I entered the campus of  Anandvan with great enthusiasm to see the work of a man who I had read about and dreamt to meet. In 1949, Baba Amte and Sadhana tai with their love and hard work built Anandvan (forest of joy) in the remote village of Warora in Mahrashtra. The campus is beautiful with tall green trees on either sides, farms and man made reservoirs. One sees people of all age in tune with their work- some collecting dried leaves, some busy in the farm, kids going to school.. I hear a voice from behind “Namaste” and I turn to see two beautiful grandmothers sitting on a bench smiling away. One can see and feel the spirit of the place in every person and thing.

A tour of Anandvan

Gandhiji’s idea of Gram Swaraj can be seen to have realized in this 500acre campus of Anandvan. The people who were once ostracized and thrown out of their homes and villages have with their love, compassion, spirit and courage made Anandvan a real temple, an ideal village and a center of love and service. Regardless of their age, disability, disease or broken spirit everyone in Anandvan is constantly contributing and keeping the place alive. The disfigured hands and handicapped bodies are today producing goods which have a demand outside as well.

The industrial unit expands from carpentry workshops  to leather factory, handloom, printing press, iron workshop. There are banks, shops, shoe store, hospitals, schools for the blind, deaf and mute, a community hall, restaurants, community kitchens, etc  They grow their own food and the surplus is sold in the market. Just as in India there are inter caste marriages in Anandvan there are inter-disability marriages which take place in the community hall.

Swaranand

Baba was a great poet and his love for music was not self contained…  Swaranand is the musical tune of Anandvan. Swaranand an orchestra formed by instrumentalists, singers and dancers who are blind, deaf, mute and lepers. It was a magical sight to see a blind play the piano, a deaf play the tabla and a leper sing both in a male and a female voice. Swaranand has 500 artists and has performed about 700 shows till now. The artists attend the musical school and are constantly engaged in riyaz.

Sights of leprosy affected women who have lost all their fingers  cleaning  the grains, girl painting cards with toes, disabled  working on farms have touched and moved me deeply. One feels  miserable that living in the city one gets lost in the mad rush and  can still complain about the life they live. The strength of the   people at Anandvan is awe Inspiring.

Meeting Sadhna Tai:

While impatiently waiting for Jayesh bhai and the gang, I had the opportunity to meet, see and talk with Sadhna tai(Baba’s wife). Sadhnatai is 72 yrs old. However, even today courage, motherhood and love is shown in every glimpse of her. Tai talks about Baba and her experiences with great enthusiasm.

When I told her I was from Mumbai she laughingly said ‘I hope you know marathi if not let me call Raj Thackerey!’ . Tai said “My language is -khichdi language- A mix of english, hindi, marathi…”  Just her sight was really powerful.. I heard stories after stories about Baba and her work, how they met, how when they started out -all they had was a hut in the middle of a jungle and scorpions and snakes as uninvited guests. They had to face countless obstacles and time and again were ridiculed by the society but their spirit remained unshattered. Sadhna tai proudly talks about how Vikas dada and Prakash dada have stepped up baba’s dream ..

I accompanied Tai to her room..

While walking to her room, a flower fell from the tree and both of us bent down to pick it up. Just like a child, tai  said “this flower is mine, it fell for me !” I smiled and  could only thank God for the blessed moments with tai.

Anandvan with Jayeshbhai !

It’s difficult to put into words my excitement of meeting Jayeshbhai and travelling with him ! He is the ultimate rockstar.. I had already seen the campus but to see it with Jayeshbhai is like: seeing everything with eyes of abundant love and compassion.

We started walking around and Jayesh bhai would observe the smallest of things and talk about it with great love. He would go and meet the blind man and ask him how he was doing today, caress a mentally challenged sitting on the road, hold a leper and hug him, pick up a child and play with her and help a blind set bricks around his plant. Every moment with him is inspiring, words cannot do justice to the experience of being with Jayesh bhai …

It is true that just like people, places have their own energy and vibes. Anandvan has the power to awaken the spirit of the people and heal the scars of the body, soul and mind. At least once in your life please do go visit this temple of love , the forest of joy !

The world always look brighter from behind a smile !

We mentees from the Metta Mentors program and Bhoutik had organized today’s morning dedicated to spreading Love, Compassion, smiles and the message of Peace and Nonviolence. We set up our lemonade stall, smile banner, Question wheel and candies at Macarthur bart Station in Oakland, a relatively poor neighborhood with high crime rates.

A great fun day, we started by Leah shouting out different situations and asking the participants to decide whether they think it was a violent act or a nonviolent act …

Pretty soon the planned day took an unplanned turn. All 13 of us wore BIG infectious smiles, filled our pockets with smile cards & handwritten quotes and our fists with candies to give it out to strangers speeding in and out of the BART station. Some interactions ended with a ‘No thank you’, some with ‘Smiles’, some went beyond that to spinning the wheel and answering the questions like ‘What are you grateful for ? , what does Nonviolence mean to you ?, What makes you smile?’ and some turned out to be deep, life sharing experiences

Our smiles confused the approaching frowning faces of strangers. Some people tried to change their path or avoid us as they thought we were asking for money or it was some kinda sales trick!  At times, we went on explaining for quite a few minutes .. making up mantras like “Candies for Smiles”  and “This candy just costs a smile”  :)

Leah and Brandi approached a man waiting at the bus stop and asked him “sir, we would like to know what makes you smile!” and he thought about it for a minute and said, “people smiling at me, makes me smile.” They handed him a smile card and candies! Super astonished the man said , ‘What ! Just for smiling I won something?? Woooww Yaaa !! he gives our love warriors a hi five and a sweet hug, before embarking on a  smiley day ahead

Phoebe passed on a hand written thought of the day to an old lady, grumpily she replied, “What’s this ?” She opens it and reads it and then there appears the Biggest smile ever on her face! Our day was made!

Story after story of  us trying to make people smile filled our hearts with love and compassion. For every smile we earned we ourselves smiled wider:) It was a different kind of a high.. In the act of spreading smiles we served our own souls In serving others we served our own self.

More photos here.

Smileeeyyy smillleeey

31st July, 2009

Today, while I was sunk deep in work trying to finish my assignments, I received this super amazing box of goodies. Imagine receiving a glass of lemonade when you are super thirsty, in the middle of a dessert. That’s exactly how I felt receiving this huge box filled with my favorite food packets: theples, khakras, butterbiscuits, laddus, bhusu and what not …. so what if  I am not in a desert but in the United states.. Guess, its the same when it comes to Mom’s home cooked food

Last week, I had a brief chat with Anjali, one of my favorite and most inspiring rockstar  ! I sent her my address to write me a letter and here is what I get ! My heart is flooded with love and Gratitude. Thank you Aunty and Anjali  :)

Once again, I am reminded how blessed I am to be  surrounded by such angelic people. Unbelievably true! Wonder if  deserve so much love …  I get my smiles, energy and inspiration from these amazing friends I have

Love and Gratitude to all my friends

In smiling disbelief!

P.S. Anjali, I will have to be careful as to what information I pass onto you in the future.

River !

 Berkeley is full of surprises and amusing people ! Today, when I was walking home from the Metta Center, I came across this young man named River, painting on the streets with his walkman on.  What an amazing name to have ! Pretty much living upto his name, River has a passion for travelling. He started painting two years ago. He paints and  sells his paintings on the streets so that he can just make enough for the days expenditure and for the travel to his next destination.Completely living on the edge!

What was even more impressive was that his paints are usually picked up from the garbage cans or are leftovers of wall paints and pastels. His canvas is the wood he finds outside people’s houses. Recycling is the way to go!   A very smiley young man, his next destination is Seattle. I am just amazed at how creative people can get ??and how they can dare to live on the edge!

Dream and dare to accomplish it !

June 21,2009

I was travelling by the BART (train)with Brandi to meet John.

An old man, guess he was deaf and mute, his helper and a lady with black glares were sitting besides us.  I was observing the conversation that took place mostly in sign language and was thinking about the deaf and blind people in India, comparing the ratio, health care and the facilities available. I was thinking of all my interactions I have had so far with disabled people in India.  And then, out of nowhere, I see this dog appear, I get all excited and tell Brandi about a dog in the train!!  She casually says that’s a service dog.

SERVICE DOG ! Service dogs have been specially trained to assist disabled people with daily chores, lifting bags, picking things from the floor, leading the way etc - Brandi explains.

 Service dogs ! woow it took me a while to digest this concept! I kept staring at the dog untill the blind lady got up to leave. phew ! I could see my head spin from side to side in almost animated format in sheer disbelief ! this is for real!

I am not sure if the concept of service dogs exists in India, may be it does and  I am just ignorant and haven’t seen one yet.. But yes ! service humans there are plenty in India ! And for some reason, I could hear myself say, I love it that way in my country !

Dog in service ??? !!!  :)

  Ganesh – Manavsadhna (Ahmedabad)

Someday, a smile on a child’s face is all I have dreamt of …

Another day, I want to see the world turn on its head …. And if my enthusiasm dies and fades away into conflicts which I am trying to grapple with, there will be one more enthusiast waiting to take up.. Take on the conflicts within ourselves and outside and with the bubbling zeal of youth take on the constant process of change…

Nature so profoundly resembles our life … and in so many different ways and forms ….. Beautiful sunset, romantic rains, angry storm, serene and calm river !!! The photograph above, truly sketches the complexities of human life…… the entangled relationships, the confusions , rebellious nature, mixed emotions and constant conflicts with one’s own self against the Backdrop of beautiful bright light !!

To think of it, complexities are directly proportional to ones age, just like responsibilities… As a toddler, I never bothered about what’s wrong and what’s right… I just did it if I wanted to … never thought about who is looking at me, analyzing my behaviour and what is my progress report… who cares ??….. I just followed my dreams …. hmmm .. sometimes, I wish, I could go back to becoming a kid.. Ignorant, innocent and Naive ! Throw tantrums when I badly want something.. do crazy stuff and yet always keep smiling ….

hmm.. on the other hand, I wonder if life would be as much fun if everything was perfect … prim and proper to the core!!! …… Without these wild adventures and raw emotions…passionate moments, love, pain, anxiety, frustration, disappointments and desires …… may be not !!

It’s hard (and may be a little painful too) to believe that life is beautiful when its incomplete !! One moment , my heart is craving to become a kid again and the very next moment, I feel like smiling at the complexities of life !!!

 The busy buzzing Mumbai city is now shivering to death … temperatures have dropped to single digits .. its 8.5 °C  today !!! Unbelievably cold man and the wind chill factor is making it even worse..!!  Mumbaikers who have never experienced a winter like this before , are now showing off their new jackets and sweaters … Its bizarre how this city reacts to climate change.. deserted streets, packed coffee shops, and most important off all, vacant trains ….   

hmm however, this is just the partial take on the  scenario…..

 The poorer section of the society is struggling to fight the cold and I am amazed as to how they are surviving !! I was out with friends today, at Bandstand … While, i was just getting out of the car, a small 8-10 yrs old kid comes to the car asking for money! He is wearing a thin blue cotton shirt and shorts …shivering his ass off in the nail-biting sea breeze at bandstand…Unfortunately,  this is not the case with only him but, over 250,000  street kids of  Mumbai ….. Crazziee figures ha !!

 Infact, i was just browsing through pictures of my treks, in the Sahyadri range, in Maharashtra and realized, that, most kids there in the villages were either naked or half -dressed.. they dint have enough clothes to cover themselves  in summer!! Thinking about  how they are coping with this winter,itself  is giving me goosebumps … the winter is killer this year !!

Kids at Rajmachi Village – Lonavala

 Just imagine… how fortunate we are to have everything at our disposal !!  hmmm .. a little speechless at this point yet amazed as to how God gives eachone the strength to survive and fight their own battles  … 

Kid at Waghachi wadi village

In prayers,  for those who are fighting for their survival……. insha’allah the weather will be back to normal soon   

This should have been my first blog post …. After all, my blog is named after this song!! The song is from Hazaroon khwaishein aisi- a movie based on the immense political turmoil in India.. The movie is super super inspiring just like the song!!

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I have never been sooo addicted to a song before … the lyrics are truly inspiring and divine with a lot of depth and meaning …everytime i hear this song, something within me stirs !! It’s an all time favorite ..in the lowest of the lows and the highest of the highs!!

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Trust me, this song has the potential to make you act, make you smile when you are just about to cry, make you jump with a bubbling zeal and an undying spirit and most important of all, it makes you DREAM

Inspired to the core

July 2007 

IT was a cloudy day , Anurima and I, were on our way to prithvi cafe, in an auto rickshaw to discuss about the new Beyond Borders project we were about to take up .. In our last meeting, we had come up with a number of issues and Anu had put forth the issue of rights of Hijras. Having no knowledge whatsoever about them and their life, i was extremely fascinated by the project idea.

So, we were at the Andheri signal, stuck in the usual Mumbai traffic, and we see a few transgenders begging at the signal .. i guess first time ever, i was so observant about them and their behaviour.. next , we see a transgender in a multi-coloured saree come towards us. Earlier, when I was approached by them, I would look for the fastest way to get rid of them.. either pay them a few chillers(coins), or ignore them completely..But this time, it was different, since, we were planning to do a project with them there was a lot of curiosity…. This made us engage in a small conversation with the transgender who was now standing in front of us. 

Anu asked her, Aap ka naam kya hai ?( what is your name?).A little amazed by this question she smilingly replies- Humara naam Naitra. (my name is Naitra). From her broken hindi and the accent we guessed that she was from south India.

she is still standing and smiling at us, finally, she once again asks- Paisa Babi? (Money baby)..

Paisa kyun chahiye ? (why do you need money?) A very foolish question to ask but i guess, i was just getting comfortable with her.. and then came the most obvious answer- Khane ke liye ! (for food)

This time, we dint want to give her money, we said : aap chalo, hum leke chalte hai , aapko kidhar khana hai? ( you come with us, we Will treat you, where do you want to eat ?)

5 Star ! the most astonishing reply i have ever heard :S … I was still thinking what to reply to this now, when anu said: 5 star !!! wahan toh hum bhi nahi khaate hai , par aapko chahiye toh aap humare saath chalo , hum bhi khaneko ja rahe hai? ( 5 star! even we don’t eat there , but if you wish , you can come with us , we are also going to eat ?)

Surprisingly, she agreed and was almost sitting with us in the rickshaw, just then, one of her friends called her and she gets out to leave..but before she says bye to us, she showers loads of blessings for Anu and me (In india, people believe that the hijras have the power to either curse or bless someone)  … Finally, signal lights turn green and our auto starts moving….

This may not seem to be a remarkable incident, but for Anu and me, it’s our first and biggest ice breaker in this project and in our lives …. When Naitra sat next to me for the first time, my heart was beating faster, not because I was scared or sumthing but I guess,b’coz I was extremely happy.. It was a liberating experience ..This was the first time a hijra was sitting right next to me, the closest I have come to a transgender in my life so far… Stereotypes, that I have had for 20yrs of my life were finally broken  …

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I have met Naitra several times at the same signal after that..  we have exchanged smiles, hugs , ganpati laddus ( sweets ), chocolates and a bit of our lives at times…:)  it’s a connection that I have made for life..Naitra’s profound smile is something I will never forget…