In a dark world, Nipun Mehta shines with a radiance of pure love. His positivity and shimmer of hope is felt like a shaft of warm sunlight on a cold and dry winter morning. His presence is infectious and one feels a magnetic pull towards him as he speaks about his ideas, work and philosophy. It is difficult to fathom another man with such colossal credentials to remain so grounded, humble, and eager to learn and help. Nipun Mehta comes across as an archetype of a Guru blissfully sitting under a tree, while everybody around exhaustively bears the burden of running this world. Team KYS was fortunate enough to share some valuable moments with this amazing man.
Simple Acts of Kindness
I believe that all of us are connected — not just with fellow humans but also with all beings. When one is able to become aware of these invisible bonds, we naturally and effortlessly relate to other’s joys and sorrows. As the mind becomes more aware and sensitive of its inter-connections, we respond in ever deepening ways. Sympathy notices the pain of others, empathy feels the pain of others, and compassion serves others as if the pain was ours.
That compassionate giving flows into the world through simple, everyday acts of kindness – moment by moment, day by day. We need not wait for a charity event or a popular reason to share and give. And generosity is not always monetary. I remember my grandfather used to take a handful of grains whenever he would go out for a walk and feed the ants along the way. His philanthropy had nothing do with money or fame, but rather was a simple act of sensitivity, love, and selfless giving.
Do it “Now” – Says Nipun Mehta
‘Now’ is the only experiential reality we know. If there is anything you want to do in life, do it now. Later never arrives. Many people think about the right time to practice generosity, when they have this much or achieve that much, but in practice, that perfect moment is either now or never. Even if our present moment’s act isn’t perfect, or the most impressive or has the greatest external impact, it is significant because it creates an inner ripple effect. It changes us.
We don’t know whether we can change the world, but we know we can change ourselves. That inner change is often more difficult than creating external change, because we are going up against deeply grooved mental patterns. But it’s possible, and that shift, however small, changes the lens through which we look at the world. With new eyes, the rest of our eternity will be different. So I practice doing it now. Now is the power, now is when we can sow the seeds for tomorrow and now is when we can start towards become better human beings.
A Walk to Remember
Back in 2005, six months into our marriage, my wife and I decided to go on a walking pilgrimage. At the peak of our efforts with ServiceSpace, we wondered if we still had the capacity to put aside our worldly success and seek higher truths. There was only way to find out – to do it. So we sold all our major belongings, and bought a one-way ticket to India.
Our plan was to head to Mahatma Gandhi’s ashram, since he had always been an inspiration to us, and then walk South. Between the two of us, we budgeted a dollar a day, mostly for incidentals — which meant that for our survival we had to depend utterly on the kindness of strangers. We ate whatever food was offered and slept wherever place was offered.
We ended up walking 1000 kilometers over three months. In that period, we encountered the very best and the very worst of human nature; not just in others, but also within ourselves. As we walked—witnessed, accepted, loved—our vision of the world indeed grew clearer.
That clarity, paradoxically enough, blurred our previous distinctions between me versus we, inner transformation versus external impact, and selfishness versus selflessness. They were inextricably connected. When a poor farmer gave me a tomato as a parting gift, with tears rolling down his eyes, was I receiving or giving? When I sat for hours in silent meditation, was the benefit solely mine or would it ripple out into the world? When I lifted the haystack off an old man’s head and carried it for a kilometer, was I serving him or serving myself?
ServiceSpace
ServiceSpace is an organization run entirely by volunteers. We leverage technology to encourage everyday people around the world to do small acts of service. Our aim is to ignite the fundamental generosity in others, creating both inner and outer transformation. ServiceSpace was conceived by volunteers, was built by volunteers, and is run by volunteers. Our projects range from a daily positive news service to an acts-of-kindness portal to a gift-economy restaurant.
Founded in 1999, ServiceSpace was originally started to help non-profits build websites. Over the past dozen years, the organization has become an umbrella for numerous generosity-driven projects. Our services evolved from focusing just on helping charities help others, to encouraging everyday people to contribute in meaningful ways to the world around them. Above all, we believe in the inherent generosity of others and aim to ignite that spirit of service. Through our small, collective acts, we hope to transform the world and ourselves.
The Golden Uttered Words
Most of us believe that to give, we first need to have something to give. The trouble with that is, that when we are taking stock of what we have, we almost always make accounting errors. Oscar Wilde once quipped, “Now-a-days, people know the price of everything, but the value of nothing.” We have forgotten how to value things without a price tag. Hence, when we get to our most abundant gifts—like attention, insight, compassion—we confuse their worth because they’re, well, priceless.
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Team KYS was so moved during the course of this interview, we were speechless. There was a time when there was just silence, for we forgot all our questions! It felt more like we were transfixed sitting under a firmly rooted tree in a Gurukul, and attending a discourse by our Guru. We hope that every reader who reads this article starts with an act of kindness right now!
KnowYourStar.com (KYS) interviewed Nipun Mehta as part of India Inclusion Summit(IIS). IIS is a platform that brings awareness and drives inclusion of specially-abled people at corporates, schools, policy makers and NGOs. Yes, KYS is the official blogging partner for IIS and backs the event whole-heartedly in a thirst to see an Inclusive India.