Last week my family and I decided to go on a trip to North India for Diwali. During our time in India we stayed at the Om Ashram complex in Rajasthan. The Om Ashram is an education and research center constructed in the shape of the Sanskrit letter OM. It has been under construction for 30+ years but is nearing completion, hosting an official opening on February 19, 2024. With regard to its official opening, the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, had planned a visit to the Om Ashram complex on November 20th. Needless to say, during our stay at the Om Ashram everyone was working hard to prepare the building and grounds for the Prime Ministerial visit. Due to the vast amount of work that needed to be done on a relatively short notice, I volunteered to help out.
Top row (from right to left): Image 1: Volunteers cleaning dusty floors (produced by author) , Image 2: Volunteer using electric blower to clean pillars (produced by author) , Image 3: Luka cleaning wasp nests from carved pillars (source: Mila Traveller) , Image 4: Luka unblocking the doors and taking debris outside (source: Mila Traveller)
Bottom row (from right to left): Image 1 and 2: Luka and Andy Traveller unblocking the doors and taking debris outside (source: Mila Traveller) , Image 3 and 4: Luka cleaning dust and cobwebs from carved pillars (source: Mila Traveller)
One of the jobs which needed completing urgently was the general cleaning of the main temple area of the Om Ashram. This area was still extremely dusty from the construction, had sealed doors, ladders and other equipment littering the inside, and cobwebs and small dead wasp nests covering the pillars and corners. For this purpose a team of volunteer workers assembled to clear the insides; open the doors; clean dust, cobwebs and wasp nests; and generally make the area presentable for the high profile visit happening in less than a week. My role in the cleaning mainly included dusting (images 3, 7 & 8) and clearing the doors (images 4, 5 & 6).
Overall this was a unique experience, both preparing for a VIP visit and simply being so close and intimate with such a large scale spectacle of a construction such as the Om Ashram. In this time I was able to do good work as well as connect with others whom I was staying with at the Ashram, thus strengthening my interpersonal bonds with them through my service.
Learning Outcomes:
- LO5: Demonstrates collaboration and working with others.
- LO7: Demonstrates a consideration of ethics in his work.
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