In school, I still remember my first book was a colourful one with letters and numbers.
It was full of flowers, birds, animals and things that a four-year-old could relate to.
In the world of Sanatan Dharma, the pundits put forward books like the Bhagavad Gita, the Shiva Puran and some more.
It is near impossible for a newbie to understand any of it. They try to read it and get turned off.
Then there are some who ask you to meditate, breathe, say some mantra, recite Hanuman Chalisa and expect you to do it.
It is very overwhelming for a newcomer who needs to be treated like one but is expected to know and understand what is served.
The kids across the world are told to put their hands together in a temple with no introduction to that deity.
Weird forms and weirder methods of worship are pushed down with the idea that they will imitate their guardian.
Sometimes they meet gurus or temple priests and are told to just bow down and touch their feet without raising any objection.
This creates an aversion to such actions in the later part of their lives. They revolt at being railroaded towards submission.
Once you understand that even these grown-ups need to be treated with kid gloves and not cajoled into submission, they feel grateful.
What do the kids love? Stories, of course. So give them authentic stories and explain to them the workings of the spiritual.
They will find affinity towards that one Ista or personal god soon enough. Let them explore the world of wondrous spirituality.
Let their mind ask themselves the questions like why and how. Who is this God? Why can’t I see him? How does he run this world?
There are lots of questions that need answers in spirituality. So let them ask!
Books like Who Am I? or I am That are extremely heavy lifting, so there is no point in reading those.
Comics, movies, epics like Ramayana or Mahabharata by old authors like C. Rajagopalachari will introduce them to the world of stories.
I was given a book by my neighbour called the Bhagavad Gita and was told to read and memorise it by heart. I never opened it ever. It lay on my bookshelf for years.
Remember seeing the Gideons’ Bible in hotel rooms? They were an easy read, which I rifled through when I felt bored in a hotel room.
I saw a Bhagavad Gita in a hotel room, but I never touched it.
Many years later, I understood that words make no sense till that individual wishes to put their mind to it.
I remember celebrating Hanuman Jayanti with my neighbouring kids. It was fun for a five-year-old to decorate and go for money collection.
I never knew who that god was till I thought about it. But then it was too late. I was lost in my job and emotional connections.
Parents have approached me with the idea that I will teach the teens about spirituality.
These youngsters came shyly and asked me about their doubts. I allow them to freely express themselves, and they end up telling me how they wish they had no such leanings. Just to keep up good relations, they acceded to their forceful parents’ demands and attended some pooja and functions.
Not a single youngster had ever told me that he wanted to follow their traditional path. They were used to watching videos on YouTube and following some of these Babas.
But the same Babas weren’t available to solve their own life problems. Sure, they were interested in some of the courses that they were selling. Many attended such classes.
They were taught some weird breathing exercises and a weirder meditation technique. Some said that they will give them the mantra Diksha, which they could follow.
But nothing about god or where they were supposed to begin. It is easy to become a follower where you may yearn to meet that Baba or Guru, but can never meet them personally.
What were these simple youngsters seeking? Or even the elderly ones?
They just need someone who will handhold them and guide them while they take baby steps, but not push them in a walker or a pram.
Handling objections is the mainstay of selling, which these gurus and Babas don’t do. Let them speak and get them to raise their strongest case against god or whatever they think about.
I have been doing that for years, and not once have I told them to join my movement or follow the traditional path.
I have asked them to think logically and ask as many questions as they can to remove their doubts.
So here I am telling you to revert back and tell me all those vexing questions you have.
