Every time I volunteer at Seva Cafe, I learn something new, I meet someone inspiring and I’m filled with this happy warmth from inside  . This weekend I was back in Ahmedabad for to volunteer and while there is so much to write about what I want to share is something very beautiful that I was lucky to hear. On Saturday, Multidots, a web developing company was celebrating a Joy of Giving day and they decided to celebrate it by volunteering at Seva Café. Before they all s... read full story

At the inspiring Moved By Love retreat in March, I made an internal commitment to spread the spirit of "giftivism" in my local community.  This last week we implemented one of those ideas.  We run an IB school in Surat with 1100 students -- Fountainhead.  Outside of the students themselves, there are two other elements that are quite fundamental to the learning experience: books and parents.   So we tried an experiment to engage them with... read full story

Sudhakar Ram, CMD and Co-Founder of Mastek, recently dropped by at one of the Awakin gatherings at Rakeshs home. As is the case with all SpiriTed circles - people huddled close in a living room, offering their attention to Sudhakars insights into his journey. Heres a video from the gathering. Sudhakar Ram, is CMD and Co-Founder of Mastek - a leading IT solutions company is a keen observer of domestic... read full story

A SMILE card is a gift from someone who received it before you. Since it’s an anonymous gift, you cannot pay anyone back; but you can ‘pay-it-forward’ to allow future recipients to experience the same generosity. I’ve been tagged  I got my first smile card almost a year back and it took me nearly 6 months to pass it on. One of the biggest reasons for it taking so long was that I was shy. I was thinking people might not take it in the rig... read full story

We gathered from seven different cities and diverse backgrounds, holding one common thread between us - to integrate a little more kindness and generosity into our lives. In a world torn by stories of negativity and consumption, this was a gathering of 30 people who decided to open their hearts and give unconditionally for three days :)   From just the opening circle in the morning, once could tell just how fearlessl... read full story

What happens when 15 volunteers from different cities come together in Baroda, wake up in the morning at 5:30 am and decide to cook breakfast for their unknown friends in the city? On a bright Thursday morning in April, thats exactly what we decided to do. A few people were in-charge of cutting the vegetables, another couple made fresh lemonade while others put together posters which read out -> Food + Love = Prasad And Prasad it was - quite literally, an offering made with... read full story

On Sunday, 31st March I found myself serving with joy at yet another Seva Cafe in Bangalore. Its incredible how such spaces evoke a sense of giving with pure intentions in us.  So much so, that I thought of expressing my thoughts through a poem on reaching home.  On Gifting: What Can I give You What is Mine to give you.. Who am I to give you?,, All my life I learnt only to take and use.. I still only take and use.. I Came with Nothing, I Go with Nothing, In ... read full story

Recently one of our volunteers, Siddharth was asked to share moments from his journey at a TEDx event in Bangalore.  Through his time spent volunteering at the Seva Cafe in Ahmedabad, Siddharth shares how he experienced shifts from Transaction to Trust, Scarcity to Abundance and from Consumption to Contribution.  Feel grateful to watch the journey of this noble friend blossom over the years :) ... read full story

Recently, Pratyush was interviewed by a leading national newspaper on his thoughts on Generosity. Over the last couple years, weve seen this ex-McKinsey consultant move from working in the formal education space in India to serving the children of a Tribal community in Kerala. Currently based out of Delhi, he stays dedicated to his Inner transformation by rooting himself in small acts of service in the local Awakins, Retreats or even acts of kindness in various communities in... read full story

Harsh, a volunteer who initiated the Trust Library at The Urban Ashram shares his thoughts after coming to the end of his 6 month journey at Urban Ashram.  _________________________________________________ Today I feel, I reached a junction in my spiral journey inside. I am just pouring out my thoughts now unstructured.   • I feel so grateful for all the souls who joined my journey for whatever time, so came for moments, some with... read full story

  As I browse through the photos from my recent trip to Kutch, Gujarat for the nth time, each by the way, bringing a wider and brighter smile than the last, I scratch my head in disbelief. So what do you think happened here?   “Things were being taken care of on their own. People came looking for me to take me to the next destination. Like somebody picked and chose this itinerary for me. Made me meet these inspiring people I was supposed to meet, be at the places ... read full story

Shaheen Mistri visited the Bombay slums as a teenager, and never quite left.  She started Akanksha Foundation, to impact the lives of less privileged children through informal and formal education.  Over the past two decades, the organization has expanded from 15 children in one centre in 1989 to over 3,500 children in 58 centers and 6 schools.  Few years ago, Shaheen also pioneered Teach for India, a nationwide movement with the mission to build a movement of leaders who will ... read full story

In early February, we had a surprise guest speaker for Wednesday meditation: Pavithra Mehta!  She is a writer-filmmaker in a family of 21 eye surgeons. This might explain why she shares stories that help people see.  You might know her for her poetry, or perhaps her book Infinite Vision (which incidentally was on the homepage of NY Times last week), or perhaps her visionary work behind ServiceSpace projects like DailyGood and Karma Kitchen.   Here she s... read full story

When the three day retreat in Ahmedabad took place, initially I was regretting my absence. However, I deeply felt connected and as the day to retreat came closer I set myself up for my own retreat. First day decided I will offer my prayers to the universal space of maitri so I sat and did havan in the morning hours chanting the most revered 24 letter “Gayatri mantra”. The warmth of the havan and the chanting brought hope and energy to look forward to new good beginnings in life.... read full story

In the 2nd week of March 2013 just after the Moved By Love co-ordinators retreat, 11 of us of diverse ages and backgrounds decided to walk for a few days through some of the more isolated parts of the country –a tribal community on the border of Gujarat and Rajasthan. A brief 3 hour drive and a visit to the LokNiketan Trust later, we left our cars behind at the closest motorable village – that of Ghoda. We then began our walk away from ‘civilization’. The intention... read full story

The gifts were varied and unconventional: "Two apples from my community."  "A fist full of space."  "Myself."  "A Spanish translation of The Power of Now."  "A prayer that I composed."  "My dearest earrings my husband gave me when we were in college."  "A bow."  "The first Smile Card I ever received, that Ive carried with me for 4 years."  "A World flag, with a st... read full story

"And whos your Neighbourhood Hero", I looked at 7 year old Keya and ask. "The Elevator operator! He works the entire 8 hour shift with a smile on his face. Hes always welcoming people into the elevator with a big smile - and it transforms so many peoples days. He doesnt have to keep smiling, but he chooses to. He is my hero!"  Miraculously, I find myself smiling - it was like the the elevator-operators kindness had blessed my day too, all ... read full story

‘Leaders in human history have been good speakers, but the leaders of the modern world will be good listeners!’ It was a quote shared in the opening circle of the Giftivism retreat this February, but one which summarized the three day gathering. 35 souls from across the countries gathered in Ahmedabad to hold space, to listen and to honour the very small and ordinary acts that can transform our lives and our world. On that day, Prateek from Delhi goes back to his room to fi... read full story

"When is the next Seva Cafe?" someone asked me in Pune and I blurted out, "23rd Jan 2013" and then I looked around to see who said that...realising it was some voice- from the heart or head- not sure which, had made that commitment. So the fairy tale started.   The usual group of friends got together and started thinking. We had the initial pool of resource from the generous contribution of Alissa, which we decided to use for feeding the hungry --... read full story

On the back side of the Smile Card is a wonderful quote by Gandhi: "The fragrance always remains on the hand that gives the rose."  I had read this quote, but only realized its meaning when I actually put up a "Spreading Smiles" stall for our college festival.   Originally it was Bhumi, who regularly attends Awakin circles in Pune, who suggested that we create this stall and then everyone joined in -- for the purpose of spreading smiles , love and ... read full story