Not many people know who Meerakka is. The Karnataka Government honoured this 96-year-old Gandhian in Mudhol by presenting her the Gandhi Seva Award for 2020.
Born around 1924 - 25, Meeratayi Koppikar hails from Dharwad.
She came to be associated with Vinoba Bhave’s Bhoodan Movement quite early in life. Because she came from a rather affluent family, it was possible for Meerakka to join Bhave’s march across the length and breadth of the country.
Three other women from Karnataka — Mahadeva Tayi, Channamma Hallikeri and Lakshmi — were with her.
Vinoba established the Brahma Vidya Mandir on the banks of River Pavanar near Wardha in 1959.
Then, in 1965, Meerakka walked out of the place, without informing Bhave.
She first tried to settle down at Kusayi near Mundgod. She then tried taking up residence in Bangalore, at Sarvodaya centres Vishwaneedam and Vallabhaniketan. But she could not adjust there.
In reality, Meerakka dreamt of buying a small plot and starting an ashram with the help of a few like-minded people.
Her mind then raced towards Jamakhandi, since it was the town of Vinoba’s mother. But she could not find a place there. In her own words, it was not her destiny to be nurtured by the waters of Jamakhandi.
What she finally found, was the earth of Mudhol.
She started the Vatsalya Dhama (Abode of Love and Compassion) Ashram in 1983. Along with Meerakka, the first inmates were Sevanandaji, Narayana Bhai, Bhooma Kaka and Ramesh Bhai.
The ashram was inaugurated by Shivaji Bhave, Vinoba Bhave’s brother. The Sarvodaya volunteer Shankara Uttur and his family strove hard to establish the ashram.
Vatsalya Dhama of Mudhol is an ashram of true workers, which brought into practise the ekadasha vratas (11 vows) of Gandhiji.
The Mahatma's 11 vows include ahimsa (nonviolence), satya (truth), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya (self-discipline), asangraha (non-possession), sharirshrama (bread labour), aswada (control of the palate), sarvatra bhayavarjana (fearlessness), sarva dharma samantva (equality of all religions), swadeshi (use locally made goods), sparshbhavana (remove untouchability).
The ashram stands on a two and a half acres plot, with simple houses and a tiny cattle pen. They grew rice, sorghum, peanuts and other grains organically.
The day in the ashram began at 4.30 in the morning. The cattle were cared for, the Bhagavad Gita was recited, followed by kitchen duty.
Breakfast was followed by work on the farm till midday. Lunch was a simple affair, prepared from what was produced on site, cooked without salt or spice. After a brief rest, they spun the charkha, prayed and cared for the cattle.
This regular seven-hour routine, every single day, kept the ashramites busy. It was a life of work and spiritual thinking and discourse.
The ashramites did not believe in accumulation of material possessions, which meant whatever was grown in a year was either consumed or distributed among people nearby. They also made their own clothes.
Thirty-eight years have gone by and in all these years, the residents of the Ashram have been a continuous source of inspiration and guidance for all those who want to know more about the ideologies of Mahatma Gandhi and Vinoba Bhave, and put them into practice.
Sevanandaji passed away in 2014. Bhooma Kaka passed away sometime before.
Today, Meerakka is 96 years of age. She has not stepped out after taking up retreat at Vatsalya Dhama in 1983.
She has been bedridden for the past two years. Even at the age of 92, she used to work the charkha. The septuagenarian Ramesh Bhai is taking care of her now. It would help if the government appoints a nurse to take care of her.
Even now, the work of Meerakka and those at Vatsalya Dhama doesn’t feel real. It might well become a fable for the generations that follow.
(Translated by C P Ravichandra)