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Vikram hazra
Geetu Vaid
Appearances are deceptive it is said and an early morning chat with Mumbai-based Vikram Hazra proved it. It would have been easy to place the young and suave Vikram (despite his crisp white kurta-pyjama) in a boardroom meeting rather than in a satsang singing bhajans and as a spiritual guide to people. This 35-year-old, originally from Bengal, is an Art of Living (AoL) volunteer and teacher who mesmerised hundreds in the city with his bhajans and talk on Sunday. Looking beyond the veil of looks one unravels an earnest and sincere person who has devoted his life to a cause. He has been with the Art of Living for more than 11 years and has been a part of several service programmes of the organisation the world over. What attracted a 24-year-old hip and happening journalist and media programmer to the AoL, we ask. "Curiosity", pat comes the reply. "I saw my friends who were IIT graduates sing praises of the course and I was curious to know what made these techies go ga ga over it", he tells. "As I was into broadcast and print journalism, I wrote about AoL and did the basic course. What struck me the most, apart from the health-related benefits, was the change in attitude and perception which was actually nothing short of a miracle that changed my life. This made me establish a special bond with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and go deep into the AoL." Taking the spiritual path at the 'ripe old age of 24' was no escapism or shying away from responsibility or commitment. "In fact, a lot more commitment is required for voluntary work as you are accountable to yourself and this makes one more mature." Sharing his experiences through the AoL, Vikram channelised his flair for journalism through this work. He also does writing and editing work for the foundation publications and handles media works for the foundation. He also brought the exuberance of youth to his satsangs making them more in tune with the Gen-X culture. "I love to play the electric guitar and sing bhajans, so it was but natural that when I sang it was to the accompaniment of guitar and the young loved it. Now one can see youngsters clad in jeans and T-shirts discovering themselves at the satsangs. Today's youth are intelligent they don't want to mess around with their lives by getting a high from drugs and liquor. So this kind of satsang, where they can sing and dance with abandon, gives them a high without any hangover", says the modern age guru. But he terms the urban centric view of AoL that associates it only with Sudarshan Kriya, meditation and singing bhajans in satsangs as a very myopic one as AoL is actually a global service project, he claims. For the past four years Vikram has been working in the villages of the North-East as part of the Train the Trainer programme of the AoL under which chosen representatives from the village community are trained to impart education and generate awareness about sanitation and health-related programmes. Several such programmes are being run in different states and also in different countries all over the world. "We at the AoL believe that the only permanent change is the one that comes from within as enlightenment comes from awareness. This awareness leads to the path of growth of community. For a nation to grow it is necessary to unite the minds of people," he adds. Apart from making a difference to the lives of people, irrespective of country and culture, how far has he travelled on the road to self-discovery and how has his life changed in the past 11 years, we ask. "Teaching is also learning as the parallel path of self-discovery continues. I am now living with a sense of security. I don't fear the future as I know that things will be taken care of and this gives me strength to move on and do good work with zest and enthusiasm. It is exciting to know that you are going to do something good tomorrow. There are so many people who get up in the morning with a vacant feeling, with no enthusiasm for life. The greatest gift that the AoL has given me is the knowledge that I am doing something that is making a difference in the lives of people somewhere and this gives me the energy to carry on."
"There are so many people who get up in the morning with a vacant feeling, with no enthusiasm for life," - Vikram Hazra, The Tribune, Chandigarh.
Vikram Hazra CD Cover
Geetu Vaid
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And what is the next destination of the new gen guru who is fresh from weeks of travel in the Gulf countries and Himachal Pradesh, "I am going home, I'll have dinner with my parents today", he says with a glint in his eye. He sure has mastered the art of living. — TNS
Videos
Vikram Hazra's Jamming - amazing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ad-VwKFjkZ8
Vikram -AOL concert
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzKnpPoDhGM
Vikram hazra speaking on Yuvaratri
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JSuhlnUi4o
Tribute to shriravishankar in voice of Vikram Hazra
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdtxeuIk_yg
satsang with Vikram Hazra
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEriqRbhd8Q
Shivaraja
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuYdhBZEOIM
What are ur views on him after watching him??????????
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