Over time, I have given several interviews and have spoken at several forums. Each one has been different and taught me several lessons. They have also given me the time and space to reflect on the questions that had been asked and my own life too.… Continue reading
SPB – more than a musical legend…
Hearing the passing away of S P Balasubramaniam yesterday left me with a feeling of emptiness. For me, he was not just a musical legend who sang a world record of more than 40000 songs in 15 languages. … Continue reading
Swami Sureshanandaji…much more than a monk…
It was January 1985. I was sitting with Swami Achalanandaji, a monk who was then living at the Ramakrishna Institute of Moral & Spiritual Education in Mysuru and discussing the qualities of an ideal student and that of an ideal Teacher (Guru).… Continue reading
SVYM’s development paradigm & the mobile vegetable store…
It was nearly 6 years ago that I had first written about Rathnamma, a street vendor who made her living by selling greens and vegetables in Mysuru. One of the actions that emerged from this experience of having spent some time with her was the project of working with street vendors.… Continue reading
So many memories…so many stories…
Laying down office seems so easy when one writes about it without the subjective pressures of emotion and memories. After more than 30 years at the helm, I felt that I had done what needed to be done over the last 30 months to future-proof SVYM.… Continue reading
… The Joy of giving…
There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward.
– Kahlil Gibran
Running a Non-profit anywhere in the world is not as easy as it sounds and is a difficult proposition. Apart from the image that the sector generates, the constant uncertainties of funding and resource mobilization, the lack of high quality talent, the changing demands of accountability & prevailing statutory laws, and most importantly the evolving nature of the world of social development itself, all pose great survival challenges.… Continue reading
Most memorable moments for me…
Something wonderful happened today as I was interacting with 3 students from the University of Iowa – Ashley, Isha and Sarah who were here for a program at our Vivekananda Institute of Indian Studies. Sarah wanted to know what was the most fulfilling achievement in the last 33 years since I founded SVYM. … Continue reading
The transformation of Chikkaputti
Many years ago, I ran chasing young Manjula (whom I used to fondly call Chikkaputti), a 7-year-old Jenukuruba tribal girl. She was determined to escape being caught and was trying her desperate best to avoid coming to our school. Not someone who would give up easily, I went after her as she took flight into the forest by jumping over the shallow trench separating the school form the neighbouring Bandipur National Park.… Continue reading
Being moved…
Many of us use the phrase ‘being moved’…. It could be by a event or a person or a book that we read or a movie that we see…The impact of this phrase hit me fully a few days ago when I was in Hosahalli to attend the 27th Annual School day of Viveka Tribal Center for Learning (VTCL). … Continue reading