India Trip
Posted on December 04, 2000 in letters.
December, 2000 (email)
Dear friends,
I am currently travelling through South India, in the spirit of service. Not knowing anyone in many these towns, it is rather amazing to see life manifest itself in so many different ways -- quite honestly, it all seems like a miracle.
In Bangalore, I had a high fever but with 5-8 meetings scheduled everyday, I decided to forget about my rest requirements. :) Right after my meetings ended, I hit 104 degree fever and couldn't go on further. Fortunately, I was staying with a very loving family and they took great care of me. They called the doctor, etc. and insisted that I cancel my plans for the next 3-4 days. However, I was fine the next morning to continue the tour of service. :)
I have visited many places and met all sorts of people. At times, it seems that an open question raised in a meeting will be answered in the following meeting. So much so, that I even met the CEO of a 22,000 person company in a car ride, we spoke for a few minutes and he insisted that we meet the next day. But as such, I don't really have any mission to accomplish or any serious question to answer. The only help one can provide to the world is to be an example of compassion in each moment. Its effects aren't really measurable and that's the beauty of it. :)
One of the places I ended up in was the city of Coimbatore. I had thought that I'd be tired and had a few days to relax but I wasn't really tired, so I decided to visit Coimbatore. Someone booked my tickets but an hour before my trip, I still had no idea where I was going to stay and/or who was going to pick me up at 3 AM! :) I was a bit worried but then realized the folly of my insecurities ... I continued to work on myself. As it turned out, in saying goodbye to a family, they insisted that I stay at their guest house and made ride arrangements. In my two days in the city, through a series of seeming coincidences, I was asked to address an assembly of MBA students ... there were lots of students there, in a huge hall, but it just didn't matter. I was just being myself, with or without the crowd, and that was all that mattered. Faculty and students are coming together to start a CharityFocus chapter there.
And one thing after another, it all continues ... many folks have started CharityFocus chapters, educational institutions are keen on using the CF model to incorporate service in their curriculums, many industry leaders have given a blank check of support and so on ... but really, these outcomes aren't of much significance. The most powerful are perhaps the personal connections, sometimes even for just a few moments and sometimes in silence. The other day, I met a random German guy and after a rather involved talk about life, I gave him a book that I was carrying as gift for another friend. Go figure. :-)
I was in a train, couple days back, and noticed that I was stationary and the world outside the window was constantly changing. My trip seems to be much the same way. I am not very fascinated by things on the outside and I feel like I am at home everywhere. Life is always renewing itself in each moment and I'm learning to let go of my goggles of self interest and enjoy the miracle as it unfolds ...
The journey continues within,
Nipun
P.S. There are many many stories that I can write about but I will
try to put some in the next update and hope to toss up some daily
thoughts on a website too ...