Commentary by Dr. Sally Brown Bassett
After years of traveling to Rishikesh, India, the yoga capital of the world, and staying at an ashram, I felt somewhat like a local. Early morning yoga followed by walks along the Ganga River is an explosion of sensory overload. The sights, sounds, smells and tastes are only unique to India.
One year I heard about an American woman, Prabha, who had founded Ramana’s Garden as a home for destitute children. The directions took me on a 30 minute walk over bridges and through winding streets. There I found a magical odyssey on the side of a hill overlooking the river. There were approximately 60 at-risk children living there and more than 160 students total at her school.
There are fond memories of meeting this dedicated and forceful American woman for the first time. It was fascinating to learn she had lived there more than 20 years as a result of her spiritual practice on the banks of the River Ganga. On a shoestring budget, she has for years been providing children with education, nourishment and a future where they had little or no hope. Like me, she hates the word ‘no.’ Our barriers in the U.S., however, are a far cry to the challenges she has had to face in a developing country to achieve what she has.
Prabha says she tries to live her life from a quote by Ramana Maharshi. “You must do social service by relieving suffering whenever you see it. You must help the child as a means of worshipping God in that child.” Wise words put in action by a wise woman.
Dr. Sally Brown Bassett is a yogi, social entrepreneur and world traveler. She is the founder and president of Peace through Yoga Foundation, where she leads trips to Costa Rica several times a year and works at the foundations’ International Center for Peace. Sally teaches at Peace through Yoga and Butler University. She can be reached at [email protected].
