Women are born givers. They are naturally inclined to contribute and make a difference. This International Women’s Day, we are celebrating the dynamism and power of volunteerism by recounting a few stories of the women heroes in The Art of Living.
1. Chandrani Biswas & Sujala Roy
Chandrani Biswas and Sujala Roy are not ordinary IT professionals. For over a decade, this duo has been changing the lives of kids in Kolkata’s slums with their unique mentoring initiative called ‘Light a Lamp’. They have already reached out to a thousand children who have blossomed to their potential. Read their story of love and care, one that has turned them into mothers of a thousand children.
2. Indu Sinha
When Indu Sinha read a feature in the local newspaper of a massacre in Senari village where Naxalites beheaded nearly 67 people, she knew she had to do something. She started by setting up a free school in a militant-affected area where she taught kids of Naxalites. She went on to teach meditation to notorious criminals in prisons where even the most hardened inmates softened and dropped their violent ways.
20,000 women revive a dying river
Under The Art of Living River Rejuvenation project, 20,000 rural women in Vellore, Tamil Nadu revived the dying Naganadhi river. In four years, the women built 3,500 recharge wells and several boulder checks to get the river flowing again. The recently-initiated Chinnar River Rejuvenation Project also has women at its helm.
3. Paola & Aparna
Based in the United States, Paola and Aparna teach The Art of Living’s Prison Program. While Paola reaches out to women inmates, Aparna works with juveniles. The two witness stories of transformation in prisons regularly. Know what inspires them and their interesting anecdotes.
4. Poonam Madan
An HR professional, Poonam Madan can be easily called a people’s person. Yet, her skills have undergone the hardest test when she has had to conduct special menstrual education programs for women inmates.
5. Reeta Singh
The ground beneath Reeta Singh shook when a group of Naxalites killed her husband in front of her own eyes. She turned numb to life. Yet one fine day, at the insistence of her sister, she enrolled in an Art of Living program. Little did she know that her life was about to change and that in a few years, she will be changing the hearts of the ones who killed her husband. Reeta Singh rose from the ashes after her first Art of Living program. She became a prison program teacher, and in one of her classes, she met the murderers of her husband.
6. Sangeeta Sinha
Neither her wheelchair nor rigid mindsets have deterred Sangeeta Sinha to successfully fight away the practice of child marriage in remote locations of Bihar. Due to her efforts, the practice has ended in many areas. She has also worked in prisons, teaching meditation to juveniles. Her goal is to see Bihar free of poverty, conflict, and atrocities. “I have the conviction of changing society from a wheelchair,” she says.
7. Deepali Patel
A Mumbaikar, Deepali Patel left the perks of a high-paying job at the Taj to travel around the world, working to bring inner and outer peace. A few years ago, she brought two warring tribes in Africa’s Ivory Coast together through the power of meditation and a youth empowerment program (now called Karma yog). After her intervention, youths of the tribes that could not bear the sight of each other came together to rebuild homes that were lost to war.
8. Ritu Narang
Wearing the tag of an ordinary homemaker with pride, Ritu Narang has started a revolution of yoga among policemen in Uttar Pradesh. Having reached 50,000 men in uniform, she says, “People say that the policemen in our country are corrupt and lawbreakers. But almost nobody knows the physical and mental condition that our policemen endure.” Her yoga classes have helped policemen de-stress and revitalize their health.
9. Rama Tewary
Fifteen years ago, Rama Tewary was diagnosed with throat cancer. Just a few years later, she began working in the North East, helping generate employment for 4,000 farmers including ex-ULFA militants. She found relief from her condition with Ayurvedic treatment at the Art of Living International Center and regular practice of Sudarshan Kriya, a breathing technique taught in The Art of Living’s flagship program.
10. Deepa Dave
In 2017, 68 militants in Manipur surrendered due to the efforts of The Art of Living. The then chief minister of Manipur lauded the initiative. However, not many know about the iron lady who made this nearly impossible feat possible. She is Deepa Dave, a hero who inspired by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, fought umpteen challenges to bring peace.
11. Baby Das
Once depressed and afflicted with severe asthma, Baby Das is now helping poor farmers in locations as remote as villages on the Indo-Bangladesh border. By teaching Sri Sri Natural Farming and agrarian models that are more suitable to their geographic conditions, she envisions to uplift her farmer students out of poverty.
12. Basanti Mahato
Battling several challenges, Basanti set up the best school in her village of Sanbambua. So much so that teachers of other schools ask, “What is in Basanti that parents send their kids there?” Supported by The Art of Living free schools, her school teaches yoga, meditation, music, dance, and sports apart from the regular curriculum.
We salute these women heroes who have overcome personal challenges and changed the lives of others for the better. Train to become a change leader yourself. Join the Art of Living’s Youth Leadership Training Program (also known as Karmayog) here.
