Born in Mathura, what triggered you to move to Vrindavan in an innocent age of six?
Around 30-35 years ago, to and fro from my village to Vrindavan, which is 25-26 kms from the former, was not an easy task for a six year old kid as there were least conveyance available then. But, I used to even stay back there and participate in “Rasa Lilas” playing vivid mythological characters as Ram, Balarama, Krishna etc. and, infact, because of such correlations people then coined me with the name “Thakur”. So, coming to Vrindavan, participating in Rasa Lilas and apart from this whatever I am today, I owe it all to Lord Krishna. I feel, since my destiny was predecided by him, I could reach here.
Where adolescence is an age of innocence and a kid confines his world to his toys, parents and friends, what strong emotions came over you as a six year old?
I feel children and their emotions then and now set a huge contradiction. Kids in our times used to get carried away by the simple bows and arrows of Lord Ram unlike the present day infants. Infact, talking about my-self, I used to have an intense feeling of actually being a God when playing the roles in the Rasa Lilas. And that very feeling triggered a sense of spirituality in me and I sensed myself to be a different child.
Did not you and your parents have a mutual feeling of attachment in your adolescence?
Obviously, every child and parent is attached to each other. And so was I. But, before the minor age of six, many hardships encountered my way from getting my right legs broken and even suffering from polio to staying distant with my parents at such early age with many financial troubles, which I certainly think were destined by the God. Infact, I really bow down to those days of adversities that definitely contributed to where I am today.
We have been known for our culture since ages, but somewhere, ironically, when talking of religion the today’s youth is misled and moreover is strayed. So, would you like to tell us what religion actually is?
See, our youth is being drastically misled. Our nation is crores of years old and so is our “culture and civilization”. Then there comes a big question as to what happened in the last 60-70 years that shattered our such old culture? Present day youngsters believe in independency in life.. independency and space even from their parents and family.
From where do you feel this attack has originated?
This goes back in our freedom struggle days when Macaulay visited India and replaced our entire gurukul system with the modern education system. Infact, in one of the letters to his mother, he has mentioned the cunningness with which he had made India independent but not the Indian mentality and that the Indian minds will be his slaves for ages due to the seeds of English education he had sowed. This is what I call “Cultural Terrorism”. We, otherwise, had been ruled by Mughals too for around 1000 years. But, then even in such long period of slavery we had never lost the essence of our culture.
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