The Tryst
I tried my best not to do this...but my heart would not let me study..it keeps poking and that really hurts.
I had a 9 hr long 'tryst' with the A.I.D founders and volunteers. I realized not things about physicists, Indians but humans in general. We often forget the word human in us.
I have done mistakes in my life. Every one of us did and we will. But does that mean we should stop doing anything at all? Nope..what we should do is to improve and stop repeating those mistakes. I am happy that I have realized many of my faults with the help of my fellas and corrected them and I am still striving hard to stretch my hands towards perfection!! May be of late, I have been blaming everything and every one I see. I am judging them! I have forgotten, 'Judge not, thy shall be judged!'. If not in the fear of being judged, but at least in the idea of getting rid of the guilt, I wish to stop this. I am trying my best. I think it helps to think of myself as the worst ever human being ever made by Him... then every one would look better than me...and yes they are!
But before I do that, I have somethings to share regarding the 'tryst' with aid.
To AID: please realize that every minute I am using to do this is so valuable. This itself should make it clear how genuinely, sincerely I suggested you what I did. For God's sake, leave the egotistic self behind for a while and consider this!
My only point to AID was this:
AID portrays poor India more effectively than the actual cultural India. Showing only half the problem disparages India of it's self respect. More over, we are displaying only half the problem. We are showing the problem but not the one's who caused it. It is you and me who have caused it. When we portray our mother in a foreign land, we have to be really careful. There are no excuses!
I am not against AID portraying the problem. But then, put forth yourself as a non-profit organization not as a fund raiser! There is a lot of difference. In specific to Clemson chapter,what cultural values have you portrayed in your programs?
The programs are really poorly conducted. Leave alone the quality, the stage manners is pitiable. No one needs to tell you this or help you out with this. Please stop giving reasons like, 'we are hardly 7 volunteers!!'. Look! you want to do this. Find ppl. Find resources and do it the way it is to be done. No one is going to come and help you. You do not need a professional band come and play! Good and tidy presentation of what you have is good enough. Don't say it happens when you do such a kind of a thing....nope!! it should not when you present what a whole country represents to a foreign audience.
When AID stands for some values, should not it's members follow them before they preach and raise funds? Should AID not have bare minimum guidelines for volunteers?
Following were the comments made on my questions and requests:
The founder: Yes, I do agree with you that we are indeed a part of the problem. But we can not display the whole part of the problem. (He explained some things. I did not understand how it was relevant to my question). But you do have a valid point. This is at least better in the sense that we can make the NRI community think. We can make them realize that they are indeed a part of the problem. About other Americans who come for the program, we can not do anything. We can not conduct a function here in the US looking for IDs and allowing only Indians. And if Americans think something, that should help the NRI community think better.
May be AID should make better skits and show case India's cultural part better. I can forward some of the things we had done in the beginning to Clemson chapter. In fact, in 1993-95 this is what we used to do, portray India's cultural heritage/history thro' skits. This is like out second independence movement. So it will be good to have songs.
Ar. Bis: You know your problem...You do not know what AID does. You simply think there is nothing. How can you simply speak about the quality of the program? My friends have come to the programs and they said, they have learned a lot about the Indian cultural values. How can we exercise control over personal life of the volunteers? We can not ask them to follow rules. The realization should come by itself. If you are so bothered abt all this, why haven't you joined AID?
(How do you know that I do not know what AID does? I can give you more info than you know. I even read the Solution to the Strong CP Problem: Supersymmetry with Parity by your founder!! I have done the home work I should have done to speak about AID. I am not an idiot wasting my time simply politicizing the issue or wanting to employ meaningless criticism. So first, consider what the other person is saying. Especially the organization being dependent on the donors! ( I donated too!! ) you can not outrightly reject what a person has said!!)
Bala: How can you simply show the problem and leave it at that stage? Give us the solution. The criticism is useful only if you give us the solution to the problem. Until you show the solution, your criticism is useless! and Dude! I know you! you have stolen a food packet from AID, day with India...
(Hmmm, the blame is interesting... I am not wasting my time trying to prove myself. People who know me, that I won't do such a thg even my dreams! Well...I can not understand any of your points. If I show the problem and give the solution...what will you do? )
Mit:Even we have qualifiers, phds and stuff. But we still work for AID..it is not just you...
(hmm! please look into physics qualifiers once and then speak! It is not as easy as engg! I know what they are like! I am not here to discuss personal stuff)
Well!! Except for sud. and nag. every one else was simply resisting. Please do feel the responsibilty of representing a nation. I hope all my comments were taken positively. I am not here to open an endless argument. I am just lending my helping hand.
The above conversation are not verbatim!!But I put the same thing in my words.
I had a 9 hr long 'tryst' with the A.I.D founders and volunteers. I realized not things about physicists, Indians but humans in general. We often forget the word human in us.
I have done mistakes in my life. Every one of us did and we will. But does that mean we should stop doing anything at all? Nope..what we should do is to improve and stop repeating those mistakes. I am happy that I have realized many of my faults with the help of my fellas and corrected them and I am still striving hard to stretch my hands towards perfection!! May be of late, I have been blaming everything and every one I see. I am judging them! I have forgotten, 'Judge not, thy shall be judged!'. If not in the fear of being judged, but at least in the idea of getting rid of the guilt, I wish to stop this. I am trying my best. I think it helps to think of myself as the worst ever human being ever made by Him... then every one would look better than me...and yes they are!
But before I do that, I have somethings to share regarding the 'tryst' with aid.
To AID: please realize that every minute I am using to do this is so valuable. This itself should make it clear how genuinely, sincerely I suggested you what I did. For God's sake, leave the egotistic self behind for a while and consider this!
My only point to AID was this:
AID portrays poor India more effectively than the actual cultural India. Showing only half the problem disparages India of it's self respect. More over, we are displaying only half the problem. We are showing the problem but not the one's who caused it. It is you and me who have caused it. When we portray our mother in a foreign land, we have to be really careful. There are no excuses!
I am not against AID portraying the problem. But then, put forth yourself as a non-profit organization not as a fund raiser! There is a lot of difference. In specific to Clemson chapter,what cultural values have you portrayed in your programs?
The programs are really poorly conducted. Leave alone the quality, the stage manners is pitiable. No one needs to tell you this or help you out with this. Please stop giving reasons like, 'we are hardly 7 volunteers!!'. Look! you want to do this. Find ppl. Find resources and do it the way it is to be done. No one is going to come and help you. You do not need a professional band come and play! Good and tidy presentation of what you have is good enough. Don't say it happens when you do such a kind of a thing....nope!! it should not when you present what a whole country represents to a foreign audience.
When AID stands for some values, should not it's members follow them before they preach and raise funds? Should AID not have bare minimum guidelines for volunteers?
Following were the comments made on my questions and requests:
The founder: Yes, I do agree with you that we are indeed a part of the problem. But we can not display the whole part of the problem. (He explained some things. I did not understand how it was relevant to my question). But you do have a valid point. This is at least better in the sense that we can make the NRI community think. We can make them realize that they are indeed a part of the problem. About other Americans who come for the program, we can not do anything. We can not conduct a function here in the US looking for IDs and allowing only Indians. And if Americans think something, that should help the NRI community think better.
May be AID should make better skits and show case India's cultural part better. I can forward some of the things we had done in the beginning to Clemson chapter. In fact, in 1993-95 this is what we used to do, portray India's cultural heritage/history thro' skits. This is like out second independence movement. So it will be good to have songs.
Ar. Bis: You know your problem...You do not know what AID does. You simply think there is nothing. How can you simply speak about the quality of the program? My friends have come to the programs and they said, they have learned a lot about the Indian cultural values. How can we exercise control over personal life of the volunteers? We can not ask them to follow rules. The realization should come by itself. If you are so bothered abt all this, why haven't you joined AID?
(How do you know that I do not know what AID does? I can give you more info than you know. I even read the Solution to the Strong CP Problem: Supersymmetry with Parity by your founder!! I have done the home work I should have done to speak about AID. I am not an idiot wasting my time simply politicizing the issue or wanting to employ meaningless criticism. So first, consider what the other person is saying. Especially the organization being dependent on the donors! ( I donated too!! ) you can not outrightly reject what a person has said!!)
Bala: How can you simply show the problem and leave it at that stage? Give us the solution. The criticism is useful only if you give us the solution to the problem. Until you show the solution, your criticism is useless! and Dude! I know you! you have stolen a food packet from AID, day with India...
(Hmmm, the blame is interesting... I am not wasting my time trying to prove myself. People who know me, that I won't do such a thg even my dreams! Well...I can not understand any of your points. If I show the problem and give the solution...what will you do? )
Mit:Even we have qualifiers, phds and stuff. But we still work for AID..it is not just you...
(hmm! please look into physics qualifiers once and then speak! It is not as easy as engg! I know what they are like! I am not here to discuss personal stuff)
Well!! Except for sud. and nag. every one else was simply resisting. Please do feel the responsibilty of representing a nation. I hope all my comments were taken positively. I am not here to open an endless argument. I am just lending my helping hand.
The above conversation are not verbatim!!But I put the same thing in my words.
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