Interviewer:
Pronam (Salutations), Gurudev.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Pronam, baba. Pronam.
Interviewer:
Pronam, Didi. As you can see, Gurudev is here, and someone is sitting beside him. I donât know her very well, but I will try to introduce her as much as I can. She has come all the way from Jaipur, Rajasthan. She is Colonel Chhabbi Kanjilal.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Chhabbi Kanjilal.
Interviewer:
Yes, Chhabbi Kanjilal. She is a Colonel. She has wanted to meet Gurudev for a long time. Given the nature of her job, she rarely gets time. She managed to carve out some time to come here and seek Gurudevâs blessings.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Today is January 23rdâa very significant day.
Interviewer:
Absolutely. Didi, please introduce yourself to the audience, and then you and Gurudev can proceed with your discussion.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
What is there to discuss? She is a military officer, a Colonel. That is no small thing. She came to see me, looked at me with great devotion, shared some thoughts, and offered her salutations. This is a huge achievement for me. In todayâs age, a worthy daughter of Mother India has come to visitâChhabbi Kanjilal. To me, this is a great honor. Money isn't everything; these are the true gains in our livesâwhen people like her come to us, or we go to them. Yes, mother, youâve seen me now. Tell me, how do you feel?
Colonel Chhabbi Kanjilal:
Greetings to everyone, and Pronam to the elders. I am a servant of the nation, Colonel Chhabbi Kanjilal. My sister is a disciple of Gurudev. I have heard his name many times and watched many of his videos. In my busy life, I often take out a little time to watch his videos. My sister, Nupur Deb, always talks about him and his teachings. This inspired me to want to see him in person one day. Today, I am here with my team and Gurudev. Today is an auspicious day for us Bengalisâitâs Netaji Subhash Chandra Boseâs birthday. Itâs a day of great pride for us.
Colonel Chhabbi Kanjilal:
Even more than before, our country remembers Netaji today. The youth, who perhaps werenât as aware before, now consider Netaji an idol. We all need a Guru in our livesâin school, at home, and our parents are our first Gurus. But as we get busy with our lives, we need guidance. No matter how much you read, you cannot find God on your own; you need a channel, a path. And for that, we need someone like Gurudev. That is why I am here. I don't know if I will see God, but...
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
You are God. You are God because you are serving Mother India. I salute you. No matter how much of a spiritual person I am, I must salute people like you. And when you mentioned Netaji, it brought tears to my eyes. In our childhood, we used to sing a song about him: "O Netaji Subhash, please return... every moment the call of 'Delhi Chalo' resonates... today you are not among us, and the heart of the motherland weeps." We used to sing this while walking in lines on the streets. Even now, talking about him makes me emotional. I have spoken much about him. Anyway, today is his day. I am glad you mentioned it.
Interviewer:
Didi, you hold a significant responsibility in Jaipur. Could you share some of your experiences? Also, considering the current global state of war and conflict, how do you view Indiaâs position?
Colonel Chhabbi Kanjilal:
I am just a simple soldier; I only follow orders. But what I can say is that the India of today is not the same India it used to be. Todayâs youth are moving toward spirituality. Even in our army units, we have temples, and one can practice their own religion. Every religion teaches you to be brave and to fight against the enemy. We are also great devotees of Ma Kali. My sisterâs sons, who were in the military, are also devotees. The Gorkha Regiment's war cry is "Jai Mahakali, Aayo Gorkhali." We need God everywhere. God gave us a brain to think; otherwise, we would be no different from animals.
Colonel Chhabbi Kanjilal:
Regarding the global situation, as I said, India is different now. If any nation thinks of acting against us, they have to think a thousand times, not just ten. Today, many countries are befriending us. This is diplomacy. You must have good neighbors if you want to live in peace and progress. That is why our diplomatic strategy is to win over nations one by one and extend a helping hand, so that if anything happens at our doorstep, we can knock on our neighbor's door for help.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Look, Didi, except for China, our other neighborsâTibet, Bhutan, Nepal, Sikkim, Bangladesh, Myanmarâthey are all somewhat dependent on us. We are the ones they rely on.
Colonel Chhabbi Kanjilal:
One thing is certainâif your neighbor is educated and you know them well, you can anticipate how they might react. But one should never consider the opposition weak. You never know how or with what they might attack. For instance, China spread the virus. We should never forget our enemies, but we must also extend a hand. We have to keep them close and make them dependent.
Interviewer:
I would like to ask one small thing. In your many years of service, is there one memorable experience that stands out?
Colonel Chhabbi Kanjilal:
Iâll share a very simple but beautiful story about life inside the army. People see us in uniform, partying or moving around, but there are things youâd never imagine. I was posted in Nagaland. Once, another officer and I were at the station. Suddenly, an announcement was made that all trains were cancelled. At that time, there were no direct flights from Nagaland. We had to take the train. Suddenly, there was heavy gunfire from a bridge. We ran and hid wherever we could. Finally, a train arrived 12 hours late. I was with two male officers; in the army, we are all one family.
Colonel Chhabbi Kanjilal:
We got into our compartment. I was lucky I had some food with me. The other two officers were from the Bihar Regiment. We shared what we had. When we reached Assam, everything at the transit camp was locked. No one would open the door to cook; the mess was closed. We were starving after traveling all day. We went outside and knocked on a small shack with a tin roof. An old man answered in a Bihari accent, grumbling about who was knocking at 2:30 or 3:00 in the morning.
Colonel Chhabbi Kanjilal:
We begged him to open up, hoping for any food. That man became like a god to us. He opened the shack, used a stick to prop up the tin roof, and we asked him to give us anything to eat. He grumbled, "Is this a time for food? Everything is closed." But then he saw the mud stove had a little fire left. When he realized we were soldiers, that 70-year-old man started adding paper and cardboard to the fire. He had a pot of dal, added water to it, and boiled it. He cut some thick bhindi (okra) and fried it. He kneaded flour by hand and made rotis over the fire using cardboard as fuel. That was the best food I have ever had.
Colonel Chhabbi Kanjilal:
When we tried to pay him, he refused. He said, "If I take money today, I won't be able to show my face to anyone. My shop would lose its soul. God sent you to me; even with that tiny bit of fire, I was able to feed three soldiers. It gave me the courage to cook." God works through people in unexpected places. I can never forget that. It was also one of the officers' birthdays. He had received a letter from his daughter. We had no cake, so the old man gave us a piece of jaggery (gud) and said, "Son, happy birthday." Such experiences are life's greatest rewards.
Interviewer:
That is truly a great story. It was wonderful talking to you, Didi. We will end the video here, Gurudev.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Everyone stay well, stay healthy. I bless all the military personnel across India through this. May they stay strong, healthy, and continue to serve the nation. Pronam.
Interviewer:
Pronam, Gurudev. Pronam.