Who Am I?

Since Dec 31 of 1975, I have been called Nipun Mehta. As such, science tells me I'm 99.9% empty space and 0.1% vibrations in constant flux. So, technically, I am seeker of an answer to this very question.

What have I done in life?

In junior high, I had a paper route. By high school age, my goal in life was to either become a tennis pro or a Himalayan Yogi. My 17th year transformed me in ways I can't describe in a sentence. After that, I got a degree from UC Berkeley in Computer Science and Philosophy. A job at Sun Microsystems in my third year of college gave me more money than I could spend. So I did the only thing I could -- I gave it away. I gave little money, then some time, and then finally myself.

In April 1999, three friends joined me on a project to help build a website for a homeless shelter; that effort later came to known as CharityFocus. Today, its 8500 volunteers incubate compassionate action in multitude of ways. CharityFocus is still fully volunteer run; in 2001, I quit my job to become a full time volunteer. I didn't have a plan of survival beyond six months but so far, so good. :)

Around mid-2004, I got married to my longtime inspiration -- Guri Grewal. The wedding vows from our nine-faith blessing ceremony were open-sourced and so was our honeymoon-story. :)

Loving each other brought us together, but Guri and I stayed together to love others together. So in January 2005, we anteed-up. We left everything to head on an open-ended, unscripted walking pilgrimage across India to "use our hands to do random acts of kindness, use our heads to profile inspiring people, and use our hearts to cultivate truth."

Random Tidbits

• I believe in going all out. I was junior in college at 17 but finally graduated at 21 after taking some years off to play tennis. :) At 11, I roller skated my heart out to be second in country. As an unrated player, I once beat a Russian master in Chess. On my first day on the ski slopes, I went down a black diamond slope.`
• I don't believe in coincidences. Five travelling, non-English speaking Tibetan monks, randomly crashed at our house the night before my first time on TV: a live half an hour interview on CNN International. I once ran into Shankracharya, on the streets of India. Heck, in New York, I even had a half an hour conversation with Richard Gere.
• Ultimately, its a spiritual journey. Since childhood, I love to doodle "aum". When I thought I was going to die, during the big 1989 earthquake, I sat down in a closet and spontaneously started chanting aum. Aum aside, everyone should go to at least one Vipassana meditation camp.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are you upto now?
My blog ought to have the latest.

What books and movies do you like?
Movies: What the Bleep Do We Know, Waking Life, Matrix (part I). Books: Siddhartha by Herman Hesse, Eckhart Tolle's Power of Now, and Vivekananda's Work and Its Secret.

Do you have a spiritual teacher?
Yes, you.

What are you most proud of?
My karma to have Viral as a brother, Guri as a wife, and my parents as my parents.

What do you think about most?
Death and service. Aren't you glad you asked the question? :)

How can I work with you?
Tag someone with a smile card, sit in silence on a Wednesday, signup for daily sign of light, or walk out on the street with a huge smile. If you want to volunteer for CharityFocus, of course, I'd love to hear from you too. :)

How do you select which projects to work on?
I work on projects where money isn't the central currency. I prefer to work with people who are willing to put it all on the line.

Can you speak at our event?
I'll be happy to. Just fill out the form and I'll get back to you.

What is your mantra in life?
I don't know. Yes, quite literally, that's my mantra.

Final Words

Last Updated: July 17, 2005