The Shat-Kona is known as the Shiva-Shakti triangle. The downward triangle is shakti and upward triangle is shiva. Shakti has grace flowing down, concentration and sadhana flowing upwards. It is also the sign of the heart chakra where the upward and downward forces meet and merge.
For those who do spiritual practices it may be translated as abhyasa aur kripa or sadhana aur kripa. For those who are serving, as in RDI, it may be translated as seva aur kripa.
Swami Veda
In the early 90s, it was a small team with a huge campus. ‘Integration of therapies’ and ‘Healthy Living’ as taught by the founder Dr.Swami Rama were the way forward. We, at the Rural Development Institute participated in doing village studies, bringing out papers on local medicines and practices, the deep insight that the vaids possessed etc. Plantation of trifala and shitopladi was also taken up.
In the decade of 2000, we did outreach work through the ISMH department (Indian systems of medicine and homeopathy) latter christened as Ministry of Ayush. Under this program 6 NGOs were trained, 24 health Melas organized and 200 Yoga classes conducted in 24 schools. Within the staff capacity building was done through the professional team trained by Swami Rama (in holistic health and Science of Joyful Living). Yoga awareness camps was also undertaken in 50 schools in collaboration with Swami Ram Sadhak gram and Moraji Desai Institute of Yoga (2009).
In the next decade, the focus was on integration through alternate therapy programs. The RDI team went through extensive training in Wellness Medical Qigong (through Si-fu Tan from Malaysia) and the same was carried out in CRI as well as the outreach. Specialists (especially those connect with Swami Rama’s teachings) came from time to time to give talks on mindfulness, pain management etc). In 2019, the entire RDI staff went for orientation as a team at Sadhak Gram and latter one staff did the teacher training program (TTP) too!
In the last one decade, a two day yoga orientation is being provided (in small groups) for those from the rural areas at RDI-HIHT. As part of the residential program (which is offered free), they visit Swami Rama Center, Sadhana Mandir and Sadhak Gram ashrams in Rishikesh and get exposure to the basic teaching of health and wellness (as taught by Swami Rama). For carrying this task on, the second generation of trainers (three staff) got their TTP at Sadhak Gram this year (with kind contributions)!! A small booklet brought out By Swamiji (in the 60s) was also widely promoted in the rural areas during this time. The staff also helped translate the ‘Holistic Health Manual’ brought out by the Institute into Hindi.