30/11/2024
KEEP ARUNACHALA CLEAN
About 16 years ago I've seen a video, when the very first time I heard about Ramana Maharshi and the holly mountain of Arunachala. Since that time it was on my bucket list, to visit Tiruvannamalai.
I am positive that Maharshi made this place famous and put on the spiritual map of the world.
Families all around India and many foreigner around the world come here to slow down a bit, and absorbe the special energie of it.
I planned to stay 1 week, ended up 2, because I 've got a one week panchakarma treatment from "Jeewana" ayurvedic clinic, close to the Ramanashram. I highly recommend them,
it was really a life changing experience :)
Nowadays Tiruvannamalai become the number one pilgrimage site in all over India, where millions of people come every year to do the girivalam, tha 14 km walk around the Arunachala. To be here around full moon is exceptional, unbelieveble experiece.
The very first day, when I arrived to Tiru, I went straight up to feel the energie of Arunachala, so I visited the cave, where Maharshi used to meditate a lot. Hundreds of people going up there to visit daily with bearfoot.
I got used to that india has plenty of garbage on the street, but it shocked me, that how much plastic left in the holly mountain. I found some bigger plastic bags and on the way down from the cave, I filled them up with garbages.
I've just had a feeling that this is not right like this, I had a strong feeling I should do something....
My idea was to put some SIGN up, in a perfect spot, which draws attention of the locals to bring their garbage down. To put their more garbaga bin is not an option, because the monkeys would make a big mess around them.
When I talked about my idea to the hostel manager where I stayed, he reply me straight.
"No worries brotha' this is india, anyway this is not my business, change things in my own country, not here !
I was little bit shocked about his thinking, but he couldn't disincline me to start to do it !
I found in building constraction 2 thick perfect pieces of wood for it, so I started my
"Keep Arunachala clean"
project ;)
I knew that the text should be short and effective, because that is the secret of, it will work or not.
I saw a perfect text in Hampi painted on a big rock next to a beautiful lake, which I loved it.
"Don't teach your garbage to swim"
so I went this way and consultate some of my friend we ended up this version:
RISPECT ARUNACHALA,
Bring your garbage down
it can't come down alone !
Om Shanti
I planed to make 2 signes, that's double the chances to spot them.
I painted the text to the woods with a permanent marker and vanished them in 2 lawers to save it for the future a bit.
I got ready with the signes at my very last day.
Before I placed it, I felt like to ask the permit from the management of the Ramanashram, from where the path started. I wanted to ask them to blessed my signes aswell by a monk.
When the headoffice director red my sign, his answer was simple like that:
It is no needed, the mountain will bless it 🙏
So in my very last day in Tiru I went back up to the Arunachala again and put the signs up into perfect spots and if I am there, I brought down 5 big bag of garbage from the mountain.
To tell the truth the garbage situation was already much better then the first time.
Thanks all the supports what I get from the people,
who had the same feeling as me, so I could achive my project.
The biggest proofment that the sign will work that, when I put them up the locals started to make a picture with it.
If every third visitor will bring back his/her garbage, it was well worth the effort.
I feel blessed and grateful, that I could leave my footprints on the Aranachala and I hope this sign helps to keep this holly mountain cleaner 🙏
I 🩵 Arunachala, I 🩵 Tiru !
no daubt, I will back,
Om Shantee,
Sipi
