Narrator:
From Rajpur Mahasashan (the Great Crematorium), I extend a warm welcome and greetings to our YouTube viewers and listeners. Respectful greetings to you, Gurudev.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Greetings, greetings.
Narrator:
Gurudev, one of your disciples has come all the way from Canada to meet you. She has been trying to come for the last five or six years. She is a doctor—a gynecologist—practicing in Canada. She had been trying to meet you after discovering you on YouTube. Originally from Bangladesh, she went to Russia on a scholarship.
Tripti Kona Roy:
Yes, I went to Russia on a government scholarship. I studied there for ten years. After that, I returned to my country and practiced at a medical institute for five and a half years. Then, my husband and I applied for Canada, and we became immigrants there. We are now citizens; my nationality is Canadian.
Narrator:
How did you find out about Gurudev?
Tripti Kona Roy:
Through YouTube. My younger brother first told me about him. He said, "I've found a Gurudev, you should see what he says." From the very first day I watched him, I became a devotee. His way of speaking, his intelligence—everything is beyond explanation. I have traveled to many countries and attended many large conferences, but the depth of his knowledge in every subject is amazing. He doesn't just talk about religion; his grasp of science is truly impressive.
Tripti Kona Roy:
From that moment, I decided I had to come here and seek his blessings. Another thing is that Gurudev reminds me so much of my father. His tone and accent are just like his. The only difference is the beard; my father didn't have one. But the hair on the sides and his overall presence—he is a "carbon copy" of my father. I am the eldest daughter of my family and my husband's family, and I have always been very close to my father.
Tripti Kona Roy:
Every morning, after I wake up and freshen up, the first thing I do is find Gurudev's latest episode online. I sit with a cup of tea, watch the full video, offer my respects, and only then do I go to work at the hospital. Every single day.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Do you have your own chamber or work at a hospital?
Tripti Kona Roy:
I work at a hospital. My son is also a doctor now. There is a very competitive process right now because he wants to become a doctor in America. There is a "residency" exam and application process. The deadline is October 30th. It's a computerized selection process where they don't look at names or countries; they just look at scores from every part of the journey. My son is very confident. He says, "If others can do it, why can't I? My mother is a doctor and she supports me, so I must succeed." We are Canadian citizens, but practicing in the US requires many more qualifications, which he has successfully completed.
Narrator:
The competition must be very tough.
Tripti Kona Roy:
Yes, thousands of students apply. Since he's worked so hard, my heart as a mother trembles, fearing he might be hurt if things don't go perfectly.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Success and failure are parts of life. A bit of failure is sometimes needed to understand the value of success. But I pray he succeeds.
Tripti Kona Roy:
I always tell him not to worry. Even if he slips, he is young—only 27. I tell him, "Failure is the pillar of success." He usually comes out of exams with a smile, saying they went well. He is my pride. I sacrificed a lot in my career for him.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Struggle is necessary. Without struggle, one cannot grow. You have raised him to this level and he is successful. Don't worry; everything will be fine.
Narrator:
We also send our best wishes to your son. May he have a bright future.
Tripti Kona Roy:
Thank you. I really want your blessings.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
My blessings are always with you.
Tripti Kona Roy:
I feel so lucky to be here today. You won't believe it, but I haven't been able to eat much lately. But today, Kalu Thakur gave me a full plate of food. I told him I never eat this much, but he insisted. I had hot dal, parwal (pointed gourd) fry, and borboti (long beans) fry. It was wonderful.
Narrator:
A "full heart" meal.
Tripti Kona Roy:
Yes, I feel completely satiated. They say you never know where your destiny will take you or where your next meal is written.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
It is said that every grain has the name of the person who will eat it written on it. You were meant to eat here, and you are satisfied. My name is Tripti (meaning "satisfaction"), and I am truly "Tripta" (satisfied) now.
Tripti Kona Roy:
I won't let go of Gurudev now! I have a multiple-entry visa. It's usually hard to get a visa from Canada—it takes about three weeks—but I have one now. Once my son finishes his residency, I will bring him here too. He has never been to India.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Let him stay in America and practice medicine there. West Bengal is like a "crematorium" (meaning stagnant) right now; nothing will happen for him here.
Tripti Kona Roy:
Oh, I just meant I'd bring him for your blessings. He wouldn't be able to handle the heat here anyway.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
You said it's hot in Canada too now?
Tripti Kona Roy:
Yes, the climate has changed. Usually, it's cold enough for sweaters now, but today it was around 18-20 degrees Celsius. A few days ago, it was extremely hot.
Narrator:
It's the same in Europe. Climate change is a global problem.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
The whole world is affected. Look at the floods happening everywhere.
Tripti Kona Roy:
Have you ever heard of floods in America before? Now it's common. Water is flowing everywhere.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
You don't have floods where you are?
Tripti Kona Roy:
Not where I live, but in British Columbia, Vancouver, and those areas, it's very bad.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
A lady from Brussels visited today and said the same thing—that the whole world is heating up. I used to think Canada and Brussels were cold, pleasant places.
Tripti Kona Roy:
Nowhere is permanently cold anymore. Even when the weather forecast says it will be cool or rainy, it turns out completely different.