NIRMAN has given me very wide identity. The identity where self-discipline, compassion, introspection, feeling of non-alienation have become very natural to me. I would say, it has given me some kind of expression to it wherein I can now find my own path.
NIRMAN not only gave me amazing friends but also helped me to find the real me, and made me confident about my goal of social problem solving. Now I have a glorious purpose to live!
I realized that career is not about material achievements, it’s about touching more number of people.
NIRMAN is paradise on Earth!
NIRMAN process taught me to critically analyze various problems in our society and to initiate an 'Action' based thought process to tackle these problems. NIRMAN triggered me to decide the motto of my life. It gave me courage to break the mold and pursue my career/ life in much more meaningful manner towards my society.
From a naive, raw, confused boy with unclear goals, I have transformed into a person who is having great conviction and a fire inside. NIRMAN made me fearless. My learnings shattered the notion of life as a rat race and my belief that someone has to lose if the other has to gain. NIRMAN has brought great meaning into my life by helping me realize my values and greater goal. The most important thing I learnt is to go where there is a problem.
NIRMAN introduced me to the gravity of social injustice in the society. My mind has now opened up to a whole new world of a more meaningful way of existence. NIRMAN increased my courage to bridge the gap between my thoughts and actions. I have become a better controller of the ship of my life.
To have a purposeful life, I must come out of my illusions, assumptions and should serve the needy poor people. I did not know the actual meaning of social work before joining NIRMAN. Now, I clearly understand that social change making is people oriented, based on needs of the people and working for weaker sections of community. I have got the ability to imagine a larger picture for the kind of society that I want. I am more confident about dealing with problems in personal as well as my public life.
I had some random plans for life. NIRMAN showed me the way where I can contribute to society and also lead a satisfactory life. My most important learning was that the major decisions in life should be made on the basis of values. I now feel immense peace and satisfaction
I got a value system, lots of guides and friends that washed away my feeling of loneliness. NIRMAN gave me confidence and vigor, nurtured my social aspect without forcing anything. NIRMAN availed me the opportunity to serve.
NIRMAN gave me an amazing outlook towards social problem solving. I now know what I have to do when I see inequality. I don’t feel like a traitor to my emotions anymore. From private practice with occasional social work to full time social work – NIRMAN has changed my view of money & success. It drastically reduced selfishness & increased joy of sharing.
I will not just feel bad about a problem like I used to before. I will ask myself what I can do about it now. I realized that I was ‘just’ mechanically treating patients. I realized that they are not just ‘cases’ but they are human beings. I found my role in the society. Empowerment of people is my Swadharma!
NIRMAN helped me to show courage and raise my voice wherever I felt things were not going the way they should be.
Making myself vulnerable, stepping out of that 24*7 bubble, sharing what I feel in front of 60 people helped me learn, made me feel accepted, confident, peaceful, kind of happy. My ideas about social contribution have become more matured now!
A great new civilization can be created if I have the vision to see how my contribution is important. I feel empowered and ready to enter social sector.
I realized that social sector is intellectually more stimulating than the conventional career, with the added benefit of getting the satisfaction of being useful to others. I also found out that I will not be earning anything less than ‘what I need’, and so I should stop acting or deciding everything based on this fear.”
NIRMAN is a relief that there exists a community, away from the competitive and materialistic reality, which is complete in itself with the values of cooperative spirit.
While doing corporate job, I was frustrated that someone else is dictating how I should be living. I thought I will achieve liberation from this when I start doing what I ‘like’ and not what is ‘popular’. Through NIRMAN, I had tremendous paradigm shift in this thought process. It taught me to think of one step further… What I ‘need’ to do is more important than what I ‘like’. NIRMAN process gave me the conviction that I will not be doing corporate job; and money will not be my primary criterion to seek work. NIRMAN provided conviction for reducing my carbon footprint and encouraged me in doing lifestyle experiments. It also helped me to be empathetic to the people I had never been with before. These people include farmers, laborers etc.
In NIRMAN, I became aware of my agency in life. I have started using it and it worked wonders. I cannot be what I am told I am. I am what I am. NIRMAN helped me to relook at the bigger picture and helped me take today’s decision in alignment with the bigger picture.
I discovered the freedom I have to make my own choices. I will not let material insecurities influence the choices that I’ve made for myself. The most beautiful learning I have had is empowering the people for self-dependence and self-governance.
In NIRMAN, I have lived the way I’ve always aspired to – learning, thinking, and introspecting. This has effectively demonstrated what I hold most dear to me and what is crucial for my happiness. I have stopped self-pitying and have learnt to look at myself objectively. This has been the most liberating feeling ever. I learnt how to combine emotions and logical thinking while looking at social issues.
Without NIRMAN, I really don’t think I would have ever gotten out of the rat race and would’ve ended up working in a big hospital in a metro believing that I am catering to the needs of the community. I feel convinced enough to talk to my parents about my future plans, talk to anyone and express my opinions regarding social change making. I have learnt the importance of leading a purposeful life, liberating myself from ‘me’.
Latest मोबाईल, कंप्युटर गेम मधला high score, देशाचा आर्थिक विकासदर या गोष्टींमधे समाधान शोधू नये. खुश होण्यासाठी अनेक नैसर्गिक कारणे उपलब्ध आहेत. If acceleration is satisfaction, then frustration is the destination! कुठवर पळणार? गाव, भाषा, प्रदेश, संस्कृति या चष्म्यांचा रंग उतरला. निर्माणमुळे गोष्टी जास्त स्पष्ट दिसू लागल्या. माझं वैयक्तिक करिअर ही अजिबात महत्त्व देण्यासारखी गोष्ट नाही. त्यापेक्षा जगात कितीतरी आव्हानं आहेत, तिकडे हातपाय मारावेत, हे कळलं.
पर्यावरण हा माझा जिव्हाळ्याचा विषय. आज विकासाच्या नावाखाली निसर्गाची जी काही ओरबड सुरु आहे, त्याची मनापासून चीड येते. त्यासाठी काही तरी करायचं असं डोक्यात होतं. निर्माणमध्ये गेल्यावर एका मोठ्या प्रश्नाला सामोरं जायला लागलं. “पर्यावरणासाठी काही तरी करायचं म्हणजे काय?” निर्माणच्या शिबिरांमधून आणि फेलोशिपमधून याचं उत्तर मिळवण्याच्या दिशेने प्रवास सुरु झाला
निर्माणमध्ये ‘मला काय आवडतं यापेक्षा मी कोणाचा आहे? आणि समाजात गरज कशाची आहे?’ या प्रश्नांनी माझ्या विचारांना नवीन दिशा दिली. सोबतच मी करत असलेल्या प्रत्येक गोष्टीला सतत इतरांकडून approval शोधण्याच्या माझ्यातल्या वृतीला थोडसं बाजूला सारून स्वतःतल्या चांगल्या आणि वाईट गोष्टींसह स्वतःला स्विकारण्याचा आणि सुधारण्याचा धीर दिला.
निर्माण शिबिराआधी ‘मी’ म्हणजे काय, माझ्या शिक्षणाचा समाजाला काय उपयोग? याच्याबद्दल मी कधी विचार केला नव्हता. निर्माणने मला हा विचार करायला भाग पाडलं. विचार स्पष्ट होत गेले. मीच स्वतःला नव्याने कळायला लागलो.
खरं सामाजिक काम म्हणजे सर्वस्व अर्पण करून, घरादाराचा कुटुंबाचा त्याग करून पूर्ण वेळ निघणे ही माझी संकल्पना होती. निर्माणमुळे ती पूर्णच बदलली. याआधी मी भावनिकतेत निर्णय घेत असे, आता इतर गोष्टींवर पण विचार करायला शिकलो आहे. वैचारिक घोळ कृतीमधूनच मिटू शकतात हे आता कळले आहे.
जीवनाचा अर्थ स्वतःहून शोधावा लागतो ही जाणीव झाली. स्वतःला समजून घेण्यासाठी मदत झाली आणि इतरांना समजून घेण्याची माझी वृत्ती वाढली.
निर्माणमुळे माझी भविष्याबद्दलची भीती पूर्णच निघून गेली. भविष्य मला बदलण्यापेक्षा मीच भविष्याला बदलू शकतो हा आत्मविश्वास आणि हिंमत आली.
निर्माण प्रक्रियेमुळे मला माझी मुल्ये आणि प्रेरणा समजायला मदत झाली. माझ्या मनात असलेल्या असुरक्षितता व्यवस्थित समजून घेता आल्यात आणि त्यांना कसं सोडवायचं हेदेखील कळालं.
मुझमे शक्ति और सम्भावनाएँ थी परन्तु दिशा और मार्गदर्शन की कमी थी| निर्माण ने मेरे जीवन में वही भूमिका अदा की जो हनुमान के जीवन में जांबवंत ने किया| कुछ समय में ही देश में हो रहे बदलावों का केंद्रबिंदु निर्माण होगा!
NIRMAN taught me that my values should guide my life altering decisions and not a list of pros and cons.
Being the youngest in my family I was never involved in any decision-making process, so I never thought about any decision in my life. Upon starting my NIRMAN journey, I thought about my plans and decisions and learnt to communicate with my family. This was so new to me. NIRMAN helped develop my confidence.
बाहेर बरंच काही बघणारा, शोधणारा मी आता स्वतःच्या आतमध्ये बघायला शिकलोय. शक्तिस्थानांचे विकसन आणि मर्यादांचे उच्चाटन करायला शिकलो आहे. आतलं सौंदर्य दिसल्याने आता बाहेर पण सौंदर्य दिसू लागलं आहे.
गरज आणि आकांक्षा यांत फरक करता यायला पाहिजे. आकांक्षा कधीच पूर्ण होत नाहीत त्यामुळे त्याचा विचार सोडून गरज काय आहे हे जाणून घेणे अत्यंत महत्वाचे आहे कि ज्यामुळे भावनिक संकटाना सामोरे जाण्याचे बळ मिळते हे शिकलो.
I am not my thoughts. I learnt to let go of unwanted thoughts. I learned that I am not the most important. There is a world out there and it is more productive and interesting to engage my mind about those things than simply focus on myself.
I understood that action, work, research resides where there is need and not where there are facilities, so I must go where my knowledge is required the most.
I got a reason for what I should be working for. I now value my time and existence; I want to make them count.
I had been working hard towards borrowed dreams and tags given by others. And I feel guilty that I never thought about what are my wants and what are my actual needs. At NIRMAN I got a better understanding of myself. I am not alone in this counter-culture, the entire NIRMAN community is with me.
I was revolving too much around my own growth and my own insecurities. Now I feel the need to look at the bigger picture and society’s needs. I want to turn my empathy into strength for helping people. I realized I need to look at the need of society rather than my feasibility and interest to work on a particular problem.
मी निर्माणला येण्याआधी स्वतःला खूप भारी समजायचो. शिबिरामध्ये मला समजलं की माझ्यातला ‘मी’पणा जर काढला तर मी खूप काही शिकू शकतो. मी जर निर्माणमध्ये आलो नसतो तर मला आयुष्याचा खरा मार्ग कधीच सापडला नसता.
NIRMAN gave a direction to my vision as I learned the skills of approaching a problem. Meeting people with similar goals gave me the courage that I am not alone in the journey. I made certain resolutions which I always wanted to make but the inner conviction was missing. NIRMAN gave that conviction.
In NIRMAN, my self-doubt got converted into confidence. I was stuck in a net of safety and security related issues, but now I got the way to achieve self-actualization and transcendence.
I realized the stark difference between my ideological beliefs and my actions. I learned about my fear of commitment which I used to constantly carry. After NIRMAN, it has changed. I now feel motivated to take up social challenges, as in the vast expanse of social problems, even a small change but an eduring change is worth cherishing.
I realized I am not just a doctor. There are many factors which lead to deterioration of health of the people. How can I turn a blind eye to them? I don’t want to apply a band-aid; I want to produce definitive solutions. My focus should be people’s problems without commodifying them for own personal gains.
I became much more aware of the existing crisis around me. NIRMAN helped me reassure myself that principles and values lead the world, and not monetary existence.
निर्माणमें आने से पहले मैं ख़ुद एक identity crisis से गुजर रही थी | निर्माण में मुझे मेरी वो identity मिल गयी जिससे मैं ज्यादा रिलेट कर सकती हूँ |
I knew there are problems in our society which need to be solved. But I never had that confidence in me to believe that I can make a difference. NIRMAN gave me that confidence and built my identity as a budding social change maker. I was selfish in everything – my satisfaction, my goals, my interest, my result. But NIRMAN has raised me above that.
I always wanted to do something for social service, NIRMAN gave me the answers to why, what, how and when, and a community whom I have to help flourish. It also gave me an important message that – “It was never about me, but about the society where I am needed”.
I have never thought about questions beyond my life. Why is social change a responsibility? Why should I do it? What difference will it make anyway? Is there even a need to consider social work? What is the reason for my existence? These were some of the questions I asked myself for the first time in NIRMAN. I realised that self-love should not turn to self-obsession. I live in a society and as I take, I should give.
NIRMAN imbibed in me the values of courage and equality. A dream without plan is just a wish. Here I learnt how brain wrecking the process of planning my dream is. It gave me clarity of both thoughts and emotions.
Previously I used to think that post-graduation is the thing to secure my life. But now I think my degree doesn’t define my security.
निर्माणमध्ये मला सामाजिक प्रश्न प्रभावीपणे कसे सोडवता येतील याची स्पष्टता आली. मी सामाजिक काम करत आहे याचा अहंकार कमी झाला.
I learnt the importance of values and criteria-based thinking and found the courage to do good in society in a dedicated manner rather than in a convenient and ‘feel good’ way as a random act of kindness. I felt free of the rat race and now I am inspired to bridge the gap between intent and actions.
NIRMAN process has made me more conscious of my existence and the world around me. I learnt how to learn. I understood the importance of values in guiding decisions.
I realized the distinction between having a career and having a life. I also realized that finding a cause to fight for is important. I thought ‘changing the world’ was a romantic and idealistic notion best suited for teenagers. Now I am getting back my ability to dream; now I can say again with conviction that literature can change the world!
My decision-making skills, thinking abilities, values and conviction have been strengthened by the entire process of NIRMAN. I’ve learnt to see through what is shown to me, ask questions, and raise my voice for a cause. I’ve realized that need to carve my own path. I don’t need to copy others as it is.
I would like to see myself more than just a medical professional. Being a doctor should not be my only identity. I understood that my profession and my degree are just a means to an end.
If I want to survive, society must survive. I have responsibility towards society - to give back what they gave to me.
It is not the medium but the mission which is more important. I should not spend too much time on sorting the medium. I was obsessed with skills before doing any social action, but I realized that work and skills reinforce each other.
I learnt to express pleasant as well as unpleasant feelings. I realized that I must interact more with people and break the barrier of communication.
It is my responsibility to work for community because what I am today is the result of the community which has helped me throughout. With my values, I am not afraid of taking risks and facing problems that come my way.
I have learnt that social service to the poor does not mean that I am doing them a favour, instead I am doing myself a favour by becoming a more peaceful and righteous person. I know now that I want to live a life of humility and simplicity and I know I want to work to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor.
My personal goal has become clearer and stronger. NIRMAN has helped me dream freely. Today, I see several methods of contribution, practical and exciting in front of me. I now have excellent mentors and role models that will help me stay motivated. NIRMAN has given me confidence to follow my choice of life style and today I am not worried about peer judgement.
I learnt to clearly define my goals and reflect critically over my contribution in improving the state of affairs in the society.
Through NIRMAN I keep on meeting mind-boggling people from various strata of the society with different educational qualifications but with a common quest to lead a purposeful life. These people are like powerhouses of wonderful thoughts, ideas and selfless ambitions. Being around such vivid and creative minds, connected to a goal beyond their 'self', helps me to find a better version of my own self. Meeting them is like a software update for my inner core!
At NIRMAN I witnessed a very sincere & dedicated effort of introducing a sensitive youth to the actual reality of social problems. I went there with an identity of an aspiring doctor; but it was then happily shifted to what has now become a 'budding social change maker'. I had this habit of taking decisions by pros and cons method. But NIRMAN taught me that fundamental decisions of life can be precisely taken only if they are value-based.
NIRMAN changed me from a confused person to a clear, purpose oriented and solution seeking one. My conviction in my dreams has increased.
I realised that even my prosocial intentions stemmed from personal ambition!! Biggest learning from NIRMAN was that I have to slowly let go of it and this feels really really liberating. The joy that the NIRMAN Team gets through this work is evident by the amount of detailing done in each activity. No one has ever given so much consideration and thought to our journeys.
A great realization was that being an adult isn’t just about being a productive member of the society but also importantly about character building. My purpose and work cannot be limited to prescribing medicines.
I realised that I can use my talents for a far greater cause than using it to accomplish only self-centred goals that society has conditioned me to achieve.
Before coming here, I was an absolute purposeless machine/robot. NIRMAN actually made me see the human in me. I also learned about the purpose and the sector I want to work in.
I have realised that my purpose is to help bridge the rural-urban and the rich-poor gap. I feel confident enough to start, try and proceed according to the needs of the people.
धर्म, जात, लिंग, उच्च वा नीच हा भेदभाव जगात नसावा असे प्रकर्षाने वाटते, मला वाटते हि जाणीव निर्माण प्रक्रियेत घडत गेली आजूबाजूला घडणाऱ्या चांगल्या वाईट घटनांपासून मला स्वतःला वेगळ करता येत नाही, तसेच या मध्ये जर बदल घडवायचा असेल तर सुरवात स्वतः पासून करावी लागेल हे चांगलाच उमगल आहे.
My vision about the reality and problems around me broadened. I came to know of so any issues, people, inequalities I never thought existed. I understood that Social Professionals are the need of the hour and it is extremely important to objectively measure the impact of the social contribution that one is doing.
NIRMAN gave me the courage to work in tribal and Naxalite affected area. It taught me to be pro-active to solve the social problems around us.
NIRMAN has given me the vision to "look" at what lies around me and more importantly inside me. It has added a "sense of purpose" to my very being. The process also reinforced my belief in team-work, collaboration and co-creation and brought me closer to the nature.
Corporate मध्ये काम करत असताना काहीतरी चुकतय याची जाणीव होती. पण हा त्रास कशामुळे असा प्रश्न कायम पडायचा. निर्माणने मला स्वतःशीच परत संवाद करायला शिकवले, मुल्य, तत्व यांची नव्याने ओळख करून दिली....कामाच्या प्रत्येक टप्यावर थांबून त्याचा impact/output मोजणे गरजेचे असते हे समजले. पण सोबतच कामाच्या output इतकेच, काय मार्ग (means) निवडला ते पण महत्वाचे असते हे कळाले.
NIRMAN helped me to face uncertainties in life. The decision of providing healthcare in a remote tribal village wouldn’t have been easy otherwise. I have started seeing patients as fellow human beings & not just as my clients. I realized it is important as a health professional to understand their problems, which may not be only related to health. They need a good listener and counselor.
प्राथमिक आरोग्य केंद्रामध्ये काम करत असताना ज्या काही मुलभूत गोष्टी कराव्या लागतात त्याच मी केल्या, विशेष वेगळं असं काही नाही केलं. तरीही माझ्या कार्यक्षेत्रातील लोकांना मी आवडलो, अशा अनेक प्रतिक्रिया मला मिळाल्या! याचा आनंद वाटतो आणि तितकंच आश्चर्यही. त्यांच्यासाठी याआधी इतक्या साध्या, सोप्या गोष्टीदेखील करण्याची तसदी कुणीही घेतलेली नसावी !