"The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit." As 40 of us sat in a circle this February in the sacred premises of Maitri Space we could not help but feel the ripples of all the goodness and generosity passed on by the lineage before us.  We opened with the story of the biggest land transfer movement in human history, Bhoodan Yatra which on the surface looked like people transferring land to those who did not have any... read full story

The ESI campus was buzzing with a different energy as many of us came together in Maitri Space for a gathering after a long summer break. Volunteers had signed up way in advance from various parts of the country and were eager to serve selflessly. The participants coming from various backgrounds had heard about Moved by Love gatherings from friends and wanted to experience it by themselves. Serendipity somehow brought the grateful last minute entrants too into the mix and the stage was set for... read full story

"Consistent acts of love, no matter how small, mean everything to the ones on the receiving end." Our 40th or so Maitri Space gathering began with this thought in the center. How do small consistent acts of love and service, eventually create a big shift in our own lives and the world at large. When Ishwar Dada took up a broom as a child to sweep his street in a competition, did he really know that eventually this broom would become his daily consistent act of service to... read full story

                            'Your heart and my heart are very, very old friends.' ~ Hafiz               As 35 of us gathered at The ESI campus in Ahmedabad for the Head,Hands and Heart retreat this August, each person felt a sense of oneness with all present in the room. There was no sense of meeting strangers, rather it was just as comfortable as meeting an old friend in a long long time. ... read full story

Last week, Sheetal and Sachi had initiated a beautiful call for a few Awakin Circle hosts.  Below are the notes from the call, and given the beautiful inspiration, we now intend to host these calls regularly. As about 12 of us from different parts of the country gathered in front of our computer screens for a conference call excited to see each other, share and listen to stories from various Awakin circle’s around India, Sachi opened the call with a wonderful reading... read full story

"A flock of geese fly together in a particular formation usually, where each of them has two geese behind them flapping their wings in unison. As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in V formation the whole flock adds at least 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own. When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone and quickly gets back into formation to take... read full story

At the recently held start-up service retreat, in ahmedabad, lots of beautiful projects and thoughts were seeded and discussed as participants were buzzing with ideas on being the change! Entrepreneurship along with inner transformation was on everyone's heart and mind. Aabha and Parag from Pune, proposed health for life workshops to various communities and groups as they both are very passionate about food, health and nutrition and are trained experts on th... read full story

It was a calling from within for both, Sheetal and myself to visit this sacred land of Bhutan and walk with humility and faith into its heart full of love. As we prepared to board our flight, we were excited and completely clueless of the many magical experiences awaiting us in this land of thunder dragons. Since we wished to travel as pilgrims, we did not do any prior bookings for accommodation and went with trust that we would be looked after by the universe. As if to affirm our faith, ju... read full story

Sixty path creators from across the world responded to a compelling invitation to spend 4 days around Gandhi's 66th death anniversary and explore modern manifestations of Gandhian values. We called it Gandhi 3.0. From politicians to businessmen, spiritual cultivators to social entrepreneurs, the diversity of the gathering was held with nothing but ties of noble kinship or 'Maitri'. The intention was set in the opening circle, with beautiful reflections of Vinoba Bhave: &quo... read full story

Jignasha’s early years were in Africa in the thick of nature. From there she moved to India at an age of 14. Over the years Jignasha has gone through many phases in her personal and professional life. She was earlier in corporate communication, from where she moved into development communication and journalism with non-profit organisations. Her mother’s illness exposed her to alternative treatments like naturopathy and yoga. A shift to cities after Africa left a desire for greenery w... read full story

 "On 21st April, Saturday morning, Sheetal and myself returned home after visiting a famous Hanuman temple. It was a very blessed day for us as we had just witnessed the abundant love of the universe pouring into our lives through the closure of an arduous trial.   As we stepped into our main gate, we noticed a wounded pigeon writhing in pain under a tree. A few crows had started stepping towards the pigeon as well. It seemed like a baby pigeon and quite instinctively, Sheetal s... read full story