Preparation required to survive during the adverse times Part - 10

Sanatan Sanstha provides guidance on how to survive during the adverse times !

To read Part 9 : click here Preparation required to survive during the adverse times Part 9

Paratpar Guru (Dr.) Jayant Athavale, the only
visionary active for the survival of humans in the adverse times !

2. Familial preparedness for the adverse times

2 A. Decisions about the house

2 A 1. As far as possible, do not buy a new house or flat; instead, continue in the present house or a rented house

A. A house can get damaged in case of an earthquake or landslide. As a result, the money invested in buying a new house may go waste. Hence, as far as possible, avoid buying a new house or a flat. Instead, continue to live in the present house or in a rented house or a flat.

B. If for some inevitable reason it is essential to buy a new house or a flat, select a relatively safe region.

C. If it is absolutely necessary, avoid buying a flat beyond the 3rd floor. The reason is – If there is an earthquake, evacuation will be easier up to the 3rd floor.

D. If someone’s flat is above the 3rd floor, he should think of buying a suitable flat somewhere else.

2 A 2. If the present house needs repairs or some repair work is incomplete, get it done now

If the present house needs repairs or there is some structural damage, etc., the house may collapse during natural disasters such as floods, cyclone, etc. during the adverse times. During adverse times, it may be difficult to repair. Therefore, it will be wise to spend time now and get the house repaired.

2 A 3. Avoid expanding or beautifying the present house

A house can get damaged during the adverse times. The money spent on its expansion or beautification may get wasted. Hence, expansion or beautification of the house can be thought of after the adverse times.

2 A 4. If you have a house in a village, keep it in a habitable condition

In the coming times, cities will suffer more than villages during World War 3, terrorism, etc. Then, it might be required to shift to the village house. Hence, those who have their house in a village should keep it in a habitable condition.

2 A 5. Those residing in cities and do not own land or house in a village, should think of buying one in a village if possible, with the view of staying there in future.

2 A 6. Family members who have gone overseas for study, job, etc. should, if possible, be called back to India

India is a Holy land. Foreign countries are more Raja-Tama predominant; hence, during the coming adverse times, there is a likelihood of them facing greater harm than in India. Besides, once the World War starts, it will be difficult to return safely to India.

2 A 7. The elderly should prepare their ‘Will’ to avoid property-related issues among their relatives after them.

3. Financial preparedness for the adverse times

3 A. Intent of economical use of present income and savings till now

1. To face inflation during adverse times

2. To provide financial help to victims of adversity as social commitment

3. To donate money for the Nation during adverse times as duty towards the Nation

During the World War 2 many had offered money, their jewellery, etc. for ‘Azad Hind Fauj’ on Netaji Subhashchandra Bose’s appeal. The Nation will have to bear severe financial constraints during the adverse times (such as production of war-equipment will be very essential then). During such conditions, donating for the Nation will become part of national duty.

3 A 1. While investing money, study the following points

Many bank-scams are getting exposed today. To keep your money safe, think of the following alternatives. While investing money, do as an economics principle suggests – Do not put all the eggs in one basket (Implied meaning : Instead of investing money in one bank and losing it all, invest for its safety in various banks).

3 A 2. Transactions related to banks

3 A 2 A. Deposit your money in various Nationalised banks

1. Nationalised banks are controlled by the Reserve Bank of India. Therefore, even if the bank goes into insolvency, there is no possibility of losing your money; some restrictions are there on your transactions, such as, restriction on the amount to be withdrawn. Conversely, private or cooperative banks are not under RBI’s supervision; hence, should such a bank goes into insolvency, the possibility of getting deposits back will be very little.

2. If any bank is on the verge of insolvency, to avoid losing all your savings in that bank, keep money in various Nationalised banks in your locality. There is an insurance provision for deposits up to Rs. 5 lakh in Nationalised banks. A depositor should deposit maximum of Rs. 5 lakh in a Nationalised bank.

3 B. Other points

1. Have a nominee in all bank accounts.

2. Teach your family members about transactions such as depositing and withdrawing money in the bank.

3 B 1. Invest in valuable articles such as gold, silver, etc.

During the adverse times, there could be limitations on withdrawing money from a bank; but gold, silver ornaments worn on the body can be used at times to fulfil monitary needs.

If anyone wants to invest in gold or silver, do not go for ornaments; instead, opt for pure gold wires or coins that will save on making charges.

3 B 2. Expenses on digging a well for the house, putting up solar energy panels, etc. are investments

3 B 3. Invest in land

Those who can afford, should buy cultivable land. If this is not feasible individually, form a group and buy it jointly. Some day or the other you will definitely get returns from the land.

3 B 4. Those who have invested in shares should find some alternative right away

When you sell these shares, the amount you get will be according to the market value. This amount may be more or less than the amount you paid while buying them. There is no insurance cover for the investment in shares nor the Government’s control. In short, there is no guarantee that the money in shares will be recovered. Therefore, those who have invested in shares should try and find some alternatives right away.

3 C. Other instructions

Considering the inflation during the adverse times and the number of family members, keep enough cash at home safely to suffice the needs for some years.

4. Preparedness considering social commitment

4 A. Collective emergency preparedness by residents of chawls,
housing societies, localities in a village, etc. will be beneficial for all

A proverb in Marathi suggests the importance of cooperation in community living.. It helps everyone in some way or the other,’.

Digging a well, installing a solar panel or setting up a wind mill, constructing a bio-gas plant, etc. are very expensive at the individual level. If they are undertaken collectively, the per head expenses will be less. As a part of preparedness for the adverse times, food grains and other essential provisions will have to be bought in bulk. Considering the needs of the people in the locality, buying them from wholesale dealers will be cheaper. Collective emergency preparedness thus, will save manpower as well as time. Besides, this arrangement will help the weaker sections in society.

4 B. Buy extra to help the needy

A Sanskrut adage is – ‘वसुधैवकुटुम्बकम् । (The entire Earth is one family)’.

This is the uniqueness of Indian culture. While buying things for the adverse times, if you can afford, buy extra food grains, clothes, etc. to help the needy. During the Indo-Pak war, some Indian civilians voluntarily provided tea-snacks to Indian soldiers at various railway stations. In 2020, due to the spread of Corona pandemic, a sudden lockdown was declared throughout the country. As a result, many labourers, truck drivers, etc. were stranded in different regions. Then, many Indians spent from their pockets and gave them food. Organisations such as Hindu Janajagruti Samiti distributed fruits, juices, etc. to the needy. Many philanthropists, social groups and institutions donated in cash to the Government’s relief fund.

4 C. If you cannot afford to help the needy, buy enough to suffice only your needs

Before the adverse times begin, everyone will have to buy provisions, clothes, medicines etc. for their family. If everyone buys in bulk to stock, it could lead to shortage. The thought should be, ‘Like I did for myself, everything should be available for others in society too’. Hence, buy enough to suffice only your needs.

4 D. Use your knowledge to help the needy

Vaidyas (Ayurveda practitioners), farmers, food grain merchants, etc. have good knowledge of various aspects of their field. They can use their knowledge to help the needy; for example, Vaidyas on cultivating medicinal plants, farmers on cultivating fruit trees, vegetables, etc.; merchants on storing food grains ideally.

5. Other preparations or precautions

5 A. Reduce unnecessary things in the house

We will have to store many things in as preparedness for the adverse times. We might have to give shelter in our house to our helpless relatives or people in society. Therefore, start reducing dispensable things in your house. This will create space in the house and will help us reduce our attachment towards them.

5 B. Preparedness about mobiles

1. Mobile phones that have slots for 2 SIM cards : The advantage of this is the range of at least one could be there.

2. Have two mobiles if possible : If the battery of one mobile gets exhausted, the other set can be used.

3. If possible carry a power bank for charging your mobile.

5 C. Note down the mobile numbers and addresses of
important people such as relatives, family doctor, etc. and
of the Police station, Fire brigade, etc. in the mobile or in a small diary

If the mobile is not charged, it would be useless in the adverse times; hence, noting the above numbers in a small diary would be ideal. Carry this diary along without fail. It will enable us to contact others by using someone else’s mobile or telephone. Memorise some very important numbers.

5 D. Precautions with important documents

Important documents such as Ration card, Aadhaar card, Bank pass-book may get lost in the stressful environment during the adverse times. Therefore, keep photocopies of these documents somewhere else (For example, relative’s house), and photos of these documents in your mobile. Save the images of these documents on your E-mail drive and pendrive.

5 E. Take backup of important data in your personal
computer or that in office computers on computers at some other place

If our house or office is damaged during adverse times, the data on other computers could be retrieved. Take permission from the responsible officer in your office before transferring the data elsewhere by informing him about the probable eventuality or suggest to him to take backup of the data elsewhere.

5 F. Learn and practice some skills now that will be useful during the adverse times

People who do not know how to cook should learn cooking simple meals (For example, dal-rice, pulao, etc.). Skills such as hair-cutting, swimming, stitching clothes will also be beneficial.

5 G. Keeping a dog for house protection

Keep a dog to protect the house from thieves, rioters, etc. Learn about ‘Dog-care’ and dog treatment.