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246/JAIN STUDIES AND SCIENCE
I have also visited a number of shrines in other parts of the country like Ajmer, Tirupati, Kochi, Amritsar, Nizamuddin at Delhi and Rameshwaram.
The message I get from all these experiences is: when people visit a place of worship their minds are definitely converging towards the divine as thanks giving or pleading to the God. In turn their minds are conditioned to serve the God in whatever form it is possible. Here I would like to explain, the unique Punjab experience, where the spirituality has resulted into a societal mission.
The status of environmental cleanliness is one of the indicators of development of a nation. As a nation, we have to keep our environment clean and tidy including all our places of worship and rivers. I am delighted to learn the Kali Bein rivulet, the place where Gurunanak Dev is said to have received enlightenment and which had over the centuries turned literally into a sewage ridden, weed choked drain, is today flowing clean and proud due mainly to the efforts of Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal in partnership with the Punjab State Government. From the discussions, I understand that he organized people's participation in stopping the massive flow of sewage into the Bein and cleaned 160 km. long polluted and choked rivulet within the last three and a half years by deploying on an average 3000 devotees per day of the Gurudwara who have become volunteer workers for the mission. Today one can feel the flow of fresh water in this rivulet released from the Tarkina Barrage by the government about a year ago. The revival of the rivulet has recharged the water table as the hand pumps that had became dry for the past 4 decades are now pumping out water. Baba with the volunteers, not only did the cleaning up operation by clearing Bein from the weeds and hyacinth, but also built bathing ghats at five places. He also built more than 100 km long kutcha road on the bank of the rivulet.
Since spiritual leaders are present here, I would like to put forth this thought for discussion and evolve a method of extending it to other places of worship. In major places of worship, every day at least five hundred thousand people on an average go for prayers. Normally when we go to a religious place we pray for our happiness and prosperity. At the place of worship, shall we suggest, display of the following vows. Each devotee can take any one of them as a thanks giving to The Almighty:
I will be responsible for educating at least five students for 3 years.
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I will activate at least one water pond in my neighbourhood or nearest village.
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