tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056316067927404062024-02-21T19:27:00.337+05:30Siddharth SthalekarSiddharth SthalekarUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805631606792740406.post-68491099082775579452014-06-29T00:40:00.001+05:302014-06-29T00:40:47.339+05:30Leadership through Shared Vulnerability<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Just last evening, I was called to share a few thoughts for a panel on 'Leadership'. There's enough people, discussions, papers, research thesis's out there on the topic, but this was special. It was organized by the a group of 15 kids from the Phillips Academy in Massachusetts who are visiting India as part of a program called <a href="http://niswarthprogram.wordpress.com/">Niswarth</a>. I've been closely connected with the dean Rajesh and the program through my days in Ahmedabad, as well on my recent visit <a href="http://www.thecreativespirit.org/2014/05/reflections-from-6-week-journey.html">to the USA</a> so I was delighted to join. It was such a beautiful evening - with about 30 people cozying up in a room for an interesting conversation. </span></span><br />
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To give you an idea of what transpired, Vandana Goyal, the CEO of <a href="http://www.akanksha.org/">Akanksha </a>leaned over and whispered - I can't believe these kids are only 16 years old. And she was right - I can't quite imagine what I was up to when I was their age - definitely not re-imagining what Leadership can mean. </div>
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I try not to head into such gatherings with pre-decided concepts. It's easy to fall into the trap of coming up with points and structures on the topic, but that doesn't allow for an emergence in the discussion. In this case, I realized the kids were way more progressive than their age let on, and it allowed me to step things up a bit, and explore a facet of Leadership that we don't normally talk about. In fact, I was a bit surprised when I took the mic, and I ended up saying I wanted to speak about Leadership through shared vulnerability and open-ness to transforming ourselves in the process.</div>
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Initially, I spoke about my journey - when I had decided to spark some change in myself as well as the community around me. I remember the early days when I had decided to move to the Gandhi Ashram. Armed with my business school insights and experience in capital markets, I had begun work by communicating with non-profits about developing skills and understanding money flows and processes. </div>
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A few weeks into my stay ath the Gandhi Ashram, I happened to meet Vinay Mahajan - a senior of mine from IIM, who had been doing some interesting work with communities in and around Gujarat for several decades. At one point, he was conducting some research during the construction of a cement factory in rural Gujarat. As you would imagine, the factory was resulting in a fair amount of displacement of farmers and their land, and his project entailed a study of this. All the farmers had received adequate compensation for their land, and were asked to move to their newly allotted homes. It seemed like a fair deal, but Vinay came across one such farmer, who he fondly referred to as Kaka, who seemed very upset.</div>
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<i>'Kaka! I don't see why you're upset. It's a pretty good situation for you. You don't have to be dependent on your farm, you have a nice new home. Why the grim face?'</i></div>
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<i>'I know why you're here son. I know you're creating a report on displacement. I know what you're going to be entering in your report. 3 acres of land cleared and compensated appropriately. It all seems fine on paper, but I think your report won't capture the entire truth of the situation. Of the three acres that I farmed on, I grew my grains and vegetables on one acre. Now, I'm going to have to go to the market to buy vegetables, but that won't be accounted for in your report. On the other 2 acres, I would grow grains - which also won't feature in your report. </i></div>
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<i>It's not only what we humans use. In my fields, there would be cows and buffaloes who would pass by during their grazing route. Every day, I would greet them and they would feed on the grass around my fields. I don't know where they will go now. </i></div>
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<i>Not just the animals, but the birds too. Every morning I would be visited by peacocks and mynahs who would visit my farms to feed on the grain. I wonder where they will fly to now. And the same goes for the monkeys who swing on the trees and the squirrels who work all day. </i></div>
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<i>Look down in the soil. Do you see the little caterpillars, and bugs, the spiders and the frogs? Where will they go? What about the millions of bacteria and microbes who are churning the very soil that we stand on? What will they feed on? What will they take shelter in? Does your report capture all of that?"</i></div>
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At the end of the monologue, Vinay was taken aback. All these years, he had prided himself on his education and his understanding of the modern world. But here was a <i>kaka</i>, with one foot in the grave who was speaking about a world view that most would not even fathom. Most people spoke about <i>'Vasudeva Kutumbakam'</i> or 'The World as a family', but here was this gentleman who was living it. Who could see the interconnections between him and the world as delicate silken threads that held the fabric of sentient beings. More than anything, he understood the causality that governed their inter-being.</div>
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Instantly, I was reminded of an interesting insight by Vinoba Bhave. He said, in Sanskrit, the root of the word 'Education' and 'Humility' were the same - and that they were inter-related. Perhaps, it was important for me to re-think how I was going about this journey in service.</div>
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I began looking around me at all the decades of work that had gone into building the Environmental Sanitation Institute. All those millions of toilets built and communities transformed. All of it had come through the leadership of Ishwarkaka - who was revered as the Toilet Man of India. As I came to understand his approach a bit more, I realized he never went into communities with an all-knowing attitude. In fact, each community and village came up with designs for their own sanitation. All he did was facilitate their process. Towards the end of his life, he had a 'Toilet Garden' constructed within the premises with several different designs for toilets. 'Most people cultivate rose gardens, but for me, it's always been Toilets!', he would say. And as you walk around, you come across stories of the tiniest of design details which were offered by the communities that he worked with.</div>
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Perhaps I had to lead into the journey with a slightly different approach. Perhaps I had to lead with one that said 'I don't know enough to actually tell you what to do. But I trust that the space that we co-create will allow for that path to emerge. And for this, I needed to lead with not only humility to hold the unknown but also trust that something beautiful will blossom. </div>
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I've written a fair amount about my experience at Seva Cafe. The constant theme running through that transformation has always been letting go of my projections of how a person entering the space can be of value. Instead, I learned to operatefrom the space of assuming value everywhere. Each guest had now become an opportunity to serve as opposed to a source of revenue, and each volunteer was a journey unfolding instead of low cost labour. Each situation had become a gift that was begging to be unwrapped. Instead of planning where our resources would come from and executing based on these projections, I had learnt to receive with grace and unlock magic in places I never expected.</div>
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More than anything else, I found a very interesting process beginning. I was beginning to unlock capacities within myself that I did not know existed. In a way, being the change, was changing the being. </div>
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When we speak about Leadership, how often can we think about it as a process of undergoing change ourselves as opposed to changing our communities? Gandhi of course was at the forefront of this process of change. There are tonnes of research reports, books, films, documentaries made about some of his more visible forms of leadership. But staying at the Gandhi Ashram, I came across stories that you would hear only through word of mouth - and as I think back, have ended up transforming the way I look at life.</div>
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Once, Gandhi was on board a train passing through the villages of India and he chose to stand by the foot-board to watch the scenes whiz by. As he stood in the doorway, he accidentally lost one of his sandals (or chappals). As it fell down on to the tracks, there was a gasp from those around him. A few heads looked out to see if there was any way we could get it back. Not Gandhi. Without a thought, it is said, he kicked off his other chappal down onto the tracks as well. And why? Just so that a passer by could make use of the pair.</div>
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You could sit back and analyse Gandhi's life. Some credit (or discredit) him with the independence struggle, others with building the nation, some have even criticized him a fair bit and a few claim he has inspired leaders like Mandela and MLK across the globe! But when you put all those headlines and discussions aside and you look at his life, you see it was built through beautiful micro-moments. You understand that leadership wasn't so much about how he thought or what he was doing, but more about the space he was operating out of. And I believe, that space had been created because of the way he had allowed the process to change him. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPZfwA_DruBH1tJLnDURT3oBFtNhgpkKPqE_C2fZZDhCzmoGfi4rqqepU7t5O_dMkDxmfDLBLmzN4DwPC4udRy82V_HZllW0EMdJOdpny6j6uUiEZeiXu9nPxThM1C3a3Vx6JW1lZGD4Y/s1600/Vinoba_Bhave_300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPZfwA_DruBH1tJLnDURT3oBFtNhgpkKPqE_C2fZZDhCzmoGfi4rqqepU7t5O_dMkDxmfDLBLmzN4DwPC4udRy82V_HZllW0EMdJOdpny6j6uUiEZeiXu9nPxThM1C3a3Vx6JW1lZGD4Y/s1600/Vinoba_Bhave_300.jpg" height="200" width="165" /></a>What would it look like in today's world, if we looked at Leadership from this perspective? We've been so used to paradigms that have been handed down from the colonial times that we cannot bring ourselves to think beyond the conventional 'Pyramidical Structure' that has a leader sitting at the top, directing those below him. What models would emerge if we allowed the process of Leading to change us? Personally, I'm excited to find out, but to close, I'd like to share one of the last passages that Vinoba wrote as a message for the 21st century.</div>
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<i>"When we will all see our role in society as servants, we will all light up the sky together like countless stars on a dark night. Don’t think of society as the sky on a full moon night. The moon's harsh light blinds us to the true and humble work of the stars. But on a moonless night, the true servants shine forth, as though they are connected invisibly in this vast and infinite cosmos."</i></div>
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Love.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805631606792740406.post-46733562141342010392014-06-16T16:29:00.001+05:302014-06-18T18:11:53.951+05:30A Trek through the Kugti Pass<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I've just returned from my first ever trek in the Himalayas - and I'm left with a transformational experience that is going to be tough to articulate in words. As I type, I have a tingling sensation running through my body, not only because of the feelings it evokes within me, but also because of my still-recovering frost-bitten fingers :)<br />
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Just a couple weeks ago over dinner with a dear friend Kruti, I was listening to her plans to go trekking to the Himalayas. These trips, she explained were planned by Gaurav, an inspiring soul who had been following his joy in 'Connecting with the Himalayas' and was taking people on journeys across the region.</div>
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This particular journey was a trail that followed the '<i>Gaddi</i>' shepherds during their migration across the Pir Panjal range - from the district of <i>Chamba</i> into<i> Lahaul-Spiti</i>. Every summer, thousands of sheep led by their shepherds make the perilous journey at 16000 feet across the <i>Kugti Pass</i>, into the greener pastures on the other side. Every year, they wait for the snow to clear until the gods open the passageways so that they may cross.</div>
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As soon as Kruti mentioned the trek, a little voice inside urged me to join. I felt my mind questioning it - '<i>Wasn't a trek a bit too indulgent?'</i> I came home, pondering whether I should go on the trip. The dates were perfectly lining up with my schedule. I had also had a fair amount of community-time in recent months, and this would be a good time to go a bit inward since I'm normally always engaged with those around me. Also, Nature can be a great teacher, and this radically different context would be perfect for my self-exploration. Of course, I was only rationalizing, my heart had already consented, and so I agreed :)<br />
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From Dalhousie in the lower Himalayas, to Bharmour, the last motor-able town, to Kugti, the last village on the trail, to a campsite just before snow, to a marathon 16 hour trek up to the pass in ice, to a camp on the other side. Back down to Keylong and the quaint town of Naggar, the trek was filled with incredible sights and experiences - most of which are either indescribable through a blog, or perhaps best captured through photographs.<br />
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For these 10 days we found ourselves embarking on walks in the most gorgeous meadows, crossing ice cold streams on broken planks of wood, scaling heights on loose gravel and even sliding down snow-clad slopes at 50 kmh for hundreds of metres! In the past, I've been on pilgrimages, and visited communities in various parts of the country, but nothing brought me so up close with Nature - literally asking of me to nestle in her lap and to embrace her loving offerings. At various points, we were also confronted with her unpleasant side, which forced us to our limits - and truly questioned our faith in the friendliness of the Himalayas. At each point, it allowed for an interesting dynamic within the group of 15 of us who made the trek together.</div>
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The last four years have seen me grow as part of communities at the Gandhi Ashram as well as others. Through experiments in generosity like the Seva Cafe, and initiatives like Moved By Love, I've had the opportunity to be part of spaces with various folks have met in their highest virtue - in Trust and Contribution. But something interesting happened on this trip. For the 10 days, 15 of us were constantly being thrown into situations that tested the boundaries of our human existence. While team work was critical, it was also important for us to understand the needs of our bodies, minds and egos. We held each others hands through loose gravel that was giving way, and even formed human walls so that we could defecate without embarrassment. At times, I found myself playing the role of the good samaritan and pointing out loose rocks on the path, but also hoarding that last piece of <i>peanut Chikki</i> because I knew I needed the energy on the sharp incline up ahead. At each point we were asked to put our lives and humility in each other's hands :) Often, we would find ourselves at our worst - not sharing resources and not offering a hand because we were too tired, or even holding back the last sip of water for our own dehydrated bodies. Often, we would see bursts of anger when that tent-mate began snoring when we had just a few hours to sleep. </div>
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It sounded like a recipe for disaster, with ingredients just right for a circle to disintegrate. Instead, I had the opportunity to witness the exact opposite. I had the gift of seeing how we could hold one another through our ugliest. and I'm not talking just about our physical appearance (which wasn't impressive after 5 days of not bathing :) ) but the ugliest facets of our psyche. Interestingly, our circle held it all. Each evening was a sight to be seen - with people opening up and sharing parts of their life that they hadn't dared to offer to any others in their regular lives. Conversations about personal relationships, how we view our lives, our limitations, our joyous moments were all held with a lightness. All of it flowed without inhibition, perhaps because it seemed insignificant after getting lost in a snow-storm with no water and trudging through loose snow in feet numbed by the ice looking for our campsite.</div>
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For the last 4 years, I had been part of communities that were putting their best foot forward. That were meeting each other in virtue. But in this case, we were meeting each other in our vulnerabilities and in our needs. And yet, we found ourselves holding each other. I had set out on this trip to learn in isolation, but in these 10 days, I was offered deep insights into our most basic inter-connection. </div>
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It was in that inter-connection, that I saw my clearly demarcated walls melt away like a snow clad slope in spring. Since my move away from conventional living, I've spent a great deal of time seeking joy and abundance in whatever little I had. A simple room, no problem, 2 pairs of clothes, great! Simple meal - what more can I want? That had been my mantra. But there was a moment, on the day of the pass, on the steep uphill climb when I was struggling on the final 60 degree incline. There wasn't much to go to the top of the pass, but the snow was melting rapidly in the sunshine and the high altitude was finally getting to me. I couldn't bring myself to walk more than four steps at a time. I looked down - we had climbed up almost 3000 feet that day, and there wasn't any turning back. I wanted to just lay where I was for a while, but I kept loosing my footing in the loose ice. There wasn't any option - I couldn't keep walking since I couldn't find my breath any more.<br />
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All through the climb up, I had hit my boundaries on several occasions, but I kept turning upwards from the despair. Somehow, I had transcended beyond that hopelessness and kept going. But this time, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. In that moment, I looked up - wondering if this was it?I began hoping for something to come my way and support me. With one foot deep in the melting snow, and the other knee bent for support, I let out a deep plea - almost as if I was asking Nature to let me pass through her slopes. And just then - blocking out the sun in my eyes came one of the porters - leaning down towards me, extending his arm my way. 'Come he said. It's just a few metres way away.'<br />
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For all these years, I had prided myself in living within my means - in being happy with what I possessed. In that moment. As I looked up at the porter, I could feel something dissolving. It was as through the boundaries within us didn't exist any more. As I gave him my hand, I was filled with yet another dose of energy. But this time, my entire body was infused with a sense of gratitude. Where did he come from. And why? How did he have the energy to come back down on the slopes for me. And was I even worthy? All of these questions were dissolved with that sense of gratitude that was coursing through my body. What a gift, I thought. to have received this. </div>
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As I made my way up to the pass - a narrow ledge looking down at slopes of 16000 feet, I began reflecting on the shepherds who had made their way up with the other sheep. About 4 days ago, they had all stopped at the <i>Kartik</i> temple at <i>Kelang</i> - with the intention of seeking permission for the pass. I didn't entirely appreciate the custom then, but now, it made so much sense. For the last 100 years, man has been attempting to conquer Nature - through treks up the slopes of Mount Everest, through ventures into space and beyond. But this was different. Every spring, the <i>Gaddi</i> shepherds through their customs, '<i>asked</i>' of mother Nature to open her doors with kindness and allow them to pass through to greener pastures. The shepherds requested her to hold back her harsh weather so that they could move through. And until she consented, they didn't move. That day was the first one in the year where she had consented.<br />
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You could look at this externally as a sign of weakness. In today's world, you didn't really need to ask. you could just march on through the pass with the appropriate technology. but this gesture was a reminder, of the larger role that Nature has to play in our lives, and that we are mere instruments in the larger scheme of things. And to build that connection with her, to cultivate that humility in receiving, we asked. And in that asking, we received with gratitude.<br />
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It made me think about my life - in all these last four years, I had developed a great deal of pride in 'not asking'. But that day, when I stretched my hand out, it helped me surrender to the vast expanse of Nature. Of coming down on my knees to acknowledge just how limited my capacity was - but when I asked, and Nature consented, it allowed me to become that instrument in the larger scheme of things. It allowed me to receive with gratitude. I had found joy in asking, with grace.<br />
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On the last day of our little adventure, we gathered together for a little farewell circle. As Delna (one of the participants from Dubai) spoke, it brought tears to all our eyes as we all realized just what we'd been through. Each one of us shared what these 10 days meant to us, and as we ended the circle in a big, warm group hug, I couldn't help but think I was in yet another <a href="http://www.movedbylove.org/retreat">Moved By Love Retreat</a>. We were all just grateful to have received so many gifts. We had all received so much from Nature - in that cradle of beauty we had been walking in paths created thousands of years ago by people who would never be known. All of this offered to us as a gift with no strings attached, just so that we could pay it forward in our own lives. I looked at Gaurav and his wife Rujuta who had made this experience possible, and couldn't help but think that this was their little offering to the world - a gift that made it possible for us to Connect with the Himalayas, and in a way, Connect with our selves. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805631606792740406.post-51164077329598215442014-05-29T19:33:00.000+05:302014-06-15T19:53:10.556+05:30Unlocking Subtler Forms of Capital<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>This is an excerpt from the <a href="http://www.connectindia.org/unlocking-the-subtle-forms-of-capital/">Connect India talk in London</a>. It represents a few thoughts I shared for 15 minutes, before opening it out for an interactive QnA.</i></span></span><br />
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I've had some interesting experiences over the last four years of my journey. From someone on a trading floor, to a bearded ascetic, I've spent the first 29 years of my life chasing money, and the next three years avoiding it. The last few months though, have seen me trying to embrace it in more loving ways. </div>
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No doubt, my experiments with money are allowing me to come into contact with it with a radically different perspective. A large part of this perspective is due to the often counter-intuitive approach I saw towards the outer world at the Gandhi Ashram. Of course, most of us are familiar with the non-violent approach adopted by Gandhi towards the freedom struggle, and most people across the world see the wisdom in it today, but it must have been such a radical approach to float back then. I saw the same thread of thought in the Bhoodan Movement that Vinoba Bhave floated in the 50's. It was during that time, that inflation had also become a concern in India. Even back then, prices of fruits and vegetables had begun to rise (I can't even imagine what they would have thought of today's hyperinflation) and there was talk all around about addressing this issue. As I read about this crisis, my mind raced towards more conventional approaches that I had come across while in business school . Maybe the Central bank should change rates, perhaps the government could have held a less expansive fiscal policy?</div>
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But not Vinoba - he believed in a more intrinsic truth. 'The root cause of inflation', he said, 'was an addiction to money'. With this in mind, he launched a movement that he termed 'Kanchan Mukti' or 'Freedom from Gold'.</div>
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Again, for my upbringing this seemed extremely counter-intuitive, but when you expand your definitions of what it meant to be human, you realize that it was extremely aligned with nature.</div>
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Amongst several transformational moments within the Gandhi Ashram eco-system was my tryst with the Seva Cafe. I've <a href="http://www.movedbylove.org/blog/view.php?id=181">spoken </a>and <a href="http://www.movedbylove.org/blog/view.php?id=156">written </a>at length about my experience there, but there's no doubt that this was my laboratory for testing these experiments in human nature. To me, it was the complete anti-thesis to the trading floor and hence saw me engaged for more than a year, every evening. </div>
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With each passing week, it allowed me to examine my world view, and take radical steps in throwing them up in the air to see if they were still valid. More importantly, the space allowed me to take those counter-intuitive leaps in my journey. Initially, it was constantly letting go of my tendancy to strategize and speak to each guest based on what I thought they could bring to Seva Cafe - in terms of their ability to offer money, or volunteer at a later date. But very soon, due to numerous instances like this one, I was humbled to see the power of surrendering to a deeper intelligence at play. What if I could actually surrender to the tag line of Seva Cafe, which was to honour the divinity within each guest - so see each Guest as God! </div>
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Within weeks, I began to see the true power of that sort of thinking, and inspired by some of these results, we found ourselves moved to take larger leaps. One of them including 'not asking for volunteers' on a daily basis. Since Seva Cafe runs 6 days a week, there's often a scramble for volunteers at the last minute when a few back out, and we end up reaching out to some of our usual anchors who live a few blocks away. </div>
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What if we chose to simply work with whatever we had? What if we worked in the true spirit of an experiment, in that we accepted whatever Ahmedabad city had to offer? Sounded a bit crazy, but the counter-intuitiveness of it all.</div>
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The first couple days of the experiment went well, but just a couple days later, things went a bit awry and we found ourselves in a tricky situation. IT was a weekday evening and only 2 other volunteers had showed up. We looked at each other, acknowledging that sinking feeling that sets in when you regret experiments that you try.We questioned if we we should shut down the cafe that evening, but decided to continue. In any case, we initiated our customary circle of sharing, and resolved to take things in our stride. We tried an experiment, and this is what the result was - this is what the city of Ahmedabad sent our way. MAybe if we shared this with the guests they would be more empathetic towards the service we offered. But just then, genius flowed through the circle. </div>
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One of the volunteers suggested that it was Thanksgiving in the US that day, and perhaps we could celebrate it with a night of Gratitude at Seva Cafe. Another volunteer added that we could do it in silence, to further create the ambiance for Gratitude to be cultivated. And so it was - the kitchen decided to cook and wash dishes in silence, us waiters on the floor as well. All around, we lit candles and dimmed the lights to offer that space for calmness. As guests entered, we explained the concept to them - and that if they would like to speak, they could do so in soft tones. Interestingly, all guests decided to honour the silence in the space and cherished their meals in silence. Even more interestingly, we found that just the two of us could do a great job of serving people on the floor. Since we weren't busy talking with the volunteer next to us, we ended up being more tuned into each others energies. From one end of the table, the other volunteer could notice that my table needed more water, or the cheque at the end of the meal. Just a slight nod and acknowledgement was enough. </div>
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It was an interesting turning point for us. All along, we were convinced that we needed 8 to 10 volunteers a night to pull things off. After that evening, the minimum bar came crashing down to 2! All we had to do was a silent night! It was almost as if we'd discovered this hidden capacity within ourselves to serve with lesser resources! And all of this because of a few creative constraints we had placed on ourselves. It was as if we had unlocked this very subtle form of capital that we didn't even know existed. </div>
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On that very night, I recall we had a newly married couple walk into the restaurant. They had no clue what the space was about, and were looking for a quiet place to eat on the otherwise bustling CG road. As they walked in, they were delighted to hear about the concept of Seva Cafe, and even more pleased to hear that it would be in silence. Anyone who's familiar with Indian weddings probably knows that it's not easy to get a moment of silence through the whole process :) </div>
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The couple were served their meal and even offered their cheque pretty soon. And after paying the money, the walked over to me, and whispered, asking if they could help in the kitchen in any way. It seemed like the dinner in silence had allowed them to be more observant of the space and they probably realized we were running short that night. Something about the spirit in which they asked opened my heart, and I consented. For the next two hours, they took over the 'Chaat' counter in the kitchen - manning it like they had been doing it for years. After we wound up, they even stayed on and served the volunteers. At around 10:30pm, as we said our good-byes, I had this insight. The couple walked into Seva Cafe thinking it was just another restaurant, probably paid the same amount as any other restaurant - but also ended up working for a good 2.5 hours, and probably left feeling happier and more connected than they would have on an ordinary weekday outing. Conventional economics just didn't explain it. In fact, I could also argue that we had unlocked this beautiful relationship just because of the way in which they had been served. </div>
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That brought me to a question I had been asked by a lady who was driving with me to the Cafe about 6 months ago. 'So I get the whole concept - the Gift Economy and all of that. But how is it different from a regular restaurant? At the end of the day, there is food being served and money received.' </div>
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At first, when I heard this question I was a bit offended. Of course they were different, and intuitively we all understand the difference, but it seemed like it was important to articulate this. That night, I went home to my laptop, opened the excel files with the account statements and stared at them for a while. On the left - Income received, on the right, Costs, variable and fixed. They seemed to more or less balance out every month, just like every other restaurant. </div>
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In regular restaurants, we pay the bill, but we leave feeling entitled. Almost as if the 500 rupees for the meal earned us the right to receive the food that we did. There is a status-quo of sorts. However, when the food at Seva Cafe was offered in an unconditional way - the fact that there were volunteers taking someone's orders or washing dishes when they could easily have been at the movies, or updating their Facebook statuses at home created a shift within people. Sometimes, it resulted in guests like that couple coming over and helping in the kitchen, on other occasions there were other ways. Whichever way you look at it, it resulted in a shift in equilibrium of sorts. And I believe it is that shift in equilibrium which changed the way people looked at the space around them. This shift often manifested as gratitude when folks went home, and the churning that resulted would manifest as transformation in their lives - either in their homes, or workplaces or back at Seva Cafe.</div>
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This transformation, would go about doing its magic, unlocking forms of capital that we did not even know existed - sometimes within us, other times within our communities. In general, it taught me to begin looking at capital in radically new ways. As a financial analyst, I had always been taught to honour very material forms of capital - eg: Financial (money in the bank) or Material Capital or Infrastructure (eg: Homes, buildings, offices, cars, machines). But what about the subtler forms of capital? A slightly less tangible form of capital could be 'Intellectual' capital - but what beyond that? Perhaps we could start honouring experiential capital, rooted in wisdom, or natural capital and more. In the case of Seva Cafe through the two stories I shared, it felt like we had fostered Social Capital and an Inner Capital (our ability to operate out of abundance with less).</div>
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I thought this was beautifully articulated through the work of Lewis Hyde in a book titled 'The Gift'. Very briefly speaking, he talks about his time with the Kula Tribes based on a bunch of tiny islands located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean between the American and Asian continents. Interestingly, each tribe occupied a tiny island in the ocean and the islands formed a ring-shaped formation, popularly known as the Kula Ring. Interestingly, the tribes had never gone to war with one another for thousands of years, which is not too common in the history of humanity. </div>
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Lewis Hyde's curiosity got him to pay a visit an study how this was being effected. He found that the islands would regularly trade with one another through a system of barter. For example, if someone had excess coconut, they would exchange it with a neighbour who had harvested excess fish, and so on. Seems pretty commonplace. But they also had an alternate currency going - one that was rooted in the Gift. </div>
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As a practice, the women of each island, would go to the beach and pick up seashells - found in abundance as you'd imagine. The women would then hand-carve these seashells, paint them, thread them on a string and create intricate bracelets and necklaces out of them. The chief of the islands would then take these gifts, and travel over to the next island in an 'anti-clockwise' manner (yes there was a system to this) and offer these gifts to their chief as an offering from the women of his island. Of course, there was no expectation in return, but if the chief who received these gifts was moved, he was invited to 'Pay forward' these gifts to the next island in an anti-clockwise manner. Interestingly, the necklaces and bracelets would circle around, and sometimes after 2-3 years, the chief who originally floated these gifts ended up receiving them. Just the fact that he received the gifts though, were a signal that there was a deep kinship between the tribes. By themselves, the necklaces were worth close to nothing in material terms. They were available in abundance on the beaches of all islands. But the spirit in which they were crafted, and the manner in which they were gifted allowed for a very different form of capital to be unlocked - a much subtler kind. And there in lied the power of the Gift. </div>
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As a practice, I once decided to sit down and analyse all the different forms of wealth in my life. Back in 2010, when I had just quit the mainstream corporate life, I found I was pretty wealthy in the more tangible categories. As I was working on this graph for the year 2014, I initially thought it would be a pretty grim picture, since I hadn't been 'working' in the traditional sense for close to 4 years. However, I found that my wealth in some of the more subtler forms had shot up. In fact, even my material capital was now abundant owing to the gifts I had been receiving from my community. </div>
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It made me take a step back and think - about how much I was truly receiving. It was as though the process of giving and offering myself in the last 4 years had regenerated me, as opposed to the conventional thought that 'giving depletes us' and is not sustainable. </div>
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As I looked at my own personal wealth - a very interesting question dawned on me. While I was very adept at building material forms of wealth? How was I going to go about building the subtler forms of capital in my life? No doubt, the currencies used for building that form of capital are not much materially, in fact their worth is close to nil since they are rooted in abundance. But what about currencies that facilitate our subtle capital? </div>
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I hope to hold these questions and collectively experiment with them in the years to come :)</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805631606792740406.post-11715463233182617872014-05-28T10:53:00.000+05:302014-05-31T11:30:44.627+05:30Reflections from a 6 week journey<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: black;">From Mumbai to Boston to New York to Washington DC to Seattle to Bellingham to the Bay Area to Boston to London and finally back to Mumbai. It's been an interesting time to say the least - with communities tucked away in the corner of the American continent to posh London hotels to Shudh Desi gatherings which were so 'Indian' they gave even me a culture shock.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">The trip started with my parents’ simple intention to celebrate my niece’s 2nd birthday. In the past I would've been reluctant to honour family gatherings since they were too worldly for me, but a little voice inside begged me to go ahead. What started as a 10 day trip snowballed into a 6 week adventure across cities and continents. With almost no pre-planned schedule, things emerged through informal gatherings, circles with communities and touching one-on-one conversations over great coffee.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">All through the journey, I've been held in a field of love - by people I've met at a retreat just once, or those I've gotten to know deeply over the last couple years, and even old friends that I've known since kindergarten. At every step along the way, there was an invitation to drop my guard and take that leap in to being who I truly was. Through all the insightful conversations, there was an opportunity for me to gain a deeper insight into the foundations of what Western cultures have been built on, and what's brewing today.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">I remember heading into Washington DC, a bit nervous since my introduction had generated a lot of interest for the circle that Arathi had orchestrated. Apparently, the city had come alive with speakers like Charles Eisenstein who had passed through just a few weeks prior to my visit. Everyone was buzzing with energy, jazzed about words like 'Gift' and 'Community'. Folks were holding these terms as the latest technology that would bring everyone home and redeem a failing society. They had even formed a society that would focus entirely on Gift Culture! I guess that's just how they do things in DC :)</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">As we sat for an hour of silence before the talk, my mind was racing and coming up with some impressive frameworks – the 4 R’s of Gift Culture, the 5 different types of economies and what not. But something about the love with which Arathi and Joel hosted everyone made me rethink what I wanted to share. I was called to share simple stories of what the Gift meant to us. How it was rooted in values of love and one-ness. How it really meant caring for one another or holding each other in the field of <i>Maitri</i>. And that we had access to these values even while being rooted in our 9 to 5 jobs. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Something interesting transpired as I shared these thoughts. It felt like everyone breathed a huge sigh of relief and people started sharing beautiful stories. At the end of the circle, one of the guys came over and told us how he left his workplace at 6pm that day, resolving to quit the next morning. After this circle, he decided he needed to work on himself a bit more before getting there. A few years ago, I might have celebrated a radical move, but I feel like I now have the wisdom to see the true transformational capabilities of small changes.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">It reminded me of a conversation with an old friend in New York. We hadn't met since business school 9 years ago. He had been on Wall Street ever since, working the ideal job and living in the ideal Manhattan apartment. A few months ago though, he felt like he had woken up from a dream - and spent a few days walking around the streets of New York wondering what he was doing and where he was headed with his life. As we spoke, he expressed his desire to hit the eject button, but he still had mortgage to pay and ageing parents in India to support. We spent a good hour discussing how my transition probably wasn't the best path for him and that he needed to take things slow.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">At the <a href="http://www.connectindia.org/ci-think-unlocking-the-subtle-forms-of-capital/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">London gathering</a> I ended up speaking to a group primarily consisting of development workers, volunteers and bankers - well suited and in their twenties. At the end of the talk, a young banker, who was initially accompanying his friend, was visibly moved and came up to me and spoke about how he had to 'eject' as well! The Connect India team was sensitive to this, and as they spoke to him, he decided to take things slowly by joining their <a href="http://www.connectindia.org/programmes/learning-journey/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Learning Journey</a> to India later this year. A couple days later I received a similar email from another person in the audience who recently bought his first Porsche at 24. I'm not sure what it is - maybe I tend to attract these conversations because of my journey and the media labels of that ‘Somebody who sold a Ferrari’, but I've come to see how radical moves are detrimental to our journey and often place too much pressure on us to prove ourselves. At times, I've found it's also prevented me from embracing my truth in a more compassionate way.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Over in Bellingham, Michelle hosted a lovely gathering at her home. The town had been the source of several local economy experiments, and inspired the early days of BALLE which is now an alliance of 40,000 local businesses. As we walked around town, I couldn't spot a single Starbucks, or a Pizza hut - all local businesses, including the Bank! Even the grocery store was a co-op run by the residents of the town. I'd come into Bellingham thinking I'd be addressing a group of white folks who had no exposure to some of our concepts and we ended up having one of the most progressive conversations I've had in the recent past. As we went around the circle, there was this constant question arising about how they could bring more values into their lives. I shared what I'd been sharing in circles all along, but this time, genius flowed through an unassuming man who had been sitting quietly in the circle holding a few sheets of paper. Ben ran a popular ice cream store in town that used fresh and local ingredients. As he spoke, he placed some of these papers in the centre of the circle - each one of them bearing words to poems that were dear to him.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">He shared his process of interviewing people for his ice-cream store. <i>“I look upon my staff as my community who also serve my other community - the customers. When I interview my staff, I ask them what they ‘feel’ about these poems. Invariably, I receive a strange look - the interviewee wonders what this has to do with scooping ice cream! For me, it is an integral process of evaluating how the employee looks at his role in his community. Each week, we put aside one hour for self-reflection and another hour for collective sharing.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Here we were, in the corner of the continent, in small town America - and a man who sold ice cream spoke about this way in which he was bringing value to his community. It wasn't just me, but all of a sudden our paradoxes melted away as he put things across simply. It was as though <a href="http://www.movedbylove.org/blog/view.php?id=243" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Kumarappa'sEconomy of Service</a> was emerging right before our eyes. Many more reflections followed, including one from a venture capitalist who's been questioning his investments in Social Impact in India, but that's for later conversations.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Through all these inspiring circles and conversations, I was carried away with my progressive image of America. My romantic vision of the country lasted until one of our first talks in SFO at the JP Morgan office. As Birju and I got out of our car and walked towards our destination I realized I had actually visited that very building more than 5 years ago in my banker avatar :) I had come full circle :) My overflowing heart met some resistance though, when the evening for Asian Americans began. The hosts were speaking about how the Asian American community was bound to succeed in America since they were the fastest growing smartphone buyers and automobile purchasers in the country! I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Here we were, well into the 21st century, in one of the most progressive cities in the world and people were still excited about this one-dimensional form of growth. I could feel my levels of resistance rising - wondering what I was doing in this place. We couldn't even leave since our talks were scheduled right at the end. I could sense the restlessness in Birju as well, but eventually, I closed my eyes waiting for that moment when I could finally start flowing with what was transpiring. I've noticed that point when we let go of our resistance and surrender takes a while, but it invariably arrives. We have to be patient though, and extremely aware since it's not always wrapped attractively. :) In this case - it was a piece of cake. Literally! :) One of the co-ordinators who was very concerned since they hadn't thought of providing vegetarian food was flustered and took it upon himself to ensure we had cake. As he hurried towards us he tripped, and seconds later I found a large American-sized cake with icing all over my shirt! Fortunately it was white icing on a white shirt, and it didn't cause any damage, but it was at that point that I had no option but to stop resisting and roll into laughter :) The evening was all downhill from there. We ended up sharing a few cute stories around kindness, which was all we thought this crowd could take :) I guess it was one of those days when you learn a lesson in rolling with whatever comes your way. Make lemonade with lemons thrown your way and all that! Lol!</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">As we drove home, I realized this was a reminder of where America, or even this world is still rooted. Signs of this were visible all over the streets of San Francisco. On a bright Sunday afternoon, Sima and Rish took us to visit the Mission Street in the city - which was known for murals painted by talented local artists. As we walked around gazing at the renditions - you couldn’t help notice the angst that was brewing. There was a strong polarization between some of the native, progressive thinkers of the city and the more modern Facebook/Google/Dropbox techies in the valley. While the progressive thinkers were striving for drastic change, the yuppies saw solutions for the world in the form of social start-ups. Some of this was apparent at my visit to the New Economy Group at MIT a few weeks prior. The speaker before me was the founder of <a href="http://www.zipcar.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">ZipCar</a>, which is along the lines of initiatives like <a href="https://www.uber.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Uber</a>, Lyft etc that hope to reduce the ecological burden through collaborative sharing. No doubt, these are good measures, but it's hard to imagine them having lasting impact in saving our planet. It was great to share some Gandhian thoughts with them, our experiments through Moved By Love - and to bring out the need for transformation in our way of life.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">It's not always easy to articulate this in talks, but the polarization we see among change-makers is startling. I find that when I operate from that space of gratitude it allows me to see everything on the outside with a lens of love. More than the external, I see how this polarization is really on the inside. And the lens of love allows me to embrace each part of our selves with complete and utter acceptance.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Often, the lack of acceptance pushes us to operate out of a sense of fear. In DC I was meeting a woman who was ready to take 'the leap into Gift culture' and was planning a whole bunch of activities in her local community. She had mapped out a 2 year plan for Gift Culture to arrive. My mind was all set to launch into a lecture on how it's probably not a sustainable way of looking at things, but something about the kind look in her eyes and her words moved me. I don't know what it was, but I ended up speaking about my insecurities with money and how I don't have anything sorted out. Magical things happen when we lead with our vulnerabilities. Right there in this loud crowded coffee shop with about 5 other folks on the table, she broke down and spoke about how her husband had accused her of being a non-contributor to society during their separation and the insecurity was driving all of these plans. All of a sudden we shed our walls and held each other in the one-ness that emerged. I don't know if I'll even see her again, but it was a moment I'll carry forward in my life for many years. The spirit of Gift manifested effortlessly when we connected at the level of the heart.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">At the couple <a href="http://www.servicespace.org/blog/view.php?id=14837" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">retreats </a>I attended, we had time carved out for a beautiful kindness activity on the streets. I was concerned about trying this in cities like Berkeley and London since people aren't as open to embracing a stranger as in India. But of course, we had a magical time, with lots of smiles and hugs as we offered people heart pins, flowers, smile cards and other gifts. However, I noticed a slight sense of pride at having accomplished something like this in supposedly 'tougher' communities.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Deep down inside, there was this tendency to validate my progress based on how unpleasant or tough the journey was. I found myself more accepting of myself when I could transform that scowling stranger or based on how many heart pins I could give out. In reality, these practices were meant to be a simple expression of our cup running over. A manifestation of the unity in my heart for the other. But when I noticed the tendency within me to ‘challenge’ myself through these practices, I could see just how hard-wired our neurons have gotten in the modern paradigm. There's this tendency to 'Go out and Do this' or 'Make it happen' which is really just thinking borne out of conditioning in the Industrial Revolution.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Perhaps, for this emergence into newer paradigms, we will need to stop working from this space of coercion and more from the space of offering. I don't know when we'll get there, but I've begun to trust the beauty in doing simple things with a great love. In that space, I might find myself serving at a Retreat, writing a reflection, sharing a few thoughts or even doing the more worldly things like baby-sitting my two year old niece or cooking a meal with a long lost friend. It is a space where the labels in my mind start dropping away because every moment becomes a Gift in itself – an opportunity to create magic by pouring my heart into ordinary situations. And with each passing day I come to realize that it is in the mundane that the profound divinity manifests <span style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">May we all keep walking as that wise man <a href="http://www.emptyhandsmusic.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Nimo Patel</a> suggested- 'One small step at a time' :) </span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Jai Jagat </span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">PS: Ofcourse, no reflection is complete without Pictures. <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/101672053327702786001/albums/6017712071185793809?banner=pwa" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Click here for the gallery!</a></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805631606792740406.post-48458486533995707302014-04-14T00:50:00.000+05:302014-04-19T21:53:04.138+05:30Operating in the Spirit of Gift<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Of late, I have been receiving a few emails and questions in person regarding my relationship to money - whether I'm against it or for it. Also, the age old question of sustainability, and if giving without strings attached makes sense in today's world.</div>
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I thought it might be helpful to put up some of my conversations (particularly the emails) online. Here are excerpts from a recent one I've been engaging in.</div>
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Question from a dear friend - 'D': </div>
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<i>"<span style="font-size: 13px;">I am at a juncture where I am barely making my expenses with the money I make from my healing sessions. Last month has been the best because at the beginning itself I decided to work on flexible payment system. Sometimes people quoted very low for what they felt they could pay for healing sessions, and these were not people who couldn't pay. I was not sure what to do. Though I love receiving as per each person's willingness and ability, in these cases, I felt I was being cheated. Since you have far more experience in the service space, can you let me know how to approach this situation? What would be a broader perspective that I can apply?</span></i></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><i>Thanks for taking the time out to read and respond :)"</i></span><br />
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Excerpts from my Response: </div>
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"It's really lovely to see your email. Lately I have been thinking about my relationship with money in deeper ways. The first 29 years of my life were spent chasing it, the next three rejecting it. I feel like the last six months have seen me attempting to embrace it without thinking of it as good or bad and more as a flow.</div>
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The <a href="http://www.movedbylove.org/blog/view.php?id=276">article </a>that you read is the result of a bunch of experiments to help me understand my relationship with money. For starters, me and a few other people have begun to classify capital in different ways - not only tangible forms like money and material wealth, but also subtler forms like social capital.</div>
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I think the point you raised is extremely critical and is something a lot of us are struggling with currently. In fact, I'm getting more and more convinced that our collective liberation might actually lie in understanding and transforming these mundane, material questions :)</div>
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I have been thinking a great deal on this topic, and I'd love to share a few blogs that I'll be posting in the coming weeks. For now though, a couple points come to mind - I've listed them below:</div>
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- <u>Questioning why we're looking to operate in the spirit of Gift culture</u>. For me, I look at the Gift offering as a means to unlock a very different kind of capital between giver and receiver. Through my experience at Seva Cafe and Moved By Love, I've seen that offering something in this spirit works a great deal when we seek to create Transformation in nature (beyond just impact). Someone once asked me what the difference was between Seva Cafe and a regular restaurant - at the end of the day, there was an income and an expenditure that balanced each other out. Food was given, money was received. Of course, in our minds there is a difference, but it's important to articulate it. I believe that this spirit of offering is very geared towards unlocking subtler forms of capital within us and externally. Seva Cafe is oriented in solving the problem of empathy in the world, not so much the problem of hunger. I think it is critical to use this form of giving in a judicious manner - there might be some situations when transactional giving is more appropriate. </div>
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- If we do chose to operate in the spirit of Gift, then I believe our work is rooted <u>entirely</u> in creating the right conditions for the gift to manifest. The actual transfer of money is simply the tip of the iceberg. I remember in the Mumbai Seva Cafe, two 25 year olds came up to me after lunch. One was a banker, and another a consultant and they were both intrigued when they saw the email invitation for Seva Cafe. They had never heard about anything like this, and given the context that they were operating out of, they thought it was a bit fishy. They came almost to 'prove' that something like this couldn't work, but the moment they entered, they saw a volunteer greet them with a hug, another decorating the space with a rangoli, a little girl offered them an inspiring quotation on a bookmark. They were even more moved when they saw that the waiter was someone just like them who could otherwise have been at the movies, but chose to serve them that day. In all of this, they suddenly had this realization that 'trusting one-another' was the most natural state of being, and when the bill came, were more than happy to offer out of this spirit. </div>
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This is no groundbreaking story, but it made me step back and think of what our true work really is. Perhaps, it was to simply create the right environment in which the spirit of gift becomes effortless. </div>
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Once I began working with this condition, I've been super careful to not operate in Gift when there is a sense of 'effort' from either side - giver and receiver. </div>
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<span style="font-size: 13px;">[...] Over 2014, I hope to experiment a great deal in this regard - trying to understand subtler forms of capital in my life, using currencies rooted in abundance and even breathing more loving into money. In fact, I've even re-named my folder of bills and accounts on my PC to 'Joy' :) </span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805631606792740406.post-54499171659068869632014-02-21T09:02:00.000+05:302014-02-27T11:45:07.434+05:30One Last Lesson in Faith from Raghubhai<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<img alt="" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/tigers/raghuoutsidecr.jpg" style="float: left; height: 331px; width: 300px;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">It's just been a couple of hours since I heard the news. One of my dearest friends, and inspirations, whom some people called a 'Love Warrior' passed away last night in a road accident on the outskirts of Ahmedabad. Raghu Makwana, or Raghu <i>Bhai </i>(<i>bhai </i>meaning brother) as he was fondly known in his communities was riding his three-wheeled motorcycle to a relatives home before he came to his untimely death at the age of 29. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">When Raghu was only a year old, he developed polio in both his legs and was limited to a life of walking with the help of both his hands along the ground. It didn't help that he belong to a family of landless labourers in a village.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">It's hard to imagine one's mental state in such a situation. You'd expect resentment, negativity and a state of resignation. Or perhaps that's what we are conditioned to expect. Most courses in social behaviour I had come across in my prestigious business school education taught me about Maslow's theory of heirarchy - where an individual didn't have the 'luxury' of seeking self-actualization and contribution to society unless his basic needs were taken care of.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Not Raghu. Raghu was an anomaly. A flag that stood in the harsh winds of Maslows theories and conversations that said you need 'atleast this much' to be in a 'giving' frame of mind. Raghu was an anomaly was because he ran on something that none of these theories seemed to factor in - an un-extinguishable, un-definable and at times irrational value called <em>Faith</em>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Tired of being a burden on his parents who were struggling for daily sustenance, Raghu left his home in the village at the age of 20. Armed with merely 300 rupees and several pocketfuls of faith, he hopped onto a bus that took him to the city of Ahmedabad, without knowing a soul there. After a few nights of befriending local tea-stall vendors, he found himself at the gates of a large temple on the outskirts of the city. At the gates, he came across similarly disabled people. '<i>The food is good, and the money we receive through alms is more than enough</i>' they said. But it wasn't the reason why Raghu left home. He went on to take on responsibilities on the temple premises. For several months, he arranged devotees footwear outside the altar, before a volunteer from the Gandhi Ashram was deeply moved by Raghu's smile in a short encounter. Through various serendipitous events, Raghu found himself serving the slum community just across the Gandhi Ashram eco-system.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">As he did the rounds of the slums with various development workers, he came across several homes that were weighed down by their lack of material resources. Often, he would enter their homes with a Tulsi plant as a gift for their home. In an Indian context, the Tulsi plant is considered sacred by most communities, and it often inspired the homes to honour it's presence by maintaining sanitation in their surroundings. Stepping into someone's home in this way was something only Raghu could pull off with his unassuming presence and radiant smile. Through the years, he ended up gifting close to a thousand such plants to homes. As for the money? 'It just came', he would say. As he passed by homes, he would come across aged women that were fending for themselves in the harsh environment of the slums. With no family or support to speak of, Raghu adopted them as his mothers, and soon began the Tyaag Nu Tiffin project (Food of Sacrifice) serving them food day and night, each day for four years. Across the world, people were so moved by stories from his work, that they would skip a meal every week and contribute the money saved, just so that they could stay connected to his spirit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">S</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">tories of his journey and acts of generosity are endless. But some of my most transformational moments with him came through the smallest conversations.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Three and a half years ago, I had taken a giant leap of faith myself, to let go of what I had thought of as success - the glamour as the head of a trading floor in Indian capital markets, complete with TV appearances and a sense of power. In this journey to align myself with values I honoured, I would often go through times</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> when I'd be feeling scarce.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> After conversations with friends and family I'd wonder how I'll look after myself. Inevitably I would come across Raghu <i>bhai </i>and sit down with him for a conversation. It's hard to explain what transpires in such interactions. Here I am with my bank balance, intellectual capital, skills, a family structure that supports me, and right next to me was a man with limited physical capability, a bank balance that would last me a few days and almost no family support to speak of. Yet, his radiant eyes and shining teeth would send forth the most beautiful intentions you could imagine - 'Siddharth bhai, how can we serve our friends more?'</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Through the last three years that I've known him, we've had several adventures in faith together. Some of my closest friends have spent hours driving through the slums to get a glimpse of the fuel that moves him. Leaders of organizations, academics, injured dogs lying in the gutters of a slum, or kids that would be bubbling with enthusiasm on his backseat - everyone has been on one of his incredible rides. He would embrace it all as he zipped through the narrow mud roads of the 'Tekra' or the <i>slum</i>. Smiles and waves would cheer him on as his motorbike clattered with the food for the elderly women he served. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Sometimes, we would head out for what I called Mini-pilgrimages - walks with no money or telephones. Raghu would be on his tricycle with a musical instrument in hand, and me on my feet. Through walks like those you could see his secret sauce to life. Squatting on the floor he was always at a vantage point. It was almost as if he was forced to approach each situation and person with humility, and that allowed him to see the divinity in everyone. From those who offered financial support to his projects. to kids that he served on Sundays, everyone was a manifestation of the Divinity, or 'One above', or '<em>Upar Wala</em>' as he called it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Once, while returning from one of our numerous talks - we were both hungry. It was past lunchtime, and we hadn't figured out where we would be eating that day. I found the car parked outside the McDonalds on Ashram Road. Immediately, I cringed - this Golden Arch represented every value I did not approve of. But not with Raghu, he looks at it and says innocently - <em>'I've heard about this Mc Donalds place a lot - lets just eat here'</em>. I walk in, with Raghu behind me walking on his two hands. Clearly, this was not what the McDonalds staff and guests are used to - we were a unique combination, Raghu and I. It was a weekday afternoon, and we go through the queue and get our food really quick. As we sat on our table, my eyes were darting around the room to see everyone's attention come our way. Raghu, was used to it though - glances from people, often with pity, wondering how he lived his life. But he held them with grace, almost to say <em>'I can see why you're suffering when you look at me, but honestly, I'm pretty happy :)'</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Gradually, one of the guests mustered the courage to come over. As I saw him walk over, I tried to make it a bit more comfortable for him. Immediately, I introduced him to Raghu and told him a bit about his work. As people saw us talking, more guests joined in. Slowly, even the janitor, and attendants at McDonalds came into our circle. Stories were shared about Raghu in the slums, the women he served and the homes he offered Tulsi plants to. How he lived in the spirit of Service, and how his 'upar wala' always took care of him. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I took a step back and was amazed - here we were, in a McDonalds! Raghu's presence had transformed it into a temple of sorts. All around, you could see people inspired by the way he lived his life. That was the true work of Raghubhai. It wasn't limited to the meals he offered to the aged women in the community, or the hundreds of Tulsi plants he offered to homes in the slum - it extended out to the thousands of people who had been touched by his spirit. As the emails and Facebook posts pour in form across the world, you start to get a glimpse of what his true impact really was. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img alt="" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/image027(1).jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(111, 82, 48); height: 224px; line-height: 20px; margin: 1px; padding: 4px; width: 300px;" /><img alt="" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/raghu_jb.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(111, 82, 48); height: 225px; line-height: 20px; margin: 1px; padding: 4px; width: 300px;" /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">As I write this, I'm still struggling to come to terms with his passing. I notice my mind can't help but drift to the most obvious question - 'Why do Bad things happen to Good people?' or 'Why would a soul that dedicated so much of his life to alleviate the suffering of others go like this?' or 'Why did he have to ride his bike on the highway on that particular day?'</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I see myself taken over by a whirlwind of confusion as I start to imagine a hostile world that's out to get us. Immediately, I hear Raghu's voice from within - his eyes shining bright as he says with a smile. <em>'You can't have all the answers Siddharth bhai. We just have to have faith that the 'Upar Wala' has something beautiful in store for us. We just have to keep playing our part on this beautiful stage called Life'</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">~ May All Beings Be Happy ~</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805631606792740406.post-71634983685906407722014-01-08T20:25:00.000+05:302014-01-20T20:25:33.707+05:30Karma Kitchen in Kochi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"></span><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/2014-01-07_14_41_42_-_Copy.jpg" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/2014-01-07_14_41_42_-_Copy.jpg" style="color: #333333; cursor: default; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; height: 382px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; width: 600px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">The power of simple, pure intentions never ceases to amaze me. </span><span data-scayt_word="Sheetal" data-scaytid="1" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Sheetal</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> and I were invited for the </span><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.movedbylove.org/blog/view.php?id=260" href="http://www.movedbylove.org/blog/view.php?id=260" style="color: #0782c1; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"><span data-scayt_word="Giftival" data-scaytid="2" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; text-decoration: none !important;">Giftival</span> 2014</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">, to be hosted in Kerala in the first week of January where we were joined by 35 beautiful souls from across the world in an effort to deepen their commitment to Gift. For three days, we held space together for our vulnerabilities and our dreams at the Pepper House in </span><span data-scayt_word="Kochi" data-scaytid="3" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Kochi</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">. And as always, you see the love from the circle spill over into the </span><span data-scayt_word="neighbourhood" data-scaytid="4" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">neighbourhood</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> community in incredible ways. Over lunch, we were being hosted by Thomas and his family who run a beautiful space called </span><a data-cke-saved-href="https://www.facebook.com/dosasandpancakes?ref=br_tf" href="https://www.facebook.com/dosasandpancakes?ref=br_tf" style="color: #0782c1; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Dosas and Pancakes</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">. A few years ago, Thomas felt a desire to infuse his life with meaning and shifted focus away from his successful career in IT. He came back to Kochi to create a space that supports the culture of the region and the restaurant was born out of an intention to host people with more love. Over lunch, he soo realized this wasn't an ordinary bunch of people that he was hosting! Over small conversations we shared stories from our journey over lunch. And as you'd expect by now, Thomas was moved by the spirit of </span><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.sevacafe.org" href="http://www.sevacafe.org/" style="color: #0782c1; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Seva Cafe</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> and </span><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.karmakitchen.org" href="http://www.karmakitchen.org/" style="color: #0782c1; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Karma Kitchen</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> that run across the world. Instantly, he was moved to bring this spirit into his space.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">'Sure!' we said- 'How may we support you?'</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">'Let's start right away' came the reply!</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Ofcourse, my mind was resisting, thinking about how we're actually going to pull off something like this, but Sheetal, who tends to be more in the flow of things jumps at the offering and says 'Let's do it!'</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">And just like that, we decided to run a Karma Kitchen right there in the city of Kochi! </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">'Don't worry about bringing too many volunteers!' he said. It's a weeknight so we won't have too many guests. Just as well, since most participants would be tired by the evening. But the moment we shared it with the group, we had the most thunderous response! Immediately people stepped into action. Merve, Ivan and Hafeezbhai set up a corner for 'Art with Heart', creating inspirational posters and quotes for all guests. Manish, Sheetal, Jayan and Joseph took charge of the floor and hosting, while Aishagul, Mukund, Abhilash and Herman drew up some posters with smiles and went out on the street! Within twenty minutes, we had people streaming in, curious to see if an experiment like this was actually working. As we welcomed guests, the Rickshaw drivers at the gate got a bit curious. They were initially convinced this was only for the privileged lot, but after a lot of coaxing, we managed to invite two of them in.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Soon enough, some of their friends came in as well. Initially, there was some awkwardness as they had never been in a space like this before, but our smiles and love opened everyone's hearts. All my concerns about them feeling included were washed away when one of them gave me the warmest hug on their way out! It didn't end there - my face was lit up with an even bigger smile when we saw him pick up one of the posters for the Cafe and hold it up for the passers-by for the next 30 minutes! Talk about spreading the word in organic ways! This was rippling out in a matter minutes :)</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/2014-01-06_16_58_01.jpg" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/2014-01-06_16_58_01.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(111, 82, 48); color: #333333; cursor: default; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 13px; height: 200px; line-height: 20px; margin: 1px; padding: 4px; width: 300px;" /><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/2014-01-06_17_00_49_-_Copy.jpg" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/2014-01-06_17_00_49_-_Copy.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(111, 82, 48); color: #333333; cursor: default; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 13px; height: 200px; line-height: 20px; margin: 1px; padding: 4px; width: 300px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/2014-01-06_17_05_27.jpg" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/2014-01-06_17_05_27.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(111, 82, 48); color: #333333; cursor: default; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 13px; height: 200px; line-height: 20px; margin: 1px; padding: 4px; width: 300px;" /><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/2014-01-06_17_14_48.jpg" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/2014-01-06_17_14_48.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(111, 82, 48); color: #333333; cursor: default; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 13px; height: 200px; line-height: 20px; margin: 1px; padding: 4px; width: 300px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">The atmosphere was electric. A bunch of kids strolled in, initially excited at the prospect of 'free chocolate cake!', but Ivan's sketching inspired some of them to run back home and bring their own collection of drawings. Only a field of love and emergence could enable an artist from Spain and young wide-eyed boys from Kochi connect over pencil sketches :) Two of the guests were even moved to stand up and offer a song for the entire restaurant! Smiles were all around and we closed the evening with a circle of sharing and dance that even guests decided to join - no one wanted to leave, but eventually, we had to :)</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/2014-01-06_17_02_01.jpg" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/2014-01-06_17_02_01.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(111, 82, 48); color: #333333; cursor: default; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 13px; height: 200px; line-height: 20px; margin: 1px; padding: 4px; width: 300px;" /><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/2014-01-06_17_02_29.jpg" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/2014-01-06_17_02_29.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(111, 82, 48); color: #333333; cursor: default; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 13px; height: 200px; line-height: 20px; margin: 1px; padding: 4px; width: 300px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/2014-01-06_17_17_03.jpg" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/2014-01-06_17_17_03.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(111, 82, 48); color: #333333; cursor: default; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 13px; height: 200px; line-height: 20px; margin: 1px; padding: 4px; width: 300px;" /><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/2014-01-06_17_19_09.jpg" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/2014-01-06_17_19_09.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(111, 82, 48); color: #333333; cursor: default; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 13px; height: 200px; line-height: 20px; margin: 1px; padding: 4px; width: 300px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">The next morning, I made my way back to the Cafe to settle accounts with Thomas. We had promised him to pay whatever the charge was for the evening. Serendipitously, the bill was almost the same as the collection. I'm still amazed at the way nature works! Worked out well I thought to myself, only to be in for a shock! I saw a revised number below the original estimate. Thomas had decided to give us a 50% discount! As he saw my puzzled expression, he said with a big beam across his face - 'I couldn't bring myself to charge you guys! I've received so much!'</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">I couldn't help but smile in humility for the gift that we had received! How can you explain these ties between people that had met just a few hours ago? It's incredible how the field of love can emerge in the most unlikeliest of ways. All I could do was to simply trust and keep the ripples flowing, I thought, while also honouring his gift! As a request, I asked if he could offer the excess to his kitchen staff who had toiled so tirelessly for us the previous evening - may they pay it forward in some way too! </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">~ May the spirit of Generosity keep flowing and transforming us all ~</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805631606792740406.post-11782995999125220332013-12-28T20:12:00.000+05:302014-01-20T20:13:22.111+05:30Kavita Aunty flows with love in Delhi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/kavita_aunty(1).jpg" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/kavita_aunty(1).jpg" style="color: #333333; cursor: default; float: left; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; height: 234px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; width: 98px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Earlier today, I received a call from an unknown number. As I picked up the phone, a cautious, almost apologetic voice asked if it was a good time to speak. Turns out, it's </span><span data-scayt_word="Kavita" data-scaytid="1" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Kavita</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> Aunty - </span><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.movedbylove.org/blog/view.php?id=179" href="http://www.movedbylove.org/blog/view.php?id=179" style="color: #0782c1; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"><span data-scayt_word="Pratyush's" data-scaytid="2" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; text-decoration: none !important;">Pratyush's</span> </a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">mother from Delhi. Initially, I thought she must be worried about her son who's on a pilgrimage in Gujarat with no means of communication. To my surprise, there wasn't any mention or questions of his whereabouts. She believes I think in the same way that her son does (that most would find divergent!) and in his absence she would like my opinion on something she's been up to. </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">She went on to narrate a beautiful story from a couple days ago. </span><span data-scayt_word="Kavita" data-scaytid="3" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Kavita</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> Aunty was watching television on Christmas day. For a change, the news channels were airing something positive, about a woman in Lebanon, who went out distributing clothes to keep people warm in her community in the winter. Aunty was so moved by the story, that she didn't even wait for the program to complete. Before her husband could ask where she was headed, Aunty stormed out of the door. </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">All through the afternoon and evening, Aunty knocked on almost 300 homes in the </span><span data-scayt_word="neighbourhood" data-scaytid="5" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">neighbourhood</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">. As people opened their doors, she asked each resident of the home if they'd like to offer the gift of clothes or shoes to those with lesser possessions this winter. As she explains, she didn't really know how and why she was doing this, but felt compelled to keep moving - irrespective of people's reactions. All through those 300 homes, she came across several folks who looked at her suspiciously or refused to offer their attention. But amidst all of that, she received the most incredible responses. Many folks opened their hearts and homes to her spirit - in fact, most of them volunteered to come by and deliver their clothes to her home personally. </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">A few hours later she returned home, and was overwhelmed by what she saw. Her living room had come alive with the offerings from her </span><span data-scayt_word="neighbourhood" data-scaytid="6" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">neighbourhood</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">. There were clothes, blankets and shoes of all kinds - in fact there were clothes that could adorn the most privileged. Most enterprises that are set up to distribute clothes often face the problem of receiving unusable items, but I guess this was the power of Aunty's spirit flowing through people's hearts :) The gifts kept pouring in even a few days later. In fact, she was receiving calls about more offerings even while we spoke on the phone! She narrated the story of a young girl who came by her home and apologized for not having any old items to offer. Instead she had gone out and bought 10 pairs of brand new shoes of different sizes and </span><span data-scayt_word="colours" data-scaytid="8" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">colours</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> just so that she had something to give! </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Yesterday, Aunty went out to give away some of these gifts. As she approached the less-privileged communities, she couldn't bring her self to 'donate' these clothes and shoes. Instead, she said she would like to </span><span data-scayt_word="honour" data-scaytid="10" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">honour</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> those who received her gifts by offering it with love. She offered shoes to every single person on the streets in the same way that a shoe salesman would - by bending down and making sure they fit just right! Sure, some people use market mechanisms and transactions to ensure people receive with pride, but this was a whole new paradigm - flowing through an ordinary housewife in a suburb of Delhi. </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">As you'd expect, her home is now overflowing with people and more gifts, but that's a problem she'd love to have. Over the next few days, volunteers have offered to drive car-fulls of these gifts to different communities where they hope to keep the spirit flowing. It's like she's got a whole bunch of new sons in </span><span data-scayt_word="Pratyush's" data-scaytid="9" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Pratyush's</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> absence :) </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">As we close out the phone call, she says she had called for advice, since she was afraid this project would Fail. 'Fail?', I ask. I hadn't even thought of failure, or sustainability! After all, it had already made me and so many others come alive with her kindness! Some food for thought when we think of </span><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.movedbylove.org/blog/view.php?id=248" href="http://www.movedbylove.org/blog/view.php?id=248" style="color: #0782c1; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">the Startup Service Weekend. </a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">In the end, that's all we can really do - 'One small act at a time' :) </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">~ True service is keeping our lamps alight, so that others may light theirs ~ </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805631606792740406.post-17015984222073027042013-12-20T20:04:00.000+05:302014-01-20T20:04:54.268+05:30Gifts on a Birthday<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">It was the </span><span data-scayt_word="19th" data-scaytid="1" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">19th</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> of December again. Over the past couple years, I've actively tried to be 'against' celebrating my birthday :) But </span><a data-cke-saved-href="http://siddharthsthalekar.blogspot.in/2012/12/an-attitude-of-gratitude.html" href="http://siddharthsthalekar.blogspot.in/2012/12/an-attitude-of-gratitude.html" style="color: #0782c1; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">my experience with last year</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> taught me to not be as much of an activist :) Although I didn't make a big deal out of it, I was just blown away by some beautiful gifts I received. In the morning, </span><span data-scayt_word="Lahar" data-scaytid="2" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Lahar</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> decided to offer her gift by writing letters to 10 people that she was grateful for! My uncle decided to 'Smile' at 5 strangers during the day, while </span><span data-scayt_word="Madhusudan" data-scaytid="3" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Madhusudan</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> promised to write me an inspiring story. At night, I received this incredible email from </span><span data-scayt_word="Anupreet" data-scaytid="4" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Anupreet</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> and </span><span data-scayt_word="Goli" data-scaytid="5" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Goli</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> from Bangalore!</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/tigers/Happy_Rambles_Anupreet.jpg" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/tigers/Happy_Rambles_Anupreet.jpg" style="color: #333333; cursor: default; float: left; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; height: 200px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; width: 300px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">"I loved your Birthday last year. More than that, I loved the gifts you asked for last year :) Inspired by </span><span data-scayt_word="Lahar" data-scaytid="6" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Lahar</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">, your mom, and so many people writing 10 things they were grateful for, inspired me to start maintaining my gratitude diary. [...] :) I want to be honest and confess I don't do it everyday, but manage to write 4 times a week :) Thanks for getting me into practicing this. I have started valuing a lot of smaller things, and sometimes when I am in the flow, I end up writing 50+ things I am grateful for. I wanted to offer this practice of mine as a birthday gift to you with a promise that I would write at least one something everyday until your next birthday :)</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">With love and hugs, and good wishes for a fantastic year ahead. </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Happy Birthday again :)"</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">But things really started to snowball when I received another email from two special 20 year olds - Darpan and Drishti, who were inspired by </span><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.movedbylove.org/blog/view.php?id=237" href="http://www.movedbylove.org/blog/view.php?id=237" style="color: #0782c1; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Trupti's recent experiment with generosity</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">. The two of them decided to go out with some friends and perform acts of kindness on the streets of Mulund, a suburb in Mumbai. Here's pictures and excerpts from the email that I received - I thought the only way I could honour these gifts would be to share it with the larger collective!</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">"Somehow we recollected that its your birthday on 19th December and were just thinking what gift we can give you :) And the answer was some more kindness. The answer made us so happy deep within our heart . So we both decided to do some random acts of kindness for you today :) We were really grateful that four of our cousins joined us to do these acts of kindness :) So here are the acts of kindness which we did and also your most favorite part photos :) </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHQF8yE4mGXIjA37g1AVxryb6vMxfj36-7a8AdjosT21-6j5Ckc5kLwjZBwcyO0Uk0ShoyL1uvXQMFg03IjW1xqL6vj4-P-Ubw101p_Gh_1EA2_XRTf149btQhZEfNALzUQnyxucGa2Jo/s640/20131219_082747%2520%25281%2529.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHQF8yE4mGXIjA37g1AVxryb6vMxfj36-7a8AdjosT21-6j5Ckc5kLwjZBwcyO0Uk0ShoyL1uvXQMFg03IjW1xqL6vj4-P-Ubw101p_Gh_1EA2_XRTf149btQhZEfNALzUQnyxucGa2Jo/s640/20131219_082747%2520%25281%2529.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(111, 82, 48); color: #333333; cursor: default; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 13px; height: 225px; line-height: 20px; margin: 1px; padding: 4px; width: 300px;" /><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhco5y_tX2k9A_35PtDrndYMtiZe89BUh9Au7Gu1KCA6MeBU4FjCAqEe7uHvB8krafChNCRvvoOjyaarg4mWIlURBkR5ZzvtcDc2GbgH2_Kl8kr5ceVKKiQdWzicBpy_sfVRwlIx9CbHpM/s640/image%2520%25282%2529.jpeg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhco5y_tX2k9A_35PtDrndYMtiZe89BUh9Au7Gu1KCA6MeBU4FjCAqEe7uHvB8krafChNCRvvoOjyaarg4mWIlURBkR5ZzvtcDc2GbgH2_Kl8kr5ceVKKiQdWzicBpy_sfVRwlIx9CbHpM/s640/image%2520%25282%2529.jpeg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(111, 82, 48); color: #333333; cursor: default; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 13px; height: 225px; line-height: 20px; margin: 1px; padding: 4px; width: 300px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX0ZM5JeA1JC6rcgGZJY0uT-1md1LUyCftRyUT9emqyr4cgfnjq0EOeUScVJyOv7GwiyfcQXjQ4ObNDDDzMNgWQpmuSxUWjoqjMJHrJuU4m1lBzPlkcBVys9YMkNd657tOLRSsVWe3IAc/s640/20131219_140325%2520%25281%2529.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX0ZM5JeA1JC6rcgGZJY0uT-1md1LUyCftRyUT9emqyr4cgfnjq0EOeUScVJyOv7GwiyfcQXjQ4ObNDDDzMNgWQpmuSxUWjoqjMJHrJuU4m1lBzPlkcBVys9YMkNd657tOLRSsVWe3IAc/s640/20131219_140325%2520%25281%2529.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(111, 82, 48); color: #333333; cursor: default; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 13px; height: 225px; line-height: 20px; margin: 1px; padding: 4px; width: 300px;" /><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRL-zmxrGy1AzL2U-aCRRk6pvmp0ym9Le80E89G2b9iIgupYvUFzwGrhHkdktjZWhq74OFKdKU-jlkkRlUJqzRsthbrbnu6huMyZmihj2voi1kxQrCkQfPYIXAlRgu8R-2psvN4rQ1DF0/s640/image%2520%25284%2529.jpeg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRL-zmxrGy1AzL2U-aCRRk6pvmp0ym9Le80E89G2b9iIgupYvUFzwGrhHkdktjZWhq74OFKdKU-jlkkRlUJqzRsthbrbnu6huMyZmihj2voi1kxQrCkQfPYIXAlRgu8R-2psvN4rQ1DF0/s640/image%2520%25284%2529.jpeg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(111, 82, 48); color: #333333; cursor: default; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 13px; height: 225px; line-height: 20px; margin: 1px; padding: 4px; width: 300px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">- Random tagging of good morning and other message cards to random people in garden . Many people were touched. One uncle just said 'No I don't want anything from you!' .But then he saw us giving everyone, and came to us smiling and said that he would now like one. One aunt was really happy and was going to tag some more people :) One aunt just started crying when we were talking to her and at-last felt very good . </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">- Anonymous tagging with </span><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.kindspring.org/smilecards/" href="http://www.kindspring.org/smilecards/" style="color: #0782c1; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">smile cards</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> at the Tea-vendor . We paid money and said that anyone who comes next give them chai for free. We gave chai to our daily heroes (</span><em style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">pan wala</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> uncle, vegetable vendors , newspaper vendors, rickshaw drivers and many more ) . There are uncountable heroes who make our life so much comfortable . </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">- Gave smile cards to a juice vendor and he gave it to that person who came to him for juice. An older gentleman was really confused that he was standing there for a long time with a hope that he may find us :)</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">- Made Rangoli with flowers in front of unknown people's houses :) </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">- We approached a betel leaf vendor, gave him money and asked him to offer free leaves to the next 2 persons and offer them a smile card . And the amazing person returned the money back with a big smile and said for that you don't need to pay i will do it from my side as an offering :) This person touched all of our hearts so much. </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">- Offered juice to a police officer, and to the persons standing in sun who ensure that everyone gets a rickshaw :) </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">- Gave a water to a fast food vendor :) </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">- Gave juice to an old gentleman sitting at a telephone booth besides juice center. He was so so so happy . And after we asked him for a photo he became more happy.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">- Gave chocolates to so many random people and policemen and sweepers :) One lady said, "You all are showing us that the love and connection with everyone which I always felt was missing in India." :) She shared chocolate with us to show her gratitude and love towards us. And she told that she would share this with as many as possible :) </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">- Cleaned some random cars and wrote a message and left a smile card :) </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">- Talked to a handicap person who was going to hospital for check up and gave him chocolate . He was touched and very very happy :) </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">- Prayed to god for the most kind person who spread so much love in this world and touch so many souls he come across :)</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">- Distributed fruits to random people :) </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">This is just a small drop of water in the ocean of your dreams :) This is really a small effort to make you smile. Wish you many many happy returns of day once again :)"</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><cke:embed flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F101672053327702786001%2Falbumid%2F5959182177610034625%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" height="400" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" src="https://static.googleusercontent.com/external_content/picasaweb.googleusercontent.com/slideshow.swf" style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="600"></cke:embed><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">~ May Peace Prevail on Earth ~</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805631606792740406.post-37609459220483864272013-12-01T20:14:00.000+05:302014-01-20T20:15:24.472+05:30The Economy of Permanence<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/Kumarappa.jpg" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/Kumarappa.jpg" style="color: #333333; cursor: default; float: left; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; height: 252px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; width: 200px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Through time spent in the Gandhi Ashram eco-system, I've often come across writings and books that exposed me to radically different constructs. One of the authors I came across was J C Kumarappa - a Gandhian economist who did some stellar work in re-constructing the theories of economics in a decentralized, service oriented context. During his years as part of the freedom movement, he invested a great deal in understanding India, and the spirit that has sustained it's communities for millennia. </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">There is an interesting story about his time in the Sabarmati Ashram. A group of professors from Harvard were visiting Gandhi to better understand this model of economics that contrasted so starkly to the those emerging in the Americas at the time. Gandhi, of course, directed them towards Kumarappa. As they entered his office, they saw him seated on a chair, under two pictures. The one right above his head, was Gandhi's. 'He's my teacher' he said plainly. And above Gandhi, was a picture of a group of ordinary, simple villagers. </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/teachers_teacher.jpg" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/teachers_teacher.jpg" style="color: #333333; cursor: default; float: right; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; height: 346px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; width: 184px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">'And them? Who are they?', the visitors asked.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">'Oh them!' They're my Teacher's, Teachers!'</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">And that, was the guiding principle behind the movement that emerged at the time. What happens when we 'Put people first', as economist Schumacher described his seminal publication 'Small is Beautiful'? During his one year spent in jail as part of the Quit India movement, Kumarappa wrote a book that shared some of these thoughts through an interesting model. The book, an </span><strong style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Economy of Permanence</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> is an effort to outline 5 different types of Economies in nature. Each one serves a different purpose, but inherently, they tend to support relationships that are either transient, or more permanent in nature. </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">1. The first type of economy, is the '</span><strong style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Predatory Economy</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">' - the best example of this, is a thief who might kill you for your wallet or purse. If you view this as a transaction, the thief has gained some money, but you have lost your life in the process. Clearly, a win-lose situation. </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/Predatory_Parasitic.jpg" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/Predatory_Parasitic.jpg" style="color: #333333; cursor: default; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; height: 160px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; width: 200px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">2. A less harmful version of this, is a </span><strong style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">'Parasitic Economy</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">' where someone might just mug you for your money, but spares your life. You've lost out, but not to the extent as the previous case. In nature, you also see this with animals. A monkey will take a couple bites of a fruit of a tree and move on to the branch of another. Again, there is very limited gain for the tree in this case.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">3. As we move more towards equitable distribution of benefit, we see a system we are most comfortable with. The '</span><strong style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Economy of Enterprise</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">'. It's a pretty simple equation like Barter - in return for money, you can buy yourself some goods. Perhaps, a loaf of bread. More money equals more bread. The beauty of this system is that we see equal, tangible benefit on both sides.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/Enterprise_P_P.jpg" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/Enterprise_P_P.jpg" style="color: #333333; cursor: default; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; height: 214px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; width: 300px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Most of us know of Adam Smith's work - The Wealth of Nations. Through the book (which most argue has shaped modern-day economics) he describes that a man's output is most efficient when he works for gain. And to push this efficiency further, he developed the concepts of 'Economies of Scale' and 'Division of Labour'. We're all familiar with these principles, but in essence, he speaks of the benefit of dividing labour into water-tight compartments, based on skills, creating processes that can be broken down to mechanical thinking. No doubt these principles have brought us systems that work in incredibly efficient ways, that we could not imagine earlier. </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">However, Kumarappa argues, that all these systems, assume we are disconnected, separate identities from our environment. It's built on the belief that one literally has to use means to 'gain' from his surroundings. "Man Vs. the Universe" But what if we were to assume that we could trust our surroundings. As Albert Einstein asks,</span><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.awakin.org/read/view.php?tid=797" href="http://www.awakin.org/read/view.php?tid=797" style="color: #0782c1; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> 'Is the Universe a Friendly Place?</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">' - if we could trust one another, and see ourselves in our community, what kind of economies would emerge? Kumarappa says there's two more economies to consider when we move towards one-ness.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/Gregarian_E_P_P.jpg" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/Gregarian_E_P_P.jpg" style="color: #333333; cursor: default; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; height: 234px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; width: 400px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">4. And that brings us to the </span><strong style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">'Gregarian Economy</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">'. It's been practiced for thousands of years in local communities. We look out for our loved ones, or those in our community who we build ties of trust with. It could also extend to our country (supporting fellow Indians) or our faith (supporting a fellow Muslim or Sikh). While it's a tremendous display of love for another human being, its still a conditional offering - in that if I choose to change my faith, or nationality, or community, I no longer have access to these ties of generosity.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/Economy_of_Permanence.jpg" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/Economy_of_Permanence.jpg" style="color: #333333; cursor: default; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; height: 224px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; width: 500px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">5. What if we were to extend these ties of trust and one-ness unconditionally? He says the fifth economy - i.e. </span><strong style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">The Economy of Service</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> emerges. It might sound idealistic, but it's not something we witness through special beings once every few centuries - in fact, its prevalent all around us. He says the best example of such a relationship is that of a mother with her child. Observe a bird taking care of her young ones in a nest and you'll know just what he's talking about. The fledgling will eventually fly out of the nest, offering absolutely no return on the birds investment, but that doesn't seem to deter the mother. He goes on to say, it's not just in nature, but in fact it was a primary designing principle for most of the communities he spent time with in the country. A cobbler, or artisan creating products for his community was more rooted in values of service, and as a result you could see these decentralized models sustain for millennia, in contrast to the globalized, centralized models we see today.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">The larger question that Kumarappa poses and explores, is 'How does one Design for the Economy of service?' He says the confusion arises because we don't hold internal capacities to ask the right questions in the first place. It's not that the Economy of Permanence goes against what Adam Smith has to say. It's simply, a realization that the Modern Economics does a great job of designing for efficiency. But what happens when we dare to move beyond the assumption that man is led by personal incentive and greed? If we do, we realize traditional metrics like Return on Investment, and Efficiency start falling away. We have to start asking different using different paradigms and metrics. </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">For starters, we have to use a </span><strong style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Different Lens. </strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">We often use the lens of 'Efficiency' which is great for the Economy of Enterprise, but doesn't make sense while evaluating the Economy of Service. A mother who feeds her son with food made with love in her kitchen won't hold back on the ingredients based on cost. It's a different set of metrics that determine her offering to her child. When we serve guests at a Seva Cafe, instead of looking at guests as potential revenue sources, we ask volunteers</span><a data-cke-saved-href="http://siddharthsthalekar.blogspot.in/2012/09/a-leap-of-faith-at-seva-cafe.html" href="http://siddharthsthalekar.blogspot.in/2012/09/a-leap-of-faith-at-seva-cafe.html" style="color: #0782c1; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> to serve them like family</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> - irrespective of their economic capacity. That means, we need to tune into far subtler aspects and stop looking for 'gain'. We would need to start asking 'What we can offer' as opposed to 'What we can get'. </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Secondly, we would need to focus on moving from a paradigm of '</span><strong style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Externalizing Costs' to 'Eternalizing Benefit.' </strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Businesses that are focused on the bottom line, will very naturally work with the formula of maximizing revenue and minimizing costs. Manufacturing companies will therefore look towards taking costs like 'environmental damage' off their balance sheets. Service sector companies will reduce their involvement in their staff's well-being. But when we stop asking what's in it for us, the entire equation get's flipped around on its head. We start creating benefit, without seeking credit or profit in return, and that can potentially be more rewarding in the long term. </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">While these are just some questions to begin with, the intention is to start taking a subtle leap of faith in the vast organizing capacity of nature. It's a shift away from a mind trained for profiteering, towards a paradigm that fosters ties cultivated in unity. It's rooted in the belief that ripples we set forth in motion will eventually come around to hold our intentions. It's still early days, but we'll inevitably see that it's a shift that we're all familiar with - from Transaction to Trust, Consumption to Contribution, Scarcity to Abundance and Isolation to Community. </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">~ For it is in Giving, that we Receive ~ </span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805631606792740406.post-43255319390311109192013-11-19T20:08:00.000+05:302014-01-20T20:09:11.811+05:30The Passing of Gopal Dada<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"></span><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/gopal.jpg" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/gopal.jpg" style="color: #333333; cursor: default; float: left; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; height: 400px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; width: 300px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">More than fifty years ago, </span><span data-scayt_word="Vinoba" data-scaytid="1" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Vinoba</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> </span><span data-scayt_word="Bhave's" data-scaytid="5" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Bhave's</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> Land-Gift movement happened to pass through the small town in North Gujarat. Several hundred people had gathered to hear the great </span><span data-scayt_word="Vinoba" data-scaytid="2" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Vinoba</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> </span><span data-scayt_word="Bhave" data-scaytid="6" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Bhave</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> share his wisdom through stories from their movement that was sweeping the country in a wave of love. As people huddled into a small school class-room in the town of </span><span data-scayt_word="Unjha" data-scaytid="8" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Unjha</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">, </span><span data-scayt_word="Vinoba" data-scaytid="3" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Vinoba</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> began to speak. It was then that he shared the concept of the '</span><span data-scayt_word="Shanti" data-scaytid="9" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Shanti</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> </span><span data-scayt_word="Sena" data-scaytid="11" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Sena</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">' - the 'Warriors of Peace'. At a time when the Cold War had just begun, </span><span data-scayt_word="Vinoba" data-scaytid="4" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Vinoba</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> </span><span data-scayt_word="Bhave" data-scaytid="7" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Bhave</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> spoke of the need of holding peace within ourselves as a means to battle arms. He said - 'If every community had just 1 person who would dedicate his life to non-violence, we would see True Peace. Not a peace held in place by agreements and nuclear treaties, but one that </span><span data-scayt_word="honours" data-scaytid="12" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">honours</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> the humanity within us all.' </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">That one person in the community, dedicated to non-violence was known as a '</span><span data-scayt_word="Shanti-Sainik" data-scaytid="13" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Shanti-Sainik</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">'. If violence was to break out anywhere in the country, </span><span data-scayt_word="Shanti" data-scaytid="10" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Shanti</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> </span><span data-scayt_word="Sainiks" data-scaytid="14" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Sainiks</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> would drop everything they held important and offer themselves non-violently to take on the </span><em style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Karma</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> of the offenders. As </span><span data-scayt_word="Vinoba" data-scaytid="15" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Vinoba</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> spoke, the excitement in the crowd became palpable. No one had ever heard of something as radical as this - it seemed like the only solution to </span><em style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">true peace</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">. Yet, who would be courageous enough to offer their lives to others in this way? Inspired by </span><span data-scayt_word="Vinoba" data-scaytid="17" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Vinoba</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">, a young gentleman called </span><span data-scayt_word="Gopal" data-scaytid="23" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Gopal</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> chose to apply. As he wrote out the application form, he wondered what the use was, he was simply a Tea Merchant and there were several Doctors, Lawyers and Accountants who were so much more qualified in his community. Nevertheless, he sent in his application along with hundreds of others. </span><span data-scayt_word="Vinoba" data-scaytid="18" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Vinoba</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> lifted the first paper out of the pile, and to his surprise, he said out aloud 'Who is this '</span><span data-scayt_word="Gopal" data-scaytid="24" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Gopal</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> Das?' 'He will be the first </span><span data-scayt_word="Shanti" data-scaytid="19" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Shanti</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> </span><span data-scayt_word="Sainik" data-scaytid="27" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Sainik</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> of </span><span data-scayt_word="Unjha" data-scaytid="20" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Unjha</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">!'. Everyone turned around to see thin frame of </span><span data-scayt_word="Gopal" data-scaytid="25" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Gopal</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> Dada, but set deep within were eyes that shone with the resilience of a man who was about to embrace a huge responsibility.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">In that very moment, Gopal knew his life's calling - to surrender himself in this army of love, and to serve his community. He subsequently walked with Vinoba Bhave across Gujarat for thousands of kilometres, and eventually settled in his village. Through a thousand songs that he had memorized to heart, Gopal Dada would work tirelessly with the children - inspiring them to serve their communities with honesty and a spirit of kindness.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Several decades ago, a young child ran up to </span><span data-scayt_word="Gopal" data-scaytid="38" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Gopal</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> Dada after a 'clean street competition' that had been organized. Disturbed by the ill-treatment towards the so called untouchables, the child was upset. </span><span data-scayt_word="Gopal" data-scaytid="39" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Gopal</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> Dada put his hand on the 12 year old's head and explained how a gradual degeneration in society had led to these inequalities. Looking into </span><span data-scayt_word="Gopal" data-scaytid="40" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Gopal</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> Dada's kind eyes, the young boy decided that his life must be dedicated towards the </span><span data-scayt_word="up-liftment" data-scaytid="44" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">up-liftment</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> of the most neglected castes. That child, was </span><span data-scayt_word="Ishwarbhai" data-scaytid="45" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Ishwarbhai</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> Patel, also known as a the father of sanitation in India - who's been credited with building close to half a million toilets in India over the last fifty years. That simple moment, nurtured by a loving smile, was all it took for a lifetime dedicated to service. </span><br />
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<tr><td><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/1392051_601390596564870_1902037507_n.jpg" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/1392051_601390596564870_1902037507_n.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(111, 82, 48); cursor: default; height: 300px; margin: 1px; padding: 4px; width: 200px;" /></td><td><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/1456750_601391126564817_968358681_n.jpg" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/1456750_601391126564817_968358681_n.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(111, 82, 48); cursor: default; height: 300px; margin: 1px; padding: 4px; width: 200px;" /></td><td><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/1455960_601390619898201_462409081_n.jpg" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/1455960_601390619898201_462409081_n.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(111, 82, 48); cursor: default; height: 300px; margin: 1px; padding: 4px; width: 200px;" /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Such was the impact that </span><span data-scayt_word="Gopal" data-scaytid="46" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Gopal</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> Dada had on those around him. It seemed to flow effortlessly out of a natural state of existence. A few years ago, 15 of us were out on a walking pilgrimage by the </span><span data-scayt_word="Narmada" data-scaytid="51" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Narmada</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">. The intention was to walk collectively, and experience the generosity of villagers who would host us. During a particularly tough day on the pilgrimage when we walked 26 </span><span data-scayt_word="kilometres" data-scaytid="48" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">kilometres</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">, </span><span data-scayt_word="Gopal" data-scaytid="47" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Gopal</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> Dada was paired with a girl called Maria from the USA. She noticed that the 87 year old man kept bending down as they walked, to pick up a stones and toss it to the side. It seemed odd, she thought - 'Why was he doing this?' She kept her questions to herself until she finally mustered up the courage to ask him why. 'Oh!', he replied, 'So that the people walking behind us and the cyclists who will pass this route will not be bothered by these rocks in their way'. </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">That's all it was. A way of life. To constantly think about the other in every moment, in every conversation. It was a way of service that did not even need a tangible connection with a supposed beneficiary. He didn't need to know how many cyclists he had saved, or even see their faces to serve them. It was a state of mind that was constantly looking to offer. </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">It was only fitting then, that a soul as pure as this, would return back to the </span><span data-scayt_word="Vinoba" data-scaytid="53" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Vinoba</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> Ashram in </span><span data-scayt_word="Paunar" data-scaytid="55" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Paunar</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> to breathe his last. During the annual Gandhian gathering at the Ashram, his lungs developed pneumonia. He had close encounters with death before - but a life lived in the manual service of others had allowed him to return renewed - not to enjoy the fruits of his </span><span data-scayt_word="labour" data-scaytid="56" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">labour</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">, but to keep serving in the spirit of Gandhi. But it seemed the night of November </span><span data-scayt_word="17th" data-scaytid="57" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">17th</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> had other plans. This time, to free him of the </span><span data-scayt_word="bondages" data-scaytid="58" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">bondages</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> of his body, so that he could serve in infinitely greater ways. </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/images/mem/90057/up_529c65e3532c25.15606285_lg.jpg" src="http://www.servicespace.org/images/mem/90057/up_529c65e3532c25.15606285_lg.jpg" style="color: #333333; cursor: default; float: right; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; height: 220px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; width: 300px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Today, he may not be with us physically, but it seems like he's everywhere. As I write this blog, as I speak in a circle, as I wash someone else's dishes, or pick up a piece of trash on the road for a pedestrian I do not know. I can sense his constant presence in this flow of service. A flow that asks me to keep surrendering to what the collective needs</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">My mind resounds with the questions that we would always ask of him 'Dada, is it okay if we walk another few more </span><span data-scayt_word="kilometres" data-scaytid="59" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">kilometres</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> before resting?' 'Dada, we're off to a trip to a tribal community tomorrow - you must come with us!' 'Dada, can you sing us one of your songs?' The answer to all of these questions was always a nod and a gentle smile - as if to say 'I am but a pawn in this great army of love - tell me how I can offer more of myself!'</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">~ May his spirit continue inspiring us all. Jai </span><span data-scayt_word="Jagat" data-scaytid="61" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Jagat</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> ~</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Here is a painting by </span><span data-scayt_word="Lahar" data-scaytid="62" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Lahar</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">, to </span><span data-scayt_word="honour" data-scaytid="63" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">honour</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> the spirit of his service.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805631606792740406.post-16912769264027635692013-04-25T21:43:00.000+05:302014-01-20T21:43:56.954+05:30Food + Love in Baroda<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"></span><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/DSCN2305.JPG" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/DSCN2305.JPG" style="color: #333333; cursor: default; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; height: 304px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; width: 600px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">What happens when 15 volunteers from different cities come together in </span><span data-scayt_word="Baroda" data-scaytid="1" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Baroda</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">, wake up in the morning at 5:30 am and decide to cook breakfast for their unknown friends in the city?</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/tigers/DSCN2251.JPG" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/tigers/DSCN2251.JPG" style="color: #333333; cursor: default; float: left; font-family: arial; font-size: small; height: 169px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; width: 300px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">On a bright Thursday morning in April, </span><span data-scayt_word="thats" data-scaytid="2" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">thats</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> exactly what we decided to do. A few people were in-charge of cutting the vegetables, another couple made fresh lemonade while others put together posters which read out -> Food + Love = Prasad</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">And </span><em style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Prasad </em><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">it was - quite literally, an offering made without any expectations of return. The entire group of friends reached the gates of a popular park in town and unleashed a wave of kindness. </span><span data-scayt_word="Rangolis" data-scaytid="3" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Rangolis</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> that spelt out love, huge smiles on our faces, well arranged plates, spoons and glasses and we were all set. Curious morning walkers began passing by, to find out what this was all about.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><em style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/tigers/DSCN2280.JPG" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/tigers/DSCN2280.JPG" style="cursor: default; float: right; height: 198px; width: 300px;" />So <span data-scayt_word="whats" data-scaytid="4" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">whats</span> the purpose of all this? </em><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Oh, we just decided to wake up this morning and cook with love for our unknown friends!</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><em style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Just like that?</em><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Yes :)</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><em style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Is this an organization, or group, or some quick marketing strategy?</em><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">No not at all - no expectations. Would you like some more </span><span data-scayt_word="Limbu" data-scaytid="5" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Limbu</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> </span><span data-scayt_word="Paani" data-scaytid="6" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Paani</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">?</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">And immediately, the curious looks and conversations soon turned into smiles, almost in disbelief. We were soon visited by the caretaker of the garden who was initially very suspicious, but soon wanted to bring in his friends in media to capture news items like this!</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Very soon, we were surrounded by a group of people - who wanted to know more. The wary ones trying to search for a hint of incentive in all of this, but relented as soon as Neela ben opened up a big box of Mukhwaas that she brought specially from home! People began connecting in incredible ways - hoping to stay in touch and explore ways in which this could be carried forward. A lady was so moved she decided to do something similar at work that day. Another 84 year old gentleman (who was also one of the cities renowned doctors) had been visiting the park for 30 years, and couldnt stop smiling at what he was seeing.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/tigers/IMG_3027.jpg" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/tigers/IMG_3027.jpg" style="color: #333333; cursor: default; float: left; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; height: 229px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; width: 300px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">And to think, that all of this came from our inspiration the previous night at the Pandya household. A loving family of three sisters and a father who have been opening their doors to strangers </span><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.awakin.org" href="http://www.awakin.org/" style="color: #0782c1; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">every Wednesday</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> for the last year. The Pandyas have been holding space, and allowing people to connect in silence, share their insights and accept their offerings of a humble meal cooked with love. By this simple act of holding the lamp alight within themselves, theyve been able to inspire several hundred friends in their local communities.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Today, it inspired a gift of food cooked unconditionally for 150 people in the park. Whos to say where this might ripple out in the future?</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">:)</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br />
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<tr><td><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/tigers/DSCN2274.JPG" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/tigers/DSCN2274.JPG" style="cursor: default; height: 118px; width: 200px;" /></td><td><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/tigers/DSCN2253.JPG" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/tigers/DSCN2253.JPG" style="cursor: default; height: 148px; width: 200px;" /></td><td><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/tigers/DSCN2266.JPG" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/tigers/DSCN2266.JPG" style="cursor: default; height: 155px; width: 200px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/tigers/DSCN2285(1).JPG" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/tigers/DSCN2285(1).JPG" style="cursor: default; height: 168px; width: 200px;" /></td><td><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/tigers/DSCN2331(1).jpg" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/tigers/DSCN2331(1).jpg" style="cursor: default; height: 113px; width: 200px;" /></td><td><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/tigers/DSCN2303(1).JPG" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/tigers/DSCN2303(1).JPG" style="cursor: default; height: 136px; width: 200px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/tigers/DSCN2277.JPG" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/tigers/DSCN2277.JPG" style="cursor: default; height: 148px; width: 200px;" /></td><td><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/tigers/DSCN2293(1).JPG" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/tigers/DSCN2293(1).JPG" style="cursor: default; height: 113px; width: 200px;" /></td><td><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/tigers/DSCN2264(1).JPG" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/tigers/DSCN2264(1).JPG" style="cursor: default; height: 113px; width: 200px;" /></td></tr>
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<br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">______________________________________________________________________________________________</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Manjeet, one of our volunteers also penned down his thoughts from the morning at Akota Gardens :)</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><img alt="??????????" data-cke-saved-src="http://manjeetkhurana.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/foodloveprasad.jpg?w=300&h=172" src="http://manjeetkhurana.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/foodloveprasad.jpg?w=300&h=172" style="border: none; clear: both; color: #0782c1; cursor: default; display: block; float: right; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%; opacity: 0.9; width: 300px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">We all can count the number of seeds in a fruit, but can we count the number of fruits in a seed?</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">What will happen, if you give without expecting anything back? A lot of happiness…and a lot of questions. In these times of what-is-in-it-for-me, people don’t believe you, if you offer them anything for nothing. They try to find out the reason. If it is not obvious, they try harder…looking for an ulterior motive. What was our motive?</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">We, a group of friends, got together and prepared ‘poha’ (flattened rice) and ‘nimbu-pani’ (sweet lemon water) at home, in the early hours of the morning. We then went to a nearby garden, where people throng for walking, jogging etc. A beautiful ‘rangoli’ (decorative design on a floor) with flowers was made, just inside the entrance. Poha went into paper-bowls and nimbu-pani in plastic glasses. And the fun began…</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">We offered them to people walking by. The first reactions were puzzled, or plain curious. Who are we? What are we doing? And why? Are we selling something? If not, what’s the catch? When we asked them to have fresh poha and lime juice, they were hesitant. But, we were persistent. Some smiled and asked, why are we distributing these? Is it a festival, a special occasion…? We replied, no, just out of love. No strings attached, no expectations. In disbelief, they followed with, which organisation, institution…? We are just a bunch of friends, we answered. They furtively tried looking for a banner of an organisation or a symbol or anything that can subside their curiosity about this undefined act. What maximum they could find, was a poster that said ‘food + love = prasad’. Finding no clue whatsoever, they were flabbergasted, but still gave it another shot; ok, but there must be a message. What was our message?</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://manjeetkhurana.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/love-rangoli.jpg?w=300&h=225" src="http://manjeetkhurana.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/love-rangoli.jpg?w=300&h=225" style="border: none; clear: both; color: #0782c1; cursor: default; display: block; float: left; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%; opacity: 0.9; width: 300px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Soon, some old people started having it. Children were not only having it, but also demanding more for their friends. A group of ladies started appreciating the mint leaves we put in the lime juice. Now seeing people relishing it, others stopped too. Asking the similar set of questions in different variations and then settling down to having the hot poha and / or cool nimbu-pani, with a smile on their faces. Seeing those smiles and the hint of blessing in their eyes, it felt as if, more than the happiness we were giving, was the happiness we were receiving.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">The caretaker of the garden emerged and asked, what we are doing. When told, he was very appreciative and said, had he known earlier, he would have arranged for media to cover such benevolent initiative. An old gentleman, regular to the park, sat with us and talked, his eyes welling up with emotions. More such initiatives should happen, he said. People were happily surprised, felt a little better about the world in general, about the society and most importantly, about themselves. Some even decided to do something similar. Youngsters were talking to each other that there is hope…still.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">And slowly but steadily, the poha and nimbu-pani finished. What wasn’t finished…was the hope. The hope that, the children who enjoyed it without a care, would remember this and care for others, when they grow up. The hope that, the youngsters will talk to their peer group about this unique scene in a garden (some took photographs from their mobile) and spread the message. The hope that, the people who experienced an act of pure selfless serving – an offering made without any expectations of return, will pay it forward. The hope that, they will do a good selfless deed to others, as we did it to them. Perhaps, that was our message.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">People are basically generous, but the environment around makes them sceptical. Initiatives like this gives them a signal that their surrounding space is positive. Habituated of listening to negative news, this comes like a breath of fresh air. It brings them closer to their own kind true selves and start a ripple effect. Today, they are the recipient of a selfless act, tomorrow they will be the initiator. And by doing so, they will start another ripple…which will then cause more ripples to follow…and so on. It is like, you can count the number of seeds in a fruit, but the number of fruits in a seed…is countless. Hope, we provided that seed, of a selfless deed, which will cause a change indeed. Perhaps, that was our motive.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> </span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805631606792740406.post-61051349361887297082013-03-16T19:54:00.000+05:302014-01-20T19:55:27.028+05:30Service is a Divine Flow<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"></span><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/group.JPG" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/group.JPG" style="color: #333333; cursor: default; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; height: 400px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; width: 600px;" /><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">In the </span><span data-scayt_word="2nd" data-scaytid="1" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">2nd</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> week of March 2013 just after the Moved By Love </span><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.servicespace.org/blog/view.php?id=12483" href="http://www.servicespace.org/blog/view.php?id=12483" style="color: #0782c1; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"><span data-scayt_word="co-ordinators" data-scaytid="2" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; text-decoration: none !important;">co-ordinators</span> retreat</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">, 11 of us of diverse ages and backgrounds decided to walk for a few days through some of the more isolated parts of the country –a tribal community on the border of Gujarat and </span><span data-scayt_word="Rajasthan" data-scaytid="3" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Rajasthan</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">A brief 3 hour drive and a visit to the </span><a data-cke-saved-href="http://siddharthsthalekar.blogspot.in/2012/09/when-hearts-connected.html" href="http://siddharthsthalekar.blogspot.in/2012/09/when-hearts-connected.html" style="color: #0782c1; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"><span data-scayt_word="LokNiketan" data-scaytid="4" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; text-decoration: none !important;">LokNiketan</span> </a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Trust later, we left our cars behind at the closest </span><span data-scayt_word="motorable" data-scaytid="5" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">motorable</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> village – that of </span><span data-scayt_word="Ghoda" data-scaytid="6" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Ghoda</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">. We then began our walk away from ‘civilization’. The intention was to walk for a couple of hours across hilly terrain, into a village called </span><span data-scayt_word="Khadichitra" data-scaytid="7" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">Khadichitra</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">. Just a few </span><span data-scayt_word="kilometres" data-scaytid="8" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">kilometres</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> into our journey, and we could see time racing back exponentially.</span><br />
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<img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/12x8_MG_0764-20130309-0542291.JPG" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/12x8_MG_0764-20130309-0542291.JPG" style="color: #333333; cursor: default; float: left; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; height: 200px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; opacity: 0.9; width: 300px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">It was a land that seemed to be characteristic of life hundreds of years ago – clean, flowing streams, fields of local grains and vegetables grown for sustenance. Along the way, we were offered countless </span><span data-scayt_word="‘chai’s" data-scaytid="9" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">‘chai’s</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> and conversations within the cool houses made of mud, cow dung and straw. We learnt that theirs was a culture that had lived off the land, and in connection with one another for hundreds of years. With no roads or electricity – there was virtually no transactions with the outside world. The nearest ‘store’ was a few hours walk away. Their self-reliance led them to create their own social and family structures. All village disputes were resolved on their own through periodic discussions, without reliance on the law of any sort. There seemed to be an abundance in their perceived scarcity.</span><br />
<br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">No doubt, an unstructured walk of this kind is bound to evoke a certain romanticism about the generosity of a community so separated from the outside materialistic world. But simultaneously, I could feel my ‘development’ oriented mind screaming. I could see my mind noticing all the apparent flaws, or what needed to be fixed.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">We met a man who had 22 children and three wives!; boys suffered from hygiene issues since they wore only pair of clothes until they tore away. After 60 years of independence and this village was still plunged in absolute darkness at night. There was rampant deforestation all around. Medical aid was nowhere near in sight, and water still had to be drawn from open wells that were susceptible to pollution.</span><br />
<br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">But just a few hours into the walk, I find myself enveloped by a stillness that pervaded the woods. Over each conversation with children and locals, I found a story beyond the flaws.</span><br />
<br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">The lack of electricity meant they didn’t have television sets screaming and pointing out their material poverty. A lack of irrigation meant they used age old techniques of furrows and rocks to divert water into their farms. The lack of roads meant there were no </span><span data-scayt_word="‘Gutka’" data-scaytid="10" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; padding-bottom: 0px !important;">‘Gutka’</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> pouches and ‘Chips’ packets strewn across the landscape.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">How do we balance the romantic notions of generosity in a community like this, with the development issues? I seemed to be succumbing to all these thoughts, when we met Mustukhan, a 26 year old from the city of Bhavnagar. 8 months ago, took a leap of faith and arrived here after having worked with untouchables through a large Gandhian organization for two years.</span><br />
<br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">He had come here without knowing anyone, or the local language – only a simple intention of surrendering and serving a community. Initially, he walked from home to home, and through broken words and sentences he would listen, and hold the tribals stories and paradoxes. It wasn’t about </span><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.awakin.org/read/view.php?tid=127" href="http://www.awakin.org/read/view.php?tid=127" style="color: #0782c1; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">fixing, but offering oneself as their servant. </a><br />
<img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/12x8_MG_0405-20130308-2157131.JPG" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/12x8_MG_0405-20130308-2157131.JPG" style="color: #333333; cursor: default; float: left; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; height: 200px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; width: 300px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Over dinners and meals together, he would cut children’s nails with the nail-cutter that he found attached to his keychain. On the next visit, he brought some skin lotion from the nearest store since he saw skin lesions on a majority of the community.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">The first couple of nights, he was offered a goat shed to stay in. A week later, the community’s elder -Asha Kaka offered him some barren land to build a home. A home that was built with the villagers using straw and mud plaster. The next day after the home was built; he had children flocking towards the structure out of curiosity. They looked at the makeshift mirror in his verandah and immediately started running a comb through their hair (probably the first time in weeks). </span><img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/12x8_MG_0465-20130308-2243351.JPG" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/12x8_MG_0465-20130308-2243351.JPG" style="color: #333333; cursor: default; float: right; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; height: 199px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; width: 300px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Slowly, he began teaching them little messages about personal hygiene. Over the next few weeks, more kids came by and soon he had to structure a schedule for the children – much like a school. Infact – he decided to christen the space – ‘Ghar-shaala’ (Home-school) – run under the shade of a beautiful tree that was adorned with words</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">During Diwali, he intended to head back to his home town of Bhavnagar as usual, but he decided to spend the festival with his new family “This is where my home is now” and as a result, he cooked and hosted the residents of his community for a large dinner. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">“Most of the residents have seen Government officials and NGO workers pass through in the past. But when I received the opportunity to cook and serve dinner at Diwali, they realized this was different.” They connected with me in a very different way because I didn’t represent any organization or Government. They connected with me in a way that they have been used to – through trust.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Months of service later, and he was starting to see people responding and opening up to him. On his walks through the community he was repeatedly called ‘Sir’ but after much persuasion, they agree to call him ‘Mota Bhai’ or brother. ‘If you call me Sir I’ll forget to keep learning from all of you!’</span><br />
<br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">And that was the essence of Mustubhai’s work. He really just served to one day be one with those around him. To learn their language, to wear their clothes, to honour their context and their complexities.</span><br />
<img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/12x8_MG_0676-20130309-0058541.JPG" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/12x8_MG_0676-20130309-0058541.JPG" style="color: #333333; cursor: default; float: right; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; height: 199px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; width: 300px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Has it been difficult – living here all alone in this alien land? We asked. “Yes – but that’s what this journey is about – navigating and exploring our boundaries. Service, is like a divine flow – each bend in the course offers us an opportunity to adapt and learn” One night, due to unseasonal rains, the roof of his house blew off with a gust of wind. With a few kids who chose to spend the night at home, Mustu decided to celebrate the situation by singing a song about the rains. The kids followed, and the moment was transformed into a beautiful opportunity to build deeper ties.</span><br />
<br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">As the number of children increased, he decided to engage them in more activites in his home-school. “It would be great to have a cow someday – we can all take turns taking her out to graze, use her milk for the school. Learn from serving even the animals”</span><br />
<br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Our country’s diverse culture and contexts is something we don’t need to be reminded of time and again – but it’s worth noting how we often resort to homogenous solutions for complex situations. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">That night, we all laid our heads on a cot hand made by the very man who had 3 wives and all those children. My quickfix solution would have been to create structures and family planning programs that reprimand such behaviour. But having seen him at work for the last few hours, you got a sense of the devotion that he held towards his work, how he was constantly toiling to create better offerings for his community.</span><br />
<br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">As I laid my head to rest on the cot that he had made just that day, I could see the countless stars in the sky. The black background didn’t seem to be all that 2 dimensional anymore. There was this added dimension that we could see since there were absolutely no street lights or electricity. It was a dimension of complexity that we could respect only if we had stillness in our minds. A stillness to look at situations and say – how can I serve, and not fix. A stillness that allows us to serve from a harmony of our heart, head and hand that created an impact more sustainable than intellectual solutions.</span><br />
<br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Sure, LED lights, solar panels, roads, medical facilities would be great. Social Enterprise, Non-profits and Government Policies would be ideal for implementing all of these – but it was critical to keep an eye on the externalities that they bring along with them. To maintain the social structure and trust within this community that ensured most of them seemed happier than us.</span><br />
<br style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Late into the night, you could hear drum beats - part of a ritual that might signal superstitions were ripe. But something told me we must trust that this approach had something interesting to offer. We must understand that solutions cannot be imposed, but emerge collectively when we become one with our community – just like </span><em style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Mota-bhai who dissolves within the collective.</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">~ Service is a Divine Flow indeed ~</span><br />
<img alt="" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/12x8_MG_1008-20130310-0536281.JPG" src="http://www.servicespace.org/inc/ckfinder/userfiles/images/movedbylove/12x8_MG_1008-20130310-0536281.JPG" style="color: #333333; cursor: default; float: left; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; height: 200px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; opacity: 0.9; width: 300px;" /><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">View the complete gallery of pictures </span><a data-cke-saved-href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/110013845494289734320/albums/5854360806595872513" href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/110013845494289734320/albums/5854360806595872513" style="color: #0782c1; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">here.</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805631606792740406.post-38489331140520578292013-02-05T19:08:00.002+05:302013-04-11T16:17:20.236+05:30Namma Bengaluru<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">Bangalore traffic does have it's advantages. I arrived in the city the evening before the talk and on the two hour journey from the Airport I was with two students of the Business School and another speaker - an incredible lady called Manjula who is an entrepreneur cum endurance cyclist. The students seemed amazed at my journey and wanted to know more about the whys and the hows. I started of with the usual insights into the harsh realities of businesses, the importance of values and service but surprisingly, Manjula chipped in as well. We had conversations around how service ultimately is an offering to society when we come alive where we are. At recent conferences in the Silicon Valley of India, they've been exploring a decentralized 'Wiki' model for entrepreneurs. Manjula, has herself been working on such structures to facilitate distribution of wealth and scale. Of course, they are housed in capitalist values, but its incredible to see conversations beginning.</span><br />
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On arriving we're escorted by about a dozen students in smart suits toward a large-ish conference room for an informal circle of sharing with all the speakers. An army officer shared experiences from Kashmir - pretty horrific stuff, stories about an 11 year old being paid to throw grenades, militants being brainwashed etc. But he came down to this - the problem in the area is not going to be solved by technology and money. He cited example of how he asked European arms vendors to return since he saw this as a problem in human values, not lack of technology. He says that we have to collectively approach one another with pure intentions and transparency in our hearts. He was narrating stories of militants who have been transformed just by officers shedding their army-fronts to speak to them as humans. Like the colour of every human's blood, service is also not distinguishable he says - compassion and generosity are universal, and we must maintain that at all times.</div>
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A brief conversation later on Seva Cafe and you see people just 'get it'. Immediately you see barriers between people breaking down, and people almost feel free to share what they truly vibe with. Manjula shared stories of how her 500km non-stop bike ride last week led her to deep spaces in her sub-conscious. She says you reach stages when your focus is sharpened to a pin-point, and no questions remain. She recounts countless stories of generosity from the villagers along the way :) Among other inspiring speakers, Geeta is a 65 year old story teller! Her essence is to build bridges between 'Being' and 'Doing' through stories. </div>
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Unbelievably the evening ends with a senior professor of the institute sharing the three core values of the Upanishads - 'Giving, Humility and Compassion'. We even ended the circle with an explanation on why 'shanti' is chanted three times! I walk out to further conversations about how 'Smiling' is the best practice for your mind - and is something we must incorporate in our lives. :) I've done so many trips on a flight on a Friday evening, spent hundreds of hours in conference rooms and business schools, but I have to say this is the first time I've experienced dialogues like these with people in ties and black suits. Everyone's talking generosity, and everyone, in their small ways is looking to contribute where they are, as entrepreneurs, students and professors. Almost a sigh of relief for me - up until then i was concerned about how my crazy thoughts might go down at the talk! </div>
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I reach the home where I'm spending the night, and I see chocolates outside the gate, with an anonymous hand written note that says 'Welcome to Bangalore Sid and La!' A small act of kindness from these unknown angels is just what I needed to make me feel at home :) Over a conversation late at night, an old friend who's hosting us says she's seen so many friends doing what we're doing externally - travelling speaking, connecting. But the difference is its not for accumulation, but for giving away, and the difference is starting to show in us! :)</div>
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Just the kind of validation La and I needed. </div>
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The morning of the talk, and I'm convinced about the organization capabilities of MBA students. For someone handling this event for the first time, there were absolutely no hiccups. Every minute of the gathering, not only me but also the people I invited were greeted with great hospitality. At the event, the speakers really put out some great thoughts as you would imagine. Sanjay Jha who's an eminent columnist spoke about Social Media and the power to create revolutions through the internet, but ended with the example of Gandhi, and how simple purity of thought and action can also ripple out to mass mobilization of people! One of the speakers got a bamboo bicycle on stage that he rides around the country and ended with how happiness is derived by looking 'beyond the finishing line and goals that we set'.</div>
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All the talks including mine were well received, the audience was eager, and later I found out it was also broadcast in other rooms so that all the students could watch the event live! The three shifts I spoke about (Transaction to Trust, Consumption to Contribution and Scarcity to Abundance) seemed to click and register in everyone's minds - at the end of the evening, the Army Officer gets up again, walks to the stage and spontaneously gives a talk straight from the heart about the need for making these kinds of shifts, and working with pure intentions!</div>
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Over dinner though, I had some amazing interactions - one of the speakers who's an IIM Cal graduate came over to tell me the shifts I spoke about were exactly what his heart speaks of and wants to explore it in some way. Another guest shared how he was really annoyed with another lady in front of him who was talking all through the event. He was really agitated, but after hearing Swapna's story of kindness with the watchman, he decides to forgive her! There were groups of students who came up over dinner to speak about how they really vibe with this kind of thought (almost a thank-god-someones-talking-<wbr></wbr>this-way types!) - which is pretty rare with Business students! Some of the professors too - they want to host more such gatherings in the coming months to start tapping into 'India's true potential'. </div>
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The next morning, around 25 of us gathered for an <a href="http://www.awakin.org/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Awakin </a>style gathering in the beautiful home of a volunteer couple - Anupreet and Goli. Apart from experiments in urban farming, and butterfly rearing, they are the engines behind the Seva Cafe in Bangalore. We opened our eyes to see old friends from past retreats right there besides us - it's amazing how an <a href="http://www.servicespace.org/event/view.php?eid=2367" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">event </a>created on the Service Space website actually connects people who are travelling through the city for just a day! A few lines of code connecting all these decentralized pockets of love. Another young man from Sri Lanka shared how he has been doing random acts of kindness for several years. One time, while googling for random acts of kindness, he came across <a href="http://www.karmatube.org/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Karma Tube</a>, and the rest just flowed. A few years later, he finds himself here in the living room of people co-creating a space of trust :) Ofcourse, he was later tagged with a Smile Deck to keep those <a href="http://www.servicespace.org/blog/view.php?fid=4770" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">ripples </a>flowing :) Everyone was tagged with <a href="http://www.kidswithcompassion.wordpress.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">three gratitude cards</a>, to practice what they're grateful for and later in the afternoon we were joined by the man that made the 'Bamboo Bicyles' which one of the speakers spoke about the earlier night. Added to all this magic, the 'Dosawala' from the corner of the street shows up at the home, all willing to cook custom-made dosas for his friends! </div>
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Herbal teas by Shammi and Stephanie followed with Lahar and Anupreet discussing the power of hand painting and decorating spaces with positive words. 'Art with Heart' might just be the next things you guys hear of :) </div>
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Later in the evening, we found ourselves at a beautiful space centred on wellness - created by a couple <a href="http://www.servicespace.org/blog/view.php?id=12430" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Susheel </a>and Kapila and hosts the Seva Cafes. They shared some incredible stories of how this space actually came about. Donors just writing them checks, well-wishers offering them a space to stay! Susheel also shared a story of how auditors were asking him to '<i>establish</i>' himself before doing the Seva Cafe once a month. One of them actually visited the last Seva Cafe, and the 150 odd guests and 50 volunteers that day have actually convinced him to bring along the other auditors and bankers on<a href="http://www.sevacafe.org/Bangalore.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"> Feb 24th</a> :)</div>
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At night, on the flight home, I receive an email from one of the students the earlier night which ended with '<i>Through the inspiration, we realize that Management students can also follow their Passion!</i>' As I switch off my phone, I sink into thoughts of how I've spent several years with a disconnect with my qualifications - I would rarely introduce myself that way, or detest being introduced through it. But the last couple days have actually got me accepting it, in a way. Perhaps I've begun to see how it could be used 'well'. Perhaps I'm starting to see some merit in being called an IIM-wala :)</div>
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May the flow of generosity keep growing and transforming us all :)</div>
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Moved By Love.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805631606792740406.post-82907699830995934942013-01-15T12:44:00.002+05:302013-01-20T12:59:47.049+05:30Generosity at Seva Cafe Mumbai<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<embed flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F101672053327702786001%2Falbumid%2F5833552555892535905%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" height="400" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="600"></embed><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">Someone once said, it takes a village to host a </span><a href="http://www.sevacafe.org/" style="color: #5e311d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; outline: none 0px;">Seva Café</a><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">! Indeed it did. A village that comprised of students, housewives, finance professionals, children from the slums of Mumbai, teachers and a lot more. They all came together on the 13</span><sup style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', helvetica, arial; line-height: 22px;">th</sup><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"> of January with a simple intention of serving their peers with generosity.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">In India, we’re all used to the concept of offering a meal to family or a friend who visits our home, but what if we could extend this generosity to a stranger we don’t even know? What if the guests were told we trusted them to accept this gift and pay forward the generosity so that this experiment could continue?</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">It is this process that we asked guests to go through. How would you value a volunteer from another city cleaning the toilets at the venue, or a lady calling in to say she couldn’t be present, but delivered 150 plates and spoons for people she wouldn’t even meet? How would you value the generosity of an engineering student who took time off on a Saturday to grate carrots for the Halwa! How would you value the price of a beautiful space like </span><a href="http://travel.cnn.com/mumbai/none/secret-gardens-mumbai-shantivan-507018" style="color: #5e311d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; outline: none 0px;">Shantivan Garden</a><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"> being offered as a gift for this experiment? Sure, you could put a price to it, but it will differ from person to person. One guest came in all the way from Pune, just for lunch – and before we could say how grateful we were, he offers us a bag with 5 kilos of Atta!</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">We look at each other in awe, and accept the gift. Seva Café had become a lesson for us in accepting what the community offered and working with the abundance that we had. There were artists who designed the space, renowned photographers who captured moments, expert cooks who put the meal together - all without any outreach. It is this abundance that has already made us consider hosting a <a href="http://www.sevacafe.org/mumbai.html"> February gathering!</a></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">It was also a shift away from fundraising – each guest whether he came from the slum or from Malabar Hill was given an opportunity to contribute. And through this giving, he was completing a circle that we otherwise forget that we are a part of.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">A volunteer emailed us at night with a little act of kindness she did for a neighbourhood watchman she had quarreled with earlier. She says she wouldn’t have done anything about it before, but there seemed to be a change in her. She’s not sure if it’s temporary or permanent, but she felt a shift within. The ripples had already started flowing, and the beauty is it wasn’t restricted to the space anymore, it was out there creating impact in the most invisible forms!</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">Is such a thought sustainable? We don’t know, but it is important that we look at it in the form of an experiment, and allow it to fail without us trying to ‘keep it alive’. The question we are asking is, - ‘is Mumbai generous?’ The answer is something we look forward to. But 7 years of history in other cities tells me that it might just be :)</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">~ It is in Giving that we Receive ~ </span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=805631606792740406" name="more" style="background-color: white; color: #5e311d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; outline: none 0px; text-decoration: underline;"></a>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">Here's a video made by a 21 year old volunteer, Sahil.</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805631606792740406.post-15328825773091178362012-12-19T12:21:00.001+05:302013-04-04T16:40:24.281+05:30An Attitude of Gratitude<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>An attitude of
gratitude!<br />
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Gratitude and Suffering cannot Co-exist!<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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I was sitting across my <a href="http://drbinduss.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">mother </a>just yesterday in her office
cabin, when she sighed with some grief. It was one of those days at work
when she was beating herself down about not being as ‘successful’ as she’d like
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=805631606792740406" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>As I continued eating my lunch – she changed the topic to my birthday and asked
me what I wanted. My immediate reaction was what it had been for several years
– I would normally have said ‘Nothing’! But genius flowed right through me at
that point. I told her I’d like for her to write me a list for my birthday. I
handed her a pen and paper and asked her to list out <b>Ten things she was Grateful for</b>! <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span>
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Clearly,
it’s not what either her or I expected. She was anticipating my usual response to
which she would have gone out and bought me something anyway. This was much
tougher! But a mother can’t refuse what her son asks of her, and she
reluctantly sat down and wrote out Ten things she was grateful for! </div>
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It took her about fifteen minutes, but by the time she was done, the results
were apparent. From being grateful to her staff to her dog at home, she was
clearly transformed. After reading it out to me, she walks out and asks all her
staff member to do the same <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span>
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At night, over dinner while we’re narrating the story to my family, there were
tears in her eyes, and immediately everyone’s moved. My aunt from the US and my
father join in too. My aunt spoke about a life threatening surgery she had 15
years ago and how she should be looking at life as a Gift! <a href="http://laharmehta.posterous.com/" target="_blank">Lahar </a>steps it up
and says she’d like to do a <b>40 day
gratitude challenge</b> – where she wakes up every morning and writes out ten
different things she’s grateful for.<br />
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And that’s when things really start rolling! When my dad wanted to take a
picture of me cutting cake, I decide to hold up my gifts – all the sheets of
gratitude I’ve received so I can share it with my sister <span style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span> Ofcourse, she and her
husband join in too as do Lahar’s parents! In face my mother-in law decides to <a href="http://www.movedbylove.org/blog/view.php?id=170">practice gratitude with some of the children she works with.</a></div>
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A few years ago, I’d be reluctant to receive calls on my birthday and keep it
on silent – but today I’ve been receiving all the calls and telling everyone
about my birthday gift. Perhaps they might write a note on gratitude for
themselves <span style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><br />
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To me, it’s been a true lesson - when we look at things with gratitude they
become gifts – my birthday, mobile phones, cameras could all have been
something I try to avoid, but instead they became gifts that transformed people
around me.<br />
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Grateful for my mother who started out all these ripples!<br />
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<b>Gratitude and Suffering cannot Co-exist!</b><br />
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<b>PS: </b>3 months later, I received an email from Beena, based out of Pune who heard me sharing this story at the <a href="http://www.servicespace.org/blog/view.php?id=12401">Pune retreat</a>. She totally takes me by surprise when she shares her <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fCqY2SmaeuG9V_PF-5duK-Nw1QJxd4T_XlH_lbxzLhk/edit?usp=sharing">30 day journal of gratitude!</a><br /><br />The ripples keep on flowing :)</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805631606792740406.post-90512280440804834062012-12-13T19:16:00.001+05:302013-01-20T13:12:07.161+05:30Listen to your heart<div class='posterous_autopost'><p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://getfile2.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2012-12-13/bwGuexkrFHesEgdksJplEsesykpAEcqrzozzIlaGjEurbvawbdxtscbtDzCu/Wednesday_Navi_Mumbai.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Wednesday_navi_mumbai" height="324" src="http://getfile8.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2012-12-13/bwGuexkrFHesEgdksJplEsesykpAEcqrzozzIlaGjEurbvawbdxtscbtDzCu/Wednesday_Navi_Mumbai.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" /></a> </div> </p> <p> <div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Just a few days ago, Deven and Shalini, an every day couple from the city of Mumbai made the jump to open the doors to their home after a three day <a href="http://www.movedbylove.org/retreat/" target="_blank" style="color: #1155cc;">retreat </a>in Ahmedabad. Their intention, was to host <a href="http://www.awakin.org/local/">Awakin Wednesday</a>'s in their living room after toying with the idea for years. And host they did - from cooking a three course meal, complete with a Gajar halwa cake, to their daughter Simran who welcomed us with a little poster she drew herself! </div> <p /> <div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://getfile4.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2012-12-13/wrqGBBjmGgaDuyeoAsJFkDzflrabnewojqknFxmynmhFafaBdEkrHwubydJE/2012-12-12_21.36.13.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="2012-12-12_21" height="667" src="http://getfile8.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2012-12-13/wrqGBBjmGgaDuyeoAsJFkDzflrabnewojqknFxmynmhFafaBdEkrHwubydJE/2012-12-12_21.36.13.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" /></a> </div> <div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">We could feel ourselves dissolve in the stillness, as the voices of the children outside in the playground dimmed with the setting sun and the circle gave rise to beautiful emergence. Shalini shared how she connected with a boy from the street over a pastry, while Aparna felt like she was taken back to Madhu and Meghna's home in Ahmedabad. Deven was so moved he said would like to return to Ahmedabad, but this time to serve at the retreat! But what blew us all away was what Vishal ended the circle with:</div> <p /> <span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">"I've never heard my heart beat before. As I sat in silence for the last hour, I was taken back to the last time when I listened to my heart. When I gave up the comfort of a mechanical life to pursue my dream of teaching people how to deal with their money. It is in moments like these that I gain conviction for my way forward."</span> <p /> <div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Gratitude for being able to listen to my heart and to be part of gatherings like this :) Something tells me this is going to be a very popular 'Temple of Kindness'<br /> <p /> <div>Love.</div> </div> </p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805631606792740406.post-54025863849177581412012-09-26T18:32:00.001+05:302013-10-14T15:54:35.422+05:30The Ganesh in the home by the road<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I closed the door behind me and set out. I often find myself on these walks. No cell phone, no wallet. No destination. Just intentions of heading somewhere, and to<a href="http://dailygood.org/view.php?sid=236" target="_blank"> W-A-L-K </a>along the way. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I'm always amazed at what emerges through the chaos and hustle that a city offers when we take of our blinkers. So that day, when I found myself struggling to see the beauty around me at home, I set out. I cross the road, and enter the lane just across the road. As I walked, I tried to see all that is around me - the cobbler, the old kakas sitting around the banyan tree.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Just there, I see a beautifully crafted Ganpati - not more than 1 foot in height. But it wasn't seated in a pandal. It was by the road, open for everyone to visit. It was seated in someones living Room. They had drawn back the curtains and windows, opened out all the doors, cleaned the floors, repainted the walls - and offered this Ganpati to everyone who passed by. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Few people can say that they have bumped into me at a temple or a place of worship, but that day, I just had to step into that home. All year long, this would be the personal space of a family getting together over dinner, but for these 10 days, it was a community space. Open to anyone to come in, confess their shortcomings, or perhaps offer their gratitude. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I bow my head in a customary fashion, and the lady (presumably of the house) walks out immediately and offers me ‘prasad’. We are often used to this in a religious context, but something about this experience made me think differently.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">What a beautiful way to open out your heart to community. And all of this without the support of any external agencies or donors. This home could easily be classified as ‘under privileged’ and could be using the money in so many different ways.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">When the festival would have been initiated by Bal Gangadhar Tilak in the 1800s you can imagine he would have had exactly this intention in mind – “for people of the community, to come together and contribute their time and money and create magic together, irrespective of caste and economic strata”. Not only that, its probably the only festival i've come across where the end is celebrated! It is reminding us that every Sarjan, has a Visarjan, every birth a death.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">It had me thinking immediately – what do the modern day community gatherings look like? </span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805631606792740406.post-49377162049677118812012-09-26T18:13:00.001+05:302013-02-27T23:57:02.224+05:30We learn as we Walk!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">"No mobile and wallets remember!" Lahar said to me as we closed to the door. During our volunteering at the Ashram in Ahmedabad, the two of us would often chalk aside some time to set out on <a href="http://dailygood.org/view.php?sid=236" target="_blank">W-A-L-K</a>s. We had managed to do quite a few of them across the city, but this one in particular stood out. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We set out of home around noon that Sunday from our apartment. We held an intention to get to old city. Along the way, we had decided to open our minds and hearts and serve whoever came along the way. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We stepped out on to CG Road, a bustling retail street in the evenings and we watched some of the vendors setting up their wares. We came across Mohanbhai, a belt vendor. He looks at us strangely as we ask what he's doing. We explain how we've set out to help people, and he skeptically allows us to arrange his belts on the mat on the footpath. “There is a system t</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">hat we must follow!</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">”, he says, “The jazzy ones go to the back - the utilitarian ones out front! Gents to the left, Ladies to the right.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">As we roll up the belts and arrange them on the mats, he opens up. He's telling us about how his first wife passed away, and his second wife is whole-heartedly looking after his kids in the old city. After 45 minutes, we're done and Lahar gestures that we must start heading. We say our goodbyes, but not before Mohanbhai’s run off to buy us Chai! He's back soon and we share some with an old lady who’s curiously been inquiring into what's going on.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We head onwards, and Lahar looks at her watch - it’s close to 1 - and we're getting hungry. “Let's try and fast”, I say, we usually do it one day of the week anyway for <a href="http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=4893" target="_blank">Tyaag Nu Tiffin</a>. If we received food, it would be great – but we had decided not to ask.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Soon, we came across the dilapidated old bungalow that we often zoomed past in the car all these days. We went into explore, wondering what it could be. A gentleman pops his head over the window - asking what we're up to. "We're volunteers, looking to walk and serve along the way"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">A big smile lights up his face. He calls us around the wall and into his apartment complex. “Come into my house”, he says. Very naturally, we find ourselves a few minutes later sharing a glass of water with him in his living room. His name is Thapa - and works with the State Government. His lifelong dream has been to start a non-profit that can create good! He's looking for people like us to join hands with him! A few conversations later, he asks if we're hungry and insists on taking us to have chaat and we find ourselves at the neighbourhood bhelpuri wala talking about Indian mythology over Sev Puri. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Soon, we walk on, and we pick up a few flowers along the ground. I look across the street and I see this homeless man in absolutely tattered clothes waving at us with bright white teeth. Him we have to meet! :) As we go sit on his park bench, we ask him about his life. He's decided two things in his life - he won't work - and he won't bathe. Food just comes to him from people around. As I start to romanticize with the concept of doing nothing, he looks at a tear in my jeans and then deep into my eyes and says - this, is not for you.. Your fate holds something much larger! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Just then, a rickshaw pulls over - the driver knows about this gentleman and he's amused to see us. We explain that we're serving and offering flowers along the way and we would like to eventually get into old city. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">He asks us to get in since he can drop us half way. As i gesture that we have no money - he looks like it was silly of me to even bring it up. Across the city we go - halfway to our intended destination. After he reaches his rickshaw stand, we get off. We pause for a couple minutes, wondering what to do next, when the rickshaw driver comes back. This time an old lady is seated in the rickshaw. Come in he says - we're going to old city! We look at the old lady tentatively and she’s busy making space for us. Off we go, across the bridge and into the old city. Lahar and I have these big smiles on our faces, that are exploding into these uncontrollable peals of loud laughter. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Is this seriously happening? We get off, and it’s no more about us doing, talking or serving. Things just start happening and our hearts overflow. Everywhere we go, people are smiling and offering us things. Along the way, we're fed and hugged. We just wave at vendors, ask them how they're doing and we're offered fruits, snacks - someone wanted to 'gift' me a Bag! Lahar even has a lady decorate her entire left arm with mehndi as she shared her life story with us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">It was hard to explain what we experienced after that point. We stepped into a park nearby to absorb it all. As we picked up a few pieces of trash along our path, we are questioned by a man sitting with his lunch tiffin open on the grass. He is a vet’s assistant he says, and on Sundays he rides around the city on his scooter, serving animals that need help. Our mouths are agape, and ofcourse, he offers us lunch! No thanks we say, but we can't refuse the sweets :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We bid our goodbyes, and step out - its getting dark and we need to walk all the way to the other part of the city. We step out of the gate, and a rickshaw driver asks me - where we’re headed. “Get in”, he says. And after explaining our situation he gives me the same look we received from the previous driver. All the way back to CG road, we’re still trying to absorbe and we cant believe what just happened.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We stop outside our lane, next to Mohan bhai the belt vendor. he comes running towards us - he usually earns 700-800 Rs a day, but in a couple hours today he had already clocked 1500 Rs. He was ecstatic - he had to buy us dinner! Lahar and I look at each other as we refuse to eat! The uneasiness in our stomachs from all the overeating are a reminder that we need to be careful for what we wish for!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Pandeyji our watchman is strolling by and we gladly offer him our dinner.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We sit back at home and our minds are racing. What if we could live our entire lives like this? Could we trust the generosity in everyone’s hearts and continue on this faith? Is the world really like a mirror- did we see these beautiful people only because we set out with 'beautiful' eyes?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">What we did realize was that when we remove the blinkers on our vision, we can open up to miracles all around us. These were regular people, in regular jobs in a regular city. We were regular people in regular clothes. What if we led our lives with intentions, and not 'goals' of getting somewhere? What did it take for all these so called underprivileged people to be so kind and generous in such an organic and effortless way? Whatever it was, it gave us a direction for a lifetime.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Deep gratitude to each and everyone who ended up serving us that day. I hope we all continue to see ourselves as one family.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805631606792740406.post-4464554973005570442012-09-24T10:12:00.000+05:302013-08-06T23:28:25.374+05:30Scalability of Generosity<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #212020; line-height: 18px;">Just yesterday, Raghu and Bhaskar of </span><a href="http://www.sevacafe.org/" style="color: #744530; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">Seva Café</a><span style="color: #212020; line-height: 18px;"> were invited by a large Agri Business Company to address their 150 managers from all over India. On our way to the venue in Baroda, we had the privilege of engaging in conversation with our rental car driver – Narendrabhai.</span><br />
<span style="color: #212020; line-height: 18px;">As soon as Raghu and Bhaskar shared the concept of Seva Café with him, you could sense a shift in his approach towards us. A few minutes later, he stops the car for Chai and insists on buying! We drive on and on approaching a toll plaza, immediately our hands reach for our wallets. We were hoping to pay the toll, which in any other situation would have been an expectation from his side.</span><br />
<span style="color: #212020; line-height: 18px;">It doesn’t stop there. During Raghu and Bhaskar’s discussions on the café, Narendrabhai is constantly chiming in with suggestions and even offers to have all the broken chairs and tables repaired :)</span><br />
<span style="color: #212020; line-height: 18px;">Later that morning, during the talk – the common business term ‘Scalability’ was thrown up. Do we have plans for a 'chain of Seva Cafes?' 'Sure, it would be great', but the example of Narendrabhai was then shared. In a sense, Seva Café had manifested in the car on our way to the talk. What if we looked at Scalability in this manner? – generosity in people’s homes, cars, offices, apartment complexes – there’s no end ofcourse! Can we think of Scalability of generosity instead?</span><br />
<span style="color: #212020; line-height: 18px;">Much gratitude to Narendrabhai, who unknowingly planted seeds in so many beautiful minds :)</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805631606792740406.post-80894704081490013122012-09-13T08:46:00.001+05:302012-09-13T08:46:59.553+05:30A ten rupee Gift for Seva Cafe Pune<div class='posterous_autopost'><p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Santosh_cropped" height="249" src="http://getfile5.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2012-09-12/jrDljIqoEhDxibiFgyqxagbpHhfEIdnxAdGIjxHwpqEgibwbByjqotzHdEyu/santosh_cropped.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="170" /> </div> <br /> “And that is how the circle of giving is completed” – with that Sheetal completed his description of Seva Cafe. He was sharing the concept of gift economy with the folks who dropped in for the Wednesday Awakin gathering at the Urban Ashram last week.</p> <p>Among those who were attending was 10 year old Santosh, who was had come there with his Teach For India mentor in a municipal school he attends. The 10 year old boy, probably exposed to meditation for the first time walks over to Sheetal at the end of the evening, and hands him a 10 rupee note. “Here is my contribution”, he says, “I won’t be able to make it for dinner that night, but I’d like to offer you something. This is all I have with me right now.” Turns out, it was his money for the bus ride home, but he doesn’t seem to mind.</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://getfile8.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2012-09-12/ElwsjqwjgxqcCGHmEIFzFHwJdwzkGCqBswfytIoqheybrgaIonIngJpbxsIn/compassion.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Compassion" height="331" src="http://getfile3.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2012-09-12/ElwsjqwjgxqcCGHmEIFzFHwJdwzkGCqBswfytIoqheybrgaIonIngJpbxsIn/compassion.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" /></a> <a href="http://getfile2.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2012-09-12/sGnydmFcmJEBxrqnjGdgHcuzFymfjCarunvfxwznkArnllnzhozsloyFFpkn/flower.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Flower" height="331" src="http://getfile1.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2012-09-12/sGnydmFcmJEBxrqnjGdgHcuzFymfjCarunvfxwznkArnllnzhozsloyFFpkn/flower.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" /></a> <a href="http://getfile2.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2012-09-12/zrgIoebvqGFDhEfeIcanbACtibabExvJvJFHwejpHCcEvDwnuzcxywkptAHp/heart.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Heart" height="331" src="http://getfile1.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2012-09-12/zrgIoebvqGFDhEfeIcanbACtibabExvJvJFHwejpHCcEvDwnuzcxywkptAHp/heart.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" /></a> <a href="http://getfile4.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2012-09-12/iioecDaDmHaAumeikxzafJoBHgJEfxHqCdhyBbDwukyzyGbpIaAegfCCyGDc/serving2.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Serving2" height="331" src="http://getfile9.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2012-09-12/iioecDaDmHaAumeikxzafJoBHgJEfxHqCdhyBbDwukyzyGbpIaAegfCCyGDc/serving2.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" /></a> <a href="http://getfile8.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2012-09-12/zbDbvuEDkEIcdrxshJzBEkfzvDzqkFkmGGmHuEBFufwuufJIinblEcvcsyfl/serving.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Serving" height="331" src="http://getfile1.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2012-09-12/zbDbvuEDkEIcdrxshJzBEkfzvDzqkFkmGGmHuEBFufwuufJIinblEcvcsyfl/serving.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" /></a> <a href="http://getfile4.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2012-09-12/akhsetFAjvwloBpgsjgwwIfotiHDAnwuGGsfebnppxtbFeeHfDfEAmjxBGJw/singing.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Singing" height="331" src="http://getfile8.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2012-09-12/akhsetFAjvwloBpgsjgwwIfotiHDAnwuGGsfebnppxtbFeeHfDfEAmjxBGJw/singing.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" /></a> <a href="http://getfile1.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2012-09-12/IrndDbGtqyrFrmgnquFwoAcsklzoEdtiovIfeoJtydCarmlxtobfFmuJwxsJ/welcome.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Welcome" height="331" src="http://getfile7.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2012-09-12/IrndDbGtqyrFrmgnquFwoAcsklzoEdtiovIfeoJtydCarmlxtobfFmuJwxsJ/welcome.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" /></a> <a href="http://getfile1.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2012-09-12/lDFlaHsyDnwbegIsxHdvJpblgeGpeCildlzHJuAIJIlJqBGppizralxuCzcz/paapad.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Paapad" height="331" src="http://getfile5.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2012-09-12/lDFlaHsyDnwbegIsxHdvJpblgeGpeCildlzHJuAIJIlJqBGppizralxuCzcz/paapad.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" /></a> <a href="http://getfile0.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2012-09-12/EhwdmBjluIGdFCwCjaztyfaCGpqFgkBajyJEnHzxBsGcvdbvCCkEmdtccJBo/raghu_and_po.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Raghu_and_po" height="331" src="http://getfile3.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2012-09-12/EhwdmBjluIGdFCwCjaztyfaCGpqFgkBajyJEnHzxBsGcvdbvCCkEmdtccJBo/raghu_and_po.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" /></a> <div class='p_see_full_gallery'><a href="http://siddharthsthalekar.posterous.com/a-ten-rupee-contribution-for-seva-cafe-pune">See the full gallery on Posterous</a></div> </div> </p> <p>This and a whole host of beautiful events transpired on September 9 2012, when the Atlantis restaurant in Pune transformed into a Seva Cafe for the evening. The videographer decided to offer his services as his gift to the community – he says he wants to make a documentary on this! More than 25 people show up well before time (including 6 friends from Mumbai!) all looking to volunteer. <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/12WR3VSO2w7csGLr0DCN7Qd4v3LuhRycgzGliReUzrp8/edit">Raghu </a>came in all the way from Ahmedabad just for the night. The ambience team transformed the entire space in a matter of hours with quotations and even <a href="http://laharmehta.posterous.com/daily-good-at-your-table">table mats</a>. We couldn’t stop people that day. Parthu, who has been in Pune for the last three years was a regular volunteer as a child in Ahmedabad. The moment he heard about the opening night in Pune, he demands to be the ‘first volunteer’ of Pune! At the end when the volunteers sat down to eat, they were force fed every last Gulab Jamun by their own guests who decided to stay back and help!</p> <p>To top it all, Anita, the owner of the restaurant refuses to accept any form of contribution from the volunteers. She very clearly says, this is my offering for the first night!</p> <p>Santosh the 10 year old did end up making it for the opening night, and when his story was shared in the volunteer circle, you got the sense that the spirit of Seva Cafe went home with everyone. Everyone can give. The value of those 10 rupees was far greater than any economic measurement, and Sheetal honoured it by accepting the money. In the coming days, guests who will most likely be more well off than Santosh will receive a meal paid for in advance by him – as a gift. Something tells me they’re not going to let the chain stop at them.</p> <p>~ Everyone can be Great, because Everyone can Give ~</p> <p>For the complete image gallery from the evening <a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151252544300934.522006.570760933&type=1">click here</a>!</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805631606792740406.post-1954645446854487212012-08-28T10:11:00.000+05:302013-08-06T23:07:03.213+05:30From Wharton to Wadaj: Understanding through Compassion<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://static.googleusercontent.com/external_content/picasaweb.googleusercontent.com/slideshow.swf" width="600" height="400" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F101672053327702786001%2Falbumid%2F5909060527217581233%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>
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Statistics show that 34% of Indians still defecate in the open. It’s quite possible that that number could be much higher – which means that anywhere between 400-500mn Indians fall in this category. As a child in the city of Mumbai, I would often see these instances of open defecation, and immediately be repulsed by it. ‘This must be stopped!’ ‘This is wrong!’ - were my thoughts most often. But on the 17<sup>th</sup> of July, 2012, these thoughts were transformed – into something beuautiful.</div>
The day happened to be our dear friend <a href="http://www.dailygood.org/view.php?sid=226">Nimesh’s </a>34<sup>th</sup> birthday. This Wharton Business School graduate decided to celebrate the occasion by visiting the slums of Wadaj, opposite the Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad. A few of us volunteers – Jesal from Singapore, Suresh who runs rural sanitation programs with the <a href="http://nandiniserviceonwheels.blogspot.in/">Nandini Van</a>, <a href="http://www.globalonenessproject.org/videos/Living_Service">Jayeshbhai</a>, <a href="http://mammovies.com/blogs/2011/08/29/servant-of-peace/">Gopal Dada</a>, <a href="http://laharmehta.posterous.com/">Lahar</a> and I had decided to experience human waste scavenging – a practice that keeps our streets clean of human faeces even today. 95% of these scavengers still belong to the lowest caste – and are often victims of untouchability.<br />
Armed with a few shovels, a rake and a scraper we walked towards some of the bushes in the slum community that houses close to 100,000 people. The idea was to collect some of the human waste and place it into pits that we had dug so as to generate compost. We thought this compost could be shared with some of our friends.<br />
We soon got to work, first sprinkling the faeces with earth. As I would bend down, I noticed there was the repulsion again – fuelled further when we encountered swarms of flies and worms under partly degraded deposits. But as we battled our way through the bushes, the thorns that pricked us reminded us of what people really had to go through. Clearly – this form of defecation is not what someone chose. Most women would have to wait until nightfall, or go deep into the thorny bushes to defecate in private. Immediately, I was filled with sense of compassion, and every question and resentment felt like it was washed away. As we continued clearing the area, I found myself moving away from the noise in my mind towards a deeper space within. Through compassion came a sense of understanding towards the situation – and I stopped trying to ‘fix’ the problem but began working with it. After we had filled a few pits with the waste to create compost, one of the volunteers arranged a few leaves and rocks in a circle and Gopal Dada ended our usual moment of silence with a beautiful song.<br />
As I sat in meditation during our ‘<a href="http://laharmehta.posterous.com/seva-at-home">Seva at Home</a>’ later that day, I was constantly experiencing visual images of the flies and maggots we saw earlier. I’m not sure what ‘impact’ we would have created. I am certain people would return to the area over the next few days to leave behind waste again. But what we carried away with us far more powerful – it catalysed us all further into this journey of service. The simple process of enveloping human waste in soil can create compost that is more fertile than any other animal or vegetable waste. Similarly, compassion in our hearts can transform the most negative and repulsive thoughts into an understanding that answers most of our questions. Perhaps the key lies in not rejecting these thoughts or classifying them as negative but in transforming them into beautiful fruits by working with them.<br />
A few weeks later, we hope to gift the compost with some of our friends at Seva Café. We hope that we would be able to share this story and transformation we experienced with them <span style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><br />
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~ Love All, Share All ~</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In this journey of service, where do our loyalties lie? To our local communities? To the city we live in? The country? Or to all of humanity? Conflicts like these have been quite usual for me on Independrence Day? But this time, my mind was taken to a beautiful experience we had just last week.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">87 year old <a href="http://mammovies.com/blogs/2011/08/29/servant-of-peace/">Gopal Dada</a> decided to take us to visit his some of his contemporaries, who have served with him in the past. A few kilometres from a village called Pedhamli, we visited 78 year old Vasant kaka and 92 year old Kanti kaka.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These two brothers from Mumbai, who have spent the last several decades running an ashram dedicated to naturopathy. After years of experimenting on himself, Vasant kaka decided that the food most suited to our bodies and souls is raw, and grown in your own backyard. As a result, has been eating uncooked food for the last 40 years! The ashram till date runs a very capable naturopathy centre, in an effort to bring holistic nurturing care to the villages nearby.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As we sit down at night to share a few words, you can see Gopal Dada at 37kilograms joking about Vasant kaka checking in at 35kilos. Kanti kaka still maintains his weight above 40kilos. In the dim light outside their bedrooms, you could sense clarity and beauty in their every word. There was no feeling pity for their age or physical capabilities – indeed – we were in the presence of some of the happiest people in the world.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As we looked around, we could see how simple their lives really were. A compost toilet, simple rooms, not even a kitchen (no need for one!) One of us had a little rolled up piece of paper – and as we looked around for a trash can in vain, we realised how alien the paper felt in this environment connected with the soil.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We sat down, sharing a few questions with each other. Our time in the Gandhi Ashram often brings us in constant contact with heart wrenching poverty.‘What should we do about the poor in this world?’. Kanti kaka’s face lights up with a big smile, he looks around at the scarce resources and answers – ‘Whenever we work for the upliftment of those around us, it must be based on the crucial question: Is it leading to an increased awareness of those around us?. That is the most sustainable form of upliftment.’</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‘For our journeys, we must use service to cultivate more beautiful and pure thoughts. As we do that on a sustained basis our purified hearts will show us the way forward. Clarity comes from the simplest things done with right intentions.‘</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Vasant kaka, seated beside him tells us about how the time has come for us to leave behind our individual organizations, agendas, corporations, parties and unite in universal goodness. This will come, only when ‘hearts connect’, when we look at each other without judgement, or our selfish motives. When we have the spirit of universal goodness, and maintain a pure heart, we are bound to serve our local communities in every moment. That is how change occurs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As we continued connecting in the comfortable silence that followed, Nimo looks towards Vasant kaka and asks him if he’s heard about the raw foods movement in the USA. He gently inquires if he would like some ‘agave’ nectar , which grows abundantly in North America and forms a significant portion of uncooked diets. Vasant kaka looks up from his bowl of raw onions, dates and groundnuts and says – ‘whatever I need, I receive from what is around me.’</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He didn’t need to say it; his eyes spoke of an understanding and wisdom of all that is. This wasn’t a reply that came from an intellectual understanding of a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masanobu_Fukuoka">Fukuoka </a>manual. It came from a life dedicated to service of others. Through a complete alignment with the spirit of universal goodness, Vasant kaka’s heart was serving those around him, receiving their gifts with the deepest gratitude.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By merely living in purity in this remote part of the globe, they were in a way serving all of humanity. The next morning, as they addressed 15 British students from the <a href="http://www.connectindia.org/programmes/insight-india/">Insight India group</a> and the <a href="http://www.movedbylove.org/lokmitra/docs/Nandini_mar2011.pdf">Nandini Van </a>my heart resonated with the words:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Serve Effortlessly, Share Selflessly</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Learn Locally, Love Globally"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Only from service to the self can we serve the community. Our faith in the words 'Jai Hind' must therefore lead to 'Jai Jagat' "</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">May Vasant and Kanti kaka live long(er) and prosper :)</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805631606792740406.post-34758981226822185052012-06-29T10:11:00.000+05:302012-09-12T11:20:20.605+05:30The Phillips Academy in Ahmedabad<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The month of June saw us hosting 20 students and a few professors from the Phillips Academy (a prestigious high school in the USA). The 250 year old school that works with students from the 9th to 12th grade is spread over 500 acres(!) outside of Boston and whose alumni extend to ex-US presidents and several corporate leaders. The selected group visits India as part of a program called 'Niswarth' that provides a glimpse of community work in the country.<br />
Once again, we had the opportunity to engage these young students in the various pockets of the eco-system in Ahmedabad, (or Prem nu Parivar as Jayeshbhai calls it :) ) The intention, was to allow these extremely receptive students to absorb this way of life that most volunteers and staff uphold.<br />
The group spent 4 intimate days observing, and then coming back to ESI, Sughad to reflect. This observing and reflecting was a process that has definied their program so far. As part of their observing process, they began by visiting the musuem and home of the Gandhi Ashram and then Seva Cafe. The next day saw them at the Manav Sadhna prayer and Gramshree and the community centres in the Ramapir No Tekro. They then switched back to reflection mode through a dinner in silence at Sughad and a circle of sharing on what they've seen.<br />
Off the next day again when they visited a rural community nearby with Suresh and the Nandini-van, but not before renowned architect Yatin Pandya explained how time and space dynamically define architecture in India through the design principles of ESI and later Adalaj ni Vav. What really blew me away was a blog I later saw that is maintained as a means of reflection by the kids. I thought it summarised just what pure hearts these children carried with them at this young age. Almost, making me feel privileged to have interacted with them and brought tears to my eyes! Here's a blog written by 16 year olf Farris - may she go forth and continue to blossom :)<br />
<span style="font-style: inherit; text-align: left;">"Cultural Solutions:</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 23px; text-align: left;">The handwritten rules of the Ghandi ashram are displayed next to the entrance to his bedroom. Their contents might seem shocking to some, especially a Westerner like me. But I think my first qualms with Ghandi came when I sat in Kasturba’s bedroom. Replicas and relics lined walls of other rooms. People came and went. Yet her bedroom was strangely empty, separate, and unrecognized. Sitting here I recognized cracks forming in Gandhi’s thinking. He preached ahimsa, yet forced such practices upon at least one other person: his wife. She did not necessarily choose a life of celibacy, and certainly paid a cost for his fame and supposed goodness.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 23px; text-align: left;">These observations were in no way intended to threaten my firm belief in Ghandi’s greatness, but simply pointed out to me how complex morality can be. Upon further reading the Sarvodaya and immersing myself in reflection at the ashram, I encountered further confusion that more directly related to the topic Niswarth is intended to reflect upon: education. Amongst ideas about restraint and honesty, I felt something further missing in my understanding of truth within a society. Ghandi repeatedly reflects on a principle of means before ends. He refuses a utilitarian framework: everyone deserves equal recognition and the process is as vital as the results. This was in direct conflict with the traditional means of measuring policy success and the American way of thinking about how to run a society. We always weigh lives like marbles on a theoretical scale of justice, that does not and cannot take into account the more complicated moral side of life. We base policies upon economic incentives. We base everything upon an assumption of greed and immorality. American legislators do not believe that culture can be changed.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 23px; text-align: left;">I believe that culture and morality have to be more directly part of our education, as time and time again that is what we have seen as the solution to so many problems. In Ahmedabad, we stayed at a sanitation center focused on creating rural sanitation solutions to improve quality of life and change a culture, without harming its traditions and values. When we visited the organization at the Ghandi ashram, they talked about the definition of success as the moment when even a starving child would find the owner of lost coins and return them. This was fascinating to me, and led me back to the same truth I see again and again: morality can set us free. We meditated and focused on improving our states of mind while in Ahmedabad, and I saw for the first time how my failure to control morality and my own focus and emotions hurts me. A deliberate way of living that measures success based on character and happiness could improve my way of being. This is the same with government, the same with society, and therefore the same with education. Our society fails because it is no longer values moral reflection or provides the incentives for good character that once existed. We live in a society based on desires that can never satisfy and that prevent us from moving ahead as a more just society, a better place to live. Our answers are too simple, too economic, and provide no room for true bonds of human life: our social interactions and cultural beliefs.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 23px; text-align: left;">Yet how can we include this in an education without giving certain opinions undue power? How can a moral education be created? How can Ghandian principles spread? In my opinion, it is not vital to dictate cultural beliefs or values. To do that is to oppress a minority voice and diminish the diverse sets of beliefs that create a valuable democracy and better policies. Instead, we needed classes and forums that allow people to be more reflective and encourage students to learn to reflect. A single idea need not take precedent over another, but instead many cultural options and ethical readings should become part of the culture of our schools and be included in education not just in higher education, but even at the primary levels. This could be something like the Riverside school though perhaps more intensive and widespread. At Riverside, they focus on getting kids in touch with their communities and learning how to use their education for the good of humanity. In the end, it is about that. It is about creating engaged citizens and a culture which encourages ethical reflections and principles. I am not Indian, as the stares of many have pointed out. But when I return home, I hope to live my life as a message of greater reflection. I want to have a more pointed mind and maybe someday help to change the American mindset. Some may say we have more vital problems, and I agree that ethics can be easier when we are comfortable. Yet happiness can exist anywhere, and to truly create a better world sometimes food programs or Medicare will never be enough. Happiness is born from morality and human connection. This is the path to a better country, a better world." - </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 23px; text-align: left;">Farris</span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px;">Some more links to their blogs can be found <a href="http://niswarthprogram.wordpress.com/2012/06/26/the-power-of-community/">here</a>.</span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805631606792740406.post-48753369668836037922012-06-21T10:11:00.000+05:302012-09-12T11:19:55.714+05:30On 'Laddership'<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<img alt="Retreat_group" height="238" src="http://getfile0.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2012-06-20/akdkwzIrGaEkgrjhrCIlFrxkEenFelsIbyjebAActcelBFiBsohzxEreDzHk/retreat_group.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="480" /> </div>
Overwhelmed to be returning back to India from a 4 day <a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151830180970165.866624.592270164&type=3">retreat </a>in Phoenix, USA with the Service Space gang. About 40 individuals from across the world got together to <a href="http://www.servicespace.org/blog/view.php?id=11233">share </a>how they were trying to be Ladders, not Leaders i.e facilitators for people they served and not implementers!<br />
What really stayed with me though, was this passage on Servant Leaders, by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinoba_Bhave">Vinoba Bhave</a> from the monthly magazine - 'Maitri'. I thought it resonated deeply with a lot that was discussed back in Phoenix :)<br />
<strong><span class="il" style="background-color: #ffffcc;">Vinoba</span> on Servant Leadership</strong><br />
One of the most powerful practices is to strive to look at the good in every human being. When we do this, it allows us to witness the divine in them. But in that process, we sometimes elevate them and call them ‘leaders’. While it is important to see divinity in everyone, it is also important that the basis of our relationship is not distorted. After all, the world is our foundation, and it is our duty to give it shape through our collective consciousness – by coming together as a society of friends.<br />
It is on this basis that I suggest ‘Leaders’ are not what society needs to progress. This won’t mean that we won’t have great men amidst us. I think great men will come and they are vital for the progress of humanity – but they will be so great that they will refuse to take up this position of leadership. People will not follow the great men, but will listen to their thoughts, philosophies and views and through their sharing, society will find its way forward.<br />
I have seen several people who have dedicated their lives to service, but are often more focussed on their outward actions. Some of them call themselves ‘Gandhian’ but may not have deeply thought about what this philosophy represents and what their values really are. It is important that they remain open to various philosophies and thoughts and establish values for themselves after some critical thinking. The must then aspire to imbibe these values in their work at every moment. The role of people in service will then be to help people find their strength – and by this I refer to an ‘inner strength’. Only then will humanity come together as a whole and move forward with a renewed vigour and enthusiasm.<br />
Take a look at the Bhoodan Movement for example. Because it was entirely executed on foot, there was never a Central Leadership that was created. If you think about it, the Buddha too, walked on foot for thousands of kilometres with a few simple thoughts. But because those thoughts were worthy, and he lived in complete harmony with those thoughts, they have spread across the world and are valid even two and a half millennia later.<br />
Any change, any revolution for the people always occurs in one place, but the winds carry them far and wide. Similarly, because we walk, the leadership that is created is always local. In fact, I would like to restate it and say that we aren’t creating local leaders, but local servants.<br />
When we approach people as their servants, we appeal to their hearts and they are moved to gift land to their brothers. In fact, our real strength lies in the fact that we are servants. The divinity in each and every person can be witnessed and reached, only when you approach them as a faithful servant.<br />
Think of how the various organs and limbs come together as servants to our body. If somebody tries to strike your head, the hand comes forth to protect it. It does not do so out of an expectation that the head has, or out of fear. It does it because it sees itself as part of the whole and therefore works out of a sense of duty.<br />
When we will all see our role in society as servants, we will all light up the sky together like countless stars on a dark night. Don’t think of society as the sky on a full moon night. The moon’s harsh light blinds us to the true and humble work of the stars. But on a moonless night, the true servants shine forth, as though they are connected invisibly in this vast and infinite cosmos. <br />
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