On a long day in Mumbai — from the heritage corridors of the Director General of Police's office in Colaba, to a quiet visit to Swastik Productions in Andheri, to a teakwood workshop preparing deities for the Dartford Temple in London — the most memorable moment came not from a meeting with the powerful, but from an hour‑long taxi ride to Chembur. In a conversation with Rohit Yadav, a forty‑year‑old driver from Kanpur, BrahmBodhi rediscovered Vinod — a former tribal daily‑wage labourer from Ranchi who, with nothing more than knowledge and a forty‑five‑minute video, had transformed the lives of twenty thousand unorganized workers. This is a short reflection on selfless service as a spiritual act, and on the principle at the heart of Bhagavad Dharma: do not make spirituality narrow.
A long day in a vast city
Distances in Mumbai are enormous, BrahmBodhi observes, and the density of traffic on its limited roads magnifies them even further. Even after spending eight or nine hours in the city, one cannot really visit very many places. His day, therefore, became a slow journey through three or four points — each one carrying its own meaning. The day began in the Colaba area, where the office of the Director General of Police, Maharashtra is located in what appears to be a heritage building. BrahmBodhi shares that many years ago he used to visit this building frequently; it has always fascinated him, and so he chose to return to it once again.
A brief meeting with the Director General of Police
BrahmBodhi had a brief meeting with Shri Sadanand Date, the Director General of Police, Maharashtra. He presented the DGP with a copy of his English commentary on the Bhagavad Gita and a copy of the Sanatan Seva Nidhi Act. Shri Date, in his impression, appeared to be a thoughtful and courteous officer — yet firm in his convictions. The two spoke briefly about the Sanatan Seva Nidhi. Both the DGP's office and the office building of the Mumbai Police Commissioner, BrahmBodhi notes, are among the sights worth seeing in Mumbai. They belong to an earlier world, and still carry the aura of a bygone era.
A note left at Swastik Productions
Siddharth Kumar Tewary, the owner of Swastik Productions, has produced several outstanding television serials on religious themes. On his way, BrahmBodhi happened to pass by the Swastik Productions office in Andheri West. By the time he stepped inside at around 7:30 p.m., most people had already left; only a few junior staff members remained. Siddharth Tewary had been out of Mumbai for the past two or three days. Had they met, BrahmBodhi would have shared a few thoughts on how television serials and films could contribute even more to the welfare of humanity. He left a note for him and moved on.
Wood for the Dartford Temple
The management of the Dartford Temple in London had requested a teakwood structure for housing certain deities. With that objective in mind, BrahmBodhi also visited a wood‑carving workshop in Mumbai and held some discussions there about the design and the craft involved.
A taxi ride that became the day's most important event
And yet, the most important event of the day was a taxi journey to Chembur — which began from Swastik Productions and ended at the hotel where BrahmBodhi was staying. What made the journey memorable was not the distance, but the conversation with the driver. The driver, Rohit Yadav, is forty years old and originally belongs to Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh. He has lived in Mumbai since the age of twenty. He drives a taxi for nearly sixteen hours a day, yet earns less than ₹2,000 per day. And yet, BrahmBodhi notes, he is full of contentment, enthusiasm, and faith. One is reminded of the Gita's spirit captured in the words “Yena Kenachit Santushtah” — a person content with whatever comes his way. An hour‑long journey passed in understanding the way of life of Mumbai's taxi drivers through their conversation.
The welfare schemes Rohit did not know about
BrahmBodhi gently asked Rohit whether he had enrolled in the government's pension scheme. Rohit replied that he was not even aware of it. Was he registered as an unorganized worker with the Labour Department? No. Had he enrolled in any government‑sponsored medical insurance scheme? No. Had he made any arrangements for his daughter under the Sukanya Yojana? Again, no. BrahmBodhi asked him about several other government welfare schemes. Rohit said he knew very little about them. He had heard of some from a distance, but did not really know how they worked.
The story of Vinod, the tribal labour leader from Ranchi
BrahmBodhi then narrated to Rohit the story of Vinod — a tribal labour leader from Ranchi — with whom he had once had a very similar conversation. At that time Vinod was a daily‑wage labourer. BrahmBodhi introduced him to these welfare mechanisms and offered a little guidance, explaining how unorganized workers could register themselves with the Labour Department. He told Rohit how beneficial such registration could be, even though most labourers know nothing about it. He also told him that this same former daily‑wage worker has now become a major labour leader in parts of Jharkhand — particularly in the districts of Gumla and Lohardaga. Today, tens of thousands of workers stand behind Vinod, many of whom he himself helped to register as unorganized labourers.
Knowledge as the seed of transformation
Apart from inspiration, BrahmBodhi reflects, he had given Vinod no significant material assistance. He had simply shared knowledge. On one occasion, he had invited a Labour Department officer and recorded a simple forty‑five‑minute instructional video explaining how to fill out the registration forms. Vinod then carried that video from village to village. Gradually, many others became proficient in the process. Today, at least twenty thousand labourers have benefited enormously from those efforts. Various government benefits have begun reaching their accounts automatically. They have even started receiving priority in housing schemes because of their registration. Some of BrahmBodhi's college friends and other officers known to him — Shri Vijay Datta, a Joint Secretary, and Shri Shashi Ranjan, a former District Magistrate — supported Vinod from time to time and helped get his organization registered as a trade union without the payment of any bribes. Ordinarily, such registrations involve demands for enormous bribes; Vinod paid none. That became possible because of the intervention of such generous and public‑spirited officers.
A driver with the qualities of a sevak
BrahmBodhi noticed in Rohit a genuine inclination toward service. Rohit told him that he neither drinks alcohol, nor smokes, nor consumes gutka. He had learned from Marwari families to feed grains to the birds. BrahmBodhi mentioned that whenever he used the Uber app, he always selected the option that provides an additional ₹30 to the driver. He asked Rohit whether he actually received this amount. To his surprise, Rohit said he did not even know such an option existed. BrahmBodhi remarked, “Then what was the point of my paying it, if it never reaches you?” Rohit replied that he would check his account and let him know — perhaps he had been receiving it without noticing.
An understanding that may benefit thousands
During the course of that one‑hour conversation, BrahmBodhi and Rohit arrived at an understanding. BrahmBodhi would continue to share knowledge with him regarding government welfare schemes and ways of securing one's future. Once Rohit had learned these things for himself, he would pass the knowledge on to others — and perhaps, like Vinod, benefit ten or twenty thousand people. Such work, BrahmBodhi reflects, benefits a person not only in this life but in future lives as well. There are few ways more effective than selfless service for neutralizing the effects of past negative actions and earning divine grace. One need not always undertake great projects. Simply helping someone in a small way while going about one's daily life can itself become a spiritual act.
Vada Pav, and a first taste of Maharashtra
At one point BrahmBodhi said to Rohit, “I have heard so much about Mumbai's famous Vada Pav. What exactly is it? I have no idea. Today you must treat me to one, and have one yourself at my expense.” Rohit laughed and said, “There is nothing extraordinary about it. What people in Uttar Pradesh call an aloo tikki is placed inside a pav, with a little chutney. That's all. Yet the whole of Maharashtra is crazy about Vada Pav.” When Rohit stopped the taxi and brought one for him, BrahmBodhi found that Rohit was largely correct. There was a potato fritter inside, some chutney, and a pav cut into two halves around it. For the first time in his life, BrahmBodhi tasted the Vada Pav of Maharashtra.
A copy of Gita Navneet — and a quiet vow
BrahmBodhi happened to be carrying a copy of Gita Navneet — a collection of fifty‑one selected verses from the Bhagavad Gita designed for beginners. He presented it to Rohit as a gift, telling him that these fifty‑one verses had the potential to completely reorganize and transform a person's life. He said to Rohit, “Keep reminding me from time to time on WhatsApp. I will continue sending you information about government schemes and other life‑transforming knowledge. First apply it within your own family, and then pass it on to others.” A central principle of Bhagavad Dharma, BrahmBodhi reminds us, is this: do not make spirituality narrow.