‘Attend to the soil and your soul would be nourished’. Spending time with Raghu, Nisha and Aum, an incredible family who sold their house in America and came back to India to do organic farming.... read full story

Having a wonderful retreat with mass media students from Baroda. Sharing power of stories and using it for social transformation ... read full story

He suffers from cerebral palsy – a brain disease that hampers physical movement. As a child, he struggled to overcome it with nothing but a positive attitude. He dreamed of being a musician but couldn’t hold a musical instrument due to his illness, so he chose to study sound engineering instead. He tried running a music studio but because he was too generous ran into material loss (but made precious friends). After closing down his studio he instinctively ended up going to Ratham... read full story

Seva Cafe has been operating in the spirit of Gift economy for last six years. Recently it took a 3 month retreat to reflect on t’s learnings and how to strenthen the spirit of service. It reopened on 13th Oct for 4 days a weeks. Here’s reflection of Siddharth who is the current volunteer co-ordinator for Seva Cafe. “Ever since I read it in a book, the phrase ‘Work is love made visible’ has been a romantic concept that often intrigued my mind. When we re-opened... read full story

“I was really impressed with the progress since Jesus and I were running a raggedy practice with ~12 kids every Sunday. We struggled to get the kids to pass and dribble. Now they were keeping space and intelligently passing. I participated in and watched some 3-on-1 keep-aways and was happy to see that a number of passes were being strung together. Some of the kids showed exceptional talent. I told Aaron later that what was most delightful was how you’d be watching 2-3 minutes of ve... read full story

Neil Shares: Last weekend I visited a special school. It is located in the middle of a slum in Ranip, Ahmedabad. It’s built using only materials from in and around the slum, and by the children from the slum. Patangyu School in Ganeshnagar is phase 2 of the after-school program for Ranip kids that was run by Manav Sadhna volunteers out of a small but colorful space near Jayeshbhai’s house. The idea for this new schoolhouse is to involve the students themselves in every step... read full story

It was an evening full of celebration of art and unity at the Moved by Love space in the Gandhi Ashram. Volunteers of different age group joined the 11 amazing kids from our loving community (a small leprosy community on the outskirts of Ahmedabad) who are graduating this day from a 6 month loving leadership program that was facilitated by Christopher Lowman (aka Krishna), a Manav Sadhna volunteer who has been living and working at the community since February. A t-shirt painting workshop wa... read full story

Dance as if there’s no tomorrow, and thats exactly what the Ekatva kids did when Peter Haas (U.S. Consul General) visited Gandhi Ashram and came to Manav Sadhna. Peter was so inspired that he immediately invited the children to perform in Mumbai. Ekatva is an experiment to touch the lives and spirit of 16 underprivileged children from India, through the mediums of dance, music, performance and most importantly, love. Through this journey, hope is to spread seeds of goodness and compassion... read full story

10 years back, when Robin Sukhadia first came to Manav Sadhna, he had bought Musical instruments Tabla and entered the hearts of slum children through music. He inspired them to follow their hearts and see life as a gift and art. He came back again on a full-bright scholarship to volunteer at Gandhi Ashram. Today at teacher’s day he received a beautiful gift when he learned one of his young student from slums is professional musician now. As every body gave a farewell to Robin, the master... read full story

Meghna Shares: It’s been 2 years since we have held Wednesday meditation in Ahmedabad.  And every week, consistently, we seen magical ripples weave out into the world.  Last week, we had our first guest speaker — Dorjee Tseten and Tenzin Dolkar.  Not only did they share some really heart wrenching experiences of the people in Tibet but were very humble to share a movie Leaving Fear Behind (by Dhondup Wangchen), which stated the present conditions in Tibet. Personally, it... read full story

Within each us is an Artist seeking to breakthrough. For those courageous enough to listen and to channel creativity, Art can serve as the most powerful form of enacting change. Robin Sukhadia, Fulbright Senior Research Scholar and Project Ahimsa Grants Director, gave a special talk/workshop on the connection between Art and Social Change at Moved by Love space on saturday. Robin shared his journey of studying tabla and also drawing connections between Art and Service by highlighting Gandhi's ... read full story

“Be like a sweeping broom” he would often say, who is always humble in the process of cleaning outside and helping us to be clean from within. On August 26th , we had a inspiring cleanliness evening in remembrance of Shri Ishwar dada, also fondly known as Toilet Man. From young children to elder community leaders, everyone did cleaning of toilets and campus followed by a musical evening. More about him... read full story

“I would like to go to a village and serve” when 24 yr old Jaldip told his mother this, her response was ” That’s good but make sure you choose the most difficult and impoverished village, because if you really want to serve this will be your test and you will know if this what your really want”. Four years later Jaldip and his wife are still living in a small village near Ahmedabad, Gujarat, dedicating their life for rural development. When asked ” wha... read full story

Saw this beautiful artwork by an anonymous artist on a blackboard in gandhi Ashram.... read full story

jagat bhai Art was something we enjoyed and so we went up to them to see what exactly they were doing. It was an experience that gave me new direction. These were the children of people who did menial work on the roadsides, children of daily labourers. They studied in different Municipal schools in the morning and came here to Manav Sadhna in the evenings to do some art and craft which earns them money. That day I went with a young boy as he walked from road to road polishing peopleâ&... read full story

  Uday bhai generally carries home made snacks, cookies and water in his gift economy auto and offers it to his guests with love. When the owner of a leading packaged water ‘Aava’ heard Uday Bhai’s story, he was so inspired that he pledged to support him with unlimited free water bottles. No branding, no advertisement, no strings attached..just water with pure love : )... read full story

“I would like to do something for the children, how can I help” a visitor asked in Manav Sadhna (an NGO working for various social causes in Gandhi Ashram, Ahmedabad) “Whatever your heart tells you to do” replied a co-ordinator. Next day he sends two van full of notebooks for the Ashram. No words required, when your heart is moved by love  ... read full story

[Shared by Jyotsna Parmar] I just received the following letter from a very dear friend Rajshree, who has been very actively involved in various voluntary activities for different non -profits. Few months back, we had shared about small acts of kindness and it’s ripples it has on our environment but more on our own lives. As she was going, I shared with her about Akshay Patra, a savings box made out of recycled plastic bottle to be used later to do small acts of kindness. Here’... read full story

We knew music could heal hearts but now witnessing it live through Robin Sukhadia’s beautiful project. Robin is currently in India with his wife Neelanjana on a Fulbright Senior Research grant researching on the impact of music education on children at 6 NGOs based in Kolkata and Ahmedabad, India. Following his passion for Tabla, Robin is a great inspiration for using his skills for global good. Read More... read full story

“Blessed are they who clean up”, “Dear brothers lets plant a tree each”, “poverty is no bar to perfect sanitation”. Saw these beautiful quotes written inside the bathroom in Environmental Sanitation Institute (Sugad, Ahmedabad, India) established by Shri Ishwar Bhai Patel also lovingly called Toilet Man. Ishwar kaka had dedicated his entire life for sanitation solutions in rural India. Here’s a reflection on his very inspiring life.... read full story