December 2016
Couple years back, after my talk on humility , I met Hitesh. A seeker, a vegan, father of an adopted daughter, a successful entrepreneur -- he's a very unique combination. :) Our friendship rippled into another talk at Emory last October. And he was keen that if I'm…
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Bhuvana held an Awakin Circle in Chennai today. She used to host in Bombay, and recently moved to Chennai -- and decided that she would host it every week, even if no one else is able to join. It shouldn't surprise me by now, but there's something about these circles. :) …
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About 40 folks from elite universities decided to head into a 15-day village immersion , leaving behind all the comforts of their home, to understand the lives and mindsets of many millions of their rural brothers and sisters. In my talk, I spoke to them about tuning into "village…
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Today, someone took the watch off their wrist and handed it to me. It was a very nice watch. It reminded me of another story. Few years ago, in one of these circles, a gentleman opens up and says, "In this field of love, I realize that it makes no sense to be attached -- to…
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We finished an energizing " Startup Service " retreat, with 40 friends from around India. About 20 people shared a startup intention, we collectively whittled it down to 8 ideas, and split into teams for 3 days. On the last day, we presented to a "celebrity" panel. …
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I had lunch with Shivji-bhai. An accountant by trade, Gandhian by practice, and Vipassana meditator by heart. He was like the right-hand man of Goenka-ji , and saw him every week for the last 5 years of his life. "My life has been guided by three people -- the Jain monks who…
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I spoke at one of the largest "Chartered Accountant" firms in the country today. Lots of bright, young folks crammed into a standing-room only setting. By the end of the hour, the room was spellbound as I spoke about the service journey, and especially emphasizing "…
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I met Sister Lucy at last year's NGO retreat -- and was very moved by her love. We've shared a special connection since then, and we again at this year's retreat and then recently at Awakin Talks . Sister Lucy is lovingly called the "Mother Teresa of Pune". …
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Tonight, we held an Awakin Circle of sorts, with about 30 committed volunteers in Bombay. They are all doing beautiful work, and navigating their own edges. Our circle of sharing focused on the questions that people were holding. Like: Can guilt be a basis for service?…
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In Bombay today, I surprised everyone by dressing up in a shirt. :) At a very sweetly orchestrated event (including a fancy invite, below!), with about 150 leaders, I shared some stories about service and inner transformation -- and a Boddhisattva approach . Among the audience,…
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