The Gita Dham

(To be pronounced gi:ta: dha:m)

Gita Dham In A Nut Shell

Introductory note: The Gita Dham total Development Center is going to be builtin every panchayat or village to rid people of ignorance, inhumanity and poverty. This is going to be based on the best elements of the Indian civilization.

A)     Significance of the name: ‘Gita’ is the short form of the principal holy book of the Hindus – the Bhagwad-Gita. ‘Dham’ means ‘a sacred place’. The ‘Gita Dham’ therefore means a sacred place where the activities will be carried out in accordance with the philosophy of the Bhagwad-Gita.

B)   Mission of the Gita Dham: Creation of a centre in every Panchayat or group of villages for cleansing the Indian civilization by shifting the focus from external rituals and corruption to the inner values of the Bhagwad-Gita; to produce enlightened and integral human beings; and to create a model of holistic development around the Gita-Dham in every Panchayat that will have zero-incidence of poverty and total education for all as its principal goals, without discriminating between communities.

C)  Minimum physical Infrastructure at a Gita Dham in the first phase: A) A temple of the Bhagwad-Gita; B) A permanent or semi-permanent hall or auditorium (with at least one attached room, and a reception shed) with a minimum seating capacity of 200 (270m² / 2,900 ft2), which will act as an auditorium for the Total Education Centre with an LED TV screen of 48” or more, an inverter or generator for power back-up, a DVD player and a PA System; C) A Livelihood Solution Centre of similar dimensions ((270m² / 2,900 ft2), with at least one attached room, and a reception shed, which will also act as a production centre for cottage industry goods to be produced jointly by villagers; D) A few store rooms; E) A small library room; F) Accommodation for key full-time management staff ; G) A kitchen; H) Washrooms; I) A barbed wire or other fencing.

D)     Mode of operation: The Gita Dhams will be built by the local people from their own land and other resources, and will be self-sustaining. They will themselves contribute the labour too. However, in the beginning, a few larger Gita Dham Centres may be constructed to provide a model, and to train the human resource of the village centres by obtaining external funding too. The rough cost of a model Block-Level Gita Dham Centre will be around 3 crore Indian rupees (5,35,715 USD), and of a State-Level Gita Dham Centre, Rs. 10 crore Indian Rupees (17,85,715 USD).