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Dr. Chintamani Yogi

by TRUTH from Sankhu

Chintamani Sir in his thoughts (Chintamani sir's personal file)
Chintamani Sir in his thoughts (Chintamani sir's personal file)

As in our traditional society, the person who has died is only known as hero and when that person is alive he is not known as hero. But, we have chosen a hero who is still alive and contributed many things and works for the betterment of the nation and society. Our living hero is Dr. Chintamani Yogi, founder principal of Hindu Vidyapeeth Schools, which is working to promote value-based education. As to be the great person in this world, family must be good then only the son/daughter will be good. Chintamani sir’s family was very spiritual, which helped him to be a spiritual person too.

He was born in 1963 in a traditional Hindu family in a small village in Dang, in the western part of Nepal. His father’s name is Suka Dev Nath and Mother’s name is Rebati Devinath Yogi. He never takes dinner without first having evening prayers and receiving blessings from his elders by touching the feet. When he was child and had not gone to school, he used to read the books related to Hindus like, Geeta, Ramayan etc. He used to listen to his parents who told him moral stories and would report the various activities of the day and share his problems to them. There wasn’t a proper school in the village and his parents always had a dream a teaching him Sanskrit. So, to fulfill his parents' dream he left the warmth of his parents' laps and traveled to Delhi for education.

He joined a very traditional old Gurukul to study Sanskrit and other ancient Hindu texts. Daily life was a challenge getting up at 4.30 am performing Yoga meditation, reciting the holy books, and then go to study the scripture. He was homesick for the beautiful rural environment. However, life at the Gurukul formed the basis of his education. It instilled in him a strong moral and spiritual foundation and helped mold him into the person that he is today.

After eight years in Delhi, destiny drew him back to Nepal. But there was a problem at home. His father was a farmer. There was lack of rain at that time. They all had to struggle to produce enough for them to eat. Despite all these difficulties, his father taught him Philosophy stories, songs and Bhajans. It was remarkable how, although being a father to ten Children, he could still lead his life as a saint. He always reminds history of Rajershi Janak (Father of Sita) since he lived amidst this material world without ever being attached to anything. His father taught him good virtues and aimed to guide him towards a righteous path. So, Chintamani sir has faith in god, always. Likewise he is forever influenced by the deep spiritual character of his mother. He has not met a wiser woman in his life than his mother. She taught him to practice patience whatever the circumstances. The Bhajans she taught him made him happy. He still sings them when he is unhappy and is in tension.

He then moved to Kathmandu, capital city, to purse his further studies. He started to study Masters. It was then that he met Dr. Bihari Lal Shrestha, who was an ideal, helpful person like him. In fact he considered him as a doctor of the soul since many patients used to feel better just by meeting him. After meeting Dr. Shrestha, he was attracted to social work. Together they established a school named Hindu Vidya Peeth Nepal(HVP) in 1985. It is a charity based institution that imparts modern education along with spiritual values. He was just 21 at that time. The school faced so many problems due to lack of money. But he worked tirelessly to make it successful. Today, after 20 years, there are three HVP schools in Nepal and there are more than 2000 children studying under his loving care. He would continually question himself - was he working for the benefit of the society or was he working for the whole of humanity or just for Nepal? Actually, knowledge comes from the deep realization is always true as he has understood. This led to the creation of Shanti Sewa Ashram, an organization working for the promotion of spirituality through selfless service in collaboration with twenty-one different social and educational organizations and youth societies for peace, a forum for youth committed to peace and service. Mottos like, “Think globally, act locally” and “Humanity through spirituality”, have become the guiding principles of his life. He has also written many books for children and also books on religion and spirituality. He has also received many awards for his contribution to society.

Chintamani Sir through our pencil and Eyes (Art by Class Eight)
Chintamani Sir through our pencil and Eyes (Art by Class Eight)

He is our hero because he has given us a message to love our culture even if we become modern. In Nepal these days, people are forgetting their culture by being influenced by western culture. They want to copy western people, they do not like their own culture. But he has taught us to love our culture and tradition but at the same time respect other people’s culture and religion too. He says we should move beyond caste, creed, sex, sect, nationality and community. All people in this world are the same, we should love each other to create good world. He regularly comes to our school and tells us good stories. We like to listen to him. He also tells us about our culture and tradition and says that we should preserve it, because it is our identity. If we lose our identity, we will be no one. In Nepal, various traditional cultures are in danger, due to effects of globalization. Chintamani sir inspires us to protect our tradition and culture but also be open to good modern values.

His Message for the Children of the World ( In his own words):
The children of the world are the only hope of this modern world. The politicians do talk about revolution but I do believe in reformation and it can happen only through children and the youth. And their future depends on the society. No one should run away from the social responsibility as we are always deeply inter-connected with our own society. Our failures and successes also depend on our own society, so it is our duty to think of it, and make a good change, just by blaming upon others nothing can be achieved. So the children of this modern age should be able to know the world but to know about their own roots as well. They should learn the computer technology but should be able to enjoy in the nature also. They should make many friends on a global level but should be able to be close with their own family members also. They should follow their own religion but should serve God in every human form, they should take pride in their own culture but should respect all other faiths and cultures as well. I have met thousands of children and youths in my life; they are from various backgrounds, from different nationalities, different religious backgrounds. Every time I meet the children either in Nepal or elsewhere I have found that they all need a Right vision at Right time. They all need good Sanskaras ( good human values practiced from the childhood ) from their schools and from their family.

So my dear children of the world. WAKE UP!
• Make your foundation now, as it's the only RIGHT TIME
• Think globally and act locally
• Try to be better but not the best
• Learn the cooperation, not only competition
• Follow your Heart, not only the Brain

MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL

Page created on 1/21/2007 9:36:53 AM

Last edited 8/5/2018 12:41:42 AM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.
 

Author Info

Hello everyone, we are from Hindu Vidya Peeth Nepal, We are now reading in class eight. In our group there are 6 members of the country Nepal. Our group’s name is Truth. We knew about this project by our principal sir. We are very happy to do this project. Our names are Niti, Samjhana, Appu, Suman Khadka, Suman Manandhar, Pradip.