Global Changemakers

The last time I wrote for Global Changemakers blog was more than four months back, when in fact, it was I who requested Matt to allow me to turn into a blogger for the website. I had written back then;

Hi Matt,

I just saw in the facebook group that you have invited people to write for ‘Meet a Changemaker’ feature and become a part of the blogging team. I have already written for the feature and I am now interested in being a part of the blogging team.

If I qualify for the team, I would like to write blog-posts on 1st, 9th and 16th April.

Thanks a lot and have a good day,
Nimesh

Matt did reply the next day with the blogging instructions. But I never got around to writing three blog entries that month – and its count does not reach that figure even today. Whether I aimed for stars just to land on the moon remains a big mystery even to myself, but the problem is that I assured Matt and the team that I would be submitting those entries — never fulfilling my assertion.
 
I feel wobbly even thinking about how many times Matt might have cursed me. But no complaints there, Matt—you’ve earned that right.

Lesson No 1: Don’t say ‘yes’ to something that you cannot fulfil. You might have excuses as I did (I had to devote more time in preparation for my exams and for a research on education that I was looking after), but making pretences does make you lose your credibility to a huge extent. My suggestion: Look before you leap. Have a sense of what you are doing. Don’t jump into something which is beyond your scope. Judge well. Prioritize.
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I am a part of a Nepali youth movement called ‘Nepal Ko Yuwa (NKY)’ (meaning: Youth of Nepal). A few weeks back, we’d organized a youth gathering. Thirty-six leading youth figures of Nepal were invited to discuss and market their endeavours. The Chief Guest of the event, Mr. Anil Chitrakar, a highly, highly successful social entrepreneur, started his keynote address with the following question:

‘Who ruled Rome when Michelangelino was painting the Sistine Chapel? ‘

Smart and talented as everyone attending the gathering were, Mr. Chitrakar started receiving some seriously thought-out answers to his question. However, he defied all of them. The answer, according to Mr. Chitrakar was, ‘Who the hell cares?’

The answer might sound a bit flippant, but there is definitely something on it. Do you honestly bother to care- when you organize your community service program of any sort- how many meetings your President has to attend for the day? Does it have any connection- your event and the Presidents’ busy, hectic schedule? The bottom line: Worry about what others do and think about you, and you will forget your own responsibility.

I met Mr. Chitrakar some days later over a cup of coffee, and he made the meaning even plainer. I acquainted him of the Regional Model SAARC we were planning and the setback from the SAARC Secretariat. ‘You know, Nimesh, I am organizing a major climate change conference some weeks later, and never have I knocked at the door of the Environment Ministry. We both know that if we are to go though the Ministry channels, it will take months, possibly years, for the program to materialize’, he said. ‘Use your abilities, expertise, and networks.  Choose your own, quick way of doing things. Don’t wait for things to work in your favour. Make it work for you.’

Lesson No. 2: You are a Changemaker because you choose your own, different way of doing things. Work in such a way that things mould according to you, make things happen at your own initiative. When you are looking to organize a Model UN, don’t care even if the UN Resident Coordinator gives a damn about it. When your program turns out be a success later, he will be the first one to congratulate you. Mark my words. 
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Talk about the Presidents’ busy schedule- Nepal’s President honestly needs some serious lecture on ‘empathy’. I virtually live in the President’s backyard, and I was returning home on my motor-bike the other day amidst a downpour.  I had not carried my Raincoat, and we were blocked near the President’s residence for nearly an hour before the Presidents’ Car drove away.  Getting completely soaked for an hour drives anyone crazy – so I decided to show a symbolic dissatisfaction to Mr. President’s ways. I drove over 70 km/hr (its a high speed for constricted Nepali roads…), and over took first of the three military vehicles escorting him. When I was about to do the same with the second, I was stopped, and nearly detained for violating security rules for VIPs (bah!). When I became myself later, I realized that perhaps, this was too much even for a symbolic dissatisfaction. Writing to a national daily first would have been a good idea for a start, after all…

Just last month, I was indirectly involved in organizing a Community Service Competition.  If we are to go by rumours, this one was supposed to be the first ever Community Service Competition in the entire South Asia Region. But the organizing team was never really synchronized from the very beginning, and without much planning, the team aimed very big. We had over 150 participants in the 3 week-long event, and on the closing day, not even a thing was sure until the last moment. The program never went as we expected and in the end, we got nothing out of it except for bitter memories.  

Lesson No. 3: Thinking big is okay, but don’t forget that you can’t reach the top of the mountain without starting your walk from the base (if you think you can sky-dive into the top- try your luck!).  And as I realized to my cost the day when I tried to overtake the President’s Mercedes- don’t forget your own obligations (I knew overtaking VIP escorted vehicle is forbidden) while opting for change. My suggestion: Be sure of what you are doing. Plan your stuff well. Start small. After all, Rome was not built in a day!
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Inhibitors for change are everywhere. One example: One of my seniors came back to Nepal after completing his undergraduate study from Swarthmore College (USA) and his graduation from Maxwell School. Apart from his regular job, he is volunteer-teaching at few of the colleges in Kathmandu. He wanted to change the out-worn/ obsolete way Rural Development Classes were taken at one of the colleges. He had this idea of sending the students to a remote village to give a more practical and holistic perspective to the Rural Development course. One Professor, who was listening to him closely, asked him, ‘How old are you?’ ‘Twenty-eight’, he replied. ‘Well, I have a teaching experience of more than thirty years and I know your idea won’t work’.

Wow!  Way to go, Professor! We need more and more people like you!!

Lesson No. 4: We are told we can’t fly, and we learn that we can’t fly, when in fact we can.

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(Computer Literacy Program in a rural village of Gorkha, Nepal. This place is so remote that it does not have access to electricity, as yet. We had to use electric-generators for this program. June 2009)