Monsoon Laddership Circle 2018

Posted by Parag Shah on Aug 22, 2018

In a fortnight, we are getting ready for yet another round of Laddership circle which we have named Monsoon Laddership Circle. In ServiceSpace ecosystem, Laddership circles are in the air with so many of them being hosted in a different format all across the globe. There are the themed circle, which focuses on different verticals like Educators, Business, Doctors, for Community Anchors and also all-inclusive circles for mixed group participants which are going on currently across the globe.

I am very excited and looking forward to a new evolved format with some amazing souls as participants. Just a glance at the quality of intent behind the applications alone has been inspiring to behold!

One young Successful Entrepreneur wrote:
"Generosity helps you move from me to we. Thought actually there is no you and there is no me. We just give from the right hand to our left hand as we are all part of the same consciousness. But as we identify with our bodies / minds generosity is the first act that moves us to this understanding. There is actually nothing great in generosity. It's a selfish act. We are serving ourselves. We are misinformed through our own identity.”

One very young engineer and physics teacher wrote:
“Radical Generosity is to be generous because of the need of self. One of my students, on my birthday, baked a cake for me and 25 other students. She comes from an underprivileged background where she had to cut this amount from the salary which she uses to support her family. And yet that didn't stop her from doing this. You don't need money to be generous; all you need is an intention.”

Another young fellow doing his masters in design wrote:
“Radical generosity for me would be where I don't have to think or plan and at that moment I just offer myself before thinking anything about it and see what emerges out of my pure intention. I would give my 100% be in the present and be available to whatever comes.”

A very young father wrote:
“Material needs emerge and change very rapidly. Now on the verge of leaving a community farm that we were staying, we are looking for a place with big backyard, where we can grow some food and convert part of place to a community space. But material needs always get taken care of, or needs keep dissolving, and that is not a big concern. But more than all these material things, we are seeking greater clarity of thought. We would love to spend time and talk to people who will ask difficult questions.”

A grassroots community anchor wrote:
“Circles have been a great space for me to grow. It’s often when people share, I learn from just their sharing. I find such spaces safe to share my vulnerabilities. And Laddership circle would give me an opportunity to learn and reflect on concepts which are theoretical and make it an experiential learning.”

With these and so many more sincere intents -- our circle feels swimming in blessings already! What inspires me more, is that everyone is signing up for a space that defies clear cut takeaways and definitions. The organic nature of human transformation is not something that can be captured in a formula or a format which can be replicated, it demands a serious inquiry and hopefully, the intent is to create a space where people can hold different and difficult question together. When we come together with our presence and hold space for each other, magic unfolds in ways which cannot be described but enough space is created for people to explore and hopefully they will end up with some answer but also a lot of questions to explore further.

Looking forward to learning from amazing group of fellows and love-warrior volunteers.

The monsoon group fellows are as under:

Darpan Trivedi holds a Mech. Engineering Diploma (VJTI), and Bachelors from the University of Mumbai. He is now pursuing his Masters at NID Ahmedabad. NID is a premier design school of Asia, established by Charles Eames (one of the legends in the field of product design). His commitment for the values of Service Space can be seen in the zeal with which he has been volunteering for MBL since his college days. Along with his twin sister Drishti, he was the anchor volunteer behind Masti Ki Pathshala, a coming-together space at his residence for the slum community kids, residing around his society. Smile Circles, Karma kitchen, Acts of kindness, celebrating local heroes, or sitting/serving a 10-day meditation retreat is something he does as a hobby – and he is now taking this spirit of stillness through service (and vice versa!) to NID as well. Wise beyond his age, he holds the intention to lead a mainstream life in the business world, yet driven by love and purity. Darpan wants to dive deep into circle work and be instrumental in creating spaces which breed genuine connections and true conversations. “How to hold space for the suffering of others? How to lead a life with compassion?” There are a few questions which draw him to Laddership Circles.


Drishti Trivedi is an Electronics and Telecommunication Engineer from K J Somaiya College, Mumbai is a veteran volunteer for MBL / Service space. A twin sister of Darpan, true to her name, Drishti offers an amazing perspective on every little thing she manages to be involved with. The way in which this marching ant keeps working at whatever she is offered in a silent invisible way, is a treat to witness. When you interact with Drishti, do not make the mistake of going by how young she is and looks. Let me tell you, these still waters run deep. From making hundreds of name tags for numerous HHH retreats that she does not even attend, and volunteering for the retreats, to holding Smile Circles with her extended family, to hosting 21-day challenges, or stirring up the local community, or having a closed group conversation with HH the Dalai Lama, she has done it all. Drishti is an amazing listener – you can read about her recent experience here. She is currently working with Youth4Jobs, an amazing organization focused on the agenda for inclusion of the people on the disability spectrum. She leads the Mumbai arm of Y4J and is engages in train-the-trainer programs, and making the speech and hearing impaired students job-ready. She is holding deep questions about cultivate skilfulness in supporting and serving others.


Vaishali Bhayani Shah lives in Bangalore and has done her MBA in Marketing. She has quit her job after 15 yrs of active working and now is focused on volunteering for different projects. She has volunteered with NIMHANS, also in palliative care in Kidwai oncology institute serving people who are mostly going to survive for 8 to 12 weeks. She is volunteering now for Cherie Blair Foundation as a mentor for women entrepreneurs and also imparting life-skills and personal development for the females in the age group of 18-21. She also works with Tharanath as a volunteer for Karma Kitchen in Bangalore and is also a co-editor of MBl newsletter. She deeply resonates and wants to explore life through the lens of ServiceSpace values. She hosts Awakin circle in Bangalore and lives a very vibrant life in the field of service.


Rohan Bhansali born and brought up in Mumbai in a Jain tradition, resonated deeply with the values of Non-violence and Peace since his early childhood. Graduated from Jai Hind college in Business management; started his own startup called Gozoop which today recruits around 170 people in the field of digital marketing. Gozoop in one the best places to work in the field of digital marketing and Rohan is very passionate about work culture within his organization. He wants his people to be happy and self-motivated and has created the system to ensure it is sustained. One art of living course changed his life for good and he went deep into reading spiritual books and that had profoundly changed his life. He also founded One small Step a nonprofit which focuses on the small act of kindness and systems to enable kindness culture in mainstream society. Initially it was focused on external impact of changing the world but as he got connected with ServiceSpace values, the focus has shifted to personal transformation. He intends to spend his future in nurturing One Small Step full time and looking forward to holding deeper and difficult question of life in this Laddership Circle.


Linkee Arora is a BTEC graduate from Bits Pilani (one of the premier institutes of Engineering) is passionate about trekking in the Himalayas and playing Ultimate Frisbee. She participates at many State and National level competitions of Ultimate Frisbee. She started her career as a Physics teacher at Fountainhead School and was very well respected within the school fraternity. She is also a very active member of Surat MBL community where she participates and volunteers for Awakin Circle, Karma Kitchen and also MBL retreats. She is holding a deep inquiry about life and wants to live a life while aligning head, heart, and hand.


Rajesh Golani is an IIT Madras alumnus, While spending a decade in the mainstream business life he started questioning the purpose of his life. He landed up joining Jagriti Yatra and met Anupreet (his wife to-be) on this train journey that changed his life in a meaningful way. While on their honeymoon in USA, a dear friend invited them to attend an Awakin circle at a humble home in Santa Clara. From that very day, the seed of service was planted in both of them. After volunteering for non-governmental initiatives to put his technological skills to use, volunteering at HHH retreats, and hosting Awakin at their Bangalore residence for a few years, both Anupreet and Rajesh (lovingly known as Goli) lifted their anchors and set off on a journey that took them to various places in the country. From the Deer Park Institute at Bir, to experimenting with farming on the outskirts of Mumbai to a over a year spent with the Navadarshanam community outside Bangalore. With the way in which he silently supports his spouse’s service journey - Goli already knows a skill or two about cultivating deeper relationships with near ones. In a bit, we will also get some parenting tips from him – as Anu and Goli became parents to Kabir just a few months ago :) How to lead a life with stillness and service brings him to Laddership circle.


Anupreet Kaur is a finance grad from the St. Xaviers College of Mumbai. Anupreet joined an investment banking firm (and dreamt of retiring by the age of 32 through stockbroking, haha! :)). Soon, the chasm between wall street and real life got to her. To explore some existential questions, she signed up for Jagriti Yatra and met Rajesh Goli Golani (her future husband) that changed her life in a very meaningful way. This led them both to volunteer for Jagriti Yatra and other NGOs while also volunteer for the historic 2015 Delhi Vidhan Sabha elections rubbing shoulders with activist-politicians. Later, her service journey took her to seek refuge in the ultimate teacher – Mother Nature. Anupreet would hold weekly circles at her lovely home in Bangalore, organize Seva Cafe, volunteer at HHH retreats and so on. Her bhaav yatra inspired her towards Kabir (the saint) where they learnt the nuances of Kabir bhajans from Prahlad Tipaniya at his home at Luniyakhedi - MP. In the last 2-3 years, Goli and Anu’s lives have been like a long long vacation - journeying across the country and living with a lot of communities, including a year+ stint at the organic farming community at Navadarshanam, Bangalore. Ever smiling, ever loving Anu will remind you of your own childhood. It’s only when someone tells you, will you figure that she is now a parent to an infant Kabir, as her service journey manifests into her role of motherhood.


Aakansha Maheswari is a choreographer and performer, born and brought up in New Delhi. She has pursued her masters in Sociology from Lady Shri Ram College and is a founder of Dance company called BollyPopLA in Los Angeles. Aakansha has trained in Indian folk dance styles such as Garba, Kalbelia, Ghoomar, and Bhangra with various Delhi-based teachers who are specialists in their field. Her fitness program BollyPop, which she initiated in 2015 is becoming popular all over Southern California. Her recent performance for the Utah 'Festival of Colors' with 35,000 audience members was featured on Fox News. Whether her students are 4 or 70 years old, Aakansha makes sure that they leave the studio with a smile on their faces. Her devotion to the art is solely for the purpose of spreading happiness. Aakansha acted and danced in the Hollywood movie Vara: A Blessing 2013, directed by Khyentse Norbu and was shot in Sri Lanka. She has volunteered for the HeArt center as a choreographer and anchored the Jai Jagat Show along with Nimo (Nimesh Patel). She deeply resonates with the values of ServiceSpace and that has brought her to this circle.


Rohit Rajgarhia is born and brought up in Ranchi. He topped every exams he sat in! He was a topper in school, did very well in college as he pursued Bachelors in Commerce and was a ranker in India in his CA exams. He cleared his C.A.T exams with flying colours and did his MBA with good rankings from IIM Bangalore. After his post-graduation he joined one of the most sought after Investment Banking firms called Avendus Capital (which is the biggest venture capital for all internet born tech startups). During his time at Avendus he got involved deeply into technology led businesses and understood the power of technology and how it is changing the world and much more. He deeply felt the edges of the power of technology and how it is creating a disconnected - more restless world and driving blind consumption. He started holding different questions around the use of technology and his internal alignment to it. Holding right questions was a transformative movement within and he left Avendus capital and the mainstream commercial world. He accidentally got an opportunity to work for Give India where the purpose of that organization pulled him to be a part of the team. He deeply resonates with ServiceSpace values and wants to explore leading life with love and Inner transformation in this Laddership Circle.

Volunteers:

Parag Shah gets lit up by infusing the spirit of giftivism in all elements of his life-- whether in launching a Wisdom Book Store, galvanizing his IB school to pilot Karma Kitchen, bringing a Gandhian ethos into his diamond business, and holding space that ignites powerful ripples in his community. He's also an avid reader of Krishnamurti and lives in Surat, India with his wife and sons.

Pranita Bhat is the CEO – Chief Everything Officer :) – of KnowYourStar.com, and is based in Bangalore, India. She quit her job in IBM as she had her calling at KnowYourStar, which she had started in September 2012 as a hobby weekend project with three friends. In addition to ensuring the original inspirational content on almost daily basis, she anchors an educational outreach program called Mentor India with the help of volunteers, where spoken English classes using value based stories are taught in rural schools. She wants to make this world a better place and master the spirit of service, gratitude and generosity.

Nikita Desai dedicated her life to service at a very young age. She found her anchor in the form of seva (service) and sadhana (worship). A dedicated devotee of Shrimad Rajchandraji, she serves the Shrimad Ashram ecosystem in Dharampur full heartedly as she juggles different roles with the biggest of smiles. Passionate about value education, she has spent a lot of time volunteering for the tribal schools in Dharampur. She has been grateful to have met many inspiring folks who lead with inner transformation, and that in-turn has given her a lot of hope to continue explorations on that path herself. Her recent experience on a walking pilgrimage with no money or phone, became a huge catalyst in redefining her path of service and stillness. After being active for the past many years, she is called to pause for inner reflection and is looking forward to serving in different projects within the local ecosystem as well as beyond.

Posted by Parag Shah on Aug 22, 2018 | permalink


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Previous Comments
  • Ashima Goyal wrote ...

    What a wonderful group! :-)

  • Birju wrote ...

    excited to hear of the experiences! thank you all for engaging in this activity!

  • Shaalini Srinivasan wrote ...

    Wow, this circle seems to be filled with superstars!

  • Aakansha wrote ...

    What an amazing group! Thank you for connecting us all.. Can't wait :)

  • Vaishali Bhayani Shah wrote ...

    Thanks for all your love and metta :-)