The slogan on the cup demanded to be displayed so a photograph was a must for posterity!
Indian Railways zindabad :D
Friday, November 13, 2009
Friday Foto
The slogan on the cup demanded to be displayed so a photograph was a must for posterity!
Indian Railways zindabad :D
Monday, November 02, 2009
Virtual Ville
After days of working hard on farms, cooking and serving up hot dishes, and visiting friends' apartments--all virtually, I am exhausted. Farmville, Cafe World and Yo Ville caught the imagination and attention completely; so much so that I am ready to check into Facebook rehab.
Stepped out into the real world only to visit a friend's place for a birthday party--a house party after eons and a short walk in the neighborhood. The party was alright, life was injected into it almost toward the fag end when a talkative latecomer joined. Food was alright--biryani, cutlets, baked spinach and cheese augratin, parathas, paneer butter masala, chips et al. The dessert was of course the devilishly rich chocolate birthday cake. The company was also just alright, all new faces barring a few. The mood was uplifted once everyone congregated on the balcony amidst thunder and lightning followed by a cool downpour.
The walk was nice considering the weather these days is just lovely. I ought to do this more often, kinda forgotten what its like to walk amidst nature without being constantly interrupted by friends and some nosy neighbours for inane conversation during an evening walk.
So I'm discussing the weather and my virtual life in a blogpost. That's how slow my life has been lately. Social networking activities has taken up more time than an active social life. Time to get back to life, back to reality!
Monday, October 26, 2009
DGW - Gift 3
In March this year, my dad was hospitalized for a week or so after he had a fall and hurt his head. He has quite a few health problems and has been unwell since a year now. Dad’s sister and family live at the other end of town and could not visit us at the hospital more than once. My uncle arranged for his factory employee Arun to visit the hospital and help Mom and I for errands etc. Arun came almost all days and helped us in many ways – as an attender so that Mom and I could take turns to relieve us of hospital duty, he even helped feed my dad, helped him walk, during billing etc.
Once my car was confiscated by the police because it was parked in the lane next to the hospital which apparently is a towing zone, but the parking area was full and so in a hurry I had left the car there early morning, only to return around noon and find it locked! I was in a state of distress as I had to go to the bank and run many other errands, so I had to walk quite a bit to the main road to look for a police patrol car and request them to unlock the car. Usual fine for this is Rs.300 and I was quite annoyed with myself since this whole thing was also wasting my precious time. At that moment Arun who was in dad’s room called for something and I mentioned I was waiting for the police to unlock the car. He got a nurse to sit in dad’s room and came down. By that time a police van had come and I asked them to unlock it. Arun requested them to let me off since I was already tense with dad being in the hospital etc. The cops said I could pay Rs.100 and would not write a ‘challan’! I was grateful to Arun for saving me some time and money during this stress-filled period.
On the day dad got discharged and came home, Arun was right there helping us carry stuff and help dad into the house. We are eternally grateful and thankful to him for helping us so much, more than any family member or friend, but Arun being practically a stranger, behaved like family and did everything that was asked and even unasked. We have not seen him since March now - he lives on the outskirts of town - but we have spoken to him over phone and he has also called to enquire after my dad’s well-being.
Recently, he has become a father twice over. He has a little boy and now a baby girl ! We have wanted to gift him something since March and have mulled over a suitable gift, but had not acted on it. Certainly we cannot repay his kindness ever, but at least give a token of appreciation from our side.
Using Diwali as an excuse, I finally went to the market yesterday and got him a shirt piece, a sari for his wife, a ball for his son. We wanted to get some clothes for the kids but do not know the sizes and neither have we seen them yet. I did not find anything suitable for the new born baby so included the rattle I had got for my cousin's 5 month old daughter who lives in another city. I had purchased this at a crafts fair a couple of weeks ago. The total cost of gifts amounted to Rs.500, and is nothing in comparison to what he did for us, which is invaluable and immeasurable. The gifts will be sent through my uncle who is Arun’s boss. :-) It will take a few days to reach him since I hear he is out of town. I’m sure they all will have a bright future ahead filled with happiness, love and peace, since we have included our heartfelt wishes sent as good vibrations and prayers along with the material gifts :-) Of course, this is only the 'starter kit' in the set of gifts that will be coming his way! :-)
Once my car was confiscated by the police because it was parked in the lane next to the hospital which apparently is a towing zone, but the parking area was full and so in a hurry I had left the car there early morning, only to return around noon and find it locked! I was in a state of distress as I had to go to the bank and run many other errands, so I had to walk quite a bit to the main road to look for a police patrol car and request them to unlock the car. Usual fine for this is Rs.300 and I was quite annoyed with myself since this whole thing was also wasting my precious time. At that moment Arun who was in dad’s room called for something and I mentioned I was waiting for the police to unlock the car. He got a nurse to sit in dad’s room and came down. By that time a police van had come and I asked them to unlock it. Arun requested them to let me off since I was already tense with dad being in the hospital etc. The cops said I could pay Rs.100 and would not write a ‘challan’! I was grateful to Arun for saving me some time and money during this stress-filled period.
On the day dad got discharged and came home, Arun was right there helping us carry stuff and help dad into the house. We are eternally grateful and thankful to him for helping us so much, more than any family member or friend, but Arun being practically a stranger, behaved like family and did everything that was asked and even unasked. We have not seen him since March now - he lives on the outskirts of town - but we have spoken to him over phone and he has also called to enquire after my dad’s well-being.
Recently, he has become a father twice over. He has a little boy and now a baby girl ! We have wanted to gift him something since March and have mulled over a suitable gift, but had not acted on it. Certainly we cannot repay his kindness ever, but at least give a token of appreciation from our side.
Using Diwali as an excuse, I finally went to the market yesterday and got him a shirt piece, a sari for his wife, a ball for his son. We wanted to get some clothes for the kids but do not know the sizes and neither have we seen them yet. I did not find anything suitable for the new born baby so included the rattle I had got for my cousin's 5 month old daughter who lives in another city. I had purchased this at a crafts fair a couple of weeks ago. The total cost of gifts amounted to Rs.500, and is nothing in comparison to what he did for us, which is invaluable and immeasurable. The gifts will be sent through my uncle who is Arun’s boss. :-) It will take a few days to reach him since I hear he is out of town. I’m sure they all will have a bright future ahead filled with happiness, love and peace, since we have included our heartfelt wishes sent as good vibrations and prayers along with the material gifts :-) Of course, this is only the 'starter kit' in the set of gifts that will be coming his way! :-)
Friday, October 23, 2009
DGW - Gift 2
In August 2009, I spent 2 weeks at a yoga and meditation retreat. Every morning after asana practice we had coconut water and coconut pulp to refresh us and have a healthy, nutritious start to the day. I missed that after my return home and mentioned it to Mom. She said there is a chap who sells the same and comes by often. She sent word and he turned up one fine day. We bought some and enjoyed it and requested he come at least once/twice a week.
Many weeks later he showed up again and when asked about the long gap, he said he had forgotten. He had gone to other houses in the neighborhood, but had not knocked on our door! My mother admonished him and asked how could he have forgotten even after specifically requesting that he come regularly. The poor guy profusely apologized. I was listening to this conversation and suggested that he be given Rs.50 since Diwali was about a week away. Mom looked at me like I was nuts ‘coz she had just purchased some fresh coconuts from him. I reminded her of JGW and DGW (:P) and she promptly obliged.
Now the face of this man was a sight to behold! It was just 50 bucks but he couldn’t stop beaming and smiling nonstop! He seemed quite touched and very happy and left after thanking Mom. I suppose he will also be very regular from now on since he came again after that, again all smiles :-)
He was back on our doorstep after the Diwali weekend--as expected--to find a box of sweets and an Azzaro Tshirt waiting for him, which again he received with much gratitude. I also found out he has two school going kids--so now I have already identified my next ‘gifting victims’! Hehehe! :-) Will get them the Ecobuddy notebooks for starters...maybe even some books from Pratham.
Many weeks later he showed up again and when asked about the long gap, he said he had forgotten. He had gone to other houses in the neighborhood, but had not knocked on our door! My mother admonished him and asked how could he have forgotten even after specifically requesting that he come regularly. The poor guy profusely apologized. I was listening to this conversation and suggested that he be given Rs.50 since Diwali was about a week away. Mom looked at me like I was nuts ‘coz she had just purchased some fresh coconuts from him. I reminded her of JGW and DGW (:P) and she promptly obliged.
Now the face of this man was a sight to behold! It was just 50 bucks but he couldn’t stop beaming and smiling nonstop! He seemed quite touched and very happy and left after thanking Mom. I suppose he will also be very regular from now on since he came again after that, again all smiles :-)
He was back on our doorstep after the Diwali weekend--as expected--to find a box of sweets and an Azzaro Tshirt waiting for him, which again he received with much gratitude. I also found out he has two school going kids--so now I have already identified my next ‘gifting victims’! Hehehe! :-) Will get them the Ecobuddy notebooks for starters...maybe even some books from Pratham.
This guy was not in my original list of people who help us throughout the year with various errands, but I'm glad I was aware enough of wanting to give something to a stranger and remembered just in time. Technically, this incident cannot really be labeled a gift/act of giving, but boy, o' boy, was it worth it to see those beaming smiles! Feels like I'm the one who received!
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Happy Diwali ! :-)
My favourite firecrackers are phooljadi and anaar....sparklers and fountains. Love 'em :D Enjoy the Festival of Lights everybody, and have a joyous and wondrous New Year!
On another note: "May you remember that some people's lives are parched dry...and be grateful for the abundance in yours. If you can, please light up just one life - that of a stanger this Diwali. Wish you all a very happy & prosperous year ahead. Lots of love & good wishes! Happy Diwali :-)" - copied from a friend's status msg.
On another note: "May you remember that some people's lives are parched dry...and be grateful for the abundance in yours. If you can, please light up just one life - that of a stanger this Diwali. Wish you all a very happy & prosperous year ahead. Lots of love & good wishes! Happy Diwali :-)" - copied from a friend's status msg.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Celebrating Diwali Gifting Week (DGW) - Gift 1
This Diwali is a time for me to remember all the people whose help I usually take for granted. I see them often, they do stuff for me, but I don't think of them much thereafter. So I made a list of such people and intend to give some token or gift, with a hope that they would like it and if not, at least appreciate the thought behind it!
The watchman of my grandfather's building is an elderly chap, who always has a bright smile on his face whenever he sees us. We stayed in the building only for a couple of weeks in Feb 2008. This guy is courteous and ready to help with carrying bags or even just parking the car or opening the gates. He always looks so cheerful that you just can't help but smile right back :-) even if you aren't in the best of moods.
I recently saw him after a very long time (I don't know the other guys, there are rotation of duties) and enquired after his family. He said he has 2 grandchildren - a boy and a girl under 10 who go to school. I decided to try and get them something as a token gift although I have not seen them and do not know anything about them. It would have seemed odd to ask him and then he would be certain I have a plan and if I couldn't meet his expectations, I would feel bad so just left it as a casual inquiry.
A day later while shopping at a supermarket, I found some cute notepads - I love stationery of all kinds - and was looking through them when I came across a bunch of coloring books. As a child I would spend hours with colouring books, crayons and sketch pens etc. So picked up 2 of them for the watchman's 2 grandkids - 1 each, lest they fight! They were only about Rs.25 each.
In the next shelf were a pile of notebooks, with not too many pages. But I was captivated by the covers. The covers had photographs of animals and their young ones and info on the inside front and back pages about the animals, their habitats, food habits etc. It was attractive to look at and also educative. The icing on the cake was these notebooks were made of ecofriendly material called bagasse and recycled waste material, not paper. They had a cute little green coloured stamp saying "100% ecofriendly and biodegradable" on them. I bought 2 books - couldn't believe the price - Rs. 5 each!!Next day I visited granddad and in a bag, collected these books for the watchman's grandkids, plus a Fab India kurta that is fairly new and in good condition for him, a new blouse material and some supari, haldi kumkum for his daughter, and offered it to him. He grabbed it without any questions or even knowing what was inside! He was all smiles though!! :-) Hope they liked it, would love to get more - maybe after I get feedback about what they really liked/like.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
The Six Pix Tag
Only natural that I resume blogging after eons only to have a tag hit me almost immediately. This tag is actually a nice one - a rarity among tags in cyberland :P Thank you for tagging me on this one, Ferret :-) This pic was the 6th pic in the 6th folder of the My Pictures folder in my comp, as per the tag rules. Boy, was I relieved it was a nice pic and not something I would have to skip uploading so as to cheat on for this tag :P
This cute li'l thing was asleep when I initially spotted him/her (don't remember the gender!). I took quite a few pics from various angles and distances, and I guess eventually Sleepy-Head (SH) decided to acknowledge my efforts and looked up and posed :-) She looked even cuter awake than when she was dozing off. This shot was taken just before twilight. SH was nodding off around 6pm - unusual timing to be taking a siesta for us humans maybe - but I suppose ashram life does that to you.
SH lives at Singing Heart Ashram, Tiruvannamalai. This 5 acre plot of land is owned by a Danish woman called Jacqueline, who gravitated towards India nearly 40 years ago, felt some energy pull and stayed put since. She literally glides across the ashram in flowing robes and flowing white hair. My roommate was a bit freaked out and was afraid to fall asleep lest she get nightmares of this vision! Jacqueline is very soft spoken and highly knowledgeable on spiritual matters and is probably more Indian than most Indians today. She mostly travels through the year all around the world and lets out the ashram on lease for people who want some fresh mountain air as well as a fresh perspective on life.
Singing Heart (ironically has the same initials as Sleepy Head!) can accommodate about 40 odd people at a time in its cosy rooms. Sleepy-Head lives there with quite a few other dogs, crows and sparrows, all of whom are experts at toppling the food trash cans with a paw/beak in one fell swoop. They are a friendly bunch who scamper all over the place and entertain visitors. They are at their friendliest best during meal times and put on their most adorable expressions, which automatically make you wanna share the food on your plate with them. The dining hall is a semi open-aired circular structure with a thatched roof. The dogs and birds (there are plenty of bees too!) hang out here the most - their favorite place where all the action is.
In the pic, SH is resting on a pile of cement and behind SH is a fave spot of visitors to the ashram - a stone bench under the shade of a grove of trees. This is a vantage point at which you can sit and reflect, write, or stare at the Arunachala mountain/other people/SH and brethren/the birds, the bees and the butterflies flitting about, depending on your mood/personal preferences. The grand ole Arunachala mountain is the primary focus of this beautiful ashram - all rooms are constructed facing it, for the beautiful view. I was the most fortunate of the entire lot 'cos I could see the mountain lying in my bed in my cottage, through the window that faced the mountain.
SH and friends would come by my cottage - called Deepti - and hang out on its cool shaded porch, and I would indulge their smiles and wags and give them a biscuit or two. Sometimes we would just sit together in silence and admire the view :-)
I hope SH and pals are fine and dandy as ever and cleverly dodging the kicks that come their way when they are up to their usual antics near the food bins.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Giving Spree Continues...!
And so the madness continues....
Ah, the shades, hues and tints of my life....just painting more color into the giving sprees :P So here goes:
1) This is Diwali Gifting week. Am gonna give one gift to one person whose help I usually take for granted, this whole week leading up to Diwali. Have made a list of people and have already begun it yesterday.
2) Sandwich Week concept started by Nitesh from Ahmedabad begins Oct 17th-Oct 24th, 2009. Please check out the Facebook group and try to participate. Its a sweet idea and should be great fun to make sandwiches everyday! :-)
Now, I fear I might lose my trusted blog readers (all 2.5 of them) with this whole giving obsession. Please save your tomatoes/eggs/et al, its recession time and the prices of vegetables are nearly equal to the price of gold these days. Make bhurji and "give" it to me instead ;-)
Ah, the shades, hues and tints of my life....just painting more color into the giving sprees :P So here goes:
1) This is Diwali Gifting week. Am gonna give one gift to one person whose help I usually take for granted, this whole week leading up to Diwali. Have made a list of people and have already begun it yesterday.
2) Sandwich Week concept started by Nitesh from Ahmedabad begins Oct 17th-Oct 24th, 2009. Please check out the Facebook group and try to participate. Its a sweet idea and should be great fun to make sandwiches everyday! :-)
Now, I fear I might lose my trusted blog readers (all 2.5 of them) with this whole giving obsession. Please save your tomatoes/eggs/et al, its recession time and the prices of vegetables are nearly equal to the price of gold these days. Make bhurji and "give" it to me instead ;-)
Trumpeting JGW! - Day 7
3rd October, Day 7
My day began beautifully. I checked my inbox to find an email from my cousins who were so inspired by my JGW essay that they promptly made out a very generous donation of Rs.12,000 to Give India. In the spirit of JGW, they also sent a cheque of USD 200 to our common guru, Nithya Shanti, who has inspired us to be joyful and live life to the fullest :-) Tears flowed from my eyes out of sheer happiness. I had never expected that a simple essay/blogpost would actually move someone to perform an act of such noble kindness.
Yet another surprise awaited me in another email inbox! This time it was an online pal who emailed saying that after reading the same essay, had also logged onto the Give India site and made a hefty donation towards the Integrated Sponsorship Program for a Child for a Year! And also bought a pile load of Tshirts from Inkfruit! :-) This golden hearted pal is also sponsoring a girl child through CRY and does a lot of other noble deeds as well.
I was deeply touched that both of the above people chose to share their acts of giving with me and ironically, both swore me to secrecy to keep their info private!! Hehe, truly noble hearted people. I'm glad and proud to know them and share with them this whole giving experience :-) Thank you guys!
As for my own 7D7G task completion, Day 6 happened to be the birthday of a friend's daughter (also a friend) and I had kept aside a pair of earrings to gift her. Its been days since and I've yet to meet her, so that plan flopped too :-(
My last act for the day and JGW constituted signing a petition to save elephants from being cruelly captured and forced to work in circuses in inhumane conditions and against animal protection laws. PETA India had sent me this letter and petition to sign, which will be forwarded to the Minister for Environment. I also enclosed a cheque for Rs.5000 to PETA to fund their activities towards the same cause.
Flora and fauna are very dear to me and environmental and animal protection and sustenance is a cause very close to my heart. The work done by Beauty Without Cruelty, People For Animals, and PETA is marvellous and totally worth supporting. I'm honored to be associated with them as a member.
My day began beautifully. I checked my inbox to find an email from my cousins who were so inspired by my JGW essay that they promptly made out a very generous donation of Rs.12,000 to Give India. In the spirit of JGW, they also sent a cheque of USD 200 to our common guru, Nithya Shanti, who has inspired us to be joyful and live life to the fullest :-) Tears flowed from my eyes out of sheer happiness. I had never expected that a simple essay/blogpost would actually move someone to perform an act of such noble kindness.
Yet another surprise awaited me in another email inbox! This time it was an online pal who emailed saying that after reading the same essay, had also logged onto the Give India site and made a hefty donation towards the Integrated Sponsorship Program for a Child for a Year! And also bought a pile load of Tshirts from Inkfruit! :-) This golden hearted pal is also sponsoring a girl child through CRY and does a lot of other noble deeds as well.
I was deeply touched that both of the above people chose to share their acts of giving with me and ironically, both swore me to secrecy to keep their info private!! Hehe, truly noble hearted people. I'm glad and proud to know them and share with them this whole giving experience :-) Thank you guys!
As for my own 7D7G task completion, Day 6 happened to be the birthday of a friend's daughter (also a friend) and I had kept aside a pair of earrings to gift her. Its been days since and I've yet to meet her, so that plan flopped too :-(
My last act for the day and JGW constituted signing a petition to save elephants from being cruelly captured and forced to work in circuses in inhumane conditions and against animal protection laws. PETA India had sent me this letter and petition to sign, which will be forwarded to the Minister for Environment. I also enclosed a cheque for Rs.5000 to PETA to fund their activities towards the same cause.
Flora and fauna are very dear to me and environmental and animal protection and sustenance is a cause very close to my heart. The work done by Beauty Without Cruelty, People For Animals, and PETA is marvellous and totally worth supporting. I'm honored to be associated with them as a member.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Goonj-te Rahe Jaoge! - Day 6
2nd October, Day 6
Unfortunately, the 1st thing I see in my mailbox on the morning of Day 6 is that the Inkfruit transaction did not go through (online payment woes abound!!) and my plan has flopped yet again :-( I am going to try again and hope it works this time.
Goonj is an organization I have been reading about since over a year now. I have even talked to their representative in my city but have not met them yet although I would like to volunteer with them. My commitment and resolve to be a part of their wonderful endeavors has strengthened during the JGW, and this time I have actually acted upon my thoughts towards Goonj.
I am in the process of collecting old clothes for them to be given away. I am very careful with my clothes and even the old ones still look fairly new. People don't believe me when they compliment something I'm wearing and come to know that its at least 5 or more years old (not always :P). Anyway, so I have put together quite a few salwar sets that can be used directly. apart from an assortment of tops and pants/skirts. I have also added a few new clothes that I had bought but never worn for want of wrong sizes, into the same collection bag. Since Goonj also welcomes torn material and rag cloth to be made into stuffing for blankets, cloth strips to be used as sanitary napkins by village women who cannot afford to buy branded pads, I have put together another bag of clothes for the same. They prefer to receive separately labeled bags for ease of distribution. Apart from clothes, I have also collected some handbags, purses, newspapers, and magazines for them to sell as per their wishlist on their website. I also plan to give away utensils that are lying in a huge trunk in an attic. We have just been storing them and have not been using them in a while. I have taken care to only collect items that would hopefully be useful to Goonj as per their wishlist and instructions on their website. I have great respect for the man who started this organization - Anshu Gupta, a working professional from the corporate sector who quit his job for the sake of social and community welfare and development. His initiatives at Goonj are pathbreaking and revolutionary and full of innovative do-able ideas and programs.
On another note, I've been thinking about how money is the easiest way to help anybody with. Everyone needs it and all can use it. Giving it away might be easy for some and hard for some. In today's age, I can sit at my PC and make a donation online without even having to visit a center for the needy. Ironically, my money donation plans to GiveIndia, Inkfruit, and the animal welfare organisations that I regularly donate to, did not work this week. It only reminds me that money is not the primary thing that can help someone or bring a smile to their faces. Its the gift of time and love and the thought behind it that is far more precious. These are memories people will cherish and never forget. Certainly in my life's experience it has been true so far.
I began writing these updates for the JGW sites only on Gandhi Jayanthi (October 2nd) although I began my 7D7G journey on 27th Sept, the start of JGW. Bapu, the Father of our Nation taught us so much about selflessness. He laid down his life for the welfare of India and its citizens. Ironically, today he is revered more in the West than by his own fellow Indians. But the message can never be forgotten. Thank you Mahatma Gandhi for showing us the way.
I intend to follow and practice the 7 Day 7 Gifts challenge every 3 months for now, and will eventually make it a monthly habit. On coming across these sites I was greatly excited and enthusiastic and although initially it felt like a monumental task to plan for 7 gifts on 7 consecutive days and execute the same, I found I was brimming with ideas and planned my JGW meticulously. Unfortunately, due to various constraints, I have not been able to implement half of my plans! :-( Hence, I would like to make this a regular habit. If Rahul Nainwal (the guy started the websites 21 Days 21 Gifts and 7 Days 7 Gifts) and friends could do it for 21 days and start this fantastic movement, it can only serve to inspire me and hopefully many others as well.
Unfortunately, the 1st thing I see in my mailbox on the morning of Day 6 is that the Inkfruit transaction did not go through (online payment woes abound!!) and my plan has flopped yet again :-( I am going to try again and hope it works this time.
Goonj is an organization I have been reading about since over a year now. I have even talked to their representative in my city but have not met them yet although I would like to volunteer with them. My commitment and resolve to be a part of their wonderful endeavors has strengthened during the JGW, and this time I have actually acted upon my thoughts towards Goonj.
I am in the process of collecting old clothes for them to be given away. I am very careful with my clothes and even the old ones still look fairly new. People don't believe me when they compliment something I'm wearing and come to know that its at least 5 or more years old (not always :P). Anyway, so I have put together quite a few salwar sets that can be used directly. apart from an assortment of tops and pants/skirts. I have also added a few new clothes that I had bought but never worn for want of wrong sizes, into the same collection bag. Since Goonj also welcomes torn material and rag cloth to be made into stuffing for blankets, cloth strips to be used as sanitary napkins by village women who cannot afford to buy branded pads, I have put together another bag of clothes for the same. They prefer to receive separately labeled bags for ease of distribution. Apart from clothes, I have also collected some handbags, purses, newspapers, and magazines for them to sell as per their wishlist on their website. I also plan to give away utensils that are lying in a huge trunk in an attic. We have just been storing them and have not been using them in a while. I have taken care to only collect items that would hopefully be useful to Goonj as per their wishlist and instructions on their website. I have great respect for the man who started this organization - Anshu Gupta, a working professional from the corporate sector who quit his job for the sake of social and community welfare and development. His initiatives at Goonj are pathbreaking and revolutionary and full of innovative do-able ideas and programs.
On another note, I've been thinking about how money is the easiest way to help anybody with. Everyone needs it and all can use it. Giving it away might be easy for some and hard for some. In today's age, I can sit at my PC and make a donation online without even having to visit a center for the needy. Ironically, my money donation plans to GiveIndia, Inkfruit, and the animal welfare organisations that I regularly donate to, did not work this week. It only reminds me that money is not the primary thing that can help someone or bring a smile to their faces. Its the gift of time and love and the thought behind it that is far more precious. These are memories people will cherish and never forget. Certainly in my life's experience it has been true so far.
I began writing these updates for the JGW sites only on Gandhi Jayanthi (October 2nd) although I began my 7D7G journey on 27th Sept, the start of JGW. Bapu, the Father of our Nation taught us so much about selflessness. He laid down his life for the welfare of India and its citizens. Ironically, today he is revered more in the West than by his own fellow Indians. But the message can never be forgotten. Thank you Mahatma Gandhi for showing us the way.
I intend to follow and practice the 7 Day 7 Gifts challenge every 3 months for now, and will eventually make it a monthly habit. On coming across these sites I was greatly excited and enthusiastic and although initially it felt like a monumental task to plan for 7 gifts on 7 consecutive days and execute the same, I found I was brimming with ideas and planned my JGW meticulously. Unfortunately, due to various constraints, I have not been able to implement half of my plans! :-( Hence, I would like to make this a regular habit. If Rahul Nainwal (the guy started the websites 21 Days 21 Gifts and 7 Days 7 Gifts) and friends could do it for 21 days and start this fantastic movement, it can only serve to inspire me and hopefully many others as well.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Its All About aTEEtude! - Day 5
1st October, Day 5
Through the JGW website I came across this very interesting looking website called Inkfruit. A company that's innovatively called aTEEtude has partnered with Inkfruit, which sells captioned Tshirts and during JGW, they are offering one free Tshirt to be donated in Mumbai on October 3rd, for every Tshirt you buy.
I chose a Tshirt representing the famous fictional character QuickGun Murugan to gift it to a friend who loved the movie of the same name. It turned out to be one of the more expensive range of Tshirts at Rs.400, but that did not deter me as it was meant to be a gift of love, and moreover, one Tshirt would be gifted away by the company (in the same range as the Tshirt purchased) free to a street kid who goes to a night school.
I paid via credit card on the website and typed the lengthy form with the shipping address of my friend who lives many miles away in a different city. I visualized how thrilled and surprised she would be on receiving this unexpected gift by post!
Again it was the only thing I could do for the day, but I was very happy with my plan :-)
Through the JGW website I came across this very interesting looking website called Inkfruit. A company that's innovatively called aTEEtude has partnered with Inkfruit, which sells captioned Tshirts and during JGW, they are offering one free Tshirt to be donated in Mumbai on October 3rd, for every Tshirt you buy.
I chose a Tshirt representing the famous fictional character QuickGun Murugan to gift it to a friend who loved the movie of the same name. It turned out to be one of the more expensive range of Tshirts at Rs.400, but that did not deter me as it was meant to be a gift of love, and moreover, one Tshirt would be gifted away by the company (in the same range as the Tshirt purchased) free to a street kid who goes to a night school.
I paid via credit card on the website and typed the lengthy form with the shipping address of my friend who lives many miles away in a different city. I visualized how thrilled and surprised she would be on receiving this unexpected gift by post!
Again it was the only thing I could do for the day, but I was very happy with my plan :-)
Friday, October 09, 2009
More Intent, Minimal Result - Day 4
30th September, Day 4
Since I spent most of the day indoors, I decided to make an online contribution towards my participation in the JGW and also in the 7D7G challenge. Much to my disappointment, this plan backfired.
On Day 4, I attempted to make a donation online at the Give India website wherein I can bank a certain amount with them and use it for various causes from time to time, instead of separately picking and choosing organizations and billing them directly. In the latter method, the website has to spend more in terms of time and labor, not to mention their own expenses incurred during administration and disbursement. Unfortunately, despite repeated tries at depositing Rs. 2000, the transaction failed online. I have been a member at Give India since a few years now and it has always been a smooth process. I guess the enthusiasm of Indians during the JGW has contributed to the site's cyber traffic, which is a good thing! I guess I will have to try harder again in the next few days :-)
Meanwhile I signed up at iVolunteer and hope to hear from them sometime soon. Am hoping to volunteer my time and skills to organizations that could utilize the same, and towards causes close to my heart.
Later that evening, I drove to the fuel station and while waiting in queue for filling air into the car's tires, I noticed there was a new worker there. A young man probably in his mid-late 20s, was walking with a limp and circling every vehicle that stopped at the air filling machine. It looked like he had to make quite some effort to walk about and it was painful just to see it, although he was going about his duties in a matter-of-fact manner and at a fairly quick pace. I had already kept aside the usual regular minimum amount of Rs.2 as a tip, but on an impulse, tipped him Rs.5. He might have been surprised because he is usually given Re.1 or Re.2 or nothing at all by most people, but I didn't really stop to see his reaction. Just thanked him, gave him the money and drove away. So that was my only very tiny gesture for the day.
I felt a bit dejected at being unable to fulfil my plans for the day and the only thing that I gave was a couple of measly bucks. Which amounts to nothing really and certainly nothing to write home about. But hey, blogs are for venting! Sigh. Later I mulled over why I didn't give the guy more money; I did hesitate at the time and wondered if he'd feel insulted, after all he was not begging for money, but going about his job. He might have been more shocked than surprised!
All sorts of thoughts, reasons, excuses run amuck through one's head during an act of giving. Not for a minute do we stop and think when we complain about someone/something, we usually just let fly!! Or when we receive (gifts), we do so greedily and bask in the sheer pleasure of it. I'm not saying that's wrong, but just thinking aloud at how we act, react and behave in various situations in our lives. But strangely, while giving at times, especially when people beg at traffic signals, there sometimes is a hesitation, a dilemma whether you should/shouldn't, am I doing the right thing in giving or ignoring, etc. etc. etc...!!
On hindsight, today's (non)experience only made me more determined in my resolve to practice giving as a regular part of my life. Not just during JGW, but to look for and also create more opportunities and bring in more awareness at every possibility. Its actually quite amazing how opportunities just show up in front of you when the intention is strong.
Since I spent most of the day indoors, I decided to make an online contribution towards my participation in the JGW and also in the 7D7G challenge. Much to my disappointment, this plan backfired.
On Day 4, I attempted to make a donation online at the Give India website wherein I can bank a certain amount with them and use it for various causes from time to time, instead of separately picking and choosing organizations and billing them directly. In the latter method, the website has to spend more in terms of time and labor, not to mention their own expenses incurred during administration and disbursement. Unfortunately, despite repeated tries at depositing Rs. 2000, the transaction failed online. I have been a member at Give India since a few years now and it has always been a smooth process. I guess the enthusiasm of Indians during the JGW has contributed to the site's cyber traffic, which is a good thing! I guess I will have to try harder again in the next few days :-)
Meanwhile I signed up at iVolunteer and hope to hear from them sometime soon. Am hoping to volunteer my time and skills to organizations that could utilize the same, and towards causes close to my heart.
Later that evening, I drove to the fuel station and while waiting in queue for filling air into the car's tires, I noticed there was a new worker there. A young man probably in his mid-late 20s, was walking with a limp and circling every vehicle that stopped at the air filling machine. It looked like he had to make quite some effort to walk about and it was painful just to see it, although he was going about his duties in a matter-of-fact manner and at a fairly quick pace. I had already kept aside the usual regular minimum amount of Rs.2 as a tip, but on an impulse, tipped him Rs.5. He might have been surprised because he is usually given Re.1 or Re.2 or nothing at all by most people, but I didn't really stop to see his reaction. Just thanked him, gave him the money and drove away. So that was my only very tiny gesture for the day.
I felt a bit dejected at being unable to fulfil my plans for the day and the only thing that I gave was a couple of measly bucks. Which amounts to nothing really and certainly nothing to write home about. But hey, blogs are for venting! Sigh. Later I mulled over why I didn't give the guy more money; I did hesitate at the time and wondered if he'd feel insulted, after all he was not begging for money, but going about his job. He might have been more shocked than surprised!
All sorts of thoughts, reasons, excuses run amuck through one's head during an act of giving. Not for a minute do we stop and think when we complain about someone/something, we usually just let fly!! Or when we receive (gifts), we do so greedily and bask in the sheer pleasure of it. I'm not saying that's wrong, but just thinking aloud at how we act, react and behave in various situations in our lives. But strangely, while giving at times, especially when people beg at traffic signals, there sometimes is a hesitation, a dilemma whether you should/shouldn't, am I doing the right thing in giving or ignoring, etc. etc. etc...!!
On hindsight, today's (non)experience only made me more determined in my resolve to practice giving as a regular part of my life. Not just during JGW, but to look for and also create more opportunities and bring in more awareness at every possibility. Its actually quite amazing how opportunities just show up in front of you when the intention is strong.
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Gift of Love = Big Smiles! - Day 3
29th September, Day 3
It was the last day of Navratri and I felt like attending the morning puja, which I had intended to attend atleast a couple of times in all of these 9 days. Despite various reasons, including the grand excuse of laziness, I could not carry through - guess my intention was not that strong. So I thought the last day is now or never and am so glad I made it -- to the next building! :P There were mostly elderly ladies present, but also a friend of mine with her daughter, who is also a friend of mine. It was nice and peaceful and the room was so very fragrant with flowers and incense. The ladies recited the entire Lalitha Stothram and I struggled to read the Sanskrit verses through the Hindi translation booklet my friend handed me. Am relieved I could read at least half of it pretty quickly. My mom was happy and so were some of the elderly ladies that I was present there. It felt like a good start to the day.
Got back home and once again I practiced the gift of time and love by spending a lot of time with my ailing father. We have not had a nice long chat in months although we live under the same roof. He is undergoing a lot of suffering due to ill health, and is not always in the best of moods although everyone tries to help him or spend time with him. It felt so good to hug each other for a long time, laugh and joke just like the good old days :-) A man with an amazing sense of humour now seldom displays his wit. So I love it when he giggles at my jokes and cracks some of his own sometimes. Now each of these moments is more precious than ever before!
Having enjoyed feasting and receiving gifts on all the days of Navratri celebrations with friends and neighbors, it was time to do some gifting of my own as well. With a lot of love and care and gratitude, I made gift bags filled with assorted goodies such as new sari blouse material, bangles, pendants, diyas/lamps, supari, combs, pocket mirrors and so on for the two nursing attendants who help my father, our cook, my grandfather's domestic help and his watchman's wife, the lady who collects the garbage from our house every morning and a couple of other ladies who work in the colony. I had been collecting things to put into each bag and it felt good to make these gift hampers. They were all very happy and touched and accepted it with big smiles on their faces :-)
It was the last day of Navratri and I felt like attending the morning puja, which I had intended to attend atleast a couple of times in all of these 9 days. Despite various reasons, including the grand excuse of laziness, I could not carry through - guess my intention was not that strong. So I thought the last day is now or never and am so glad I made it -- to the next building! :P There were mostly elderly ladies present, but also a friend of mine with her daughter, who is also a friend of mine. It was nice and peaceful and the room was so very fragrant with flowers and incense. The ladies recited the entire Lalitha Stothram and I struggled to read the Sanskrit verses through the Hindi translation booklet my friend handed me. Am relieved I could read at least half of it pretty quickly. My mom was happy and so were some of the elderly ladies that I was present there. It felt like a good start to the day.
Got back home and once again I practiced the gift of time and love by spending a lot of time with my ailing father. We have not had a nice long chat in months although we live under the same roof. He is undergoing a lot of suffering due to ill health, and is not always in the best of moods although everyone tries to help him or spend time with him. It felt so good to hug each other for a long time, laugh and joke just like the good old days :-) A man with an amazing sense of humour now seldom displays his wit. So I love it when he giggles at my jokes and cracks some of his own sometimes. Now each of these moments is more precious than ever before!
Having enjoyed feasting and receiving gifts on all the days of Navratri celebrations with friends and neighbors, it was time to do some gifting of my own as well. With a lot of love and care and gratitude, I made gift bags filled with assorted goodies such as new sari blouse material, bangles, pendants, diyas/lamps, supari, combs, pocket mirrors and so on for the two nursing attendants who help my father, our cook, my grandfather's domestic help and his watchman's wife, the lady who collects the garbage from our house every morning and a couple of other ladies who work in the colony. I had been collecting things to put into each bag and it felt good to make these gift hampers. They were all very happy and touched and accepted it with big smiles on their faces :-)
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Navaratri Special - Day 2
28th September, Day 2
I attended a Durga puja pandal at Bengal Samaj and arrived just in time for the havan. It was a wonderful experience watching and listening to the dhol and drum beats that folk people were playing while the rest prayed. The idols of the gods and godesses were beautifully decorated, just like the pandal itself. Lunch was a simple affair with hot khichdi and two bengali curries, topped with aamras and icecream! I had already purchased tokens for puri chhole and gulab jamun to carry home to share with others so I had thought of giving the icecreams to someone on the way. Next, I was headed to an exhibition by Crafts Council of India, so thought of giving the icecream to the security guard at the parking lot, who spends all day outdoors in the heat. Unfortunately though it was barely a 5 minute drive away, the icecream had melted by then and was quite messy so I literally drank the two spoons myself lest my car gets filled with ants!
At the crafts fair, I shopped for toys for the latest entrant into the family, my new niece! She is 5 mths old and I bought a really cute looking baby Hanuman cardboard cutout that can be stuck to a wall/cupboard and a colourful wooden toy rattle - all these are made by craftspersons in tiny villages in India who make these items for a living, but with consumers going in for branded toys these days, there isn't much of a market demand for these simple toys anymore. These are actually ecologically beneficial, with no lead or plastic in them, are safe for young children to play with and are unbelievably priced at a reasonable Rs.10-Rs.50. I'm lucky to have come across the opportunity to be able to buy gifts for my niece as well as appreciate and albeit in a small way buy the goods made by such hardworking people and contribute to their sales.
Mom plans to hold a satsang at home in the coming weeks and wanted to gift her group of ladies a small token. We purchased some 20 keychain designs made of colored straw and coir in shapes of strawberries, butterflies, mangoes etc, costing Rs.10 each. Again ecofriendly, simple and sweet! These were from a stall from West Bengal. I hope it brings a smile on the faces of the ladies as much as it pleased the stall seller that we bought almost all her stock!
I attended a Durga puja pandal at Bengal Samaj and arrived just in time for the havan. It was a wonderful experience watching and listening to the dhol and drum beats that folk people were playing while the rest prayed. The idols of the gods and godesses were beautifully decorated, just like the pandal itself. Lunch was a simple affair with hot khichdi and two bengali curries, topped with aamras and icecream! I had already purchased tokens for puri chhole and gulab jamun to carry home to share with others so I had thought of giving the icecreams to someone on the way. Next, I was headed to an exhibition by Crafts Council of India, so thought of giving the icecream to the security guard at the parking lot, who spends all day outdoors in the heat. Unfortunately though it was barely a 5 minute drive away, the icecream had melted by then and was quite messy so I literally drank the two spoons myself lest my car gets filled with ants!
At the crafts fair, I shopped for toys for the latest entrant into the family, my new niece! She is 5 mths old and I bought a really cute looking baby Hanuman cardboard cutout that can be stuck to a wall/cupboard and a colourful wooden toy rattle - all these are made by craftspersons in tiny villages in India who make these items for a living, but with consumers going in for branded toys these days, there isn't much of a market demand for these simple toys anymore. These are actually ecologically beneficial, with no lead or plastic in them, are safe for young children to play with and are unbelievably priced at a reasonable Rs.10-Rs.50. I'm lucky to have come across the opportunity to be able to buy gifts for my niece as well as appreciate and albeit in a small way buy the goods made by such hardworking people and contribute to their sales.
Mom plans to hold a satsang at home in the coming weeks and wanted to gift her group of ladies a small token. We purchased some 20 keychain designs made of colored straw and coir in shapes of strawberries, butterflies, mangoes etc, costing Rs.10 each. Again ecofriendly, simple and sweet! These were from a stall from West Bengal. I hope it brings a smile on the faces of the ladies as much as it pleased the stall seller that we bought almost all her stock!
Sunday, October 04, 2009
With Bapu's Blessings - Day 1
The Joy of Giving Week (JGW) has captivated my attention completely. My mind is brimming with ideas on how to implement the same and participate in the 7Day7Gifts (7D7G) challenge to the fullest possible extent. The fact that it coincides with Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary is very significant. The man who selflessly laid down his life for the betterment of his brethren and country, was an epitome of one who gives and gives tirelessly. Of himself. Service to living beings is equal to service to God, they say. Giving is one of the highest virtues of spirituality, but that is a journey that has to start from the self first. That's a thought for another day, another post!
For now, my experience with JGW has been an interesting journey so far. I will put up the posts of my 7D7G challenge one at a time. Most of the things I'd planned on doing are not what eventually worked out, but at least I made a start so am glad about that.
27th Sept Day 1
My only living grandparent is my paternal grandfather, 94 yrs young, but looks like he is in his 60s-70s. He has been a great contributor and achiever in his career spanning nearly 70 odd yrs in the finance arena. He has headed many top government and private companies and earned fame and glory during his working life. In his personal life, he is always cheerful, a happy go lucky man who enjoys the simple pleasures of life with the same enthusiasm as a little child. He revels in celebrating birthdays of family members, remembers each and every one of them, invites them to his home for a small get together and celebration in a warmhearted manner. He lives alone and is self-sufficient to a great extent, accepting or asking for assistance only occasionally. We are very proud of him and his deeds in life. My favourite memories of the last one year are spending birthdays at his home. He decorates the place up in innovative and beautiful ways and rejoices and celebrates the day joyfully. Its a pleasure to see him handle his life with elan. There is so much to learn from him each time I interact with him.
The apartment complex I live in celebrates Navratri on a grand scale on all 9 days every year. This year marked the 10th anniversary celebrations of the colony's existence and sponsorship was sought from an established and well-known sweets manufacturer and distributor chain of shops. The 1st day of Navratri witnessed an elaborate puja in the traditional manner with many present and it was held on the ground floor of our recreation building. I was keen that my grandfather attend this puja since he would have liked it, but he did not want to come and I was very disappointed. It was unlike him and a week later I met him and expressed my feelings. He immediately agreed to come and I mentioned that many people in the colony have heard of him and would be honored to meet him and that we would be very happy if he came.
So the next day I picked him up and brought him home. He braved his fears of falling and losing balance courageously, brought his walker along, held my hand throughout and even climbed two flights of stairs to the 1st floor to attend a music recital ! I salute his spirit and determination and all the people who met him appreciated and admired his efforts as well. Everything went off well by God's grace, he had a delicious dinner with us thanks to all the prasad and mom's cooking. I dropped him home and he felt happy to have come but was glad to be back in his own home where he felt safe. He had a wonderful time meeting and greeting the various neighbors and friends and chatted with them all happily.
It was wonderful to spend time with my grandfather that evening. I will cherish it as a lovely memory and am glad to have spent my time with someone I greatly admire and respect. It didn't cost me anything to give him the gift of love and time. I thought I was giving him a fun time, but it turns out I received much more in return - the joy of spending time, learning from him, feeling fortunate and grateful to have been born into his family and know him so closely, and cherishing this memory forever.
For now, my experience with JGW has been an interesting journey so far. I will put up the posts of my 7D7G challenge one at a time. Most of the things I'd planned on doing are not what eventually worked out, but at least I made a start so am glad about that.
27th Sept Day 1
My only living grandparent is my paternal grandfather, 94 yrs young, but looks like he is in his 60s-70s. He has been a great contributor and achiever in his career spanning nearly 70 odd yrs in the finance arena. He has headed many top government and private companies and earned fame and glory during his working life. In his personal life, he is always cheerful, a happy go lucky man who enjoys the simple pleasures of life with the same enthusiasm as a little child. He revels in celebrating birthdays of family members, remembers each and every one of them, invites them to his home for a small get together and celebration in a warmhearted manner. He lives alone and is self-sufficient to a great extent, accepting or asking for assistance only occasionally. We are very proud of him and his deeds in life. My favourite memories of the last one year are spending birthdays at his home. He decorates the place up in innovative and beautiful ways and rejoices and celebrates the day joyfully. Its a pleasure to see him handle his life with elan. There is so much to learn from him each time I interact with him.
The apartment complex I live in celebrates Navratri on a grand scale on all 9 days every year. This year marked the 10th anniversary celebrations of the colony's existence and sponsorship was sought from an established and well-known sweets manufacturer and distributor chain of shops. The 1st day of Navratri witnessed an elaborate puja in the traditional manner with many present and it was held on the ground floor of our recreation building. I was keen that my grandfather attend this puja since he would have liked it, but he did not want to come and I was very disappointed. It was unlike him and a week later I met him and expressed my feelings. He immediately agreed to come and I mentioned that many people in the colony have heard of him and would be honored to meet him and that we would be very happy if he came.
So the next day I picked him up and brought him home. He braved his fears of falling and losing balance courageously, brought his walker along, held my hand throughout and even climbed two flights of stairs to the 1st floor to attend a music recital ! I salute his spirit and determination and all the people who met him appreciated and admired his efforts as well. Everything went off well by God's grace, he had a delicious dinner with us thanks to all the prasad and mom's cooking. I dropped him home and he felt happy to have come but was glad to be back in his own home where he felt safe. He had a wonderful time meeting and greeting the various neighbors and friends and chatted with them all happily.
It was wonderful to spend time with my grandfather that evening. I will cherish it as a lovely memory and am glad to have spent my time with someone I greatly admire and respect. It didn't cost me anything to give him the gift of love and time. I thought I was giving him a fun time, but it turns out I received much more in return - the joy of spending time, learning from him, feeling fortunate and grateful to have been born into his family and know him so closely, and cherishing this memory forever.
Saturday, October 03, 2009
JGW & 7D7G - My latest inspiration and addiction!
How is everyone doing? Wanted to share this wonderful exercise, experiment, and experience that is happening here lately.
Its the Joy of Giving Week in India, timed with Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary on Oct 2nd. Its a drive that's caught the imagination of all ages, all religions, all occupations and gender alike, and I find it very fascinating. The website has events listed of all activities happening in different parts of the country; anyone can add an event and people can join in. Some great ideas in there! (http://www.joyofgivingweek.org)
The initiators have tied up with a donor facilitating website called Give India, which is a transparent medium that operates between a cause and a donor and ensures that your money goes towards the cause close to your heart. The site has various categories and screened NGOs/nonprofit organizations to choose from. (http://www.giveindia.org)
There are tie ups with a branded Tshirt company called aTEEtude and Inkfruit where they are offering discounts for orders placed during this week. For every Tshirt you buy, one will be donated free by the website to people in Mumbai. The Tshirts are colorful, fun and have cool captions! (http://give.ateetu.de)
Last but not the least, and my favorite, is a website called 7Days7Gifts. The brains behind this one are just a bunch of 3 youngsters who practiced the habit of giving/gifting for 21 days at a stretch!! Imagine! They had wonderful anecdotes to narrate/share and a great sense of well-being on completion of this task/experiment, and wanted to share this idea with everyone. To simplify it and make it more doable and less time-consuming they set the challenge to 7 days. They have rules and ideas on how to go about planning how to gift continuously for 7 days nonstop. These include gifting to a complete stranger and gifting away something that you hold preciously dear. Its all about practicing the spirit of giving and the art of letting go. There are blogs of people who have gone through the experience and perfectionists can feel much better reading that neither you nor the gift has to be perfect!! Haha! (http://7days7gifts.ning.com)
I have been trying out all of the above and intend to make a regular event of the 7 days 7 gifts experiment in my life every month. It's not as easy as it sounds and therein lies the challenge. You have to plan in advance and this doesn't help if you're a nitpicker/perfectionist.
Its one thing about helping, giving, and gifting to people you love, on occasions, for a reason etc. Its also the easiest thing to send a check in the mail and assume you've done your bit for charity. Volunteering is so much nicer and fulfilling too (www.ivolunteer.in). Its not so much about giving money, but more about making something yourself and gifting it away, doing a deed that would bring a smile on the receiver's face, giving the gift of time, skills, qualities and ideas. The main criteria is that the receiver must really need/want the gift, so you have to put a lot of thought into it. Not such an easy task when its for someone you don't know at all/well enough :-)
I'm sure many of us are already doing all we can, when we can. But planning for 7 continuous days and the conscious practice that this experiment involves is an interesting process. I hope some of those reading this feel inspired enough to try it out sometime :-)
Anyway, some of these might be happening in India, but the 7D7G thing is such a cool concept, I wanted to share it in case you want to try it out for yourself, wherever you are. The beauty of it is that it can be practiced anytime, anywhere, and by anyone!
If you've read this long essay till here, I applaud and appreciate your patience to bear with me! This has been a wonderful week for me and I just wanted to share it with some special people :-)
Its the Joy of Giving Week in India, timed with Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary on Oct 2nd. Its a drive that's caught the imagination of all ages, all religions, all occupations and gender alike, and I find it very fascinating. The website has events listed of all activities happening in different parts of the country; anyone can add an event and people can join in. Some great ideas in there! (http://www.joyofgivingweek.org)
The initiators have tied up with a donor facilitating website called Give India, which is a transparent medium that operates between a cause and a donor and ensures that your money goes towards the cause close to your heart. The site has various categories and screened NGOs/nonprofit organizations to choose from. (http://www.giveindia.org)
There are tie ups with a branded Tshirt company called aTEEtude and Inkfruit where they are offering discounts for orders placed during this week. For every Tshirt you buy, one will be donated free by the website to people in Mumbai. The Tshirts are colorful, fun and have cool captions! (http://give.ateetu.de)
Last but not the least, and my favorite, is a website called 7Days7Gifts. The brains behind this one are just a bunch of 3 youngsters who practiced the habit of giving/gifting for 21 days at a stretch!! Imagine! They had wonderful anecdotes to narrate/share and a great sense of well-being on completion of this task/experiment, and wanted to share this idea with everyone. To simplify it and make it more doable and less time-consuming they set the challenge to 7 days. They have rules and ideas on how to go about planning how to gift continuously for 7 days nonstop. These include gifting to a complete stranger and gifting away something that you hold preciously dear. Its all about practicing the spirit of giving and the art of letting go. There are blogs of people who have gone through the experience and perfectionists can feel much better reading that neither you nor the gift has to be perfect!! Haha! (http://7days7gifts.ning.com)
I have been trying out all of the above and intend to make a regular event of the 7 days 7 gifts experiment in my life every month. It's not as easy as it sounds and therein lies the challenge. You have to plan in advance and this doesn't help if you're a nitpicker/perfectionist.
Its one thing about helping, giving, and gifting to people you love, on occasions, for a reason etc. Its also the easiest thing to send a check in the mail and assume you've done your bit for charity. Volunteering is so much nicer and fulfilling too (www.ivolunteer.in). Its not so much about giving money, but more about making something yourself and gifting it away, doing a deed that would bring a smile on the receiver's face, giving the gift of time, skills, qualities and ideas. The main criteria is that the receiver must really need/want the gift, so you have to put a lot of thought into it. Not such an easy task when its for someone you don't know at all/well enough :-)
I'm sure many of us are already doing all we can, when we can. But planning for 7 continuous days and the conscious practice that this experiment involves is an interesting process. I hope some of those reading this feel inspired enough to try it out sometime :-)
Anyway, some of these might be happening in India, but the 7D7G thing is such a cool concept, I wanted to share it in case you want to try it out for yourself, wherever you are. The beauty of it is that it can be practiced anytime, anywhere, and by anyone!
If you've read this long essay till here, I applaud and appreciate your patience to bear with me! This has been a wonderful week for me and I just wanted to share it with some special people :-)
Thursday, October 01, 2009
Nandita Das' Blogpost about JGW
Sometimes, I wonder if there are enough occasions that bring us all together as one nation. From childhood, whenever we have heard the phrase ‘unity in diversity’, we have yawned. But as most clichés have a kernel of truth, I recently gave it a thought—the celebration of diversity and coming together in unity.
Almost all festivals celebrate diversity and are exclusive to one community, religion, caste, region or some distinct group. Even modern ones like literary festivals, music festivals or film festivals cater to a certain segment of society. So, only a festival that appeals to the humanity at large, one that leaves nobody out and brings a smile to everyone who participates in it, can truly be a celebration of unity.
I was fortunate to be introduced to one such initiative called the Joy of Giving Week (JGW). It is a festival where every person can ‘give’ as much, or as little, as he or she wishes to. What they are sure to get in the bargain is pure, simple joy! In fact, that is the operative word that guides the whole movement. Starting this year, from September 27 to October 3, JGW will be celebrated every year and it is only befitting that it always would include October 2—Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday.
The giver will define the nature of giving. It could be one’s time, skills, resources, money and at the very least passing on of the thought. We all probably do things that can be defined as an act of giving, but when a whole nation mindfully decides to ‘give’ during the same week, there is a good chance of it being larger than the sum total of its parts. My socio-political training was such that the word ‘giving’ denoted an act of philanthropy that is top down and didn’t change anything systemic. But I have often found myself saying, “Let’s not run away from small actions just because we find ourselves ill-equipped to do big things. Every drop counts.”
The JGW is a small pot, and if filled with every drop that we have, it can make a big difference. But then most people will ask, whose pot are we filling? What is the brand? Where do I begin? What is in it for me? The answers are: it’s our own pot that we are filling; the brand is simply The Joy Of Giving Week; the festival belongs to each one of us and yet belongs to no one in particular. And as to what’s in it for me? I get to live in a more caring world.
The brain and heart behind this simple yet profound idea is Venkat Krishnan. He did the usual US darshan after doing an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad and found it quite disturbing that Americans across board gave much more than Indians. After much reflection he decided that all he wanted to do in his life was to promote the culture of giving. He set up GiveIndia, introduced the idea of running for a cause in the Mumbai and Delhi marathons, and then finally came up with the Joy of Giving Week. His excitement of passing the flame is so contagious that it has taken over a good part of my time and passion.
Now you can start thinking about how you want to add your drop. The easiest way would be to go to www.joyofgivingweek.org and join one of the existing initiatives, but better would be to think of your own creative way of giving. The range is as wide as you can imagine. From dabba wallahs in Mumbai spreading the word through every dabba, to auto-rickshaw unions in Chennai doing annadanam. From hospitals doing an organ donation drive to 300 colleges celebrating joyfests with the organisations of their choice. From Goonj, an NGO that is going to collect 1 crore pieces of clothes, to CEOs walking the ramp to raise funds. What is encouraging is that individuals and organisations are exploring unbelievable ways of giving back to the society. At the very least, it will create hope in our hearts, that there is still goodness in abundance, that I am also capable of doing my bit, and that we are not alone in being the change we want to see in the world.
http://week.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/ep/theWeekContent.do?BV_ID=@@@&contentType=EDITORIAL§ionName=TheWeek%20Last%20Word&programId=1073754894&contentId=5931288
Almost all festivals celebrate diversity and are exclusive to one community, religion, caste, region or some distinct group. Even modern ones like literary festivals, music festivals or film festivals cater to a certain segment of society. So, only a festival that appeals to the humanity at large, one that leaves nobody out and brings a smile to everyone who participates in it, can truly be a celebration of unity.
I was fortunate to be introduced to one such initiative called the Joy of Giving Week (JGW). It is a festival where every person can ‘give’ as much, or as little, as he or she wishes to. What they are sure to get in the bargain is pure, simple joy! In fact, that is the operative word that guides the whole movement. Starting this year, from September 27 to October 3, JGW will be celebrated every year and it is only befitting that it always would include October 2—Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday.
The giver will define the nature of giving. It could be one’s time, skills, resources, money and at the very least passing on of the thought. We all probably do things that can be defined as an act of giving, but when a whole nation mindfully decides to ‘give’ during the same week, there is a good chance of it being larger than the sum total of its parts. My socio-political training was such that the word ‘giving’ denoted an act of philanthropy that is top down and didn’t change anything systemic. But I have often found myself saying, “Let’s not run away from small actions just because we find ourselves ill-equipped to do big things. Every drop counts.”
The JGW is a small pot, and if filled with every drop that we have, it can make a big difference. But then most people will ask, whose pot are we filling? What is the brand? Where do I begin? What is in it for me? The answers are: it’s our own pot that we are filling; the brand is simply The Joy Of Giving Week; the festival belongs to each one of us and yet belongs to no one in particular. And as to what’s in it for me? I get to live in a more caring world.
The brain and heart behind this simple yet profound idea is Venkat Krishnan. He did the usual US darshan after doing an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad and found it quite disturbing that Americans across board gave much more than Indians. After much reflection he decided that all he wanted to do in his life was to promote the culture of giving. He set up GiveIndia, introduced the idea of running for a cause in the Mumbai and Delhi marathons, and then finally came up with the Joy of Giving Week. His excitement of passing the flame is so contagious that it has taken over a good part of my time and passion.
Now you can start thinking about how you want to add your drop. The easiest way would be to go to www.joyofgivingweek.org and join one of the existing initiatives, but better would be to think of your own creative way of giving. The range is as wide as you can imagine. From dabba wallahs in Mumbai spreading the word through every dabba, to auto-rickshaw unions in Chennai doing annadanam. From hospitals doing an organ donation drive to 300 colleges celebrating joyfests with the organisations of their choice. From Goonj, an NGO that is going to collect 1 crore pieces of clothes, to CEOs walking the ramp to raise funds. What is encouraging is that individuals and organisations are exploring unbelievable ways of giving back to the society. At the very least, it will create hope in our hearts, that there is still goodness in abundance, that I am also capable of doing my bit, and that we are not alone in being the change we want to see in the world.
http://week.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/ep/theWeekContent.do?BV_ID=@@@&contentType=EDITORIAL§ionName=TheWeek%20Last%20Word&programId=1073754894&contentId=5931288
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Holy Moley - Jane's Gotten A Jogan!
The Navratri festival is going on in full swing in my neighborhood. Seems like an auspicious enough period to resurrect this old precious bog of a blog.
Other motivations to blabber on cyberspace again:
Other motivations to blabber on cyberspace again:
- My freshly scrubbed think tank has also gotten an overhaul outta the whole negativity syndrome that had become such a cushy place. It was the beanbag that sank in so luxuriously I almost did not wish to extricate myself from it.
- I feel blessed, loved and re-raring to go! I've had many such 'today is the beginning of the best day of my life', 'every day is a new day' kinda moment over the years, off and on, especially on new year's day and countless new year resolutions; but somehow this time there's been some sort of a paradigm shift in my thought patterns and I'm certain its had a long-term impact on me and how I will and intend to handle my life. I feel gooooooooood! :-)
- August was a divine month in more ways than one. I now feel closer to the whole Universe, the law of attraction, the call of the Divine, God, call it what you like. It feels like I've rediscovered the spiritual wealth of India all over again but with interest and new light. This coming from a non-religious person like me to feel connected to the cosmic world is indeed interesting to observe. Its funny and fun as well! :D
- Am finally at peace with finding the perfect yoga teacher for moi and its a huge relief. Its brought in the much needed calm and discipline I'd been craving for, for far too long. I love my new regime and how it feels. Its so simple and yet so effective. It makes me feel young, strong and powerful like Supergirl :P
- I might be older and a wee bit wiser, but this whole feeling of being born again makes me all the more childlike :D I spent 13 days at a yoga and meditation retreat at an ashram in a holy town of India that I'd barely heard of and would never have dreamt of visiting and actually did not jump the walls or run away! :P Au contraire, it was a beautiful couple of weeks and a fabulous break filled with the powerful and healing energies of a true Sanga. (I don't think I even knew or cared enough to know what a Sanga means prior to this experience.) I've returned renewed and refreshed, and people have been calling me sanyasin, swami, maata and jogan and the like, and I'm lovin' it! :P The reactions are howlarious :D *adjusts halo*
So from a locked in room and listening to Aerosmith songs like Janie's Got A Gun (ok, total exaggeration) to plain good old fresh mountain air, this Jane Jogan's gotten a whole lotta sun!! :-)
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Revival of the Fittest
I'm back, babies!! Blogworld, stand to attention I say! Have I been missed?
(Do I hear an echo?)
There will be some changes here though, major spring cleaning required. I went out of this comfort zone for a while, and now its time to shake things up around here as well. The blog template, the avatar, all need an overhaul. So let the experiments begin!
Garfield, time to dust off and shake that boo-tay! Go get fit already. Gah! Shoo!!
(Do I hear an echo?)
There will be some changes here though, major spring cleaning required. I went out of this comfort zone for a while, and now its time to shake things up around here as well. The blog template, the avatar, all need an overhaul. So let the experiments begin!
Garfield, time to dust off and shake that boo-tay! Go get fit already. Gah! Shoo!!
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