Deepa Padhi – India
The author embraced by the future of India
In my article below readers will come across the word Jalachatra, which comes from the Odia language, though its roots originate from Sanskrit. I want to explain what it is and the need of it. Jala means water and Chhatra means shade.
Summer in Odisha (Eastern part of India) is extremely hot and humid, particularly the months of April and May. Average May temperatures in Odisha typically range from daily lows of 26°C to 29°C to daily highs of 37°C to 43°C, with heatwave peaks frequently soaring up to 45°C. Monsoon starts in June. This year our TOS, Odisha had started a Jalachatra, a shade for keeping cool water, buttermilk, lassi, biscuits for free distribution near the City's Main Government Hospital .The purpose is to help the poor patients coming all the way from far off villages to the hospital accompanied by their small children and attendants. Besides, the pedestrians and traffic police are also being benefited. It started on April 14 and May 14, was the last day. Old clothes in good condition are also displayed and distributed there.
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The article:
Love is perhaps the most powerful force in earthly existence that includes, transcends, and governs all others. It operates quietly yet profoundly, behind every phenomenon in the universe. It helps in shaping connections, sustaining life and most importantly giving meaning to existence.
Despite humanity’s remarkable scientific progress, this force remains largely unrecognized in its true depth. We measure energy, matter, and time, yet the most transformative energy which is Love , still needs a clear understanding.
Love is power because it multiplies the best within us. It amplifies kindness, compassion, empathy and co-operation. These are the qualities that allow human civilization to endure and sustain. History shows us that while intelligence has advanced societies, it is love that has preserved them. Families, communities and nations are not held together by logic alone but by bonds of care and mutual respect which are manifestations of love.
In a world increasingly driven by competition, greed and division, love becomes not just an emotion but a necessity. It unfolds and reveals the deeper truths of existence. Through love, we begin to understand each other beyond differences of race, color, religion, language and ideology. Love dissolves all barriers and builds bridges, reminding us that at our core, we are interconnected. While science explains how the universe works, love explains why life is so meaningful and beautiful.
Eastern wisdom has long emphasized love as a universal truth. Buddha said: “Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal truth.”
Mahatma Gandhi had also said; “Where there is love, there is life.’’
Acts of love, whether small or large, create ripple effects. A kind word can ease suffering. A compassionate decision or guidance can change the course of a life. Collective empathy can reshape societies. Love does not require advanced technology. It requires awareness with a noble intention.
This became deeply real to me during ‘Jalachatra ’initiative near the capital hospital where we have been distributing drinking water, buttermilk and lassi to the public, particularly, the patients, their attendants, traffic police and pedestrians in the scorching heat. On the second day of Jalachatra, I met a poor middle-aged woman who appeared completely exhausted-physically, emotionally and financially. I pulled a chair for her and offered a glass of buttermilk. As she slowly recovered, she shared her story. Her husband is a daily labourer working in a construction site in Bhubaneswar. She lives in a village in Jajpur with her mother-in-law and her daughter who is in 1st year BA. She spoke of her struggle -about the ill-treatment of her in-laws, lack of money, absence of any support and emotional exhaustion from carrying responsibility all alone. Her only ambition in life, as I understood, is to educate her daughter and see her financially independent. Overwhelmed, she broke down.I assured her of my help for her daughter’s education until she completes her graduation and finds employment. Hearing this , she became deeply emotional and stood up to touch my feet in gratitude. I gently stopped her and instead embraced her as a fellow human being in distress. In that moment, all boundaries dissolved .There was only shared humanity. Love became not just an emotion but a living force that united two individuals in suffering and compassion.
Love expands understanding. It allows us to see beyond ourselves and recognize the pain and dignity of others.
The world faces immense challenges like wars, inequality, conflict, environmental crisis, violence against women, rape and murder. These cannot be solved by intellect alone. They require a transformation of the human heart. If humanity is to survive and evolve, love must become more than an emotion. It must become a guiding principle for our existence. In truth , such a force already exists. It appears in every act of kindness, every moment of compassion and every decision made with concern and care for others.
In` Albert Einstein’s Letter to his daughter Lieserl ’regarding the Universal force of Love, one finds a universal message that speaks of love’s conquering force:
There is an extremely powerful force that, so far, science has not found a formal explanation to. It is a force that includes and governs all others, and is even behind any phenomenon operating in the universe and has not yet been identified by us. This universal force is LOVE…….When scientists looked for a unified theory of the universe, they forgot the most powerful unseen force. Love is Light, that enlightens those who give and receive it. Love is gravity, because it makes some people feel attracted to others. Love is power because it multiplies the best we have, and allows humanity not to be extinguished in their blind selfishness. Love unfolds and reveals. For love we live and die. Love is God and God is Love. From: Albert Einstein’s letter to his daughter Lieserl.
In fact, love is power because it helps in creating the best qualities within us. It strengthens compassion, empathy, co-operation – qualities essential for human survival.
In the darkest moments when all seems lost, it is love that continues to glow like a distant light, guiding humanity back from the edge. Emily Dickinson wrote in simple lines:
That love is all there is,
Is all we know of love ...
Perhaps that is the truth we are returning to – beyond all power, fear and division. It is love alone that remains and will always remain as humanity’s last hope.
Some random photos to illustrate the essential work that was done
