Travels to an inspiring friend!

I have never been more proud of my friend Varun :)
He is mobilizing a tribal community in Suhaba, a hamlet almost on the top of a mountain, towards an understanding of the value and need for education.
He is trying, trying very hard to get the school there, up and running, among the many other things that he is doing; so that these kids can have a meaningful education.
The people in Suhaba are just lovely. Their hospitality is incredible and with their curiosity as innocent as a child, they love. Make merry. Are mindful of the pleasures and wrath of nature. And Live.

Its fascinating to know and experience the different ways in which people live life. For most of my life, I've lived in a city and known the city life of connectedness, abundance of information, bright lights, sounds of motor vehicles and many people. What I love most about my course here at APU is the opportunity it has presented me with, to travel and see the other side. Like how, because of my friend Varun, I travelled the farthest East that I have ever been, to see this beautiful place called Koinpur in Gajapati district; to see and experience the world where there is neither connectivity nor electricity, where there are a million stars in the night sky so close to you that I felt they were speaking to me, telling me a story and singing to me a lullaby, where I felt the heat and the cold, and the temperature was not controlled; where the sound I heard was that of silence and the smell was that of pure air.

In four months, Varun has picked up the local language- Oriya. He can read and write in it as well. The tribal language- Sora too, he knows. He is committed to his project and this manifests itself in his ways of doing things. His mind is thinking of possibilities and no problem is a hindrance to him. He greets everyone in the village and the people acknowledge him with a warm smile. His strides are urgent, consciously directed by his mind. His heart is at it. And his body thus moves in sync.

The highlight of my trip was the speech that Varun delivered (in Oriya!) at a community meeting that he convened. Huddled in a small hut, were around 35-40 people from the community-- men, women and children. He spoke, the other men spoke and everyone listened. There were times when some men spoke together, over each other's voices, in disagreement with one another. Varun, in attempting to have a meaningful dialogue asked them to calm down and listen to each other. The body language was crucial and I thought that my friend Varun aced it. He encouraged the women to speak up, as he wanted to know what they thought. But none did. With some more time and trust, I think that they shall, eventually.
I couldn't understand the language. But my senses picked up the nuances of their expression, tone and the movement of the body, the eyes, the trust and dreams.
It was awesome.

To my inspiring dost Varun, I raise my humble toast--
May all your dreams come true :) Clink, clink***