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Dream Project

Discussion in 'Snippets of Life (Non-Fiction)' started by Viswamitra, Apr 16, 2014.

  1. Viswamitra

    Viswamitra IL Hall of Fame

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    I closed my eyes and took a deep breath enjoying the great mood I was in. What a great feeling it is to be back in India after winding up the activities in the United States. All retirement funds are properly invested, personal belongings shipped to Chennai, house that we lived for years sold within a week, said proper good bye to all friends, built our dream house in Chennai and completed my favorite dream project in India and it is ready for inauguration tomorrow.

    More than building a wonderful career and raising and educating my son in the US, this goal was dearer to me. I reserved this goal to be executed post retirement. Yes. I am talking about my dream to build a retirement home. When I visited the facility today, the ambience was excellent. Every detail has been clearly worked out thanks to the organizers. I am still brimming with happiness and it shows up in every one of my actions. I am thanking the Supreme Power for the grace He bestowed on me to execute this project as I wished. 60% of the capacity is filled with inmates who are ready to move in tomorrow. They have already signed up. But I posed an all important question to my wife and she promised to deliver her answer today.

    I have to go to bed today early enough to be fresh and energetic tomorrow. I thought about how to execute my vision of running the retirement home in my mind. I realized the main ingredients that are needed in the retirement home are the feeling of love and being loved. In real terms, love can never be established unless people who occupy the retirement home feel at home, empowered to make decisions and support running the retirement home, fun-filled days so that retirees don’t have enough time in a day, arrangements for the retirees to show their talents in a group setting, counseling for the retirees who have conflict among themselves and establish a feeling of one large family. The retirees should pretty much able to live the way they deem fit without hindrance to the fellow occupants. The setting should trigger the sick people to become healthy, physically challenged people to feel like a normal person and those who feel isolated feel plenty of company.

    “Yes”, my wife said and interrupted my thought. “Yes for what?” I asked her lost in my thoughts. She smiled and said “Yes” for what you asked me to decide today. I felt like gliding 100 meters above the sea shore. I thanked her profusely. She not only gracefully agreed to participate in the management of the retirement home but also agreed to move in to live in the retirement home. It is always my dream to live in the retirement home in a simple way along with fellow retirees and spend the rest of my retirement life in the august company of occupants of the retirement home. The occupants who have already signed up included retired persons from Integral Coach Factory, AG’s Office, small-scale industry owner in Avadi, nurse, Tashildar, accountant of a private company, agriculturist, etc. They all will contribute in the decisions made on behalf of retirement home and we all collectively promote their talents whether it is related to their prior experience or unfulfilled ambitions. I went to bed early but could not sleep as I could not wait for the Sun to rise the next morning.

    “It is time for the Yoga class”, my wife said loudly waking me up. I opened my eyes and said, “I will get ready”. What a nice dream it was and will it become a reality?
     
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  2. PushpavalliSrinivasan

    PushpavalliSrinivasan IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Viswa,
    My DH too had this dream and in fact many of our relatives also were willing to come and stay in the retirement home. But it remained a dream only. Someone reliable should be there to take over the responsibility after our time.
    PS
     
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  3. Cheeniya

    Cheeniya Super Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    My dear Viswa
    Pusalar was a great devotee of Lord Siva hailing from Tiru Ninravur. He revelled in the mental worship of the Lord. He strongly desired to build a temple for Lord Siva, but he did not have the money for it. He gathered all the required materials for the purpose in his mind. He laid the foundation stone on an auspicious day. He slowly raised the temple brick by brick in his mind and had even fixed an auspicious day for the consecration of the Temple.

    The Kadava king who was also a great devotee of Lord Siva had built a magnificent temple in Kannjeevaram. By chance he had also fixed the date which Pusalar had mentally chosen, for the installation of the Lord in his temple. The Lord wanted to show the king the superiority of Pusalar’s great devotion. So, the Lord appeared in the king’s dream and asked him to postpone the installation ceremony in his temple, as He would be going to the temple constructed by His devotee at Tiru Ninravur. The king woke up from sleep and was intensely eager to have the Darshan of the devotee mentioned by the Lord and also have a look at the great temple he had built, which he thought should be far superior to his temple.

    The king came to Tiruninravur and searched all over the place for the temple: he could not find any. Then the king enquired about Pusalar. He found out Pusalar’s house and approached him. Pusalar was stunned when he heard of the king’s dream. He was overjoyed that the Lord had accepted his mental shrine as His Abode and even gave it priority over the King’s magnificent Temple. He told the king that that temple was only in his mind. The king was greatly surprised to hear this. Admiring Pulasar’s devotion, the king fell at his feet and worshipped him. Pulasar installed the Lord in his mental temple and continued to worship Him till he attained His Abode.

    When I read about the retirement home project that you dream of, I recall this profound story of Pusalar Nayinar. This is what Dr.Abdul Kalam means when he talks of dreaming. All magnificent projects started taking their shape in the mind first. In your case, your dream is so detailed and even covers the composition of your team. Such dreams can never fail. Knowing you as I do, this will in course of time become a reality and you will be the proud promoter of an impressive retirement home that will be a role model for other homes to follow. I have no doubt about it.
    Sri
     
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  4. jayasala42

    jayasala42 IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Viswa,
    Happy Dreams!
    We have visited many Retirement Homes and found out that their homes in reality have nothing to do with their Advertisements in websites .Unless one is capable of shelling out a handsome portion of Retirement benefits and release around Rs 15000 per person per month, we may not have a good home to live in.

    India is always the best in planning and the worst in execution. The project" Retirement Home is no execption.Construction of Retirement Homes is no project at all comparing to their maintenance
    Now a days no one is willing to take care of ailing senior citizens. Labour force is limited even if you are willing to pay a lot.Taking care of the sick and bed ridden is a great task
    in itself. Young maidens/ men are interested in lighter jobs such as dusting the computers, cleaning the cubicles, mop up the narrow remaining space, finish off the job in half an hour and take up two or three similar assignments for a higher pay.

    We don't need Retiremnet homes as long as we are able to walk and attend to our chores,
    When we are actually bed ridden, no old age home is capable of undertaking the real attention/ service they need.
    At least 50% of the homes are stinking due to non maintenance.
    It is better that certain dreams do not get realised.Any dream basically depending
    on the mental make up of others having altogether different views is unlikely to get rewarded, though the aim is noble.It is a reality, though it may sound contrary to what Dr. Kalam has been repeatedly saying.
    I am reminded of Keats " Heard Melodies are sweet, those unheard are sweeter."
    Let dreams remain as dreams.

    Jayasala 42
     
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  5. Viswamitra

    Viswamitra IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Mrs. Srinivasan:

    Thank you for your first response and for sharing your husband's dream about the retirement home. It is nice that relatives were willing to move in. You are right. The process of managing should become independent without any dependency on any one person. Otherwise, we are setting up the project to fail.

    Viswa
     
  6. Viswamitra

    Viswamitra IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Cheeniya Sir,

    I came to know about Pusalar before in one of your other posts. That is the advantage of reading all your posts and responses meticulously. What a blessed soul Pusalar is for Lord Shiva to appear in the dream of the King and tell him about the dream project of Pusalar. Those days the rulers adopted Dharma and God loving resulting in the King appreciating the dream of Pusalar as opposed to the temple he built himself.

    Your last paragraph is music to my ears. I take it as the blessings from you and Mrs. Cheeniya. I spent nearly 30 years (exactly one-half of my life) thinking about this. Deep down in my heart, thought of building a retirement home is overwhelming. Many days I started writing up the steps involved in realizing that dream. All that passion perhaps resulted in a dream of this kind.

    What is the point in creating wealth if that is not useful to many who are in need of help and support? This thought has been haunting me for many years. I definitely would either like to take care of children who have no parents or elders who need support due to various reasons.

    Viswa
     
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  7. Kamalji

    Kamalji IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Vishwa,

    God bless u. So u have finally come home to india, why did u leave US ? i though u wer well settled there. This idea of a retirement home is good, all the best and keep us updated my dear friend.

    God bless u.

    Regards

    kamal
     
  8. Viswamitra

    Viswamitra IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Mrs. Jayasala,

    If I don't have multiple and opposing views for a post that I have made, it becomes monotonous. I am glad you listed the struggle those who have experienced building retirement homes have faced. You have also suggested considering the uphill tasks involved, it is better a dream remains a dream.

    But, you are a perfect role model for me. You and your MIL demonstrated how it is possible to overcome any ordeal with determination and courage. Even though I am not looking for trouble in life, the challenges feed into my determination to do some things. We all face several huddles and roadblocks in our life be it personal or professional life. Depending on how much we are motivated, we break those barriers and roadblocks or walk away from situations. I will be preaching to the choir if I tell you that every threat comes with opportunities to fulfill our dreams and every weakness we have, gives us an opportunity to convert it into strength.

    I can read newspapers, look at my investments, ask my wife what is for lunch/dinner, do a little bit of gardening, go to Bhajans or Temple, chat with retired people, watch some nature and try to kill my time or seek to do something useful to fellow beings applying all my experiences. I can also make best use of the talents residing in inmates of such retirement homes to manage it and in the process, I can learn more. I am ready to face problems of managing a retirement home. Even if it gives me heart attack, isn't it a better way to leave this world?

    Viswa
     
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  9. Viswamitra

    Viswamitra IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Kamalji,

    Thank you for your best wishes. I have not yet left the US and the whole thing was a dream. But I have to admit that building a retirement home has been a dream of mind for nearly 30 years. With the grace of God and best wishes of friends like you, I hope and pray someday, I would do everything that came in my dream in real life.

    Thanks for dropping by.

    Viswa
     
  10. jayasala42

    jayasala42 IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Viswamitra,
    I am stunned at your determination to face hurdles. Very happy to see such individuals these days.
    My mail was not to discourage you, but to make you visualise the practical realities .
    Foreseeing problems always help us to have the right attitude in life," hoping for the best, preparing for the worst'.Optimism mixed with a tinge of pessimism always enables to see deep and channelise the energies in proper direction.
    Wishing you all the best in your endeavour.
    Jayasala 42
     
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