Sheetal Sanghvi, the founder of Urban Ashram
Mid-day: Sheetal Sanghvi, founder of Urban Ashram lab of human consciousness looks a decade younger than his 30 years.
Sheetal, whose roots are in Rajasthan, was born and brought up in Pune. He was a nine-year-old student of St Vincent’s School when he lost his father.
The incident acted as a “wake-up call” for him. “No one could tell me why he had to go at the young age of 49.
I asked myself why a good human being, who was physically fit and led a disciplined, balanced life should suddenly be snatched away at 49 years. It is no age to die,” recalled Sheetal.
After I completed my MSc (Finance) from Stuart’s School of Business, Chicago, I enrolled in an MBA programme only to abandon it half-way. I was still not clear what I wanted to do with my life,” Sheetal added.
Back in India, Sheetal did the rounds of spiritual hubs like Auroville, Bodh Gaya, Dharamshala and immersed himself in the practice of meditation, yoga and vipasana.
He read Osho and Krishnamurthy’s works and even Eckhart Tolle’s classic Stillness Speaks.
After much soul-searching, Sheetal decided to turn his home into an ashram. “The idea was to create a common meeting ground for people searching for answers.
I wanted to call it ‘Transitions’ till my friend Prativa, a Tarot card reader, suggested I call it Urban Ashram,” said Sheetal.
Urban Ashram’s activities are very fluid. “I hold talks, workshops and events. This evening, we had eight women attending a pottery workshop, followed by an hour of silence.
We observe this hour every Wednesday. Yesterday, we had an hour-long chanting session,” said Sheetal.
A nature lover, he enjoys adventure sports. “I love mountains. I’ve seen the Swiss and American ranges, but the Himalayas will always be the Himalayas,” he said.
A die-hard Puneite, Sheetal added, “I love Pune, its culture, and the people. Being a centre of learning, it’s the land of spirituality that is rich in ideas. You can sense it in the air.”
Urban Ashram is opposite Sujay Gardens in Mukund Nagar. It is open on all days. For more details, contact Sheetal at 9823059096.
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