[We are happy to inform our readers that we are privileged to publish a Special Editorial for this issue from Dr.Potturi Venkateswara Rao, a veteran journalist of Andhra Pradesh and Former Chairman, Press Academy, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh. He is also the Adviser for our journal Mother of All. Our grateful thanks to him for his ready response and this gesture Editorial Board]
It is everybody’s knowledge that religion and caste have been playing an increased role in politics and are influencing the course of developments in our country. Most political parties, some directly and others indirectly, are encouraging this trend and have to accept the responsibility for the consequences – good or bad.
The Preamble of the Indian Constitution begins with the words “We, the people of India, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic…”
The words ‘Socialist’ and ‘Secular’ were inserted by a Constitutional amendment in 1976. The Preamble also speaks of, among other things, social justice.
Long before the framers of our constitution thought of these noble ideals and aspirations of the people, Amma started implementing them in her own way in Jillellamudi.. Notwithstanding the many hurdles in the process, she has achieved a measure of success to a great extent.
One of the aims of Socialism, as understood by common people, is ensuring equality of status. If Amma’s first consideration was ensuring food for everybody, her next consideration was safeguarding and honoring the dignity and self-respect of everybody. Treating everyone with equal affection and love was her nature from her very childhood, for she considered all as her children. She never discriminated people on the lines of their social status. When VIPS visited her, she invariably used to send for their drivers and other servants and ask them to be seated. Even in blessing the devotees by way of presenting clothes, her attitude was the same. Once, a small group of half-clad workers hailing from Tamil Nadu, were engaged in road-laying and deepening of drains in the nearby areas. Having heard of Amma, they came to see her. Amma asked this writer, who was present at that moment near her, to bring clothes from her wardrobe. There were only costly silk sarees and on reporting this, Amma herself went inside, pulled out a few of the stacked sarees, returned and distributed them, to the surprise of the lucky recipients. When someone pointed out that they might not wear such costly sarees but sell them, Amma shot back: “what if?”Amma does not differentiate between costly and ordinary sarees just as she does not discriminate between the rich and the poor.
Amma’s attitude towards men and matters was always secular. It was not cultivated out of necessity but manifested naturally right from her early childhood. The Vedic philosophy of this land itself is secular. It does not motivate anybody to develop a particular faith or choose a certain way of worship nor asks one to change his or her faith. It gives the widest range of options for worshipping God. Amma too never enquired people about nor interfered in their faith or religious practices. Amma in her childhood visited temples, churches and even mosques. She once revealed that she did “Namaz”. It was a Muslim brother from Bapatla who framed the Chant about Amma: “Jayahomata Sri Anasuya Rajarajeswari Sri Paratpari”, which we are all familiar with. Rahi was another Muslim for whom Amma had great affection and love. Though not much is known about him, according to persons who served Amma before the village became a pilgrimage centre, Rahi sacrificed his life in his service to Amma and her family in the village.
Amma used to regularly observe Christmas and December 31 as festivals in Jillellamudi, like Sankranti and other Indian festivals. When Amma visited Hyderabad in the 1970s she went to hospitals and Old Age Homes run by Christian missionaries. Some of us who accompanied Amma in her visits to these institutions, observed emotion-filled eyes and extreme happiness writ large on the faces of the patients of the hospitals and the aged inmates of the homes, as also the Sisters and other staff. There were many Christian devotees, including some from abroad in the Jillellamudi fraternity.
“Social justice” is a phrase often heard in politics. In essence it means equal opportunities for all to share power. In “Andari Illu” (House of All) established by Amma in Jillellamudi there is nothing like power, administrative or political. Opportunities to be near Amma were the only attraction in Jillellamudi when Amma was physically present and available for devotees. Such opportunities Amma gave in abundance to the persons belonging even to the lowest strata of the society. Mantrayi, Subbaiah, Haridasu, Rajyalakshmi, Nambulu, Gajendramma were a few of them. They devoted their entire lives in the service of Amma and no wonder they were closest to Amma. Their experiences with Amma provide us an insight into the trials and tribulations she underwent in pursuing her secular approach to life. Her unorthodox approach to rituals was not relished by some of the closest persons in Amma’s family but ultimately had to adjust themselves to the new environment that Amma created.
Amma made a classic declaration that her caste is that of semen and blood and practised what she said. Large numbers of people eating, sitting side by side in rows without distinction of class, caste etc., is an everyday phenomenon in Jillellamudi. When Amma fed more than a lakh of people at a time in 1973, under one roof (with Shamianas spread over a vast area), all at a time, even orhodox Brahmins and rich persons belonging to different communities sat with common people and enjoyed the occasion.
Thus, the message Amma gave us is that we should not discriminate between our brothers and sisters, for we are all Her children. In the Jillellamudi fraternity, religion and caste are irrelevant and that is secularism in practice and socialism in action – social justice accomplished.