New-age pilgrims

The Gen-movers want it all. A sound career, unlimited money and power, chic lifestyle and, above everything, peace of mind. Sukhdeep Kaur on the new mantra that’s keeping the young ticking and stress-free.

Suparna, a graduate in psychology, found her knowledge of the complexities of human behaviour of little help in realising her dreams of a blissful married life. Hooked to sleeping pills to fight depression resulting from problems with her in-laws, this 22-year-old has now taken to Buddhist chanting.

Rishu Vyas, an MBA, left his trading business to become a full-fledged member of ISKCON. This 28-year-old now spends most of his waking hours trying to get other youth into the ISKCON fold.

Mohali lad Aakash (name changed), who is studying hotel management in Bhopal, rates Aastha among his most favourite TV channels. He loves listening to spiritual talk in his spare time.

While stress associated with a hectic, competitive urban lifestyle compels more and more youngsters to wake up to the merits of good-old spiritualism, the reasons cited by them vary widely and make it difficult to discern the raison d’`EAtre of the trend. Whatever the grounds, the queues are getting longer by the day. Be it reiki, yoga, chanting, Art of Living, pranic healing or other forms of self-realisation techniques, the numbers of those seeking solace in spiritual practices is swelling.

What is intriguing is that it is not just one healing or meditation practice that today’s youth is experimenting with. Noorie, 20, has just completed her graduation in psychology and plans to follow it up with a master’s degree. Her mother, a reiki master, initiated her into the technique and now Noorie, too, practises it. Reiki is learnt in different levels. The first-degree holder is able to heal self and others, a second-degree holder is able to provide distance healing, and the third degree holder can undertake mass healing. A reiki master has the three levels under his belt, while a grandmaster — who can give initiation to a reiki master — is an authority on the subject.

Noorie is also into Buddhist chanting and this year she even undertook the basic course in the Art of Living. Why such a heady mix of spiritualism on her plate? "Reiki is a touch-and-heal therapy. It has given me the power to control my body and mind and also heal others. Chanting, on the other hand, aims at reducing suffering by negating bad karmas. You get to understand that life is not accident-free, but can be made smoother by being stronger and more rational. My brush with the Art of Living is the most recent but it has helped me understand the philosophy of life – the art of living – as they call it. In short, though our problems persist, our outlook towards them changes."

What’s more, she manages all this while going out with friends, watching movies and keeping her academic record bright. And no, none of these interests ever clash, she avers.

Stress relievers

With spiritualism emerging as a rage, it is finding many takers among young men too. Gyms are not pass`E9 but gradually more and more young men are getting inclined towards meditation, feels Vineet Gulati, an area sales manager with ICICI Bank. An active member of the ISKCON a few years back, he has now taken to the Art of Living. "The techno-savvy class too is making a beeline for spiritual therapies. The breathing techniques taught are simple but divine. They have helped rejuvenate my entire system. Though I still frequent the gym, I have made pranayama a part of my everyday fitness regime," he reveals.

The good old yoga too is acquiring many new avatars tailored to suit the needs of the fast-paced, high-spending present generation. So you have ‘power yoga’, ‘artistic yoga’ and even ‘hot yoga’ taking over the slow breathing and posture exercises the art had been known for. "It is blending the goodness of yoga with the pace of aerobics, which is attracting youngsters. Yoga in its natural form is great but I cannot do it for long. The raciness of artistic yoga keeps my spirits high and stress levels low," says a young housewife, Anjali, who has switched over to Bharat Thakur’s artistic yoga from the regular one. Thakur, incidentally, has many young teachers who have left high-profile IT jobs to join his commune.

"About half of those undertaking the basic course in reiki are students or those who have just taken up a profession," assert Dr N.K. Sharma and his wife Dr Savita Sharma, who visit Chandigarh every month to conduct reiki courses and run the Reiki Healing Foundation in New Delhi. From crystal ball gazing, dowsing to aura photography, reiki masters are now trying to blend the art with modern day science to attract techno-savvy youngsters, and not without success, he adds.

One of his disciples, Shelly Singh (22), has recently completed master’s in environmental science from the Panjab University. She is a reiki grandmaster. "I have seen my mother, a reiki grandmaster, solving many of our family troubles through her knowledge of the practice. She even sorted out the problems of my brother in Australia through distance healing. I was drawn towards the therapy after seeing and feeling its power but gradually it has become a great way to live life," she says.

For Archana, a girl of 26 settled in the US, the pressures of living abroad coupled with the lack of a support system make self-healing therapies like reiki a luxury they can access within the confines of their homes. However, for Shivani, who has completed her B.Ed this year, it was multiple physical ailments, including stabbing neck and back pain, which took her to all possible medicos and finally alternative healing therapists. "It was like getting a fresh lease of life. The gnawing pain had got the better of me. I was living a life of constant fear and helplessness. The problem was not just physical; it was more psychological. One ailment only led to the other and I would have been a nervous wreck had meditation and reiki not come to my rescue," she asserts. Now, not only have the pains subsided considerably but she is also in greater control of her body and mind, she beams with confidence.

Free from rituals

For many upwardly mobile youngsters, who do not care for religious rituals, Buddhist chanting is the new road to Nirvana. Though the organisation is highly secretive and has a rigorous procedure for new entrants (they have to prove their fidelity for a minimum of six months), it is finding many takers. This practice, like reiki, is of Japanese origin. It involves chanting a few sacred words believed to have been passed on from Lord Buddha to achieve both material and divine bliss.

"It is using the power of collective prayers for collective good and there is no money involved," said a public relations officer (PRO) of a company, on the condition of anonymity. She has been associated with the practice for a long time and vouches for its miraculous powers. "It has helped sort out my marital problems. From a point of no return, I have been able to salvage my marriage and secure the happiness of my family. Though there is no denying the fact that most of those who enter our fold do so in times of mental or physical distress, they soon learn to forget their woes and pray for the well being of their fellow believers," she reveals.

Simar, who has completed her master’s in history this year, echoes these views. A reiki master, she was drawn towards chanting out of sheer curiosity. "My neighbour, a grandmaster in reiki and also the member of a Buddhist chanting group, died recently of cancer. Though both the practices did not cure him of cancer, he had a peaceful end. Besides, it feels great to be able to heal others. I have helped several students during examination time by helping them reduce stress and improve their concentration," she adds.

Though Simar is evasive about her reasons for taking up spiritual healing, she adds with a firm nod that it is not a fad. "I know it from my interaction with peers and others that stress levels are largely responsible for the upward swing in the number of those opting for meditation and alternative healing therapies. Parental expectations are too high and anything that is mediocre is not good enough. I was stressed out and needed help. Many young girls like me find it difficult to approach elders for support. In such cases, spiritual guidance works wonders. It is the best pill for most afflictions."

Members of Buddhist chanting get together once a week to chant, share their experiences and listen to the group leader. "While chanting, we pray to some mystic source and repeat a few sacred words, in which lies the crux of Buddhism," is all a follower agreed to reveal.

Both reiki and Art of Living courses come at a price (the Art of Living Foundation conducts basic course for beginners followed by advanced course and teacher’s course for those who wish to delve deeper into it). Says Rohit, a software engineer working with an MNC in Gurgaon, "The founder of the Art of Living Foundation – Sri Sri Ravi Shankar – is known worldwide as guru to the technology class. He has made spiritualism a craze, much like Osho did in the seventies, only he keeps himself low-key and is spreading his movement like a marketing-savvy MNC spreads itself across continents – through an organised network. However, not all are charmed by the stress on the spiritual healing. Many I know enrol for his courses to improve their concentration and, thus, efficiency at work."

An added attraction for youth are celebrities such as Rhea Pillai, who conduct workshops for the foundation. "Many high-performance driven youngsters are seeking refuge in his basic principles for living more fulfilling lives. He is the new-age management guru – one who teaches how to manage life. I have seen my performance level shooting up after incorporating his simple exercises and beliefs in my day-to-day life," says Gurdev, a medicine intern. The growing preference for the divine in today’s youth also made headlines when one of the five chosen members of Channel V’s pop band, Viva, opted for being a spiritual teacher for the foundation than embracing the world of glamour and glitz. Such cases are rare but the trend is far too visible.

Designed for youth

As peace seeking and meditation get in vogue, many organisations are trying to usher in some change to cater to the needs of young disciples. The Brahamakumari Mahayog Ashram now has a full-fledged youth wing, which holds exhibitions and discourses to reach the youth. The Ramkrishna Mission, one of the oldest and most networked spiritual organisations worldwide, also undertakes activities for youth from time to time. "We observe Swami Vivekanand’s birthday each year as National Youth Day, have a youth hostel for higher secondary and college students and also deliver lectures and discourses in various schools, colleges and educational institutions," says Swami Brameshananda, secretary of the RK Mission, Chandigarh.

Though the Swami asserts that materialism has increased the need for meditation in today’s youth, he has doubts about the "in vogue" practices. "At times, student bodies approach us for organising meditation programmes but for a sustained and wider reach, a lot more needs to be done and the initiative will have to come from the youth. We do not believe in attracting youth through gadgets, money or hypnotic powers, as none of these are required for meditation, which is just a state of mind. Even in our youth hostels, academic education is supplemented with spiritual training. We aim at the all-round development of the youth," he adds.

Kusum Didi of Chandigarh’s Brahamakumari Ashram also feels that more and more youth are leaving behind a life of blind material pursuit to seek peace of mind. "More and more luxuries, comforts and competitiveness are only adding to unhappiness and disillusionment. From executives to students and housewives, a cross-section of people is knocking at our doors. It is no more just the elderly who visit us," she adds.

Siblings Varun and Sheena Grewal meditate regularly at the Brahamkumari Ashram. Sheena (20), the elder of the two, has completed economics honours but is in no hurry to bag a plum job. "I want to take it easy. I have seen many of my friends suffering from self-created problems. I dream big but it doesn’t necessarily have to be in terms of money or material success," she adds.

Has meditation helped? "Initially, my friends found it weird that I took to something like this so early in life. Now, they come to me for help and guidance. I am at peace with myself and not in a futile chase for material or physical comforts. I enjoy life but the source just happens to be different," she says.

On why this quest for divine bliss is finding so many takers, each faith keeper has his own take. Spiritualism has undeniably caught the fancy of today’s youth, and the reasons for its growing popularity across the board are help in improving concentration and performance, fighting examination or professional stress, countering high parental expectations, falling apart of relationships, marital problems, pressure of nuclear families and physical ailments, to name a few. With the young getting subjected to exacting demands nowadays, mastering the mind and seeking out peace seems to be a powerful antidote to all that ails the younger lot today.

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