Visit to Khoba Village

“I slept and dreamt that life was joy.
I awoke and saw, that life was service.
I acted and behold, service was joy.”

~ Rabindranath Tagore~

I can resonate above poem of Tagore when I met 30 years old Nilambhai and the service he is doing in Khoba village. This village is very beautiful on its own, in the mountains of Sahyadri and on the border of Gujarat and Maharshtra.

We were enjoying the landscapes on our way and talking with Nilambhai. Nilambhai has been graduated from Gujarat Vidyapith with major subject ‘Village Economics’ and as a part of the course he spent two years in the village near Dharampur as a Gramshilpi. Gramshilpi is a Gandhian thought. As a gramshilpi - person stays in particular village, understand village challenges and help village people for sorting out their problems with the help of Government schemes, making them aware for their rights, helping them in creating their source of income, etc.  And village people arrange stay and food for gramshilpi.

We reached to khoba Village after 2 hours journey by car from Valsad. However, it is not that easy for village people. This remotely located village where bus transportation service is still not available. You have to walk 8 kms after the last bus stop. Street lights they have got just before 2 years after fighting with the government. I was surprised by the fact that this village and it’s surrounding villages are still not having access to basic facilities. That has put me back on reality that government and we local people have yet a long way to go to prove our slogan ‘sauno sath, sauno vikas’.

We reached to Nilambhai’s home called ‘Ashramshala’- Small but very neat and clean. I was impressed! This home is made by village people. Each of the family from village has supported in making this home. The land is also donated by village. There are 30 kids staying with him and their caretaker Pandubhai and Manjulaben who are from that village only, but now taking care of all the kids. These kids are coming from surrounding villages where there is no school, so kids were not getting education. Those kids stays with Nilambhai and go to village school and also get extra knowledge , staying facility, good nutrition, and learn practical lessons of life. Nilambhai see them as leaders of future generation of  village. Village has school upto 5th standard only. So, he also takes care that all these kids after passing 5th std, doesn’t drop out and get admission in higher standard also. He does arrangement for that with the help of friends and NGOs. Some of this kids doesn’t have parents and there is no one to take care of them. Nilambhai search for this kind of kids and get them in their ashramshala and give them a kids life!

Nilambhai made a green tea for all of us and we were sitting under beautiful trees in front of his home. We were having a feeling as if we are in Himalayas at RAjuBharti’s guest house ☺ ☺ ☺

We asked Nilambhai, How did you choose Khoba village? He answered with his smiling face - He was curing people with TB in the village he was working and while serving them he also got TB. He found that I may die from this disease, so before I die I want to do something which makes my life useful for the people in villages. And he got to know from his teacher that khoba as a village where any NGO or Government is not yet reached. His teacher said ‘if you want to work, work in those villages where basic facility is also not there’. He decided to work in Khoba and spent his one month under the tree because village people do not yet know him and so no trust is built. He started to work under one tree with kids first,  helping them in their study, telling them stories of Mahabharata and Ramayana, giving them medicines if someone he found ill.  Now elderly people also started to come and sit with him and listening to his stories. Gradually, they shared their challenges in the village. Khoba is a dense forest and there used to be lot of  ‘mafiyas’ who were stealing the wood from the forest. Nilambhai has stopped this with support of all village people. He was doing this with the risk of his life. He was stabbed two times by ‘mafiyas’. But, he continued to work.

Nilambhai has focused on farming, education, health and creating source of income from village. He is in a true sense living Gandhiji’s thoughts of taking care of our villages by understanding their needs. Inspired by education of Vidyapith and philosophy of Gandhiji, He has decided to make Khoba as his ‘Karmabhoomi’.

Challenges are not less in this village; But Nilambhai believes that you need to come with a firm thought to work in a village. Village people have not called you, you wanted to do some good karma and so you came to this village. I need to be ready with all challenges. But, these challenges make me stronger day by day.

He said, in all challenges, I gather village people, we discuss and take decision. We never do anything if even one person is not agree with our decision. Lot of patience you require, isn’t it? he believes in taking all people together. In a true sense, ‘Sauno sath, sauno vikas’.

Nilambhai with village people have made a small dam because people are facing water problem, they have made a small stone wall in their farm because this is hilly area, so water stays in their land, now village people have started farming of rice. They are also experimenting with lots of other farming with help of Nilambhai’s knowledge on farming. They have made a ‘Biyaran Bank’ where village people can buy Biyaran. Now, kids are going to school regularly because teacher stays in village. Previously, there was no teacher ready to stay in the village. 108 service is also now started before two months. Village is now getting electricity service quickly. But, Nilambhai had to do lot of efforts for making all these happen. They have made ‘Ojar Bank’ where people who want to go for labour work can get all ‘Ojars’ in one rupee per day rent only. So that, they don’t have excuse of not having ‘Ojars’ to  earn. They have library where kids and people of village can come and read good books and expand their vision. Nilambhai is getting new ideas and inspiration from lots of books he is reading.

He believes that in our villages it is not only ‘Garibi’ (Poverty), we have ‘Vaicharik Garibi’ (poverty by thoughts). If I make only stone walls, or dams or any materialistic thing that I give to them is not enough. How many people will come and stay in the village? Village people will have to come out with their solution themselves. And for that, lot of people from village needs to be ‘Gramshilpi’ and that’s what he is doing in his village. Now there are lots of people in village who are like Gramshilpi like Nilambhai. If Nilambhai is not there in the village, then also the work is going on.

Nilambhai wants to reach to other villages like Khoba where they don’t even have access to basic facility.

We had a lot of fun with kids, did drawing competition, celebrated rakshabandhan festival, went to water fall and swim with them, made them test different food, played different games with them, watched animation film. At night when we went back to sleep, we realized that ‘ Our soles were tired but souls felt rested’.

There is a lot to do for these kids, and support a person like Nilambhai who is actually doing work staying in that village. I don’t know how much we can help them, but this has reminded me a story of sparrow who is doing whatever he can do to help.

You can enjoy more pics here.

Compassionate Clowns!!

There is a group called 'Compassionate Clowns' who visit hospitals and other places to spread smile and joy. This time our 'Saturday special' group decided to go and join them. Every one of us was going to experience it for the first time. And interesting thing is - some of them have no idea what 'clowning' is and what we are going to do. So, for them it was just to jump into unknown sea where they don't know how to swim. :)

When Varsha and Diken (coordinators) started to paint faces so that we can look like a joker, many from our group were reluctant to paint their faces. We convinced them to just paint a big red dot on nose and they were agree to do it. Gradually, they saw other  people having their full face painted and started liking it and wanted to have their full face painted. They were gradually opened up to try new things. :)

Varsha did orientation on 'what compassionate clowns could be' and we as a compassionate clown today for the kids and parents, what we are supposed to do. We stood in a circle joining each other hands, passing the energy to each other and praying universe to create a group energy to give our 100% to spread even a little smile to every child. 

We as a group entered in the pediatric ward of Cancer hospital and most of the kids were lying on the bed, we could feel very low energy in the room. We were going to each bed to say them hello, trying to make them smile with some toys in our hand, cracking a joke, gently interacting with them and their parents. Some of them gave response, some of them still hesitant to respond or not. Some parents started to talk with us and gradually we could see kids eyes also twinkled with curiosities of who we are and started mixing up with us. 

Suddenly the whole ward got energized, some of the kids who were lying, are now sitting on their bed and smiling a little. Some of them were calling us to come again on their bed and talking with us, taking pictures with us in their phone and joking. The people from our group in my surprise who were first reluctant to paint their face also got so involved in their effort to make each kid smile - this is the power of group energy. 

When we saw a kid smile, we were also smiling from our hearts. The fake smiles made initially, to make them smile is slowly converting into smile from the heart. Some of the parents were acknowledging that kids and they were feeling so low to look at all these pains through out the day and by seeing us they forgot their pain for few minutes and their time flied interacting with us. 

Inside us, we also know that we can not help to reduce their pain but if we can spread a little happiness to them, divert their mind for few minutes or even few seconds and if this happy memory remains with them for one, two or even three days -  we can at least do that! 

    

We spent almost more than an hour with them, We said them good bye by entertaining them with 'Banana Dance' and running a human train in the ward. Now, most of they were smiling and this gave us inner satisfaction which any one from us could not able to express in the words. 

We came outside the ward, sat down in a circle for sharing our reflection and settled our mix energy (pain to see them going through pain but satisfaction of doing little we can do for them). All of us learned something from this experience. One thing for sure, I can say is we stepped today in the door of  'Compassion College' as Nipunbhai says. 

Learning / Validating from last awakin circle : 23rd July, 2015.

From Awakin reading : Effects of Adversity

• Adversity means to be in a situation which is not your favorable or what you have thought.
• Adversity help us to go deeper and force us to think of other perspective of life has to offer.

• It has always made me more hopeful, positive, increased my faith, more humble.
• Beautiful story of boiled frog. This is to remind me to watch slowly changing environment which is threat in a long run and I pray God to give me strength to jump out of the environment which is not good in a long run.
• Adversity makes us zero in that situation and thus help us to reduce our ego.
• If we be good even in adversity  – that build our character strong which in other case may not possible.
• That sometimes bring creativity which we never thought before.
• That help us to know the fact on the ground and accept it. Once we accept it, either situation change or our response to that situation change. And something grows within us.
• Awakin circle is so magical that people can even share their personal sharing so effortlessly and that heals them itself. 

21 Day kindness challenge..!!

'The 21 day kindness challenge' movement has started across the world..!! More than 4000 people across 70+ countries have participated in this global movement. www.kindspring.org is online community that inspire people to do little acts of kindness and that make this world better place to live and also lead you to the inner transformation! I have participated and volunteer in their activities time by time and it has been amazing experience every time.

So, today is a first day of 21 day kindness challenge and of course I am all excited to do new things as a part of my nature and don't want to miss first day.. :). I will try to share each day, what I did as my kindness challenge every day.

1st day (11/9):

It's already evening, it's my first day of 21 day challenge and I didn't do any kindness activity, though it was on my mind since the beginning. Suddenly I realized it and I went out of my office, having kindness idea in my mind that I will treat someone stranger with my favorite choco-pie. I was going to store to buy it and I saw on road some road workers still building the road at late evening. Their kids were playing near by. And I thought why not to treat these kids too!! So, got packets of biscuits and choco-pie. Went to the road site and offered kids biscuits. I enjoyed doing it, and that reflected on stranger who was crossing the road, I smiled at him while he was finding a trouble to cross my vehicle and I did let him go. He smiled back!! :) While coming back, saw security guard at the corner of our complex and offered him choco-pie, another guy who was working at someone's office in same building and to my favorite colleague and to my 60+ year old student uncle. They all smiled for this unexpected little gift and do I need to say that that made me smile too!! :)

2nd day (12/9):

I became listening ear to my friend who was going through rough phase of life. I made her think that she is not alone and she is the best.

3rd day (13/9):

My family needed my attention today and I helped to make atmosphere at home more light and live. Though i was not feeling happy in morning but i could manage to forget about my feelings and give others happiness. happy to see smiles at their face though my father was feeling down because of his health.


4th day (14/9):

21 year old married girl who is working at our home can not read and write. I was insisting her to start learning since she started work at my home. She is so good and sincere. I admire her work and her sweet nature. But whenever i see her, I always feel bad that she left her study and she cant write and read even a simple address. She said she has book at home but she is not doing practice. I was insisting her to come with book and me or my mother will teach her. But she never braught it. I never thought of buying her a book and make her to learn compulsory. Today is a day where I got idea from community of appreciating a public servant as my kindness challenge. And that made me think of buying a book for her. I surprised her today with language learning books and asked for her commitment to learn with me or my mother daily. And she has commited and was looking so happy. This has made my day today. :) hope this time she will continue her learning atleast upto read and write. :)

“What goes around, Comes around”

Day 1 :

There was a corporate training going on in my institute. We had ordered packed lunch and at the end of the lunch, we found that we had one lunch packed not eaten by someone. Obviously, I didn't want to waste that delicious lunch in dustbin and thought to give it to someone who might be hungry and who will really relish this food. So, after lunch while going to my next meeting, I kept it with me and was searching someone who can really enjoy this food. While passing by, I saw one construction site where many workers were working but thought one lunch and many people- will not work here. But, if I don't find someone on the road, I will come back here and give it to someone here. Going forward, in one corner I found one little boy playing, and other 3 women sleeping nearby. I stopped there to figure out, are they right people to give them this lunch. And boy gave me a BIG smile, somehow he figured out that I am here to give him something. And so, I gave this packed lunch to him and his mother. I could see so much joy on his face and in his eyes. He was joyfully waving his hand – “Bye Bye...” And with so much joy in my heart I left that place. 

Day 2 :

Very next day, it was a last day of this training and so I wanted to bring camera for capturing this training event pics. My mom put camera in my purse without my notice since I was in hurry in the morning. At the lunch time, we decided to go to nearby restaurant instead of ordering packed lunch in our premises. And, so we went for lunch to nearby restaurant. We had a nice time there talking with each other since everyone was from different city, after finishing lunch, I found that there is some items left untouched and it could be delicious lunch for some hungry persons. As usual, I told waiter to pack it up and make a parcel and thought to give it to someone. We left the restaurant and while starting my vehicle, I realized that I forgot that parcel on the table. I told my colleague to get it from our table, and she found there is no parcel there. And she insisted me to check my purse. I found same parcel in my purse and so we left from there. While we were coming back to the institute, same question where do I give this food parcel. And we came across the same construction site that I saw on the previous day and opposite of that site, there were 2 people(one person very old) walking towards us and I felt to give food parcel to them. I opened my purse and gave that white colored plastic bag to old looking person saying " Chacha, there is some food inside. Kha lena.." and we drove off to my institute. While I was parking my vehicle there, one of our training participant came to me and handed over the same white colored bag saying that I forgot food parcel there. Ohhhh... My God..!! Then what I've given to that old person. Within a second, I realized - My mom might have put my camera pouch in the same white colored bag and I gave my camera to this old person to eat. :) Now what? So many thoughts flashing in my mind- I will go back to this construction site, I might find this person or not, He may not be working in this site.. He might have left from there, I have no idea who he is and where he was going... But had some faith deeply in my heart that may be I will find that person and if not then this camera was meant to give to someone today. We went back to the same road and we found that old person sitting nearby. Having no idea and little confused what I've given to him. lol.. I asked him "chacha, there is no food inside. I gave you by mistake another bag, Can you please return it and here is your food." Chacha was so kind to return to me that bag. We thanked him to being there, and returning our bag. We were so happy to get camera back and now giving him the actual food parcel. J While coming back, there were couple of things in front of my eyes : that chacha's innocent eyes, that little child's joyful smile, and my camera and I was thinking does it mean "What goes around, Comes around".