Threading its way past ignorant people, haunting rhetorical questions and under the veneer of the Lok Pak bill a prolific institution has blown in with its dazzling vision. As India gears up to trudge up the stony path of 2012, disheveled and exhausted, Zav Foundation promises to infuse a staggering and untappable energy into India. Through its vision of Live-Grow-Create-Change it promises to rejuvenate India’s ego which seems to have been run over by an array of myriad flaws. The Zavians are hoping to establish a society with norms acceptable to everybody. Stepping on to the third year of its functioning Zav Foundation has had a slow but steady walk towards the sublime light. And with the help of all of you this light now seems like a flashlight than a firefly like before.

Zav of oneself brings forth the possibility of a life without pain, suffering and violence. There is a complete focus on creating a conscious awareness on what you really are and in visualizing what you want. Thus, transforming one’s thoughts, feelings, patterns through the self transformation process. It brings high potential in the personal life as well as gives the courage and tools to truly follow the life quests. Zav is the slow, steady infusion of the vision into the reality, moving from seeing a new to being a new.

Transformation is the complete paradigm shift in the way we speak, think, act, relate to ourselves to others and to life, the changes it calls for are drastic, which means to even begin to effect these, a sound sense of self esteem is needed. Self-esteem will only enable us to look deep within ourselves and not baulk at the unpalatable sight. Growth occurs by becoming more and more of who we are, not by our trying to be someone we are not.

Starting off with a small invocation song to pep up our spirits, we were all re-introduced to Zav’s Philosophy by Saranya.It provoked all of us to question our ideas of Zav and the work that we were associated with. Aman’s speech about his realizations and experiences with starting off with Zav moved many in the audience and his tangible and raw emotional connection with Zav was evident in his talk. The passion and commitment into driving himself and the other Zavians into taking their time off their schedules and imprinting the idea of putting empathy over charity or sympathy into everyone’s mind was the very epitome of his speech. The event then saw many volunteers coming upto the dias and talking about their experiences with Zav.

Names would be a big list to mention but the emotions and Passions that oozed out of every experience echoed similar thoughts. A varied perspective of the work that every Zavian shared was an experience in itself and had the audience relating to the speaker, even when they had very little personal introductions.

All in all, the 3rd year Anniversary laid a firm foundation to the aspirations of Zav and its 2020 dream. It saw the meeting of ideas and perspectives and the zest of the young at heart. With dreamy eyes we bid adieu to the day for what it stands, with promises to live up to and lives to touch. 

 Ambika Patil

Unlike e-mails, social media’s stickiness factor is far higher. The comments written by people bring about a varied perspective to a challenge. Often there is humour in the comments which gets a very strong social message across subtly.

The response elicited for ones comments/views keeps the user engaged in conversation which helps to bring about a change in perspective. This is the first step towards change where the youth are convinced and are willing to take action to bring about the needed change and they have many power tools that can empower them to do so.

You can apply with your resume to president@zavfoundation.org

I often think to myself… why does a woman who chooses to live her life on her own terms always land up being alone? I guess the answer lies in how a woman looks at herself. I cannot blame men for how a woman is treated. It is a woman who subjugates herself to the man in the house, it is a woman who seeks permission even to perform actions that are an integral part of her persona, it is a woman who feels guilty at a man’s displeasure and it is definitely a woman who blames herself for being her true self. A woman allows what a man does to her and never the other way round.

To the women who read this When are we going to change our perspective of looking at ourselves? When are we going to see ourselves as creators of not just more people but of ideas, societies and ways of life? Unless we give ourselves the privilege of being ourselves, no feministic cry or masculine mercy can liberate us.

To the men who read this  When are you going to see independence as a choice and not a privilege? When are you going to liberate yourselves from chauvinistic perspectives? When are you going to let a woman be a woman? When you will you stop measuring women with the yardstick of your own years?

The next time you typecast a task as being a woman’s task or a man’s, the next time you are going to say “its not right for a woman to do…” the next time you dream a dream and ask yourself if it is right go ahead in its pursuit because you are a woman… remember this, each woman is unique, every woman is made of distinct personality features, there is no predecessor to the woman that you are, there is no history of the same personality having existed before. Every woman is unique. Women is not the plural of woman cos’ there are no two women who are alike.

Every woman knows what she wants but every woman hesitates. When you want something, don’t ask yourself if a woman can want such a thing, only ask if you want such a thing and will be enriched by it. The next time you want to do something do so because you want to not because someone else thinks it is appropriate for a woman to do so. Being a woman is not a work of providence but a careful handling of self doubt!! Being a woman is not about being right but having no regrets about being you!!

Happy International Women’s day!!