Baba
Place to do heinous deeds
Namaskar
VSS / ASD camps are held in remote locations and there is no question of leaving a site in the middle of camp. So for that entire week, the VSS / ASD camp is the totality of life for attending Wts - all the 24hrs are planned and regimented. So for 7 days the VSS / ASD leader presides over their kingdom and all are expected to follow their command. Naturally, then the quality of the experience is heavily dependent on the temperament of the in-charges. Because they set and enforce the rules and establish the overall “mood” of the camp. So the selection of in-charges is key.
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How officers are selected for VSS camps
The problem is that those who bully, harass, push, pressure, and intimidate others are chosen as officers at these paramilitary VSS camps. Simple, kind Dadas are never selected as leaders of the camp - rather they are the lowermost cadres. Only those who are notorious for their raucous and abusive behaviour are made officers.
These aggressive, in-charge Dadas project the psychology that at VSS camp “discipline is needed.” And in the name of “discipline” all sorts of heinous and hurtful things are done to the WT campers, i.e. general Wts. Side by side, those top officers in the camp do not adhere to any real discipline at all. They do not maintain a strict routine. Rather at the time of sadhana, exercise, or study, those in-charges are in their officer’s quarters gossiping, eating, and lounging around - often sleeping during the daytime. Then at some point, those top VSS Dadas get all dressed up in their official attire, complete with their badges and emblems etc, and stroll around the camp - just to show themselves as being very important and respected. After soaking up this prestige and honour, those officers return back to their quarters and take rest, i.e lie down and sleep. This is the type of hypocrisy that is rampant at the VSS / ASD camps.
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Barking orders at this crawling Dada
Should any minor mistake be made or deviation occur during the 24-hour VSS camp schedule, such as being a few minutes late for PT parade or wandering into the kitchen when beleaguered by ravishing hunger, then punishment is certain. One regular type of punishment is to force a “volunteer” or camp attendee to crawl on the hard, rocky ground with short pants and bare elbows. All the while in-charge Dadas will be standing over him barking orders at this crawling Dada. This grueling activity will go on till one’s elbows and knees are a bloody mess. This is looked upon as a “character-building” exercise etc. So you can see the harsh conditions and punishment options that prevail at the camp.
Certainly, each camp varies slightly here and there. But these are the general trends over the past 26 years or so. And if you attend 3 or 4 camps then these are the types of patterns of behaviour that you will see.
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There is no appeal for justice
Actually, everything would be ok if there was a proper training regimen and responsible commanders. But these days the polar opposite is going on. VSS camp attendees are subjected to humiliating and grotesque operations in the name of following camp discipline. And, unlike the army or navy etc, there is no one to complain to and zero scope for justice.
Bear in mind, it is strictly maintained that general WT campers or volunteers cannot speak with officers on the whole, only with their direct supervisor. So when an immediate in-charge is harassing a volunteer, that volunteer has no opportunity to speak with any other authority figure about this.
In the current Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha structure, the problems are insidious and systemic. There is no scope for redress. Unlike the military where the bad apples eventually get punished. Rather just the opposite occurs: The VSS camps are bastions where revenge tactics are enacted against kind-hearted Wts. And this all goes on without those camp in-charges having to answer to anyone. Because these same tactics are in vogue in Centre as well. So really the camps are horrific experiences.
And do not just take my words for it. Test it yourself by attending and participating. The camps occur every six months and you are welcome to go - that is what we did. By and large, family margiis will be sheltered from the full onslaught of tactics used against regular Wts, but anyone who attends will easily get a basic idea about the abuse and tenor at these camps.
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Debauched VSS officers prey on female camp attendees
Another thing to note. Camps are done according to gender. So camps for females are held in a slightly distant locale from the men’s camp. But the two venues are close enough to go back and forth fairly quickly by jeep etc. So some Dadas, who suffer from a serious weakness in their lower cakras, go over to train the Didis. That is against the rules as there is supposed to be strict gender separation, but those in-charges cannot check themselves. They must go and stare at those didis dressed in tight pants and simple T-shirts etc. By this way they satisfy their debauched propensities - and physically and emotionally harass those Didis by staring at their bodies.
Not only that male trainees are so engrossed in their perverted thoughts that they lead classes for Didis about female anatomy. They will review female diseases, as well as the physiology of childbirth, and all sorts of other inappropriate topics. So there is no end to the lowly mindset of these Dadas - all done in the name of discipline.
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Conclusion
From top to bottom, a typical VSS / ASD camp is like being sent to a concentration camp for a week. New readers may be thinking it is not possible, in that case then come and attend and send your spouse to the camp for the opposite gender. Then you will see first-hand that what is described in this letter is true.
In Him,
Sudarshan & Cittalekha’
Sheer brutality of the camps
Here also I want to share with you two absolutely shocking incidents that took place at our VSS camps many years ago.
#1: For those not aware, Petromax high-pressure lanterns were commonly used at VSS / ASD camps. These are not ordinary lanterns but high-heat items that can literally turn night into day. They are that bright and that powerful and the metal fixtures become extremely hot from usage. Well, at one VSS camp, one of VSS guards ordered and took hold of one of the volunteer’s hands and had it pressed against the metal base of the Petromax light. Within a second, the heat singed and burned the camper’s hand. The third degree burn disfigured and maimed that Wt for life. Actually, a year after this incident that worker left his Wt-ship because of the terrible trauma and pain. This dastardly act was done in the name of “discipline” at VSS / ASD camp.
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#2: VSS officers would stage false attacks by communists. This was done to increase the intensity of the camp and commit heinous acts against WT campers. To begin, they would splash the communist logo around the grounds of the camp and then call everyone in the morning to demonstrate that communists were around - so watch out. Then in the dark of night, in-charges and their goons would hijack a stray camper and throw a blanket over his head and beat him with bamboo sticks and other hard and sharp objects. The victim would have no idea who had mercilessly attacked him - and the next morning the near lifeless body of that beaten camper was brought in front of all as further evidence that communists were abound. This is the ruthless, unthinkable act of betrayal that in-charges were doing to their fellow Wts.
By the above incidents, one can understand that VSS camps are not innocent, collective affairs. Rather, over the last three decades or so, VSS / ASD camps are platforms to execute all kinds of vulgar and torturous activities. While the exact nature of these incidents would vary camp to camp, this type of brutality was a common thread throughout. New readers may be thinking it is not possible, in that case then come and attend and send your spouse to the camp for the opposite gender. Then you will see first-hand that what is described in this letter is true.
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The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stand on their own as points of interest.
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== Section 2: Important Teaching ==
Bad food choices: a few effects
Ananda Marga Yogic Treatments says, "If any person is long habituated to eating badly-combined foods, such as meat, fish, eggs and similar támasika foods immediately before or after milk, kśiira [a kind of rice pudding] and similar sáttvika foods, then those foods create a favourable condition in the body for tuberculosis.” (1)
Ananda Marga Yogic Treatments says, “Constipating foods should be strictly avoided. Foods which increase the amount of pitta should also be rejected. Fish, meat, eggs, ghee and large quantities of spices usually weaken the liver and bring about constipation, which is one of the causes of leucoderma. In this disease fish and other non-vegetarian foods are very harmful, hence they are to be avoided like poison. No matter how great is the desire for non-vegetarian dishes, patients shall have to control that desire. Leafy vegetables such as heleiṋcá, gimá, ámarula, bráhmii, etc., are most beneficial for leucoderma patients." (2)
References
1. Yogic Treatments, Tuberculosis
2. Yogic Treatments, Leucoderma (White Leprosy)
== Section 3: Links ==
Other topics of interest
