3 team members, journey in 3 countries and broadening of horizons
“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky
Three of our team members stepped out in 3 different parts of the world and what each of them experienced is nothing short of being called “marvelous and refreshing”.
Read firsthand accounts of their travel as written by them.
Unlearning Journey to Mexico
By Mohit Trivedi (team member and Mitra at Swaraj and founder of Muktdhaara)
In October last year, I have had the opportunity to take part in the fourth Global Gathering of the Ecoversities Alliance, which took place in Michoacán, México. For almost a week, more than 100 higher education rebels, dreamers and visionaries from around the world have gathered to explore burning questions and new collaborations that could strengthen the global movement of re-imagining higher education. Designed as an “unconference”, the gathering has allowed for plenty of sharing and learning exchanges between people who are deeply involved with alternatives to higher education. We also had the chance to present the Indian context and to share more from our work at Indian Multiversities Alliance: the philosophy behind our work, updates about our gatherings, and various best practices from the way we are building the ecosystem of alternatives in India.
After the gathering, I also joined an unlearning journey, traveling through more than 2500km with a group of 20+ learners, to visit 11 Mexican ecoversities — different grassroots, social and ecological movements and projects, indigenous communities, and others.
I was impressed by the diversity of people and communities reclaiming their local knowledge systems in order to create more meaningful learning processes and to cultivate new possibilities.
Immersion in the world of YIP and Yippies in quaint Sweden
By Chetan Kanoongo (Team member and facilitator at Swaraj)
YIP is a 10-month residential societal entrepreneurship training for 18–28 years old based in Sweden. It offers a holistic educational program that expands global understanding and personal awareness.
The very first time I read about YIP — The International Youth Initiative Program (YIP), there was a connection with the vision and intention of the program and a curiosity to know more about the program. Through some turn of events, as a part of the Ecoversity Learning exchange program, I got an opportunity to go to YIP as a guest team member for a month.
It was autumn when I went there and the colors of nature were at their best.
The Baltic sea was just 5 minutes away walk from my room.
Right from day one, the team at YIP and Yippies (learners at YIP are referred to as Yippies) made me feel comfortable and at home. I was part of all the meetings and discussions as a team member. And not only that, the team at YIP treated me like an equal team member and asked me to share my point of view and took note of it even though I was new to the whole program.
The week at YIP was structured to have 3-hour sessions every day with resource persons from across the world, and the afternoon hours were spent learning together doing different things. Some of the themes that were being dis-covered were Commons based approach, Spiritual Ecology and Resilience Thinking and the Art of hosting.
I facilitated a few parts during the Art of hosting week, shared a few dances, hosted a session on game design, activities, stories from Swaraj and a closure experience of Appreciation shower.
After the initial days, I never felt that I was with new people in a new setting. It was all possible because of the kind and generous team at YIP who embodied the sense of a learning community and the 28 playful, energetic, skillful and visionary Yippies from across the world. There are many parallels in Swaraj and YIP and yet both of them are unique in their own ways.
I do wish and hope that young people across the world get to be part of such learning communities as it leaves a profound impact on the way we connect with the world in and around us. These are also places where we get to see a new way of learning based on connection with people, nature and all beings in action.
You can read more personal reflections and sharing about the visit here: rb.gy/pjuydz
ईमान ताज़ा हो गया (Refreshing of the spirit)
Written by Sonika Gupta (Team Member and facilitator at Swaraj)
A few months ago, during my second sabbatical, I took my first ever extended journey into the Western Ghats and headed to Southern India. I was leaving with a withered heart and a burnt out spirit, like a bird that uses its last ounce of energy to reach for the fresh water in the spring, I was heading to the forests. Little did I know, I would meet my tribe in the wooded arms of the world.
There is much to write about what happened next and who I met. However, today, the heart wants to bow down to my young friends who have been teachers, co-travelers and inspirations.
I saw them hold so many threads of life with deep intentionality, see the paradoxes of life, see the seeming polarities and seek to unify them — how did they come to this? I marvel!
I witnessed Stanzin and Samyukthaa, 2 eco-builders from completely different backgrounds, one a Ladhaki school walkout and the other a Tamil architect, both self taught eco-architects holding the value of integrity, simplicity and the dream of a earth spawned by earth buildings. I watched them walk with ease, the tightrope of being commercially viable and the desire for more and more people to learn the secrets of raising wholesome eco-buildings. Reaching this sweet-spot was not an easy journey and yet they keep strengthening this intent. They don’t just take on projects to build homes but also to train those who will live in them and simultaneously train young aspiring eco-architects. At their building site near Pollachi, Coimbatore, they kept emphasizing that people should learn the nitty gritties, essentials and secrets of building sturdy, reliable eco-buildings. I was deeply inspired by their determination, generosity, commitment to quality and clarity. To me, their value of sharing exemplifies a practical way of living in the gift culture. Though they don’t say ‘pay as you wish’ they shine a light on what forms gift culture can take in our world.
I also stayed with Karishma in Nagpur and Navedita in Goa, two ancient spirits in young bodies.
While with Navedita what touched me most was her commitment to explore the realities of her heart, pretty or ugly, all alike. A gifted artist, making her way through the Goa art scene. I found her to be curious about how she falls in love often and deeply, the mess and beauty of her sexuality and most of all the utter honesty with which she sees and names what these tell her about who she is as a human being. To live our romantic relationships as mirrors into our psyche is no mean feat, not one meant for the weak hearted. She takes it even further by talking to her parents who live in small-town-UP, about these aspects of herself, slowly building the space to dialogue with them on something so ‘out there’ for them. Needless to say, these also show up in her art work like the #unstoppableromance project.
With Karishma, I witnessed the beauty of a young woman who lives in many worlds with ease. While we may look at divisions of mainstream and alternative, family and friends, neighbourhood and global, commerce and gift culture, religion and spirituality, I found Karishma traversing through these many doors as if it is all the same. She was the same curious, loving, experimental, gregarious, sincere, introspective, faltering ,getting up, logical and loving Karishma everywhere. She would hug her mother and the kids in the neighbourhood, her friend’s cat and the Shivling in the temple, a tree and an old friend who might have hurt her long ago, all in the same uninhibited way. She draws inspiration from bhajans, Gandhians, marketeers, Vipassana practice, Bollywood celebrities, mythological stories, a mentor who is a practicing psychologist, housewives in the neighbourhood and her own voice. She also connects these many worlds to each other. One example of that is the way she pulled off an eco-friendly Ganesh Utsav in her neighbourhood. This included plays that highlighted issues of gender roles, notions of beauty and their grip on us, sexual abuse in families — all derived from true stories of the neighbourhood, performed and received by the neighbourhood. In this simple initiative, she brought together her values of sustainability, social justice, community, speaking up, inclusion, spirituality and humanness. And I saw her do so in many smaller, less visible ways, everyday.
Again, another weaver, bringing in many threads of life together.
It takes little to label things right and wrong, to turn into a rebel propelled by being ‘against’ something without knowing what you stand ‘for’. I saw these young friends say ‘yes’ to the myriad colours of life, all valid, all true, all worthy of love and attention. It takes dropping our shields, opening ourselves at the seams, visible, vulnerable, fluid, willing to infuse and be infused by others.
As Pema Chodron says,
Compassion is not a warm, soothing feeling, actually it is raw. When we set out to support other beings, to go so far as stand in their shoes, aspire to never close down to anyone, we soon discover we are in the uncomfortable territory of life not on my terms.
When I see these young warriors, I feel hope in my heart for the world. Not echoing the war cry of this world instead a call to embrace all that is, a call for satsang, for jamaat.
These young friends gave new life to my withering spirit. Like a friend’s mother says, “जमात में जाया करो, ईमान ताज़ा हो जाता है”.
