🥺నా కళ్లల్లో నీళ్లు తిరిగాయి! Most Disturbing Podcast | Gothala Swami Visionary Voices With Ayyappa

🥺నా కళ్లల్లో నీళ్లు తిరిగాయి! Most Disturbing Podcast | Gothala Swami Visionary Voices With Ayyappa

Author Name:Visionary Voices with Ayyappa

Youtube Channel Url:https://www.youtube.com/@VisionaryVoiceswithAyyappa

Youtube Video URL:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C18rBcS_ndk



Transcript:
(00:00) A woman was wandering on the road completely naked, without any clothes. When we went to rescue her, she sat in the ambulance and said one thing, "Sir, I am not that kind of person, please leave me alone." Are there any instances where you couldn't sleep at night thinking about things, or perhaps felt deeply depressed and cried? Feeling hungry, wondering if they could find something to eat, when four people were sitting there eating.
(00:26) She went and asked them for something to eat, and when she asked, they didn't just give her food, they even gave her something to drink; should I say it? In society. We get such women pregnant and abandon them. In the current scenario, does throwing babies into dustbins still happen? The baby's grandmother brought the baby and threw it into a pile of trash, and after throwing it into the dustbin, dogs and pigs were there thinking of it as food.
(00:56) I mean, we are all wearing clothes like this right now. But since you run an ashram, you could wear a pajama or a kurta; what is the need for you to live by wearing these burlap sacks? A piece of cloth is enough to cover the body, there is no need to use expensive clothing, so this is enough for me.
(01:16) If an elder in a family does something wrong, people ask about that elder, they say, "That whole family is bad." If anyone does anything like that for humanity in society, we all should take that responsibility. They have good legs and good hands, but still, they are going out and begging. Some have an obsession with money, some with fame, some with their town, some with caste; everyone has these kinds of obsessions.
(01:41) What is your definition of humanity? We can take a puppy and help it, but the value of a human being has become lower than that of a dog. Sir, first of all, thank you, thank you very much for accepting my request. Sir, I have also been running an NGO since my college days called 'We Are With You Charitable Trust', it has been almost 8 years.
(02:21) Because of being on this NGO journey, I got an opportunity to interact with a lot of people who are running NGOs; I met those who provide food, those who give clothes, those who provide education, and those who conduct training programs. But if we compare the activities we are doing with the activities you are doing, we are doing nothing because here we don't have to touch anyone.
(02:50) We don't have to be emotionally affected that much, but you are raising and nurturing more than 350 physically and mentally challenged people. Honestly, when I see people like you, it feels very, very, very connected and inspiring. So thank you, sir, once again, thank you very much for accepting. Sir, in the current generation, in a scenario where people think "my money, my children, my future" and live in that as their world, you have left all these behind and are struggling so much to live for society. Where did your
(03:33) journey actually begin? The beginning of this journey is that first, understanding humanity, and after that, it's not just understanding humanity but helping and supporting it. After noticing that, understanding humanity happened in a special way in my life. When I was studying and living with friends, one day when my friend and I were going, if we saw small puppies or anything, we would take them , feed them a little, and after they recovered, we would try to release them back into society. In one such attempt,
(04:20) one day when my friend and I were walking, we saw something like a small puppy, and I told him, "Hey, stop, there is something like a dog here," and when we went and looked, it was not a puppy. It was a small baby, this baby had many injuries on its head and had no clothes . Then he was lying in a helpless state, covered all over with mud and dirt.
(04:54) Thinking about how to help that boy, we first wanted to clean him up, so we went to some nearby houses and asked for water to wash him, but even when we asked, the people there wouldn't even give us water to clean him. Hmm. That's when a thought came to my mind: what is this? We can take a puppy and help it, but has the value of a human become worse than that of a dog? Very bad.
(05:37) There wasn't much time to think, but the thought process had started, or an awakening. That was how I got awakened. Okay. After we brought the boy and did what we could for him, the question was what to do with him now and where to put him . Hmm. I was a student, my friend was a student, we were in no position to fully support him, but we had to support him. Hmm.
(06:07) Where to take him and what to do, we had no idea about it, so my friend and I made a business deal with another person. Oh. We told him to keep the boy at his home and that we would arrange for everything the boy needed, and he would keep the boy there and provide what was required. Okay. One day, when we arrived, the boy was not at home; he had gone away from there. Hmm.
(06:39) We wondered where he had gone, and we started looking for him again. When we started looking, we found him again. Okay. We brought him back, gave instructions to be careful, told him to look after him carefully this time, and left him there. A few days later, the boy went missing again.
(06:58) This time we went and searched and searched and searched, but we couldn't find him. We felt very sad that day. In such a short time, we had developed love or an attachment to that boy. Today, he is not there, and we were worried about where he would be, how he would be, where he would go, and what would happen to him. Hmm.
(07:22) But in the meantime, we thought that we should make some arrangement for him to stay somewhere, and we searched everywhere for such organizations or shelters, but nowhere did we... Find any. We couldn't find any. We have big English medium schools. We have multi-specialty hospitals. Yes. We have five-star hotels.
(07:59) We have shopping complexes, but we don't have ... Shelter homes. Shelter homes for such kinds of people. Then we thought, we shall start one shelter home for such kinds of people, so that was the basic thought of how it started. Okay. Of course, as time passed, both of us grew a bit distant, but that thought remained within me.
(08:30) Maybe that was the first step. Awakening. Awakening step which took me forward into the service. Okay. So. After that, how was this ashram started , where was it set up, tell me the story. Yes, one day I came to Ponnur. When I came to Ponnur, I had to meet the principal of Sacred Heart College. Okay. His life has inspired me a lot.
(09:02) Okay. Hmm. Actually, he is a Don Bosco father. When he was the principal of the college, he resigned from that college, resigned from that post, and with the intention of helping such poor children , he started a school. Oh. While he was running that school, when I learned about him, I came to meet him .
(09:36) I wanted to have an interaction with him. Hmm. When I went to meet him, we sat and talked for a while, and after that, I told him I would take my leave and started to head back. Hmm. As I was heading back, on the way to the railway station, I saw a young boy; a young boy with no clothes on his body . Mm. There was a trash pile there, a garbage dump.
(10:02) Um. He was searching in that trash pile to see if he could find anything to eat. Oh. Hmm. At that same time, there was a dog there. Hmm. The dog and this boy were sharing food from that place. When I saw that, I felt very compassionate towards that boy. Mm. I asked there, "Who is this boy, what is his story?" but no one gave a proper answer.
(10:37) They said, "Who knows who comes here," and he had no clothes on. So, what I did was get some clothes brought , covered the boy with them, and gave my number. I said, "If anyone comes looking for this boy, here is my number , I am taking this boy with me." I took that boy along with me. Okay. I went and arranged a place for that boy to stay at that time.
(11:04) The principal and the Father there came to know about this matter. Mm. I did something like this. He then thought that there is a need in society here, and there is an opportunity and a need to serve such people. Realizing this, he invited me. Um. He invited me and there was a small building of his here; he gave me that building.
(11:35) He said, "If you want to do something for such people,"" Use this, start such service here," and it was given to us. From that time on, this ashram began, which we now call Shantham Karuna. Um. Yeah, so, listening to this, my heart feels very heavy. Like, we are in a situation where on one side there is a dog and on one side a human, both looking for food in a dustbin.
(12:11) It is very, very sad. And you... Let me tell you one more thing. Mm. In the same dustbin, From that same kind of dustbin, Hmm. Pigs and dogs Hmm. We are even seeing instances where they eat small, newborn infants. Hmm. So it is not both eating, searching for food, But the animals are eating humans as food.
(12:41) God! Mm. So, in such situations too, we try to rescue children. Mm. When they are born and then abandoned, When thrown into the dustbin, the dogs and pigs there think of them as food And eat them. Okay sir, I mean, in today's society, we are promoting so much education, so much awareness, and so much technological growth—we are promoting it too.
(13:14) Good infrastructure, good colleges, and universities have all come up. Even in the current scenario, is it still happening that children are being thrown into dustbins today? Why not? Still, why not? Why is it happening, sir? Why is it happening? For that, we have to ask them. First of all, " Why are you doing this?" If you ask me why I am bringing these children and raising them, I can answer you.
(13:45) But, "Why are you doing this?" is what should be asked of them. I mean, another thing is, Humanity has lost its value. They have not understood what humanity is. Exactly. And yes, while we are boasting about technology, knowledge, and everything, if we look at it practically, are they bringing us closer to humanity or are they driving us away from humanity? It is a point to be questioned.
(14:17) So while we are boasting about technology and everything, the fact is that it is taking us away from... Humanity, people are becoming more materialistic. Yeah, hum. A dog-eat-dog competition. Hum. So in all this, we are missing humanity and I think that is the cause. Yes. Sir, recently, in the last one or two months, or maybe in the last year, are there any examples of you rescuing people in such cases?
(15:01) There are many cases. I mean, this isn't just one case; even worse situations are happening in society. Hum. When a man dies and the corpse lies there for three days, and dogs come to tear apart and eat that body. When I informed the police station and the railway station authorities about that body, the police said it didn't fall under their jurisdiction.
(15:33) Mm. The railway department said the same, that it didn't come under their jurisdiction. Hum. So, for three days, dogs kept pulling and eating him. So, it is not only in the case of a child but also in the case of elders. Society has become desensitized. It has become blind to humanity. It has nothing to do with age. Hmm.
(16:03) As you said earlier, we are becoming more materialistic. I only think about myself, my family, and my selfishness, but I don't care what happens to others in society. Hmm. A small example from a few days ago—I don't want to take the names of the place. Yes. Mm. A newborn baby was dumped in a garbage pile outside a hospital.
(16:37) When that baby was crying for food, some pigs and dogs gathered; they probably thought the baby was food and were trying to eat it . Okay. Some people called me from there, " Swami, how is this happening?" I told them, "You stay there on guard for a while."" Try to keep them from eating the baby, that's enough, I'm coming in a while," I said, and I left for that area.
(17:12) The thing is, the baby was born in that hospital that very morning. The baby was born in the hospital and the grandmother... She took the baby and threw it in the trash because they didn't want the child; we don't know the reasons. Um. Anyway, we rescued the baby, put it in an ambulance, and when we were sending it to a bigger hospital with the ambulance staff and the grandmother, we saw that the baby had passed away upon reaching the hospital.
(17:51) Who is responsible for that baby's death? How did the baby die? Who should be questioned? Who should we ask? In such a situation, we prioritize service and stop questioning, and in our way of service...... we just keep going. We keep doing it; that is our way of service even now. But we need people to question it.
(18:14) When there is no one to question, the opportunity to correct the mistake or learn from it...um...... is lost to us. So, who should question it? Hum. That is a question to be thought about. So, the young generation? Yes. Now it is on your shoulders. So hum, should you question what happened to the child, how it came out of the hospital, and how it was put in the dustbin? Mm.
(18:52) The baby was alive when being put into the ambulance. He died; what happened? Mm. This is a question that will benefit the youth of today's society. Yes. A question. So definitely, sir, in recent situations, the youth have started asking questions. So we believe that these changes will definitely increase.
(19:27) And going back to the point, while researching about you and talking to some people, we heard that you walked from Kerala to Andhra before setting up your ashram. So, why did you walk all the way from there to here? When a person is outside, not in a house, what is their psychology? Um. What do they think, what are their fears, what are their anxieties, and what do they want to do? We never think about that.
(19:56) Yes. We are secure in our homes, but when a person is out on the street, what are the thoughts and fears they have after nine o'clock, and how do they face them ? Hum. Does anyone know? Suppose a woman is in the same situation. Mm. What does she do, how does she survive? I have observed some.
(20:27) There was a woman walking naked on the road, without any clothes. When we went to rescue her, she sat in the ambulance and said one thing, "Sir, I am not like that, please leave me alone." That means the reason she was walking on the road naked, acting insane, is that she adopted a defensive mechanism. Hum. To rescue herself from humanity.
(20:55) Um. A defensive mechanism so that everyone thinks she is mad and stays away from her. Yes. Mm. So, who is responsible for her becoming a person like that? Humans. Society. Yeah. So, we should also have an experience of how they live and what it is like outside. Hum. What do they do, what do they think, what do they eat, how do they roam? Mm.
(21:29) To have a real-time experience of how life is outside the... House. House. We are in our homes, we know that by nine o'clock Mother will serve food. We eat, we have a bed, we sleep. But when a person is on the road, they are not sure where their next meal is going to be, or if they are going to have a meal at all.
(21:53) True. They don't know where to rest. Hm. And there were some children with me, a few kids who used to pickpocket at the railway station. Hum. If they go and sleep in one place, they fear which gang might come and attack them at night. Um. " Attack" just means someone might simply pick up a rock, hit them on the head, take what they have in their pockets, and leave.
(22:22) They don't sleep due to that fear. Hum. There were many cases, people begging on the streets. Yeah, beggars. Beggars, beggars, elderly people—they are all there, right? Yes. After they beg all day, there are situations where some boys come at night, beat them, and take away that money. Again, they don't sleep due to that fear. Mm.
(22:54) So, how do we get to know all of this? When we come out. When we try to live life like that. Yes. Mm. Then, what is my situation in the morning, where is my next meal? Mm. Only if we know all of this can we give a proper answer to that question. Mm. So, this question exists in society. Yes. But we overlook it.
(23:26) Why? Because we have a career to create. But is there any person who is thinking about where their next meal is going to be, where they will sleep tonight? If they sleep at the railway station, the railway cops; if they sleep outside, the police; where to sleep? If they sleep at the bus stand, there are mosquitoes and thieves.
(23:50) Hum. Yes. All these things are there. So, how did you survive during that journey? I. Had very wonderful experiences. I also faced all such things. I too have faced all these things. But at least I have the intellect to speak up and push back. Hmm. In some situations, they don't even have that intellect; they don't even know how to push back.
(24:28) In such cases, either they give in, or they just give up what they have, or they give it up, or they die. Dying. Hmm. I remember one incident very well. Near our railway station, a 70-year-old lady ...hmm. She was rescued and brought here. Her entire body was burned with cigarettes. Yes, the rescue team told me, "Swami, for the first time, I saw an SI break down in tears.
(25:03) " Hmm. Seeing her condition—they didn't just come to snatch what she had. They used to abuse her, they used to burn her with cigarettes—a 70- year-old lady. A 70-year-old lady, God! And we sit and talk about AI, technology, and everything; yes, I don't discourage this. But how are we carrying on humanity alongside this? Yes.
(25:35) So, that is a big question. Sir, you...that Jack, Marcus... How did you become Gothala Swami? So, what is the story behind this transformation? There is no story. Since my name was hard to pronounce and this was easy, people call me Gothala Swami. Okay. That’s it. So, I mean, we are all dressed like you are now.
(26:05) But since you run an ashram, you could wear pajamas or a kurta; what is the need to live wearing these gunny sacks? Why? What is the reason for that? I mean, what is wrong with wearing a sack ? Okay. What is wrong with it? Obviously, there's nothing wrong, but what is the need? You could wear normal clothes, right?
(26:33) That need...for me, one cloth is enough to cover my body. Hmm. I don't use expensive clothing for that . So, this is enough for me. Okay. This is one thing. Another thing is, We want to swim across the river. Hmm. Upstream, across the currents—meaning , swimming against the tide. Hmm. I won't say society is all bad, nor will I say it's all good.
(27:16) Yes. But swimming against the bad that exists in society. Hmm. Why is a man respected in this society by looking at his attire? Why don't you respect a human as they are? Hmm. Why does this attire have to carry this ? Hmm. If a person is naked on the road, can you respect them? I used to see in some places that a woman would be without clothes on her body.
(27:56) Many young guys at the bus stand would wait for a long time for the bus. Even after buses came and went. So, what are they waiting for? Did you question them today? How do we respect a person as a person? What do we look at to respect them? Why do we respect them? What should you look at to respect? Just one qualification: just because they are a human.
(28:19) You need to respect them. Yes. The day we start respecting that, I think humanity will still survive in this society. Yeah, so you said there was another reason behind wearing the sack, but you didn't say it. This is it. So, to see a person and respect them for being a person. So, it has nothing to do with it; it has nothing to do with clothes.
(28:48) Okay. If you look at this deeply, there are many spiritual reasons too. But let’s not get into those details. Okay sir, there is love; okay, you are saying that because of love, you have gained patience and endurance. But still, uh...What is the way they actually think? How do mentally people think? What is their thought process like, and what are the day-to-day life challenges they face? Their thought process is very simple; they don't think.
(29:30) Okay. You and I, we think because we have a mind, but they are like children. If they are hungry, it is enough to satisfy that hunger. Often, what we have seen is that they don't even think about whether it is clean or dirty, or whether they should wash their hands before eating. Hmm. What they think is: whatever they find, they eat—satisfying the hunger comes first.
(30:02) Now, you and I might think, "I have this in the studio today, what shirt should I wear?" But they don't have that; they don't care whether they have clothes on or not. They are not bothered by it. They don't think about it; if somebody gives them clothes, they will wear them . If not, they won't. They don't demand it.
(30:25) Hmm. Likewise, they don't want anything from our world, from our life, or from our society. They just say, "Leave us alone ."" Leave us alone," but humanity must step in and say, "We will not leave you; we love you, and we are there for you." Hmm. " We will think about you and stand up for you." Hmm. This morning, I was attending a Zoom meeting about mentally challenged people, and a volunteer said: "There is
(31:12) a mentally ill woman in this area who scares everyone." No, she has no motive to scare others. She has no need to frighten anyone. Okay. But we are the ones who are afraid of her. Hmm. Because we have set our own standards in society: how a person should be, how they should act—only then are they suitable for society.
(31:44) Societies. But if he doesn't have that, he is an alien. So, she is not scaring anyone; she is living a natural life of her own. Because she is imbalanced. Hmm. Simple. So, since you are balanced, what can you do for her? Hmm. What can you do? Should I say it in society? They are getting such women pregnant and abandoning them. Hmm.
(32:24) Even in society, they aren't sparing them. "Oh, let it be," they think. Mentally ill. Thinking they are mentally ill, they abandon them. Some women who come to our ashram are pregnant. They give birth after coming to the ashram. Sir, I have seen such cases—they are mentally unstable, their brain is not under their control.
(32:55) How are they carrying a baby inside them, how are they eating, and what is the mother-baby relationship like after the baby is born? This is a very deep question we should ask society. Because I am also looking for answers in the same line. Hmm. The society and the system—of course, we are not here to question the system or society.
(33:21) But we have to get answers from them. Because what kind of recognition are we giving them in society? They have no recognition. We give them only one type of recognition: an orphan certificate for that child. Hmm. We give them a reservation. That's it. Hmm. So, this mother is supposed to raise them, right sir? When the mother is unable to raise them , we do it ourselves.
(34:01) Hmm, there isn't even a chance for them to lie next to the mother to be breastfed, is there? So now, those who physically abused and took advantage of them, they have harmed both directly. They are harming. They did harm. God, that is way too bad , sir. Yes. [ Silence] Sir, even I feel scared when I encounter people who are mentally challenged.
(34:35) Because, as you said, the society I grew up in prepared me that way. Now, if I want to change, how should I tune my mindset and how should I look at them, how can I be without fear? Consider them as one of your own family members. That is very simple, sir. If I or the people watching this video see such people, is there a process to join them with you or shelters like this? Is there a simple process to bring them and give them to you? The process is to inform the police.
(35:15) Okay. Then the police will present that person in court. The court will decide the mental status of that person. And they will recommend them to the nearest government mental health institute where they will be treated. And sent back to the court; then the judge will recommend rehabilitation for that mentally challenged person.
(35:43) Okay. So, as a rehabilitation process, we can support them. Okay, you, you will take them. Sir, the process you explained is very good. Does this process really work? What about the reality? Reality is always terrible. Hmm. I mean, why do people leave them alone instead of following this process? For example, if an accident happens on the road.
(36:08) Yes. That person might survive if someone helps them at that moment, but there are many cases where they died there just because people thought "why should I get involved?" It is the same thing. The reality is that this procedure exists, but people think "why should I get involved?" Why should I go to the police station and file a complaint? Many people just walk away thinking, "I will just mind my own business.
(36:46) " Hmm. That is why I started a group called " Bad Samaritans." Okay. Bad Samaritans. " Good Samaritans" are those who help in such situations. Okay. These "Bad Samaritans" are people who are not in a position to help them directly. For example, you are going to the office in the morning. You see someone there.
(37:11) You cannot help, so you do one thing: you take a snapshot and share the location in the group. Okay. So we will try to send our volunteers and provide the necessary help to them. Okay, okay. So, if we or the people watching this video want to join the group, is there a link? You can directly contact me.
(37:36) Okay, okay. That is very painful. Are there any situations that kept you awake at night? Okay. Before answering this, I have to ask society a question. Hmm. Have we done anything to keep others awake at night? Very deep. Hmm. I will come to that point. Hmm. One day, I brought a 20-22-year-old girl and kept her in the shelter.
(38:08) Hmm. This girl used to scream at night. She would scream terribly. The neighbors came to me. "Swami, we can hear screams coming from your shelter at night." I said, "I am very happy you came."" Come, let me show you that girl." Hmm. I took them and showed them the girl. Then I narrated the story to them.
(38:40) This girl, somehow, after wandering and traveling by train, reached our area, our region. She was hungry, looking for something to eat, when four people were sitting there eating. She went and asked them for something to eat, and they not only gave her food but also something to drink. They were drinking alcohol, and they made this girl drink it too.
(39:06) Hmm. After making her drink, they also abused her. Hmm. That night, this girl made similar screams. But that day, neither you nor I listened. Today, because our sleep is being disturbed, we are coming out and asking who is making those screams, but we, as a society, have disturbed the sleep of so many.
(39:34) Destroyed it. We destroyed it. Who is accountable for that? Who questions it? Beyond our sleep being disturbed by these people, consider how many others 'sleep we have destroyed. One thing is, I go to my home and sleep peacefully, but a person living with me in this society, someone who studied with me, also has an Aadhaar card and a voter ID card; they have everything.
(40:11) But if he commits a crime, that is because he belongs to my class; I am also a part of that sin. If someone in a family commits a crime, they don't just blame that person; they say the whole family is bad. Yes. In this society, if anyone does something like that, we all should take responsibility, but we are not ready to take it.
(40:37) Yes. So, we have disturbed their sleep a lot . Now, for this question, I will give you an answer. A few days ago, SP Ravikrishna conducted a drive in our Guntur district. In this drive, the goal was to identify people with mental health issues and get them admitted into shelters.
(41:08) The police department became very active, rescued such individuals, and sent them to homes. Hmm. Then they sent a case to me. The case was this: he is totally mentally challenged. If I kept him in a room, he would break the light bulbs and everything else. Since he was doing this when kept in a room, I decided to take him and keep him in my own room.
(41:39) Even when I kept him there, he would sleep for 10 or 15 minutes. Then he would wake up, pull this, pull that, break things—he was doing all of that. For about five minutes, I left my phone there and went inside, and when I came back...Hmm. The phone wasn't there. Hmm. I started looking for the phone, and I found its parts scattered in different places.
(42:06) Of the phone. He broke it. He broke it. My god, he was in a very severe condition. I immediately took him and came to... Government. Government hospital, GGH. I admitted him to the GGH hospital and stayed with the patient there. Okay. They gave him a bed. I put down a small mat and slept on the floor.
(42:34) A CI came to the GGH for some work related to a case. Hmm. As soon as he saw me, he asked, "Swami, what are you doing here?" I replied, " Sir, this is the case you sent us today ." I brought him here. "Is that so, Swami? " And immediately, he called the SP the next day and told him about this case. Hmm. After that, he received treatment.
(43:01) After the treatment, he changed a bit; he wasn't as violent anymore, he became much calmer. Hmm. One day, the SP called me to the SP office. Okay. I took him along. The SP worked hard and identified his family. Oh, hum. Then we reunited this person with his family, but by the third or fourth day, he was back where he used to be, on the road.
(43:33) Hum. So, for cases like these, even if we put in so much effort, the result is... Yes, there are many such cases. This is one of the cases I am bringing to your notice. But what we feel is, one thing is we think about how we slept, but we don't realize how much pain they are in. Um. Because they are in so much pain, they behave in this way.
(44:06) But if we provide their basic needs... Hum. ... food, water, shelter, then they will not trouble you. Hum. There is no fighting or hitting. No. Hm. If we give them food, water, a bed, and medication on time, they are all... Okay, hm. Sir, in this journey, you must have brought hundreds of people to the ashram.
(44:37) Roughly, how many of them have completely cured and reached a normal stage? Many have reached it. They are still in the process. So, can you give an approximate count? Now, the thing is, how do you count that these people are rehabilitated? Hmm. So, there is no measurement for them talking like us and becoming normalized, that they are normal.
(45:06) About measurement, let me tell you one thing. Everybody is mad. Okay.. Do you agree with that? Yeah. Everyone has some kind of madness or insanity. The only thing is, you have more, and I have less. You recognize it, but don't recognize it in me. Some are crazy about money. Um. Some are crazy about fame.
(45:30) Some are crazy about their town, some are crazy about their caste. Um. Everyone has such madness. Um. Then how do you measure whether they have madness or not? It's difficult. Why are we only measuring them to see if their madness has decreased or increased? Hum. Okay. But... Hum. They are generally hygienic, taking good care of themselves.
(45:55) Hum. Eating food regularly, being normal, sleeping normally, and not talking to themselves. Hum. Out of these, we were able to reunite some people with their families. How many did you reunite, sir? How many? Maybe 15 to 20. Okay. Hm. We reunited 15 to 20, but there are more who wanted to be reunited with their families, but we are not able to trace their addresses.
(46:26) Um. Okay. Tracing their addresses... In some cases, even after informing the families, they didn't come to take them . So we felt it was best to leave them where they were. Hm. Sir, taking a slight deviation, let's break this down slowly. First, you were able to reunite some people, right? When they are reuniting with their family, how is that feeling? How is their emotion? You must have seen that with your own eyes.
(46:57) Recently, what I saw was very touching. She is maybe from Chhattisgarh or somewhere; she came from there and was sent to us through the Women and Child Welfare Commission. Women and Child, and she was brought; we were taking care of her. She has been with us for almost six or seven years. Hm. She is very violent.
(47:30) Okay, hm. She is very violent and does not wear any clothes on her body. Okay, hum. She is non-cooperative. Hum. She doesn't support anyone, be it with medications or anything else. Hmm. Very unhygienic. Hmm. Taking care of her in the hostel is a big challenge and task for us. Hmm. But by God's grace, we have been taking care of her for so many days.
(48:04) Recently, I got a call from her family members. Okay. Ma'am. They called and asked, "Is my sister here?" I asked, "What is your sister's name? Please send a photo and all the details." Because at their house, they gave her a different name. Yeah. Because she was not able to express her name, here we have taken her in by some other name.
(48:29) Hmm. Even after sending the photos, it was very difficult to match them. It was very difficult. Because before leaving home, she was a different person. After leaving home, all these years, she changed into a different entity. Later, we identified that she is the same person.
(48:54) We told them she is with us. Then they asked if they could come and see her. Hmm. It's not just about coming to see her; since you are here, it is only right that you take her back. Hmm. Okay, the family came from there. I took her sister to show her, and she ran away shouting loudly. Hmm. Because she couldn't digest seeing her sister in that state.
(49:21) She asked what happened to her, and I told her that she had left home. But after that, you don't know what happened to her, and I don't know either. Um. But after we rescued her and brought her here, this is the treatment we are using for her. Hmm. Actually, when she came to the ashram, something was detected.
(49:46) It seems that before coming to the ashram, maybe she was sexually abused or something. Hmm. She contracted HIV positive. Hmm. Of course, she is young. So someone abused her, and she got infected with HIV positive. But the family was very thankful that you have taken care of such a person. If you try to approach her, she will not cooperate with the medication.
(50:16) She won't cooperate with anything. But in such a situation, the family was very thankful that we looked after such a person for so many days. And in fact, they have taken that person back. There are very few cases where people accept such a person. She is still not mentally stable. Not yet. Still, they took her.
(50:37) They took her. So that's really great. Hmm. Meaning, she was better than what she was previously. Okay. Like that, there are other cases, and we keep calling their families regularly. They don't come. They don't come. So, for what reasons do they not agree? What kind of reasons do they give? What kind of reasons? They say, "We don't want such a headache.
(51:04) " Hmm. If a sick person is at home, one has to take care of them, right? Definitely. They don't want that responsibility. Recently, we rescued a girl who was trafficked from Nepal. That girl came here from Nepal and was roaming around. While she was roaming, the police brought her to the ashram. After coming here, she revealed that she was a drug addict.
(51:37) Hmm. She was a student, and she was trafficked from Nepal to Kerala. Hmm. Then she gave her phone numbers and everything. I called her mother, and how many times I told her that your child is with us with proper documentation and procedure, and to take the child, but the mother is reluctant.
(52:02) Do you know why? Because this child was addicted to drugs. They put her in many rehabilitation centers; they paid money and everything. But this child used to run away from those places. Here, they found out that it is safe. There is no money, nothing; they feel it is good here, so they are not coming to take the child, okay.
(52:25) So, such families have many reasons not to respond. In some situations, if they take this girl, they have to get her married. Hmm. I was just talking about a girl; her parents, she studied B.Tech, if they take her back, they have to get her married. Hmm. Who would come forward to marry such a girl? They have to pay dowry, give money—why do we need all this? If we just leave her, it's over.
(52:59) However, apart from this, we recently came across another NGO from Maharashtra. They are doing a wonderful job. Okay. What they are doing is they are taking back such kinds of people and reuniting them with their families. They sent us those videos; they are heart-touching videos. Many families thought that these people were dead and gone.
(53:22) Hmm. But their return to their families comes as a surprise to them. Hmm, hmm. So that is giving them a lot of joy. We also have a desire and idea to do this on a larger scale. But we have limited resources. Sir, coming to this particular point, let's say some youth like us are ready, including me.
(53:49) Or many people might get motivated after watching this video. So what kind of work should we do that would help you or help those people? What should we do? Nothing much. Now, we have a person, and she has given her address. It's simple; we take this address, go to the local police station, and say, "We have a person who has been rescued, now she is rehabilitated, and she has provided her address.
(54:19) Please help us reunite this person with her family." If we give them the details, they can find out, or if they permit, we can go and find out ourselves. Once the address is located, we will take a letter from the police station here. Hmm. That this person's address has been located and you want to reunite this person with them.
(54:43) They will provide a letter from there or send a police constable with us. We will go to that police station, call their family members, and under police supervision, hand her over. Okay, hmm. So, if there is anyone like this, if you give a number, people can call and you will take them in.
(55:10) And if anyone wants to reunite them, this is the process. This is the process. Okay, okay, so definitely some viewers might come forward, and since we also have a team, we will definitely try to help you. One thing is that... We are not helping; we are trying to be better people, that's all. People who care. Yes. Share.
(55:34) Yeah. Hold the values of humanity. Hm. That's it. Yeah sir, you mentioned humanity, what is your definition of humanity? Love the person as you love yourself. Now, you feel hungry. You wouldn't go to a trash can and eat garbage, would you? What do you do? You look for a restaurant, you go there, buy that, eat it.
(56:01) When you see a person in hunger, you go , buy something, and give it. When you see a naked person, you go buy clothes; when you see a person without shelter, you provide; when you see a sick person, you help. This is how you become human. So, in your view, what is the definition of life? The definition of life is that only if it can be used for the purpose of others, then it is life.
(56:34) Simple, so you're saying we shouldn't live for ourselves? Living for ourselves is selfishness. Okay, so... We gain value only when we live for others. Take a candle; it will not burn for itself. It will burn to give light to others. So, none of us are living then? Yes, that is the reason it is a dead society.
(56:57) Okay, hm. We are living for ourselves. Yeah, hm. I don't know whether you remember it or not, a few years back, when the US President was coming to India, all the beggars were removed from the roads. Yes. Because they don't want to show that India is not a better place. But we can make it a better place if we take the responsibility and consider them to be our own people.
(57:27) So, I think you understood what giving means. Yes, yes, sir. You spoke about beggars, right? I don't call them beggars. Okay, yeah, okay. So, maybe if we think of them as needy or helpless people, there are two perspectives here. One is that there are people who are really in need. Yes. And the other is, they have fine legs, fine hands, the mindset to work, and they are mentally stable, but still, they go out and beg.
(58:04) Because of this, we are unable to judge whether we should view it as right or wrong. What is your perspective on this? My perspective is... This question was already raised in front of a speaker. Okay. At that time, everyone gave their own suggestions. Some said, "Let's eradicate these beggars.
(58:28) " I don't know why he used the word "eradicate." I don't know how to understand it. How can you eradicate a beggar? Hm. I said, if he is going to give a statement to eradicate people, I have a better idea. And my better idea is to legalize begging. Then how can this happen? See, one thing is, there is a deserving person who needs help if the government is not supporting him.
(59:00) He is coming out on the roads and asking for help. So, if you think that people who don't require help are also begging, And assuming this as a profession, let's make it clear: help is to be given to the people who are deserving. So let the government give them a right to beg? No, this cannot happen.
(59:25) Then you do one thing. At least bring them to us, we are ready to feed them. Okay, and yeah, even we, sir, during college days, talked to many people, tried to take them to people like you, but we failed. Yes, failed because they don't deserve it. One person is hungry. Another person pretends to be hungry.
(59:52) If you go to the one pretending and ask if they want biryani, they won't come. Hmm. If you tell someone who is hungry, " Come, I will give you some buttermilk," they will come and drink it. Sir, unfortunately, I think, to give you the numbers, when we talked to 100 people ... So, everybody refused. Yes, because they are professional beggars.
(1:00:13) So, again, what is this terminology, sir? Profession? They have taken it as a profession. No tax payment. [] No hard labor. Yeah. No time. [] They can work in their free time. Okay. They have taken begging as a profession . Hmm, and exactly, sir, some of the people told me, "We stay here for three months.
(1:00:40) "" The next three months we stay at home." " Again, we come here for three months." This, all of this is not right, is it? It is not right. Ma'am. That is why. Hmm. What we should do is, only those who are truly deserving, we give them the opportunity to beg. Um. If not, all those who are begging in such situations, take them and put them in NGOs or homes. Um.
(1:01:07) If we do that two or three times, they will feel that begging is not easy, it is also difficult. So let us stop doing it. Yes. So for every person who needs help, when he is getting help in an NGO, why go on the roads and beg? And many of them who are begging today are not begging for themselves, they are begging for their families and for others. So, it's like a profession.
(1:01:33) I asked many people to come and join a hostel, but... " I have my children, ma'am." Even if you have children, why are you begging? They come and take... Yes. ... money from them. Um. So they are helping them. Okay. Um. Sir, uh...You are doing so much; do you ever get angry at this society or at God? I don't get angry at God. Hmm.
(1:02:05) I don't get angry at society either. Okay. Because I am not...I am not removing myself from society; I am a part of society. Okay. So yes, there are some things in society which need to be altered or corrected, and... Let's find out that. Let's cooperate with society, let's bring this awareness into the society, and let's work together to make it a better place. Hmm.
(1:02:38) Sir, uh... If I were to get that angry, I would go and join a terrorist group. Yes, true. Or I would start a terrorist...[] But if you want to correct it with love without getting angry, then... There are a lot of ways. Yeah, this is one of the ways I picked up. So...I am tired. Does the thought of giving up or the feeling of being tired ever come to you , sir? It doesn't.
(1:03:11) Recently, I came across the life of a saint. His name is Don Bosco. [] You know how he died? He died because his body was burnt out. Meaning, he worked so much that his body was completely burnt out. So I think I still have not worked that long, I haven't worked that much yet. Because there is so much work out there .
(1:03:37) So we need to work that long until our body gets burnt out and then we go back to our home. Okay, so to do this much, definitely, no matter how much patience or resources you have, money is a driving force or a requirement, so what are your funding sources? So far, either for Carmel Seva Sadan or Shantham Karunalayam or whatever it is, many people have the same mindset as I have.
(1:04:11) They are the main sources to support this. Thinking that they cannot do what I am doing, they are good people who at least help me in some way because they are able to help. They keep helping me to continue this work. Hmm. Other than this, I don't have any FCRA or foreign funds. Okay. Because the main reason is, as I told you earlier, a girl was hungry and Hmm.
(1:04:45) when four people were sitting there and she asked for something to eat, an atrocity was committed against her. Yes. Now, who are these four people? People in society. Human beings in society. In which society do they live? In the same society I live in. Hmm. This injustice happened to her in the same society we live in. Yes.
(1:05:13) Now, because this injustice happened, should we do her justice only if someone sends money from a foreign country? Or should those in our own society come forward and do justice for her? That is the big question. Hmm. Our answer to this question is that the people in this society must do it. When we say it must be done, it is us.
(1:05:37) Um. It is us. We must come forward. Come forward. So now, if those watching this video want to help you in the form of funds or if they want to be a part of it, how? I am folding my hands and pleading. No one should give me financial help. Okay. Hmm. Then how? But, if they, if they want to share, um, in their kindness, kindness in which they give us the things that we require.
(1:06:15) Okay. For feeding them, Hmm. for taking care of them. Hmm, so like rice or groceries, whatever it is. Okay, medicine. So how should they reach out to you? To reach out, you can give an address so they can send the products to us. Okay. But I strictly ask not to support us with funds. No money. No money.
(1:06:49) Give us the support. Because we also don't know how to manage money. So, we don't want that. Okay. We can manage the kindness. This has already been covered a bit, but we want to convey it more strictly. There are many people in this society living for themselves, their family, and their bank balance.
(1:07:15) So, there are many people living only self-centrically or selfishly. If you had to give a message to them, what would it be? One thing is, let us live out of love, not out of selfishness. Suppose there is a boy in the house today, if he is growing up, he becomes very selfish after growing big. Hmm. If there are two or three children in the house, teach them how to share.
(1:07:42) Hmm. They become selfless. Hmm. As a family, what we are doing is we are trying to give the best things to our children. Hmm. Okay, now we buy toys for them. Okay, you are filling his room with toys. Okay, you are still doing wrong. One toy is enough. But you are filling his room with different ones.
(1:08:11) When you are taking this child out to the market, the child moves to the next shop unless you buy the toy. What he is showing is that he is becoming selfish. So you are buying the toy for him for your own selfishness. But you are not teaching the child, "You don't need this many." We are finding new ways, our own ways, of bringing up our children, but how good is it? Are we teaching our children to share? You are buying new toys for him, but are you teaching him that there are children who are not
(1:08:57) having toys, and you have to go and share these old toys with them? No, you are not. You are buying so many clothes for them, but are you teaching them that you have to share these clothes with those who are not having clothes? You are not teaching them that . So that way you are bringing up a person who is going to become a selfish person in his life.
(1:09:23) Yes, hmm. He will become so selfish that he will not even have love for his parents at the end of the day when he goes abroad. And sends money and puts his parents in ... Because you have grown him with selfishness, not with love. So simply, whatever we give, it comes back, so at the end, parents are at risk. Um.
(1:09:56) Sir. The final round, sir, so rapid fire. So I will ask just short, short questions. Simple answers. One habit that everyone should have. Love. Okay, if you could meet anyone, living or dead, who would it be? Who would it be? Either those living or those who have passed away. If you get an opportunity to meet someone, whom would you meet? I would like to meet Ambedkar for the lot of good things he has done.
(1:10:35) See, one thing is he tried to bring equality ; that is what the society means today. Yes. Complete the sentence: Humanity begins ... With love. If God grants you one wish today... What would you ask? For the grace to love everyone in this world. So love, love, love. Okay, how would you like people to remember Gothala Swami? Or, so, how should they remember you? I would like people to forget me.
(1:11:14) Why? And remember only the God. Okay, one habit you wish people should stop. Being selfish. What is the biggest problem in our society? One problem. Biggest problem. Hmm. Discrimination. Hmm. Religious discrimination. Hmm. Or caste discrimination. Whatever disc... Yes. If you have to give a title to your life, what would you give? If you have to give a title to your life's journey, what would you give? A title for that journey? Journey to Humanity.
(1:12:00) Okay, so thank you, thank you sir, thank you very much for your time and your valuable answers. I definitely hope that through this podcast, we can at least spark some change in some of the youth. Thank you, thank you. Thank you.