Small is Beautiful: Saloni's Reflection of Samvaad 2019

    Contributor: Saloni Madan

Over the years, I have come to realize that small things matter the most to me and they have gone on to bring about a huge difference in and around me. Hence, the words, “Small is Beautiful” define many aspects of my life, including my experience of Samvaad 2019.

The core idea of Samvaad is having dialogue on a different theme every year by asking the right questions, which are brought about beautifully by Sadanand ji into the circle.

What draws me closer to my authentic self in this space is having these dialogues in Small Groups(usually 3 or 4 people) with the following norms:

(i) Be with the people you know the least because that’s where you learn the most.

(ii) Don’t wait to asked (by someone else)

(iii) Listen with curiosity and don’t try to help/give advice.

Our education system has trained our minds to believe that there are only right or wrong answers to everything. For the same reason, of not being sure of saying the right thing , I grew up feeling hesitant to talk much in larger groups.

However, in the space of Samvaad, not only are we not trying to find answers to anything but rather bringing out our intuitive energy and doing so in small groups while holding onto the values of trust, intimacy and co-operation. And therefore, Small is beautiful. :)

This year we explored something that lies at the core of all our relationships- our humanness.

As we delved deeper into our humanness through dialogue, music, and body movement, the most alive feeling in me throughout was authenticity; my own and of each one present in that space.

With that came the question of taking that journey towards authenticity and retaining authenticity with negative emotions. And there are no fixed answers but to keep swimming in the water of consciousness while trying to exercise our own discernment instead of blindly following anything, being honest about our failures because it makes us strong and practicing self forgiveness.

I will continue to look forward to Samvaad because spaces like these help in bringing out what is already within me and leave me with questions to stay in inquiry a little longer because there’s no one point for me to reach but to keep swimming. :)