Good
bye and Good luck-Have a wonderful life
The CIPA class of 2014 graduated on 25th
May 2014. All of us will be leaving for known and unknown destinies in few
days. Yesterday, my friend Jenny Shin asked me, “hey Abhi, how do you feel
after graduation?” I replied that I feel empty. I have the feeling of
nothingness. I am letting this tranquility of nothingness seep into my being.
In this nothingness, I have felt a few things which I could not feel in the
fast paced life of last two years. I am sharing my experiences and few things
which I internalized in the last two years, but felt only, in the stillness of
this mystic nothingness.
August 2012, I found myself transported
miles away from my rustic, rural and 19th century homeland of
Rajasthan (India) to the land of challenges and opportunities. I came with
endless question, uncertainties and expectations. Today after about 2 years I
feel that if the mankind’s ultimate goal is to achieve self-realization then I
have at least made a major stride towards that goal and my unending journey has
acquired a direction, ambition and a passion.
I come from a family of priests and
except my father everyone in my family devoted themselves to spiritual
pursuits. No one went abroad for any higher studies program. Today when I look
back I feel that I have also advanced on the path of spiritual enlightenment
but through action and serving the humanity.
Today, when I stand here with an eye
peeping backwards and another looking into the uncertain horizons of the
future, the first question that comes to my mind is: What is the idea of CIPA?
I have always inquired into the idea of
my intellectual study before beginning it but in the case of this graduate
program this question erupted today morning, a day after I graduated. The
question emanates from the circumstances from which I came or hundreds like me
came to CIPA and the pyscho-physical evolution of my persona over the last two
years.
When a young man at the age of 27
decides to go to United States for a graduate program after five years of work
experience in remote hinterlands of India what questions fire his imagination?
It is a state where there is an impulse
to unlearn what he had already learnt and learns new things at once. My state
of mind then was the state of confusion, when you question your beliefs, ideas,
the work you have done. You want to know more and find correct answers to the
questions of human existence. There is a rebel and a renegade in you at once.
You want to change the order and yet stay within it. I came with hopes, fears,
questions and dreams of bringing a sunshine, a smile and ray of hope. Thus the
idea of CIPA is realization, wisdom and a peaceful revolution within oneself
and outside. It is a revolution which is not chaos but a realm of peace, order
and motivation. In the last two years all of us have gone through a
revolutionary transformation in terms of ideas, beliefs, attitudes and dreams.
The idea of CIPA is embodied in the portrait of Gandhi which I got to see every
morning with a cup of tea after my stats class. The message of Gandhi was
change and revolution but in a non-aggressive, peaceful, constructive and
humble way and CIPA has brought that revolution in all of us. All of us are
rebel in our own way: Rafi Sherzad fought against adverse life conditions and
came to Cornell. I rebelled against the trend of joining bureaucracy and came
to Cornell. Alvaro Salas rebelled against poverty, drugs and came to Cornell
and most of you followed the same trend. In CIPA we have honed the art of
revolution: Our revolution is for the construction, it is for peace and not for
chaos. Hence I would urge:
Rebel, Rebel, Rebel but with a peaceful
mind and peaceful intent and with values because its mot just what you dream
and, achieve that matter, but what matters is how you chase and achieve your
dreams.
With every passing day in CIPA I
realized the limitless frontiers of mankind’s abilities and the inherent
oneness of his existence. The most important and a life changing lesson for me
here was the true spirit of internationalism and universal brotherhood of
mankind. For the first time I felt South Asian, not Indian, then I even
transcended that feeling and today I feel a universal and a truly global human
person. Meeting different nationalities, seeing all of them freaking out over
the assignments, midterms, seeing them falling in love, crying and smiling
together, building true, deep and sincere bonds of friendship and nonetheless
fighting and gossiping , strengthens my faith and belief in the fact that
mankind essentially is one. The differences of religion, caste, color, creed
and ideology always were, are and will always be superficial. And that demands
a strong commitment and dedication from all of us to serve the suffering
humanity.
In my class 10 when my classmates
thought of preparing for engineering exams I got fascinated with Bismarck,
Socrates, Lord Buddha and Prophet Muhammad and the story of human civilization.
I found myself organizing inter-faith and inter-cultural dialogues forums in
the small, arid villages of India without realizing that those initiatives were
just the precursors of today’s IAF (International Affairs Forum). After CIPA my faith in the existence of a
superior, guiding force has strengthened and I have learned to appreciate the
beauty of almighty’s mystic strokes. In IAF I tried( with Shaily's mighty support) to bring those aspects of
the nations about which we never get to know in the media. We always heard
about the conflicts in Afghanistan and Africa but here in CIPA and IAF I
learned that there is much more to know about these nations.
Destiny, peace and Dreams:
My American experience exposed me to the
new world of ‘networking’. Indeed, it a great way to acquire material success in
life. However, in the last two years, I discovered a very important segment of
networking which we were all missing out. I prefer to call this segment, ‘internal
networking’. It is about reflection, introspection and finding out the
spiritual emptiness in oneself. Sometimes, big dreams, big ideologies may blind
us to the very basic needs of happiness i.e. a tranquil mind. The endless dreams
and a lust for them may lead to anxiety, lust and erosion of morals. But we
must find out the way which seeks perfect balance of ambitions, prosperity,
mental peace and tranquility, and the righteous way of pursuing them.
I found that way in ‘internal networking’
which for me was taking some time out for closing down my eyes and sit in the meditative
stillness of my breath where I am just a witness to what I am, not a doer or
chaser of dreams. It gave me an opportunity to look at what I am doing and how
I am doing it. I would urge everyone to find this balance through ‘internal
networking’ to contribute in more positive way and live a healthy and
spiritually satisfying life.
Life is not all about victories and achievements.
In the domain of public affairs we will also face failures and downs. Those are
the moments where we need some anchorage to protect us from the breakdown. The
peace within, which one can attain from meditation, provides that anchorage and
support. The tranquility within protects us from the anxiety of failures and,
it will rejuvenate us to fight back.
What else CIPA taught me and in fact the
great American civilization taught me?
It taught me that human action and his
faith in his action and conviction can bring miracles. This is the lesson which
I would like to take back to my nation because my generation in my country
reverts back to mystic chants and planets for their future.
Cornell taught me to ask right question
with assertion, conviction and dedication. Cornell taught me the importance of
basic things like discipline, time management and commitment.
In future, we go into the world of odds
and challenges with these experiences and strengths. We will be with friends,
allies, opponents and teeming millions who will look up to us with feelings of
hope in their eyes. In that real battlefield the core human values like
strength of soul, wisdom, balance of mind, tolerance, determination and
compassion will be our true weapons. We were born with these weapons and in
CIPA we realized their power, and value and in future we will, if not change
the world, then at the least send a vibration of true love and harmony in this
limitless cosmos. I feel that I have a mission and I have the
skills and I have the right set of ideas and passion to accomplish my goal. I
express my heartfelt and sincere thanks to CIPA for churning out a conscious,
aware and dedicated mankind out of me and 1000s of youngsters like me. I wish I
could impart these skills or structure the education system in my country in
this pattern and I hope to do it soon. My 2 years of education is not just
confined to me but through me it will reach out to 1000s and if that produces
one truly global citizen than I will feel that my existence is meaningful.
I thank all the faculty members and my
cipa fellows for being good friends, philosophers and guides. For me Cornell
will always be like a mother and sometime 5, 10 years down the line I can see
myself coming back to CIPA lounge and having my morning tea with the Gandhi’s
portrait around and trying to find Cheryl.
Before I end,
Woods are dark, lovely and deep, I have
promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep miles to
go before I sleep
Hopefully I will see you in the playful
strokes of destiny,
In the dreams of destiny
In the tears of destiny,
In the smiles of destiny,
Good bye and good luck
