Comrades of Compassion: Neha's Journey of GM

Contributor: Neha Verma

 People in power are busy waging wars or preparing themselves for one. But then there are those, who are prepping up some comrades of compassion. These are the people who will help the world heal once it's bruised by wars and hate.

I don't think I have said enough about the last 10 days of 2017. I don't think I have spoken at all about how grateful I am that my year ended with like-minded souls who will remain a motivation for years to come. This post is for everyone who didn't experience what I did. You could say your 'new year celebration' was better than mine, and you could be completely right. But here's an invitation to open your heart to the story I am about to tell. Here's an invitation to address this rant for what it's worth. Here's an invitation to open your hearts and embrace the fact that we are more than the labels that define us. While we spend our lives living up to those labels and end up waging wars against something or someone or just fighting our true selves, there are some people who take a leap of faith and that my friend, is all it takes.

Now coming back to the point, I spent the last 10 days of 2017 on a journey of self-discovery and it was a powerful journey. I went with an idea in my head. An idea about changing the world, making a difference, meaning something more than I was, with a dilemma and a delusion of grandeur. I returned humbled to the core. All thanks to Youth Alliance for letting me be a part of Gramyamanthan 2017. I am trying to sit myself down an write a blog about the experience so that I don't forget what I learnt from it all.

I have forever been an extrovert and it's really difficult for me to internalise things, which makes it even harder to be consistent. I think life for me, in general, has been a spectator sport, but this time I want it to be a journey that is not guided by my fears but my willingness to take that leap of faith. So hear spectators, this one is for holding me accountable if I forget to be consistent this time. If this is becoming too much about myself, then here's an invitation to do it for yourself. Dig inside, figure out what you want, you have just hit another milestone, another year has begun. A new calendar rests in the place of another you got used to looking at. Change more than the last number of the dates you are so busy getting accustomed to. Now is the time to make all the difference in your life and maybe that will change the world around you. Because that's exactly what I learnt in the 10 days I spent in Gujarat. I can't even break it down, I already feel I have digressed too much, but I want everyone to know that Gramyamanthan is a thing that everyone should experience at least once in their lives. It's a reality check and it's totally worth it. Just one sneak peek for you guys, the people in this picture are 40+ stories that came together to write a new book. A fresh page of imprints has already taken shape and if my words mean anything to even a single person, then here's an invitation for them to join our paths.