By: Biney Kaul
‘Mam’ in Sanskrit means ‘I am’. It is an effort to realize the self through an odyssey of selfless work. Being a part of Mam made me realize the significance of having few genuine social organizations. I understood the importance of need based work and the relevance of small things in creating a bigger change. My association with many wonderful people made me realize how small microcosmic changes lead to macrocosmic effects. It was a complete bliss to be able to know and even work under the guidance of many Gandhians’s who have devoted their lives for the betterment of others. Compassion and love just flows in and around Gandhi Ashram at Sabarmati where I stayed and worked. People here tirelessly strive to find meaning in their own lives by knowing and serving others.
To be a part of the transition of Mam from being a brand name in Mumbai to shifting its complete base to Ahmadabad with the aim of working at the grass root level, with the local communities was in itself a very enriching experience. As I entered the beautiful office in Mumbai seldom I knew that a lifetime experience is waiting ahead. A small talk with Madhu Bhai and Meghna Ben and the ripples of inspiration start flowing. Suddenly it felt as if my mind is led forward towards the greater goal rather than few self centered ones. Since then it has been a roller coaster ride.
Mam movies is a learning journey of experiments which intends to inform, inspire and empower people through the use of social media and video technology to create positive action in the world.
Other than the office work I spend most of my time understanding the working of Manav Sadhna (an organization at Gandhi Ashram).I visited slums, villages, schools in Gujarat to get a better understanding of the challenges faced by a vast majority of the population and realized the importance of new media, social media and communication technology (other than the mainstream) to reach and spread awareness amongst the millions of people.
The following are excerpts of a few incredible experiences I had during my association with Mam.
As the six of us stood there armed with 6 long brooms, 4 containers and a shovel, the site and the nature of work required us to hunt for gloves. While Dhaval and Madhusudan went for the gloves hunt, I stood in front of the Lal Darwaza bus-depot perplexed, pessimistic about the importance and impact of our cleaning activity. My first assault on the muck activated the repugnant smell and numerous flies, and the more I pondered over the utility of such an exercise, the sense of resentment kept growing. More
Inspiring film club:
As I sat there perplexed in my own thoughts and evaluations of the world around, I felt elated to be exposed to something that reaffirms my faith in the goodness in the world and inspiring me to evolve myself in a better way. I impatiently wait for Sundays and to be able to sit in warm, friendly atmosphere wherein I can see, discuss and get inspired by interesting short films; and what better place than Seva café . The inspiring film club acts as a respite from the overdose of dramatic repetitive plots and time-pass entertainers which sub-consciously infuse a lot of negativity.
Short, powerful, captivating, straight, resourceful, revealing stories from all around the world are refreshing as well as inspiring. During the short introduction and sharing session words come out from the depths of each heart. Every soul wanting to work tirelessly and each mind searching for the answer of its purpose of existence.
Ideas flow, ripples are visible, and interactions strengthen the bonds between people to create an aura of inspiration around.
India- a land of god and goddesses. Over ages we have been praying to the five elements(air,water,fire,earth,space) to be close to nature including stones, rivers, plants, animals. We see God in everything. Tulsi is the sacred plant of Hindus and has a great medicinal value. The idea behind tulsi project is to gift tulsi,interact and express gratitude to those who touch our lives and are usually unnoticed or unappreciated. It gives a reason to thank people, strengthen the bond and pray for their well being.Jayesh bhai, founder of Manav Sadhna wanted to make good use of someone’s donation and thus planned this unique project. He calls it, a way to enter into people’s heart. More
