This morning saw high drama in the Board of Trustees of the Ashram Trust.
In the general backdrop of the ongoing Probe of criminal actions of the Trustees by the Government of Puducherry and their desperate attempts to stay the probe by legal devices, several members of the Board of Trustees have been expressing their discontent with the high-handedness and wrong decisions of the Managing Trustee Manoj Das Gupta which have brought the entire Ashram into disrepute.
Especially in the last one year, there have been many disagreements in the Trust Board, but always the high-handedness of the Managing Trustee has trampled upon others, and his personal interests have prevailed over the collective conscience.
In the last four months, in desperation, the Trustees have chosen to plunge head-on into battle with the Government of Puducherry, and it is obvious that they are at the losing end of their struggle against the inevitability of the law of the land. Their well-wishers and advisors have warned them repeatedly that if they do not solve their problems in-house they will surely end up in jail. And their time is not far.
Overwhelmed by the circumstances and under pressure of his own conscience, this morning Albert Patel, the senior-most Trustee of the Ashram Trust, submitted his resignation to the Trust Board, and walked away from the Board meeting.
The rest of the Trustees followed him to his house and pleaded with him to stay on at least till the 21st of January when the battle in the High Court is going to decide the fate of the Trustees. Albert Patel steadfastly refused. Eventually, Manoj Das Gupta declared in his typical high-handedness that he would only accept the resignation after the 21st and not before.
We can only hope that if any of the other Trustees still have their conscience intact, they too will follow the sane example of the eldest Trustee.
A copy of the resignation letter, in wide circulation in the Ashram, is given below.
In the general backdrop of the ongoing Probe of criminal actions of the Trustees by the Government of Puducherry and their desperate attempts to stay the probe by legal devices, several members of the Board of Trustees have been expressing their discontent with the high-handedness and wrong decisions of the Managing Trustee Manoj Das Gupta which have brought the entire Ashram into disrepute.
Especially in the last one year, there have been many disagreements in the Trust Board, but always the high-handedness of the Managing Trustee has trampled upon others, and his personal interests have prevailed over the collective conscience.
In the last four months, in desperation, the Trustees have chosen to plunge head-on into battle with the Government of Puducherry, and it is obvious that they are at the losing end of their struggle against the inevitability of the law of the land. Their well-wishers and advisors have warned them repeatedly that if they do not solve their problems in-house they will surely end up in jail. And their time is not far.
Overwhelmed by the circumstances and under pressure of his own conscience, this morning Albert Patel, the senior-most Trustee of the Ashram Trust, submitted his resignation to the Trust Board, and walked away from the Board meeting.
The rest of the Trustees followed him to his house and pleaded with him to stay on at least till the 21st of January when the battle in the High Court is going to decide the fate of the Trustees. Albert Patel steadfastly refused. Eventually, Manoj Das Gupta declared in his typical high-handedness that he would only accept the resignation after the 21st and not before.
We can only hope that if any of the other Trustees still have their conscience intact, they too will follow the sane example of the eldest Trustee.
A copy of the resignation letter, in wide circulation in the Ashram, is given below.
Congratulations, Albert-da!
ReplyDeleteIt is the custom of the immortal gods to grant temporary prosperity and a fairly long period of impunity to those whom they plan to punish for their crimes, so that they may feel it all the more keenly as a result of the change in their fortunes.—Julius Caesar
ReplyDeleteFour Strides of the Titan
ReplyDeleteSumbha first loved Kali with his heart and body, then was furious with her, at last prevailed against her, seized her by the hair and whirled her thrice round him in the heavens; the next moment he was slain by her. These are the Titan’s four strides to immortality and of them all the last is the longest and the mightiest. Kali is Krishna revealed as the dreadful Power and wrathful Love. She slays with her furious blows the self in body, life and mind in order to liberate it as spirit eternal. (Sri Aurobindo)
With this one courageous and heroic action Albert-da has rekindled faith in Ashram elders. He has taught us that while doing the right thing is always difficult it is never impossible.
ReplyDelete