It was a Wonderful Evening Spent yesterday, in love, gratitude, and Aww of Bhaskarbhai's heArt work. It was beautiful to see how different perspectives like streams of water emerged from a common source (Bhaskarbhai's Photo Art) and by the end of the circle again merged into the same ocean of love, acceptance, and togetherness.
Yesterday's Maitri Circle started with the intention of how we all can be "Maitriful" by creating space within for accepting diverse viewpoints, alternate perspectives, and embracing differences. The circle was well anchored by Jaimit, who gave us an intriguing introduction to Bhaskarbhai, an introduction so well crafted that we feel we have been friends with Bhaskarbhai and been part of his journey for years now. We were also introduced to Bhaskarbhai's USP (Unique Serving Point) of unconditionally serving and most importantly serving with an open heart. Bhaskarbhai's got this amazing ability to involve himself with full commitment in just about everything that he does.
Bhaskarbhai's story on how he got initiated and interested in photography, nature, and environmental causes was so heartfelt and real. His childlike enthusiasm and curiosity to know and be with nature just made us a bigger fan of Bhaskarbhai!
To begin with, the circle was divided into 3 breakout rooms whereby each group member (about 3-4 members per group) were asked to share their views/perspective on one photo that we had shared with them. The 3 photos shared were the gems picked up from Bhaskarbhai's collection curated by him during his nature trail across the country.
The Question to hold while we looked at the pic was simple: In your perspective, what do you see in the picture?
The sharing and perspectives that came from each group were as intriguing and deep as the photos itself.
Group 1's sharing - Lokesh's Breakout room:
Swara's immediate reaction on the pic was, how ordinary/everyday life pic is this. But so is Mother's love. It is this everyday love and relationship between the child and mother that makes it so extraordinary. An everyday pic with an extraordinary emotion captured in the frame. Ashima felt how protected is one when he /she is with the loved ones around, almost giving a sense of surrender. Trishala, like everyone else, was in Aww of the picture and loved the composition. Especially those beautiful eyes of the young one which conveys so much - playfulness, innocence, compassion. The picture was so real for her that she could even feel the fur of the monkey! For Lokesh, the pic reminded him of the love/care he receives from his mother and also the pampering his mother and he receives from his grandmother. No matter how old we grow a mother's love never grows old. She never expresses tiredness or lack of enthusiasm when it comes to doing something for her kids.
Bhaskarbhai made a heartwarming revelation in his sharing that the 2nd child is actually not of the mother monkey, yet a mother's heart would take care of a child as if it was her own and will share her love, tenderness, and care with both of them equally.
Group 2's sharing - Jaimit's breakout room:
Trupti shared how this picture is so expressive with only part of the figure seen. First insights which came for her by seeing this picture was Compassion and Love This tender eyes of a baby calf signify the beautiful relationship between mother and child. She remembered the experience of Parikrama where she saw a mother cow under a tree in the night before she went to sleep and when she woke up the next morning she saw a newborn calf beside her mother. Trilok uncle described these as 'talking eyes'. He felt these eyes are 'Maitriful' which happens when we look at each other with compassion and without expectations. Kunal expressed that Eyes are door to the heart, and how one can reach the heart through eyes. Bhaskarbhai was able to capture such a beautiful moment because he was able to touch the heart of the calf here through the eyes. Jaimit shared how symbolic cows are for a true Maitri who always gives selflessly and we as humans have not taken enough cognizance of the fact and continue to expect even more from the cows and the nature around us.
Group 3's sharing - Bhaskarbhai's breakout room:
Pinkidi was mesmerized with the photo above while she could admire every small element of the picture here may it be the trees, birds flocking, water, shadow, etc, she felt in a way Nature is blessing all its creations in some way through that hand in the center (actually a log of wood / broken tree). The birds gave her a sense of Sangha too. Khushboo found the photo extremely beautiful and true depiction of Mother nature. She was awestruck with the simplicity and details captured in the Photo. She felt how nature in its various form is always so caring and pure towards all its creations. Krunal had an interesting twist to the photo on how the central log of wood was the hand of humanity which was drowning because of its own doings and seeking help from nature above to somehow lend a helping hand for survival. He also jokingly wondered how low Bhaskarbhai would have had to bend to get this shot...
Bhaskarbhai shared how he would often walk deep into the woods without a purpose or agenda to shoot an "animal". He often strolls around in the jungle just as an admirer of nature, to explore the beauty of the unexplored wonders of mother earth. This was one such unplanned shot where he felt deeply connected to visual in front of him and he captured it pretty much as raw as nature itself.
This exercise was intuitive and relaxing in many ways, one because we all were surprised to see how 1 photo can invoke so many different views yet when tied to a single string looks like a perfect story. And the other, on how connected we felt with nature through these photos - it was almost like being transported to the place where the shots were taken and becoming one with the subject.
We saw a perfect example of interconnectedness between Nature, Us as individuals, and We as a community through our own sharing.
Bhaskarbhai ended the call with a beautiful thought-provoking idea:- We all love to admire nature and be with it in its purest form, but how can we actually contribute towards keeping it that way and preserve it for the future generations?
The parting idea/question for all of us is: How do we take our INTENTIONS about preserving nature around us to ACTION. This one noble thought itself in more than one way summarizes how moved each one of us has been with the words, work, and action shared by Bhaskarbhai during the call.
Here are some videos of the selfless work of Bhaskarbhai and his team. An everyday ACTION from his pure INTENTIONS towards the mother earth and his first love - 'Animals':
Watching the above video has evoked several emotions in me, which all can be described in just one word - HERO. A real-life Hero whom we have the pleasure of calling our community Friend !! :)
Yesterday's Maitri Circle started with the intention of how we all can be "Maitriful" by creating space within for accepting diverse viewpoints, alternate perspectives, and embracing differences. The circle was well anchored by Jaimit, who gave us an intriguing introduction to Bhaskarbhai, an introduction so well crafted that we feel we have been friends with Bhaskarbhai and been part of his journey for years now. We were also introduced to Bhaskarbhai's USP (Unique Serving Point) of unconditionally serving and most importantly serving with an open heart. Bhaskarbhai's got this amazing ability to involve himself with full commitment in just about everything that he does.
Bhaskarbhai's story on how he got initiated and interested in photography, nature, and environmental causes was so heartfelt and real. His childlike enthusiasm and curiosity to know and be with nature just made us a bigger fan of Bhaskarbhai!
To begin with, the circle was divided into 3 breakout rooms whereby each group member (about 3-4 members per group) were asked to share their views/perspective on one photo that we had shared with them. The 3 photos shared were the gems picked up from Bhaskarbhai's collection curated by him during his nature trail across the country.
The Question to hold while we looked at the pic was simple: In your perspective, what do you see in the picture?
The sharing and perspectives that came from each group were as intriguing and deep as the photos itself.
Group 1's sharing - Lokesh's Breakout room:
Swara's immediate reaction on the pic was, how ordinary/everyday life pic is this. But so is Mother's love. It is this everyday love and relationship between the child and mother that makes it so extraordinary. An everyday pic with an extraordinary emotion captured in the frame. Ashima felt how protected is one when he /she is with the loved ones around, almost giving a sense of surrender. Trishala, like everyone else, was in Aww of the picture and loved the composition. Especially those beautiful eyes of the young one which conveys so much - playfulness, innocence, compassion. The picture was so real for her that she could even feel the fur of the monkey! For Lokesh, the pic reminded him of the love/care he receives from his mother and also the pampering his mother and he receives from his grandmother. No matter how old we grow a mother's love never grows old. She never expresses tiredness or lack of enthusiasm when it comes to doing something for her kids.
Bhaskarbhai made a heartwarming revelation in his sharing that the 2nd child is actually not of the mother monkey, yet a mother's heart would take care of a child as if it was her own and will share her love, tenderness, and care with both of them equally.
Group 2's sharing - Jaimit's breakout room:
Trupti shared how this picture is so expressive with only part of the figure seen. First insights which came for her by seeing this picture was Compassion and Love This tender eyes of a baby calf signify the beautiful relationship between mother and child. She remembered the experience of Parikrama where she saw a mother cow under a tree in the night before she went to sleep and when she woke up the next morning she saw a newborn calf beside her mother. Trilok uncle described these as 'talking eyes'. He felt these eyes are 'Maitriful' which happens when we look at each other with compassion and without expectations. Kunal expressed that Eyes are door to the heart, and how one can reach the heart through eyes. Bhaskarbhai was able to capture such a beautiful moment because he was able to touch the heart of the calf here through the eyes. Jaimit shared how symbolic cows are for a true Maitri who always gives selflessly and we as humans have not taken enough cognizance of the fact and continue to expect even more from the cows and the nature around us.
Group 3's sharing - Bhaskarbhai's breakout room:
Pinkidi was mesmerized with the photo above while she could admire every small element of the picture here may it be the trees, birds flocking, water, shadow, etc, she felt in a way Nature is blessing all its creations in some way through that hand in the center (actually a log of wood / broken tree). The birds gave her a sense of Sangha too. Khushboo found the photo extremely beautiful and true depiction of Mother nature. She was awestruck with the simplicity and details captured in the Photo. She felt how nature in its various form is always so caring and pure towards all its creations. Krunal had an interesting twist to the photo on how the central log of wood was the hand of humanity which was drowning because of its own doings and seeking help from nature above to somehow lend a helping hand for survival. He also jokingly wondered how low Bhaskarbhai would have had to bend to get this shot...
Bhaskarbhai shared how he would often walk deep into the woods without a purpose or agenda to shoot an "animal". He often strolls around in the jungle just as an admirer of nature, to explore the beauty of the unexplored wonders of mother earth. This was one such unplanned shot where he felt deeply connected to visual in front of him and he captured it pretty much as raw as nature itself.
This exercise was intuitive and relaxing in many ways, one because we all were surprised to see how 1 photo can invoke so many different views yet when tied to a single string looks like a perfect story. And the other, on how connected we felt with nature through these photos - it was almost like being transported to the place where the shots were taken and becoming one with the subject.
We saw a perfect example of interconnectedness between Nature, Us as individuals, and We as a community through our own sharing.
Bhaskarbhai ended the call with a beautiful thought-provoking idea:- We all love to admire nature and be with it in its purest form, but how can we actually contribute towards keeping it that way and preserve it for the future generations?
The parting idea/question for all of us is: How do we take our INTENTIONS about preserving nature around us to ACTION. This one noble thought itself in more than one way summarizes how moved each one of us has been with the words, work, and action shared by Bhaskarbhai during the call.
Here are some videos of the selfless work of Bhaskarbhai and his team. An everyday ACTION from his pure INTENTIONS towards the mother earth and his first love - 'Animals':
Watching the above video has evoked several emotions in me, which all can be described in just one word - HERO. A real-life Hero whom we have the pleasure of calling our community Friend !! :)
Reflections
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