ONUS 2015-16: The Beginnings

Contributor: Prachi Lohia

On September 4, 2015, 14 strangers came together at a serene place that goes by the name of Gandhi Ashram to become a part of the family that we call Youth Alliance. Last year, 12 participants had become an essential part of this cohort through a program called ONUS and now the legacy has been passed on. From the busy lives of Delhi, pushing your way through the crowd on the streets and the metro stations, drowning in the music from your headphones and horns from the vehicles and struggling through your strenuous college or office routines, when you step into the glorious ambiance of the Gandhi Ashram, it is like witnessing a whole new world. Trees embrace you in their relieving shade providing a respite from the intense heat, birds chirp there all day long, little children walk in lines, giggling and swinging their water bottles in their hands, those very children wake you up at 5 in the morning with their prayers echoing into the eerie silence. The team of Youth Alliance worked very hard to add to this essence of Gandhi Ashram and to build an experience for the 14 new participants which would stay with them for a lifetime. The idea of ONUS is shaped around creating empathetic leaders who work with their head, heart and hands to create a future for themselves that keeps in mind not only their own future but the welfare of the larger collective. In this race of getting good marks, then colleges and consequently good jobs, ONUS gives you a space to stay still, step aside from the race and find your own calling. It is a space free of judgments, with a family behind your back that helps you to grow and try your hand at everything that you love without a fear of failure. The initiation of this program takes place with a residential weekend in which the participants are given a warm welcome into the family of Youth Alliance and are given a larger framework about the picture that is to unfold before them over the course of the year.

The residential started with a few ice-breakers that brought the participants closer and eased the tension and awkwardness that one generally feels while meeting new people. After a fun session of games and sharing, people moved into a room, brightly lit with diyas with a warm melody ringing in their ears. In this circle, people shared the gifts that they possess as individuals and want to bring into the circle. Then the things that they are seeking to own or inculcate were put down on paper. Very slowly then, everything that one was seeking was found amongst the gifts that people possessed. All that one wished for lay within the circle itself. This session gave a new meaning to Rumi’s profound quote, “What you seek, is seeking you.” 

The next day began with shramdaan. A labor provided for by the hands with the earnestness from the heart. Slowly, we saw how everyone had already become a family. How there was division of tasks, how some people made rangoli while others ate, how the items of daily-use were happily shared and how everyone was so unperturbed by the presence of people who were not so long ago, absolute strangers. The day had begun with the value of providing earnest labor. Now we sunk into the larger objective of creating deeper roots, establishing a foundation of values and exploring the road not taken through a profound journey. The idea was to respect and celebrate individuality, appreciate differences and cherishing and protecting the freedom of each being. With these ideas, we established certain core values for our newly-born community.

We then moved on to the deepest and the most significant session, the LIFE MAP. It all started with drawing up our life on a sheet of paper and opening up our life’s story in front of the community of trust. Sharing one’s life story is not only sharing an experience. It’s an act of courage and connects people like nothing else can. It builds up trust, sincerity and respect in the community and develops a certain bond which connects hearts and souls. The influences of a person’s life can shape someone else’s life. The idea is that profound. With these ideas stuck into our heads, we moved to a lighter day. With sharing, playing games, chasing balls, dinner and this extremely cool light painting photography.

Finally, the last day of the residential hovered upon us. Ravi Gulati, founder of Manzil explained the deeper roots of the word, Trust to us. His words of wisdom, the strength of his humble being and the complexity of his simplicity touched the hearts of many. His journey is extremely inspirational to all those who think life is too much for them to deal with. His simple idea of life is that between birth and death, either of which you can’t control, there is a lot of time. We are here to kill that time. How to do it, is our very own choice. With these ideas, the residential came to a close. Some said goodbyes with tears while some took a leave with hopeful smiles. For this journey has just begun and the seeds are sown. Nourishing them is a lifelong process which we are now ready to embark upon with the family of ONUS and Youth Alliance.