Feeling empowered

I met an incredible man yesterday. His name is Sunta Rai and he is the local co-ordinator for the UK based organisation, FutureSense. FutureSense is an ethical business with a strong social motive that is committed in promoting the development of local communities and individuals through ethically run volunteer placements (thank you, Google). So Sunta arrived at Sacred Heart because a FutureSense volunteer will be working with Jordan and I at Sacred Heart School from tomorrow for five weeks and he lay down the ground rules his organisation has with Binod (our host), who apparently is his uncle. Anyway, we chatted over a glass of very strong whiskey about his organisation, his visions and what he's done in his life. And he is amazing.

Back in the mid 90's his brother came across a village whilst backpacking Nepal. After a 4.5hour bus ride from Kathmandu, it takes another two hours by walking to get there. It is so rural that if you do not follow a map correctly by the degree whilst walking, you will miss it. After spending a few months there, he returned back to India and Sunta decided to travel there to replace him. Upon arrival he noticed that there was no school in the town. The village did not know the meaning of “school” so Sunta basically invented the concept of academic education for them. For years he watched the school grow. It started out with a few children in somebody's kitchen. Then a bamboo hut with dirt floors. Then a small shed. Eventually, the school had its own building made from wood. It's reputation grew and more and more children started to attend. It became a private school where students had to pay 200-300rupees a month ($4-$6) to attend. All was going well until the Maoist (a communist group) noticed that private schools were dominating public schools, something they did not like. They told all private schools to shut down or decrease their number of students to give public schools an advantage. Sunta did not agree with their terms so walked up to the group and asked them to clarify. He suggested that they should visit public schools and see what the problem was. Obviously if poor parents are willing to send their children to a private school over a public school (usually free or 50rupees a month, which is $1) then there must be a problem. Instead of shutting down private schools, they should solve the problem within public schools. Apparently the Maoist group had no answer but stuck with their initial terms: shut down your school or get rid of half of your students. Sunta refused. He returned back to the village and continued on with the educating of children. It seemed like things were back to the way it was before until one day, 50 Maoist soldiers with guns raided the village. They took all the students and Sunta out infront of the school. They circled them and pointed their guns to Sunta's head. Sunta pleaded with them, “Do anything to the school. I don't care. Just don't hurt the kids!” So he watched the soldiers smash the tables they built by hands. He watched them tear books apart. And he watched the school that he built be burnt to the ground. Afterwards, he was forced to flee Nepal or they would kill him. Just recently, the children that he once taught, now all grown up, have returned to that village, rebuilt the school and are the current teachers. Amazing.

Now he is planning to start a business that helps the economy of rural villages. Many village people grow their vegetables and sell their excess produce in the closest populated township. After a good day of selling, they would earn 200-300rupees ($4-$6). However travelling to and from that town every day will turn their profit into less than 50rupees a day. So Sunta aims to buy all their excess produce from their door for a days wage so they can keep all their profit and sell them to private schools who need 50kg of vegetables a week for their boarders. He's already talked to various private schools and even though they already have a dealer who brings them vegetables, they are happy to switch as they do not know where the dealer gets the vegetables from. If they buy from Sunta, however, they are guaranteed organic produce and they know they are helping their own people in rural villages.

As Sunta was talking about this, his face lit up with excitement. His arms were flying in all directions, demonstrating models or plans. His eyes grew big and he was constantly smiling and laughing. This man is so incredible because of his mentality and his humility. He is all for helping the people, in helping villages improve their economy so that one day the Indian economy will improve. I can say that Sunta is that man in the phrase, one man can change the world.

I'm not sure if I've made Sunta sound as good as he really is, and if you're thinking, “Umm...I really don't see what's great about this guy and I think you're overreacting.” Then I apologise. I guess having a physical interaction with him and listening the words come out of his mouth is a lot more powerful. 

Now, he was probably 20 years old when he started the school and 26 when he was held at gun point. I'm thinking, “I'm 20 next year. Am I able to make such a difference to this world?” Often I feel like I can't make a difference because I am not the smartest person in the world and I don't have an amazing talent in art or music. So I'm just living my life, just simply existing. But it is the ordinary people like me and like 99% of the world's population that have the potential to be incredible people like Sunta Rai. It isn't a talent that we have to possess, it's a mindset. 
Anyway, I'm going to conclude with this inspiring and uplifting quote said by an unknown man, that was shared with me by a friend.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, “Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous?”

Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightening about shrinking. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to manifest the glory of God. It is not just in some; it is in everyone. It is not in a specific place, it is everywhere.

And as we let our own light shine, we consciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”