December 2016
In Bombay, there are many Awakin Circles and each has its own community. Today, all of them came together for an event in a school auditorium -- Awakin Talks. Organized by the inimitable Sachi Maniar and a local gang of a dozen volunteers, the event was downright awesome. With Rahul as…
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At the airport today, Gitanjali came by for a heart to heart chat. I always tease her about all her awards -- from receiving the " Amazing Indian " award, to being on the cover of the Femina magazine, and so on. :) In her inspired work on G.B. road in Delhi, she has…
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SOIL stands for School of Inspired Leadership . This morning, I spoke to the students about Laddership, then held a circle with 20 local business leaders, and then engaged in a local student-run Karma Kitchen. In his introduction, Anil Sachdev (the founder of SOIL) spoke about his…
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Having been to so many homes in recent days, I am seeing how cultivation isn't singular. If, in a family, more than one person is leading a wholesome life, it naturally supports others. And hence, if one member of the family experiences a micro transformation, it effortlessly…
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Anshu Gupta is last year's recipient of the renowned Magsaysay Award for "creative vision for transforming generosity in India". He and his team upcycle donated waste material, and then, instead of just handing it out in the villages, they ask the villagers to first…
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We held a beautiful circle at Vandana-Didi's home today, where we all explored the idea of what art means to us. The gathering featured lots of unique people, including Ellie who beautifully described art as "my 1-year-old son trying to catch the rays of sun with his…
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For breakfast, a group of TCS employees came over. We sat in the "Hriday Kunj" sanctuary on our Sughad campus, and talked about Ishwar Kaka 's maxim, "We must learn to see behind the wall." That is, wisdom lies in knowing that there are multiple causes…
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Over the last couple days, we held an "inclusion retreat" with differently abled folks, NGO's working in the sector, and related innovators. It all started with one dynamite, blind girl, who asked me: "I'd love to help others but I don't know how. Will you help…
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Bhawana-ben has been working with the mentally challenged for 37 years. "When I first walked into a special school, a kid pulled my hair strongly and wouldn't let go. Slowly, someone else pulled his hair, and he understood the pain and let it go. That day, I decided I…
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Tonight, Anarben and I shared some personal stories at Awakin Ahmedabad . The circle has been anchored every week by service rock-stars, from Nimo to Neil to Kishan , and lovingly held by the one and only Meghna! :) Many moons ago, Meghna landed up at an Awakin Circle,…
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