Learn.Choose.Live

The world over, for a while now, there has been an unusual fervour about the youth. For years now, the world awaits, with bated breath, for the youth to step up and take charge. Coming from a country where the youth played an important role in its freedom movement, my generation too is no stranger to the so-called 'Y' factor and like any other youth in my country (I'd like to assume everyone thinks like me, more or less). So here I was, equipped with some decent education and work experience, ready to change the world...

But, yesterday something changed, rather threw this entire notion out of the window. I visited a friends' NGO called LEARN (short for Labour Education and Research Network). Without going into an promotional writing for this organisation, I'd rather mull over the fact that the workers left me awestruck.

Led and operated by the women in the area it is based in (Dharavi, Mumbai), the women that form the network are from less than modest backgrounds. They had absolutely no qualms in talking to an unknown, "high-fi", to quote one of them, girl.

As we shared a simple meal, I could not help but notice that like the food, each of these women had vibrant, diverse personalities. Had it been yet another run-of-the-mill profit-making non-profit, it would have not surprised me in the least.

The ladies sat me there and spoke to me about their work, which is why and where they differ from the rest of us. While few of them had brought a sleazy man to task for harassing his domestic help, others had brought doctors to women, at more than subsidised rates, for regular health check-ups. Yet another woman had, needless to say, bravely faced a policeman who would demand bribes from the women hawkers at the locality (her story, complete with the threat to the cop that "if she as much as saw him around the area, she would..."!)

After listening to each of their intriguing stories, I could not help but wonder how little I had done - for anyone. I also could not stop myself from thinking that, for these formidable women, the buck really does stop here, the shots really do get called by them. It is a freedom and empowerment few women can think of, let alone possess.

To these women for whom freedom, security, prosperity is a right-turned-to-reality, I enviously salute!

PS: thanks, in a big way, goes out to Abhishek, Akilesh, Amar for allowing me to be a part of this wonderful movement and organisation!

(http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Learn-Labour-Education-and-Research-Network/140057182779106)

You, me and narayan...

Lats weekend, my mother expressed a desire to host a prayer meeting. I consented only as the reason she wanted to have one was very dear to my heart too.But being someone who always prided herself on being practical (read detached from all things spiritual), I had some serious concerns about falling off to sleep during the meditation that most prayer meets are synonymous with. I had pictured a scene where everyone would stop their meditation midway to at me as I would "meditate". Mom called over a volunteer from the 'Art of Living' discipline (I do not know how better to address them). to help us through the prayer meeting.

As the volunteer entered our home, I was surprised to see guitar slung around his shoulder - I had assumed he had guitar lessons before or after this. Curiosity generated, all notions of sleep lost, I sat among other family members, waiting. And lo and behold! the volunteer started strumming the guitar and started singing some wonderful tunes., Since they were accompanied with sanskrit words, I was fairly confused but the context was pretty lucid.

Then came the highlight of the evening, we soon began singing a simple yet deeply meaningful song titled 'narayan' wherein we invoked the blessings of each person who has passed, is passing and will soon pass (this was my interpretation of it). The song had just one basic line (every line would speak of different aspects of life; parents, the earth, the sun, the moon,
you...me...), and every line began with those words and ended with narayan.

This was when it hit me, contrary to what I held as the whole truth (owing to not-so-pleasant events in the past), that God or spirituality has no meaning and is for those who had a lot of time to invest (well, waste actually). As we sang, truly absorbing the words and the music and the quiet of our surroundings, I realised that this gave me immense peace and instead of putting me to sleep, got me even closer to those we had lost and continue to lose.

One does not need spirituality in times of crisis, loss, grief, it has and will always be within those who believe, do not believe and all others in between. One just needs to look within.

PS: to those who have passed, who pass and will pass, we love you and always will...

Happiness for Sale!

Just the other day, I was listening to the radio and I happened to come across this ad, which said "now for just Rs. 10 more, you can buy your future happiness!". Before getting into a long diatribe on what happiness is or should be, I'd like to say that I found this ad truly amusing. How anybody could tell me what would make me happy was just plain amusing, in the most unadulterated manner!

And then I just sat back, for lack of anything to do on the way to work, and really really thought about what things that made me happy. To the disappointment of the ad agency and to an extent me, I could recollect this day when I was in the bus and there was a little girl with her grandmother who was having the time of her life by just looking out of the window, looking at her aaji as she called her, and smiling. It probably did not matter to them, at that time, that they were in a crowded bus, which was bursting at the seams, and was stuck in traffic. It also probably did not matter to them that they we what we would describe as 'poorly dressed'.

And it also probably did not matter to them that there was this girl watching them, envious with the slightest hint of a tear in her eye, that they could share this moment of happiness. Pure. Unadulterated and most important,

Free.