A Meaningful Walk…..

Some times, your comforts can be meaningless. A mid-day walk in summer sometimes comes more comfortable than a nap in an AC cabin. Such an experience made my life more meaningful recently. I was thinking about the term “success.’ I was trying to define it as “headway from comforts to luxuries.” Yet many, may be some, beg to differ in this idea. However, it all depends on how you define “comforts” and “luxuries.”

Some people opt to be under the sun, sweating and tiring but daring to go till they succeed. They come back to counter all set backs, with smile on their faces, seldom bother about the shadow of luring luxuries.

I would like to share my experience of a “summer” mid day walk in Mumbai, which I found more comfortable than a nap in the hotel room. It was along with Mr. Johny, my senior colleague (and also one of my friends) who as I said, begs to differ about the high way concept about comforts & luxuries through his life as a social worker or rather as a social entrepreneur.

I happened to meet him as I got a day free during my official visit. He welcomed me towards a small building amid a slum in Mahakali area of Mumbai. Name of the noble initiative “Creative Handicrafts,” which is at present being led by him, was written there.

In my relatively shorter span of career in social work, I could see many slums, where people live, rather struggle to leave, most often with very less hope in their faces. But here, I saw nearly hundred hopeful colleagues of Johny, all of them living in a slum, yet full of life. Their faces spoke about dignity. Their positive attitude was amazing!

Creative Handicrafts is one of 70 Fair Trade organizations in India. They do embroidery, stitching, doll making and prepare 700 food packets a day to make their life busy. A team of noble souls led by Johny works to ensure that whatever they are making reaches the users in Mumbai and abroad, who return the price promptly.

It was an eye opener for me as the pathetic images of Mumbai slum life was haunting me whenever I goes to the city. I am sure that whoever visits this noble collective will have at least one more reason to live on this earth. They deserve special thanks for their efforts to walk with the time, by opening nicely maintained shop in the up market area Bandra.

I would like to share more such experiences in the days to come!!!! Thank you.