Many people assume that being “just one person,” they couldn’t possibly make a significant difference in a world of billions in which they live; and even if they could, would it really be worth it? So why try? With a sense of eminent failure, few would attempt to be the change. In India though, there is one Hindu man who has altered the reality in which he was living by saving hundreds of lives and making better the lives of thousands more. Working as an oil engineer in Lebanon, there were two couples who would hold dinners at their house for any businessmen who had nowhere to go. They would receive a home-cooked meal and have the opportunity to talk with other businessmen. In actuality, the gathering was a time of Christian fellowship. Devaraj offered his gratitude; however, once he found out it was a Christian meeting, he proudly stated that he was a devote Hindu and nothing was ever going to change his beliefs. He continued to go to these dinners, “strictly for the food.” Over time, though, Devaraj noticed that he was becoming more and more interested in the Christian faith, and going to learn rather than to eat. He soon became a follower of Christ with a passion for loving God and loving others. After growing in his faith, he felt a calling by God to return to India. When he got to Mumbai, Devaraj had nothing but his wife, a small home, and a burning passion to rescue those forgotten by society (Devaraj, 2013).
Between 100,000 and 125,000 children are estimated to have run away and are currently living in the streets and in train stations in major Indian cities such as Mumbai, Old Delhi and New Delhi. Thanks to movies of self-salvation, Indian children and teenagers that are poor and struggling have begun to beli...
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Devaraj, K. K. (2013, November 24). Interview by C Krawczyk . Devaraj's life changing experience.
Dastidar, S. (2009, April 9). India's runaway boys. Newstatesman, Retrieved from http://www.newstatesman.com/asia/2009/04/alamgir-boys-station-drugs
Radwan, M. F. (2013, December 19). Taking calculated risks. Retrieved from http://www.2knowmyself.com/Psychology_of_risk_taking/risk_takers/adolescent_Risk_ taking_behavior/taking_calculated_risks
Upadhayaya, V. (2012, December 3). Runaway children vulnerable in delhi railway stations . The epoch times. Retrieved from http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/world/runaway children-vulnerable-in-delhi-railway-stations-321086.html
Zuckerman, M. (2000, November 1). Are you a risk taker?. Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200011/are-you-risk-taker
“Learning how to be what the Creator created you to be. Face your truth. Do that he says and three big things happen in your life. First, you learn how to be a good human being. Second you learn how to be a good person, and in the process of learning that you learn how to be a good Indian.” (130)
I was reminded of this experience while reading about one of Patel’s mentors, Brother Wayne Teasdale. A Catholic monk, he had also taken vows in a Hindu monastic tradition. Brother Wayne quoted Ghandi when he taught Patel “the tradition you were born into was your home”, but it should be a home with open windows to allow the winds of other traditions in. Loving acceptance and improved knowledge are necessary elements of religious pluralism and the Inter-Faith Youth Core that followed, but perhaps most important is the societal good that can come from working
According to research from the UNICEF, there are more than 400,000 street children existing in India. They live on the streets and take on the full responsibilities of caring for themselves. Moreover, they are becoming more vulnerable to many dangers such as chronic diseases and abuses in their society. To us, a family is a matter of course. However, to these street children, a family is a strange word. They have been homeless since they were born and never had a feeling of being at home. The book A Long Way Home, by Saroo Brierley, is a story about a street child, Saroo, who born in India. Saroo’s parents comes from different religious backgrounds. His mother, Kamla, is a Hindi, while Saroo’s father is a Muslim. Accordingly, his father took a second wife and left his family when he was a baby.
This paper examines the criticisms on the highly acclaimed documentary Born Into Brothels directed by Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman. This film follows Briski’s attempt to save a group of children from Sonagachi by teaching photography and efforts of registering these children into boarding schools. This paper is divided in two major sections; the first portion discusses whether or not it is essential to remove these children from their homes in order to rescue them from their lives in the red light district in India. The second portion of this paper examines what this documentary reveals overall about the politics of saving children from other cultures. Sonagachi is India’s red light district, which raises a lot of concerns for the children living in this city. This documentary is praised for its magnificent visuals, the children’s charm and the heartwarming tale of Briski’s outreach endeavours however; this film is also criticized on several counts. The following portion of this paper discusses critiques on the film as well as argues that removing the children from Sonagachi is not a necessity but instead there should be a stronger focus on solutions for the community as a whole.
Finding a way in life can be difficult. Following that way can be even more difficult, especially when it goes against someone's origin. In Acts of Faith, Eboo Patel tells his story of what it was like to struggle through finding himself. Patel asks the question of "How can I create a society of religious pluralism?" throughout the book, and raises implications about what our children are being taught in different societies throughout the world.
A disruption of values arises as a powerful factor in the creation of Gandhi’s theory pertaining to spiritual sickness and the gener...
I intend to give back to the community by combining knowledge obtained from the study of Psychology with the leadership skills I have gained by working in a tutorial program into a wide scale program for underprivileged school children of my community.
"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, talented, fabulous?" Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. You were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within you. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." -- Nelson Mandella
“Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul motivated by love.”
Huyler, Stephen P. Meeting God: Elements of Hindu Devotion. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1999.
I think that it is important for me to look around and ask myself what kind of things I can do to help my country. Recently, at school, we collected money for the Red Cross. We had to explain over and over to the students that it didn't matter if you gave one dollar or twenty dollars. Whatever you give will help others and be appreciated. Even though I am too young to make a big impact on the people involved in the tragedy, I feel like my small part may have let them know that people everywhere care.
I will now examine what it means to be religious with a critical enquiry into Buddhism, Hinduism and
Is it too late to save the world? Probably not! Perhaps the real question should be if society will actually do something about it or not. Perhaps the world leaders are more interested in money than the welfare of the environment.
Gandhi encouraged people to live a simple life. Simple living to Gandhi meant wanting less and sharing more. The Hindu faith he grew up with called him to free himself from possessions and passions as a way to God (Gandhi, np). While living in England to study law, Gandhi read many religious books. There he fully began to grasp the meaning of the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad Gita, and found a personal reason to simplify his life. He was called to achieve Moksha, the setting free of one’s soul. In...
Give him a chance to assemble the ladies let him assemble the villagers let him engage them in the garden in the countryards in the verandhas alongside the divider and under the town tree with stories and tunes and depictions of India ! India! India. The evangelist needs to impart in the hearts of the general population the considerable thought, this and no other is our country! We are Indians each one!.