So my first Shatabdi ride, and I was supposed to be all excited about it.
I was. But the reason was not Shatabdi. It was the program I was going to be a part of for the next 10 days.
Gramya Manthan started with a ride in the Ambulance from the station to the RSS School were we were supposed to spend two days. Ambulance? So that they don't spend extra on hiring a cab. Interesting.
We meet up the volunteers, get a short interview recorded, have dinner and take rest for the day, which was quite a difficult task considering the level of anxiety in everyone around.
Day 2, we wake up to expectations of meeting mentors and beginning with the program right away. But the team had other plans. We start the day with dividing people in random groups, having activities which made the child come alive in all of us, pumped us up and gave us a push to open up and share, which was the first level of achievement for all of us.
Next to come was a 'timeline' exercise, called the LifeMap in Gramya Manthan. Give people 10 minutes to think about your life and draw a graph of ups and downs and you'll literally have sweat all over your forehead. It was yet another experience sharing about our lives, and as we sat in a group of 15 people each, a personal space was created and shared in such a pure way that everyone could reflect and be open about their own lives.
The best part about Gramya Manthan so far are the energizers! We're made to do crazy activities so that we don't sleep, and when we're in the peak of energy, the next activity begins.
So Day 2 Activity 2 was dedicated to a Kabir doha which states that he went into the world for searching the bad there, and he could not find any bad in others. Then he searched the bad inside, and he realized his bad was the biggest among everyone else.
The activity was to distribute people in three groups - one group with people who agree to the Doha, second with people who disagree and a third 'confused' group. The 'Yes' group stands on a side, the 'No' on the other with the confused people in between them. Now the 'Yes' and 'No' groups were asked to win over the confused people and the group who convinces most confused people would win. It was shocking to see that in a group of such intellectuals, such differences in opinion could exist. This was the learning that we got - each and everyone of us have different perspectives and opinions, and everyone thinks his is the right opinion, but then it's just a matter of perspective.
We also played Volleyboll, which was quite fun-filled. It rained briefly which was a big bonus as the weather became beautiful and cold enough to calm down our 'roasted' nerves!
Gramya Manthan has been an interesting journey so far and I'm sure with so much more to see, I would have a lot to share with you :-)
The best part about Gramya Manthan so far are the energizers! We're made to do crazy activities so that we don't sleep, and when we're in the peak of energy, the next activity begins.
So Day 2 Activity 2 was dedicated to a Kabir doha which states that he went into the world for searching the bad there, and he could not find any bad in others. Then he searched the bad inside, and he realized his bad was the biggest among everyone else.
The activity was to distribute people in three groups - one group with people who agree to the Doha, second with people who disagree and a third 'confused' group. The 'Yes' group stands on a side, the 'No' on the other with the confused people in between them. Now the 'Yes' and 'No' groups were asked to win over the confused people and the group who convinces most confused people would win. It was shocking to see that in a group of such intellectuals, such differences in opinion could exist. This was the learning that we got - each and everyone of us have different perspectives and opinions, and everyone thinks his is the right opinion, but then it's just a matter of perspective.
We also played Volleyboll, which was quite fun-filled. It rained briefly which was a big bonus as the weather became beautiful and cold enough to calm down our 'roasted' nerves!
Gramya Manthan has been an interesting journey so far and I'm sure with so much more to see, I would have a lot to share with you :-)
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