Jain Spirit 2005 06 No22

Author(s): Jain Spirit UK
Publisher: UK Young Jains

Page 54

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YOUTH
India hu
usk. The ethereal flow of the Ganges. An old lady stands knee deep in the water. Swirls of water play at her feet. She is singing softly with eyes closed. Gentle, devotional tears flow down her cheek.
D
Ask what I did all last year and you'll gather that I was in India.
Probe further and you would know that I worked at the Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad, marketing handicrafts made by children from the slums.
I spent my days reaching through the honking, bustling, and finding places of stillness and reverence.
As a US resident for 10 years, the tug of the all-powerful Silicon Valley dollar was strong. But something about Indicorps - "service for the soul" - had a romantic appeal. It sounded like a good idea to return to the country of my origin, learn from it, immerse in it. Of course, I had many doubts. Nevertheless, I embarked on a one-year journey - a year that now stands out as the definitive catalyst of a lifelong transformation.
When I left, I was ill equipped in many ways. For one thing - there was too much baggage. The physical baggage (two suitcases full of stuff that every Indian must take), I shed quickly. The other kind was difficult. The mission of the program was to contribute our energies to the development of India. So of course, we descended with notions of grandeur and a sense of moral superiority. But the coordinators of the fellowship mant up to "Iank liston learn!"
For Pe
photo: www.dinodia.com