary tools and more result oriented. Art of Living teacher named Ujvalji has conducted many such week-long programs for last more than 1 year. We received many messages, research papers and video testimonials about effectiveness of past programs.


Today, after successful running this program at Koramanagala, we want to replicate at other part of Bangalore. The flame is blazing up now. This campaign is, now, no longer specific to any geographical area. Next week, this program is happening at Bellandur area of Bangalore. Bangalore is IT-hub of India. Bellandur is IT-hub of Bangalore. As, many IT professionals have settled in this area. We have observed many IT professionals have cultivated this not-so-good habit of smoking over the time. We want to make them free of this smoking habit. IT means Information Technology. Guruji adds, “IT also means Inner Transformation. :-)

So I request your support to bring this transformation. Weather you are IT professional or not, if you are smoking just join this program. It is good for you, your health, your family and our society. If you are not smoking then just spread awareness for this program. Can you do that? I am sure you can. So let this flame grows, blaze up and become a sacred JYOTI which can burn bad habit of smoking. Let’s all light more and more lamps from it, and take the mission forward. We can make a difference to the lives of people and our next generation.

Stay tune to this blog “Express YourSelf !” one more such inspirational story about “Yeh Chingari Bani Jwala…”

3 comments:

Hiral Shah said...

However, this process of talking with strangers, made us aware about our social responsibility for the people, who are misguided and wasting their life.

Social responsibility is as natural as brushing teeth and attending natural calls in morning.

Keep working good work and keep us updating.
I was always thinking, as an adage, "if you do some charity or good work by right hand, your left hand also no need to know that". but That is not good always. If such spark news we will not market or will not share with others, how other people can come to know about it?

I have shared good youtube vedio about smoke (danger) with lab experiment on orkut.

You can upload that here.

Manish Panchmatia said...

Heavy smoking 'doubles dementia risk'

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health/Heavy-smoking-doubles-dementia-risk/articleshow/6815153.cms

Manish Panchmatia said...

Kids help addicts kick the kick
Trained to convince people to quit their vices, group of 12 children claims to have changed 200 lives so far

An interesting article in today's Bangalore Mirror.
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=QkdNSVIvMjAxMS8wNy8xMCNBcjAwNTAw

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