Meeting Sri Sushil Vaidya-ji & tour of Arogya Bharti Ayurvedic Clinic PART 2

(con't from previous post)

            Soon after finding out that the fellow in the suit was Sri Sushil Vaidya-ji’s younger brother, named Rajendra Shekhar, I quickly realized that he would be talking on the doctor’s behalf. Rather than hijacking the interview, I noticed that the Vaidya was paying very close attention to the conversation and would pipe up occasionally to make corrections and additions. Rajendra’s English was fairly good but pretty basic, and I was appreciating that he likely knows what his brother would say regarding key themes and principles in his worldview, and also he seemed to be a protective buffer for the elderly Ayurvedic doctor. He had some pretty orthodox views on religion and caste, and often separated religion and health but was determined to make it clear that karma, diet, lifestyle and practices related to concentration, yoga and prana (breath) are the key factors affecting health. Rajendra is as intense as his Vaidya brother is mild, but it was a rich, if terse, conversation. Due to time constraints and language limits, this was one time when the questionnaire part of my interviews wasn’t suitable. I did ask if I could interview other staff and the Vaidya assented. After we had done as much as we could, Vaidya-ji got up and walked out and Rajendra kindly offered to take me on a tour of the facility. The waiting area was now entirely full (10:30am?) with a very quiet crowd, and we walked upstairs. Rajendra is on the left, another volunteer on the right...

On the next floor there was a table with an older lady writing on small packets of herbal remedies, and Rajendra told me she was one of 250 volunteers and from a very good family. We crossed a large room with grates looking down upon the waiting area and into a back room that was clearly for religious practices. 

Rajendra told me that Sushil Vaidya-ji teaches Vipassana meditation there. The next floor up was a duplicate of the previous floor but the back room was, instead, a medication teaching and preparation room with a similar set-up of mats and small tables, but the room had more space and was lined with big plastic jars containing herbal remedies. 

The next floor up was an outdoor patio and a library in the back that was full of books from different traditions (Jain, Hindu, Osho) and I was shown some handmade books that students make after their training to describe their experiences at the clinic. 

We then sat for tea over casual conversation and we got to know each other a bit more. We went back to the man floor and I was shown the medication distribution area, filled with well-dressed and disciplined volunteers. I was told that everyone works for free and when I asked if clients are charged, he said they pay a 1 rupee token fee for herbal remedies. Very impressive, indeed. We then went back to the patient care area and Sushil Vaidya-ji came back and it became clear we were going to take some photos. First, Vaidya-ji took out a small vial with a roller on it (like lipgloss) and took my hand and rubbed a yellowish substance on it…he told me to rub my hands and breathe it in and that it would help my heart. His daughter Dr. Kala Kasliwal encouraged me while I was inhaling, speaking of its good effects. We then took several rounds of pictures with female and male staff. 

The whole thing was very sweet and there is a lot of good energy in this place. I asked Dr. Kasliwal if I could come back to interview other staff, she said I could come back the next week…and that people only speak a little English. I also mentioned that perhaps I could help out some time, which made her falter…she eventually stammered something like “alright.” This is the 3^rd time I’ve offered to volunteer in India and each time it seems to be more awkward than helpful. If they have enough help, I certainly don’t want to be a burden…but the observation of the workings of the clinic would be very insightful. I’ll visit again and see what happens.