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BKs opening schools at Abu?

PostPosted: 15 Sep 2008
by arjun
Omshanti. Recently I came to know that some BKs are trying to open two schools at Abu - one for the handicapped children and one for the normal ones. I came to know that one BK Pratyush (a surrendered Brother) is very much interested in the project and is leading it but he does not have the blessings of the BKWSU administration. So, I suppose the project is being implemented with the private efforts of some BKs.
Anyone has more news on this front?
OGS,
Arjun

Re: BKs opening schools at Abu?

PostPosted: 15 Sep 2008
by ex-l
arjun wrote:Anyone has more news on this front?

No more news but it sounds like business as usual.

This season BapDada encouraged the BKWSU to target schools or start a school of their own (depending on how you read it) following on from the success of the hospital projects. So I am not surprised that some earnest BK is jumping at the chance.

The response of the leadership also sounds typical if we remember Dr Lakshmi Vinay's experience with the Village Outreach program. This was documented in 'Peace and Purity: The Story of the Brahma Kumaris' by Liz Hodgkinson in 2002.
Dr Lakshmi Vinay spoke not' wrote:When the village outreach program was first put forward, there was a lot of opposition from Madhuban. Baba originally said that social work of this kind was not our province, as our work should be purely spiritual, showing people by example how their lives could be transformed. However, times have changed and the Spiritual University has taken on many tasks that were not in the original plan.

Nirwair supported me right from the start, but of course the hospital itself was not initially accepted ... It has brought (or should that be bought?)the BKs credibility on Mount Abu.

So ... if Nirwair is a progressive, who are the reluctant or obstructive elements?

My thought would be that any reluctance would be do to with the money. Who is expected to pay for it? In my opinion, the leadership is happy to accept any credit from a successful project but they must be pushing for finances to be found outside, somewhere else ... who knows? I speculate that by pushing the responsibility back onto the follower, if it fails the leadership can distance themselves from it.

Any one else have any thoughts on the matter? I could not support the indoctrination of non-BK souls, especially children. Theoretically, how could it work if it was not their "fortune" to be a BK soul?

Re: BKs opening schools at Abu?

PostPosted: 15 Sep 2008
by arjun
ex-l wrote:In my opinion, the leadership is happy to accept any credit from a successful project but they must be pushing for finances to be found outside, somewhere else ... who knows? I speculate that by pushing the responsibility back onto the follower, if it fails the leadership can distance themselves from it.

This could be possible. But I heard from some BK teachers that BK Pratyush, who is spearheading this project of opening schools, has a clean and good image in BKWSU circle but has not received the required support from the BKWSU leadership and hence cannot expect to receive official help from any BK center, even if some of them may be supportive of his ideas.

Re: BKs opening schools at Abu?

PostPosted: 15 Sep 2008
by ex-l
arjun wrote:BK Pratyush, who is spearheading this project of opening schools, has a clean and good image in BKWSU circle but has not received the required support from the BKWSU leadership and hence cannot expect to receive official help from any BK center

Well, I have certainly experience good ideas being swept under the carpet only to arise later in the hands of a "chosen" BK.

It could be power politics or even subtle envy at play here. Do we know which elements of the BKWSU leadership or even how they make their enlightened, or unenlightened, decisions? It all seems to be very ad hoc and informal to me without any old excuse being used to put someone down or keep them out of the limelight.

I mean, for an example, Karuna Shetty gave his support for the legal action against this site to go ahead and it failed. That to my mind would raise questions about Karuna's yogyuktness. And yet he remains at the heart of the operations. We look at the experience of the wonderful Dr Lakshmi Vinay about with "the leadership". Who else has wedged themselves in the heart of the BKWSU and is making unenlightened decisions?

Why can any BK not have the reasonable right to call BapDada up and have their idea/inspiration checked out without it having to go through the gauntlet of an unaccountable "leadership"? Whose religion is it? WHO is "Madhuban" and how are decisions made?

Re: BKs opening schools at Abu?

PostPosted: 15 Sep 2008
by arjun
ex-l wrote:Why can any BK not have the reasonable right to call BapDada up and have their idea/inspiration checked out?

Very valid question. But I think an ordinary or middle-rung BK with good ideas for service might be feeling helpless given the fact that they cannot have direct access to BapDada when he comes to meet BKs for a few hours every year. He is surrounded by the seniormost BKs who may not allow any 'misadventure' (read 'effort to obtain his Shrimat') by any BK in front of the entire audience.

Re: BKs opening schools at Abu?

PostPosted: 15 Sep 2008
by ex-l
arjun wrote:I think an ordinary or middle-rung BK with good ideas for service might be feeling helpless given the fact that they cannot have direct access to BapDada when he comes to meet BKs for a few hours every year.

There are also the trance messengers who are used on a regular basis to varying degrees of accuracy. They are already surrendered and the request would be made for free ... why not at least via them?

Given the successes of non-leadership projects and the failures or limits of leadership-led projects, is it not time that "the family" was allowed to make decision on a more democratic basis of what BapDada was asked? I mean, the BKWSU could have a "noticeboard" where proposals were made and those receiving the most support from "the family" then went forward to the boss for checking?

I remember this came up when Janki Kripalani was elected global chief by "the family" but no one knew who "the family" was ... as no one was asked.

Yes, I know, I am wasting my time even thinking of such enlightened ideas ... back to BK schooling, let us see what comes of it. My prediction is that they first come up with a private BK school for BK children which parents have to pay for. Even that they should have thought of years ago. They could have made a small fortune accepting bad rich kids for "spiritual" disciplining at a private residential or boarding school up in the mountains.

Amongst many others, Vivekananda's followers thought of it 20 plus years ago and started one. It is hardly a new idea, its as old as religion itself. In 1894, the Theosophical Society founded a school for the children of poor and destitute families, the Hare Krishnas had many (albeit plagued with abuse) and in London today there is even a private school run by Westerners that teaches meditation, Sanskrit and universal spirituality which the BKs have made some inroads to but of which they ought to be jealous of.

Whilst the BKs amass property, scrabble after VIPs and lick up to the UN at the expense of all those business class international airfare ... this is a good wake up call of what can be achieved by impure, "Shudra" non-BKs aspiring to create a "spiritual school" serving organic vegetarian food and providing a proper all round education. See, here.

Re: BKs opening schools at Abu?

PostPosted: 16 Sep 2008
by arjun
ex-l wrote:Amongst many others, Vivekananda's followers thought of it 20 plus years ago and started one. It is hardly a new idea, its as old as religion itself. In 1894, the Theosophical Society founded a school for the children of poor and destitute families, the Hare Krishnas had many (albeit plagued with abuse) and in London today there is even a private school run by Westerners that teaches meditation, Sanskrit and universal spirituality which the BKs have made some inroads to but of which they ought to be jealous of.

I think the BKs already have hostels for BK virgins at Bhopal and Ahmedabad. But I don't think they have a school.

Once I had gone to visit a PBK friend. He took me to a BK couple who was running a school at their residence. The lady was a surrendered teacher earlier and the man was also a long time BK before marriage. After marriage they had two daughters one of whom left her body. But they returned to the BK fold after marriage and still continue to follow it. They also have a meditation (Baba's) room in their school cum residence.

I think there must be many more such BKs running their own schools.

Re: BKs opening schools at Abu?

PostPosted: 16 Sep 2008
by bansy
First Hindu school school opened in UK founded by charity I-foundation (has links to ISKCON)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7615539.stm

(Wouldn't you know it, I stayed about 2 streets away from where this school is. I once even stayed close to the UK HQ centre without even knowing it was a BK centre ! Now I am half way around the world as far away as possible !! Religion has no barriers....except where the money is, and both places have plenty of that support from its surrounding neighbours.
But it's more peaceful here I think. :D )