Vidyapith Praktani Europe Reunion 2021, Paris
Sayan Roy graduated class XII from Vidyapith in 2016. At present he is a Doctoral Researcher at
Theoretische Physik, Universität des Saarlandes, Saarbrücken, Germany.
Pratyush Pranav graduated class XII in 2003. At present he is a research associate at
Centre de Recherche Astrophysique de Lyon, France.
Bonjour Monsieur et Mademoiselle,
Welcome to the memories of the Vidyapith Reunion in Paris - La Ville-Lumière. This was the twelfth reunion of the European alumni, and the first in Continental Europe. It was held just before Christmas from 18-19 Dec 2021.
Introduction:
It all started months ago when Ritesh Chaturvedi da took the initiative to organize a reunion at the beautiful Centre Védantique in Paris - an ashram since 1937.
The current head of the ashram, Swami Devapriyananda was very happy and welcoming to host us all.
Initially, I was a bit reluctant to join the reunion. Firstly, the numbers were very low (only 7 among 90), also it was awkward for me since I had never met anyone except Sagnik Da earlier. Moreover, I was quite new in Europe (it was my third month).
But when Ritesh Da contacted me for the final confirmation, I felt like I had known him for years, and that completely changed my mind. I confirmed that I was in for the reunion and also it would be a good opportunity for me to roam around Paris a little bit. We were finally 9 people with 8 alumni from different cities, different professions but with the same root - Vidyapith.
The alumni who joined are:
Sayan Roy, XII, 2016 from Germany
Sagnik Das, XII, 2014 from Germany
Subham Mishra, XII from Germany
Om Bhaskar, XII, 2008 from Germany
Amritansh Vats, XII, 2006 from Switzerland
Pratyush Pranav, XII, 2003 from France
Parag Saurabh, X, 2002 from Germany and
Ritesh Chaturvedi, X, 1995 from Luxembourg
Arrival in Ashram:
As the date of the reunion started approaching, everybody started giving their updates on their arrival; it was a stimulating environment collectively for all. I planned my journey with Sagnik Da, and we reached the ashram on 18th Dec in the evening just after the arati. The ashram is located at Gretz-Armainvilliers commune - a distance of 40 km from the center of Paris and takes about 50 minutes by RER train from Gare de East. It was a charming location free from all the hustle of the main town.
Main Building of the Paris Ashram. Prayer Hall, Dining Hall, Monk's Residence, Meeting Room are all in this building.
It was very pleasing as I stepped into the prayer hall after almost four years (the last time I visited Vidyapith). The place was very calm and peaceful, and it felt like the time had stopped, especially after traveling from a busy city like Paris. After the short meditation break, I got introduced to Ritesh Da, Subham Da, and Amritansh Da. Within seconds, we all got bonded and could talk freely about anything. Then Subham Da showed me my room in the guest house of the ashram. It was neat and clean and had two beds with a table, chair, almirah, and a basin.
Main Prayer Hall of the Paris Ashrama.
Statue of Goddess Durga at the entrance of prayer hall.
Dining Hall
Then the “ghanti” for the dining hall rang, reminding me of all the three different bells (first, second, final) that rang during our study time, dining hall, or prayer hall. We used to run just before the final bell rang to avoid getting a scolding from Maharaj. Then we all went together to the dining hall, and we (us plus the devotee of the ashram) served plates for everybody just like we used to “serve” rice in our school days. I also got introduced to Om “bhaiya” (2008) and Parag “bhaiya” (2002) at the dining hall. We learned that two girls from India cook for the ashram voluntarily on weekends. We were so lucky that the reunion was during weekends. We sat and chanted the “brahmarpanam” and some French chanting when the servings were ready. I only remembered the “Bon appetit” at the end of the French chanting :-) but was astonished by the pronunciation of chanting by the French devotees. Coming to the food, there was rice, “mushroom ki sabji,” “daal,” salads, and sweets for dinner. It was so tasty that it felt like heaven; authentic Indian tastes after such a long time, and we all agree. Then came Pratyush Da (2003) from Lyon after Naren Thakur (an ashram volunteer) showed him the path to the ashram.
Pathdarshan by Naren Thakur
Taking over the narrative from Sayan for this section specifically, I, Pratyush arrived in the august company of the Praktani brothers rather late in the evening, barely making in time to catch the last bits of dinner literally – a few more minutes and there is no doubt i would have missed the excellent food. And there was a high probability I would have missed dinner, even had it not been for a strangely nice chance encounter I had.
Having arrived late at Gare de Lyon, and in general not sure about the direction and the location of the Gretz ashram, I was absentmindedly consulting google about the directions. As I was fiddling with my phone, I noticed a gentleman come stand beside me. Finding it convenient, and expecting him to be local, I enquired him about the directions to Gretz. After having confirmed the sequence of trains I was thinking of taking, I offered him a polite smile, and went back to playing with the phone.
A few stops later, I alighted at the station from which I was supposed to get onto the RER going to Gretz. Simultaneously, I also realized, rather late, that all the fiddling with the phone had reduced the battery juices to a critical level, and there was a real danger of my phone shutting down before arriving at the destination. I started worrying I might be stranded, and simultaneously started tracking people getting off the train, noticing with a sinking heart the fact that train was getting emptier with each passing station. Could it be that I would be the only one left in the bogey by the time the train reaches Gretz? Even if not, what are the chances my fellow passengers alighting might have heard of an Indian ashram in the middle of France, in the outskirts of Paris?
As it would happen, my fears came true, and by the time the train reached Gretz, I was the only passenger in the car I was in. Resigned to the possibility of a long haul before I could locate the ashram, I slowly got off the train. To my immense surprise, I saw the same gentleman who I had met at the station before getting on the previous train! Sensing this might be my only opportunity to avoid a really painful walk around the neighborhood with no certainty at all if i would be able to find the ashram in the end, and at the same time not even sure if the gentleman would have any idea of what I am talking about, I still took my chances and asked him if he knew a certain “Ramakrishna Védantique Centre” in the neighborhood. To my immense surprise, he said not only did he know where the Ashram was, he was headed there himself! Almost on cue, my phone shut down completely, as if to respect this divine intervention. We both started walking towards the ashram, striking up a conversation, when in course of time I got to realize that the gentleman, even though French, had taken Diksha, and went by the name of Naren Thakur! I believe Swamiji had been guiding me all along in spirit, helping me reach my destination!
Karma Yoga and meeting with Swami Devapriyananda
After dinner, we assisted other volunteers in community service, cleaning the kitchen utensils and keeping them in the right place. We all then had a good interaction with Maharaj recalling Vidyapith days and Maharaj’s days at the Asansol mission. It has stories from all the mischief we did, the scolding we get, the history of reunions, discussion about how Praktani addas can help the younger generations, and many more. Swami Devapriyananda was also very happy and shared how an Asansol alumnus helps current students choose their future careers.
Left to Right: Pratyush, Sayan, Sagnik, Ritesh, Swami Devapriyananda, Subham, Om, Parag, Amritansh
Late Night Adda
After we bid good night to maharaj, we all went to Pratyush Da’s room and had a nice chat remembering Vidyapith days and current situations. We were enjoying the “stocks” given by maharaj during this adda, but as pointed out by Parag Da we miss the “Laal Padi” a lot (platoon Days…).
Day 2 in Ashram
It was the 19th of Dec and the weather was clear and sunny. As usual from our Vidyapith practice, we bunked the morning prayer but were almost ready before breakfast. We had bread, jam, butter, fruits and milk for our breakfast. After breakfast, we joined for a puja session in the prayer hall. It was a different vibe, and the vibration of chanting was very soothing. All credit goes to the devotees who maintain this charm. Then we resume our adda from last night, this time theory from our astrophysicist guru Pratyush Da. Sadly, it was interrupted by the lunch “ghanti”. We again served the plates to every seat and this time we had rice, pakoras, sambar, gajar ki sabji, chutney and payas. The pakoras were so tasty that I could not control myself and asked for another one, but sadly, I got rejected. Pratyush Da made fun of it and called me “ei cheleta hangla ache”, but Pratyush Da also took gulab jamun from many of us, so it goes the other way round. It was very memorable and nostalgic like we used to tease each other, give everybody a nickname during Vidyapith days.
Then we took a tour of the campus and also outside. It has a big area like Vidyapith and has a radio station, a “goshala” along with prayer hall, dining hall and guest house. We also walked around the ashram in Gretz, it was very peaceful and pleasing. The boulevard in front of the ashram is named after the great Romain Rolland, a Nobel laureate in Literature and also the one to promote Vedanta philosophy in France.
Main building of the Ashrama from the back side.
Now in the evening, it was time for the evening arati. We all were witnessing arati after a long time and it was mesmerizing for all of us. The sounds of “khandana bhava bandan”, “om hrim ritam” and “sarva mangla manglye” was very delightful. I felt very calm and happy after the prayer. As the dinner was approaching, we knew that Pratyush Da and Amritansh Da would leave soon, I felt very sad and it was the same feeling as the last day of Vidyapith. Anyway, I get my extra pakoras during dinner and after dinner, we all went to the station to bid farewell to Pratyush Da and Amritansh Da. Om bhaiya had already left the ashram in the morning after puja.
Bidding farewell to Amritansh Da and Pratyush Da at the Gretz railway station.
a la prochaine !
The next morning it was very hard leaving the ashram after these two beautiful days. It was not only nostalgic, but also we had a whole experience of the Vidyapith days starting from the enjoyment while arriving and the pain we felt while leaving the place, and we also created a lifelong bonding. We hope that many such reunions will happen in the near future, and there will be more participation. Also, Paris ashram is a beautiful place to stay by and roam around Paris. Anyone interested can contact Swami Devapriyananda and schedule their stay at the ashram. For the time being, I thank you all for stopping by, and I wish you all a Happy and Healthy 2022.
Useful Links:
Centre Védantique: https://www.centre-vedantique.fr/
