Memoirs of GB Episode 76: Compassion is the Answer

Some of the toughest moments in our Life, we look forward to the way out. It’s not through our knowledge alone we find solutions, but its always through compassion of someone who lend their hands and shoulder during those darkest hours which make us to bounce back to life. ?I want to narrate 2 stories of “Stone”.

1st Story - A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveller who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveller saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation. The traveller left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the wise woman.

"I've been thinking," he said, "I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone.

2nd Story - In ancient times, a king had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear but none did anything about getting the big stone out of the way. Then, a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. On approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. As the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been.

The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learnt what many others never understand – Every obstacle presents an opportunity and its by doing the service for others we rise in life.

Everyone will reach a moment in life where our individual success can no more satiate our hunger for happiness.

A beggar cannot satiate the hunger of the world, The more we beg for our own success and happiness, the more vulnerable we become in taking bigger initiatives in life.

Being Compassionate is the next level of our evolution toward great life.

I vividly remember the year 2015, many ways that was a year of transformation for me. I happened to attend TEDx Hyderabad event and was moved by a story on the importance of organic food & Farmer suicides narrated by Dr. Ramanjaneyulu GV?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64RLBgD-Cck – (Poison on our Plate | TEDx Hyderabad 2015) and another speaker Mr. Anshul Sinha, a social Impact film maker. I reached out to both of them and we discussed on the possible outreach by doing a full length movie on farmer suicides and the danger that's spreading fast due to unhealthy pesticide farming practices. I spearheaded the crowd funding initiative and we collected over 20 lakhs rupees and coproduced India’s one of the prominent social impact movie Mitti” ,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Thvw9LautUk , The movie so screened in over 50 countries and watched by over 5 million people across the globe.

TEDx Hyderabad 2016 event was also very special to me, In-fact that night after the event, I couldn't sleep. Every year, we get this dose of inspiration but that night it was more than that. Chintakandi Mallesham’ s story is not just an inspiration but it's beyond, the pain every woman in the weaver community goes through to make a pochampalli saree working relentlessly for hrs and days together. This one man beyond all odds trying to bring a solution to that pain through a ground-breaking frugal innovation of an automated weaving machine by name Asu . It took me few months to figure out the solution to help him. Thanks to our friends in TEDx Hyderabad community and corporate circle we are successfully a launched crowd funding campaign and rest is history.

I am glad that today this unsung hero is getting his due credit, honour, and attention. He was awarded Padma Shree for his extra mile social impact. ?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSpjfurPjus ?(Weaving the Future | Chinthakindi Mallesham | TEDx Hyderabad 2016Talk).

All the 3 social champions whom I worked with, has one thing in common, they have a Silver Screen Movie to voice their effort, pain and reaching out to Millions of people across the globe. Be it Mitti to Mallesham Movie ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmaKuf64I1I ?),

The Good Must have a Loud Voice, We all have played a small role in the life of these social champions to make their voice's loud. Thanks to Ramanjaneyulu GV, Anshul Sinha?& Chinthakindi Mallesham, My wholehearted appreciation to them for giving me and our friends an opportunity to be part of their journey in a very small way.

These social impact initiatives propelled my compassion and I made it a point to give back to the society in whatever the small ways that’s possible. The royalty I received for my books and other engagements, I share that as a contribution to the welfare of underprivileged and to empower social champions.

The most loving and well-rounded people you have ever met are likely those who have known misery, known defeat, known the heartbreak of losing something or someone they loved, and have found their way out of the depths of their own despair.

I will write more about my stories of compassion in subsequent articles, but these are my real life defining moments or moments of truth. A few pages of your life worth remembering and repeating

I was humbled by the everyday social champion and their selfless sacrifices and contribution to the betterment of the society.

These people have experienced many ups and downs, and have gained an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, understanding and a deep loving wisdom. People like this aren’t born or dropped from heaven; they develop slowly over the course of time.

Yes, The compassion is the Answer!!!!

Godspeed

Dinesh Chandrasekar DC*

P.S: All views expressed here are my personal views and opinion and have no bearing to the organization I work