Monday, December 28, 2015

NOTEWORTHY


Six year old, Luis had gone to buy some buns from a shop when he noticed a poor child begging for something to eat. The shopkeeper rudely shoved him away. He was impacted by the realisation that money determined the survival of a human being. If not for the capacity of his parents, he could have been the poor kid.

Luis opted for the profession of medicine but his passion was in music. While studying and practicing medicine in England, he became involved in amateur orchestras. During a music festival in England, he found two orchestras that comprised of street children - One from Venezuela and other from South Africa.

Luis found the teenagers could match skills with the adult experts playing alongside them. One of the boys, Samson, told him that music had saved his life… had he not been given that violin, he would have instead had a gun or knife or an injection and he would have been dead. Luis decided this was a good way of saving lives.



Dr Luis & Chryselle Dias came back to Goa and started their initiative - Child’s Play (India) Foundation along the lines of the Venezuelan movement. The task was not easy… from getting instruments to motivating children to paying salaries for teachers to organising performances. Their choirs and orchestra are noteworthy not only for their music but also for giving purpose to so many children.

The greatest gift is to give dignity to the human personality, especially young children who live in the worst of circumstances. Luis and Chryselle have shown how the future of our world can be nurtured to scale the melody of life. Their motto says it so well: ‘because every child is noteworthy’. We have to match the proactive empathy of the Dias couple and commit to adding value to their noteworthy initiative.


Indeed every personality is noteworthy
Only if we can contribute with empathy!

Pravin da

Check out more about the noteworthy initiative at www.childsplayindia.org

Monday, December 21, 2015

Fearless

The brave heart and her friend gave a valiant fight...
But the brutes were prepared in the dark of the night...
As she slipped to unnatural death, a nation was awake...
Resolving to put to the beasts to the hangman’s snake!

The fearless was resurrected as did indignation...
The streets represented the anger of the nation!
Determination rent the air to protest the brutal kill...
Young and old faced water cannons, cold and chill!

The emotion of fearlessness was deep and true...
But time is a healer, as the pressure went askew!
Now years later, the emotion comes back to haunt
As a culprit leaps a loophole to his freedom jaunt!

The fearless resurrect again as does indignation...
The voices are raised as angry again is the nation!
Some voices are from my zone, then and now again
But things seem to change as nearer gets a cry of pain!

Again another innocent is crushed by brutalisation
But this time it is nearer home in a closer situation!
The fearless are changing masks... and changing how
Some have turned fearful and some turned mute now!

For the culprit was wearing a dignified drape
He was one of us... how could he ever rape?
That silly girl must have asked for it for sure
And now she plays prey to victimize the teacher!

Then the fearless had put together a valiant fight
Now so many are choosing the option of flight!
Some flee to obscurity in the indifference wavelength
As others mobilise mobs to show their violent strength!

Fearless are the ones, who are steady in every zone,
Who resist the wrong even in the confines of the home.
Fearless are the ones who do not play dead while alive
Fearless are the ones who do not play selectively naive!

Choose to be fearless in intent, action and spoken words
Choose to stand up above the indifferent or collusive herds
May the fearless resurrect again with fiery indignation...
To bring the brutes to heel... with greater determination!

- Pravin K. Sabnis
(written in context of the brutal sexual assault in Delhi, three years ago... and a recent one closer home where the brutalisation of a school girl is being met with indifference or threatening mobs)

Monday, December 14, 2015

River of Interest

People are of two types: river people and goal people – Earl Nightingale

Goal people are ones who pen down their desires as well as the deadlines for reaching them. They focus on attaining their various listed goals, one by one. By envisioning the roadmap of future targets, goal people give themselves a clear set of motives to work on.

In contrast, river people shun such a structured route to success. They wade in a rich ‘river of interest’... a path of passion. Even without a set of clear measurable goals, they strike success due to sheer passion about their pursuit. They are explorers on a journey to discover new learning and experiences.

For river people, joy comes from the journey, not from reaching the destination -- exactly the opposite of goal people. Both types can experience success in life in different ways. However, it is the ones who flow with the ‘river of interest’ who are likely to be happy with the journey even without touching expected success.

We extract the maximum ‘juice’, out of our potential, by being an explorer, learning new skills, connecting to fresh knowledge, innovation and technology. In fact the ‘river of interest’ offers unexpected treasures in its flow which reveal hidden dimensions of our personality. And these will bring true joy which is greater than success that comes from achieving fixed goals!

Set out to sail on the river of your interest
True success lies in the happiness crest!


- Pravin K. Sabnis

Monday, December 7, 2015

Striving

If a person sets a goal, such as doing five things in a month, he enjoys the challenge and relishes the difficulties involved. On the other hand, if he were forced to do the tasks, he would respond differently. There would be complains arising out of a feeling of being treated unfairly.

It is pertinent to note that striving can become a source of enjoyment and accomplishment. The key factor is the knowledge that we have taken it on voluntarily. To enjoy life’s hardships, we must stop resisting them and seeing them as unfair. We must clinch the circumstances, and discover bliss in the striving.

It is not adequate to simply climb the hills - we must choose to love the hills. It is the passionate who climb better... not the strongest! When we love what we do, the striving is sheer fun. When we take on challenges with this attitude, whatever the situation may be, the difficulties no longer bother us.

It does not make the pain go away, and life does not become suddenly easy. However, by fostering that sense of challenge and adventure, we give up that limiting belief that life is supposed to be easy. Instead of yearning for something easier, we learn to enjoy the parts that are difficult and the striving is full of happiness!

hills seem easier if seen with a gaze loving
toughest tasks make for blissful striving!

- Pravin K. Sabnis