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When I told my friend Nipun Mehta (the founder of CharityFocus and KarmaTube) that we were going to India he insisted we make a stop in Ahmedabad and spend some time at Manav Sadhna. I’m really glad we followed his advice. We spent the last three days witnessing the truly amazing work that is being done by the people at Gandhi’s Ashram (where Manav Sadhna is based). The selflessness and complete commitment to serving others in need that radiates from all the people at Manav Sadhna is overwhelming. The organization is comprised of a young group of dedicated staff and volunteers who work mostly with poor children in the large slum of 120,000 people right next to the Gandhi Ashram. The mission of Manav Sadhna is 'Love all, serve all,' and the projects are based entirely on this philosophy. There are several core people working here, but at the center lies a man named Jayesh Patel (called Jayeshbhai by all around him).

Jayeshbhai is one of the most remarkable people I've ever met in my life, a real man of service, giving everything to those around him with complete selflessness and humility. Seventeen years ago Jayeshbhai and friends started Manav Sadhna, meeting with a few children once a week under the shade of a tree at the Gandhi Ashram to teach them about basic hygiene by cutting their nails and bathing them. Manav Sadhna has grown over the last two decades and now serves more than 4,500 women and children through nearly 40 projects. In the few days we were here, we visited the different projects and spent time talking with Jayeshbhai, both in the Ashram and through the slums. Jayeshbhai doesn’t like the camera and usually refuses to let reporters or filmmakers interview him, but he let us wire a mic on him and follow him as we walked through the slums, as long as we focused the camera on the people me met rather than just him.

Walking through the slum with Jayeshbhai takes a long time because he knows everyone and stops to talk at each home, inquiring about aunts and uncles and family problems. He seemed to know all the details and stories of everyone we passed. The more we walked and talked, the more I became aware of the deep level of compassion in this man, the love and complete feeling of oneness he has for everyone. Jayeshbhai completely lives everything he believes and talks about. He said that it is no good to just talk about respect, oneness and unity without expressing that understanding and awareness through our actions. Jayeshbhai and the others we met at the ashram embody the famous Gandhian line, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” By being an example to others you can sow the seeds for the future and slowly create change toward a better world.

We will have some material and shorts about Jayeshbhai and Manav Sadhna on the site soon as well as a piece about Seva Cafe, a unique restaurant that is one of Manav Sadhna’s many inspiring projects.

Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee