Dharamshala: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has taken time off from his demanding work conditions at the national capital and leading the Aam Adami Party and has joined a 12 day meditation camp here at the Dharamkot Vipassana Meditation Centre, where he will remain incommunicado with the outside world from August 1 to 12.
As the Punjab poll campaign gathers heat, AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal will be forced to stay away from his twitter handle, not permitted any electronic, media or human communication as the camp rules are about completely cutting oneself from the outside world and finding time to introspect and recharge oneself.
Pawan Sharma, incharge of the Vipassana centre disclosed, Kejriwal, like others, who attend the course, are briefed about the daily routine to be followed from today as a preparation for the course that would start from early morning August 2 and continue till evening of August 11.
Pawan said , “Like others, Kejriwal will have to follow the strict schedule. All participants are not allowed to interact even with each other. They can only pose queries from their teachers at specified intervals.”
Sharma said that participants are expected to get up at 4 am, They will meditate from 4.30 am to 9.30 pm, with three meal breaks daily.
The Delhi Chief Minister, who arrived on the private visit by the afternoon flight at Gaggal Airport, Kangra, found a large contingent of AAP workers, many of them ticket seekers for the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections, waiting for him in the lounge area or near the airport.
Without interacting with the media, who also had turned up in large numbers, or the supporters, Kejriwal by road headed by straight for the Vipassana centre.
Interestingly GS Bali, the transport minister of Himachal Pradesh, was also found travelling on the same flight to Kangra that Kejriwal alighted from.
Rajan Sushant, state incharge of AAP for Himachal Pradesh, who was also at the airport said, “though this is the first visit of AAP chief to Himachal Pradesh, which happens to be a private one, but it has come as a moral booster to the party workers here.”
The Dharamkot Vipassana Meditation Centre is one of the more popular meditation centre of 171 worldwide centres of the ancient Buddhist meditation techniques that were researched and developed by SN Goenka, the founder of the Vipassana, meaning to see things as they really are.
Popularity of the centres is so much that it sometimes has a 6 month waiting list for booking a seat at the centre, however it is unusual for a high profile politician to take time off and join a 12 day course at the camp.
Arvind Sharma is an award winning bi-lingual journalist with more than 20 years of experience.
He has worked with Divya Himachal, Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhasker, Vir Partap, Ajit and PTI.
In 2010, he was conferred the Himachal Kesri journalism award. He reports on the Tibetan Government in Exile, politics, sports, tourism and other topics. He lives in Dharamshala.
Why not someone in Dharmasala teach this Topiwala-Joker Good Manners in Life !