We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.
- Aristotle
29-year-old Shilpa Kumar had recently finished her MBBS from Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, and was working as a junior resident. A perfect start to a flying career but she wasn’t meant for the rat race.
The next thing she does is to do a month-long trip to Himachal Pradesh.
One day, during her month-long trip to Bir she became a savior to a 70-year-old woman who was suffering from severe pulmonary disease. This incident also brought a harsh reality that the state has been battling with a shortage of doctors and the government is in a hiring mode. Shilpa got her answer and after a few months, she got her first posting in Rakcham village, in Kinnaur district’s Sangla block.
And within a few months into her job, the pandemic was staring right her on her face. But she was ready for the challenge.
Once the lockdown was imposed in late March, she surveyed all the households in the village, listing the family members, checking their vital signs and fever status, and entering the details into a government database. As the lockdown has eased, people have started moving and cases have increased. But Shilpa is on the clock always.
“I am here to serve,” she said to Livemint who featured her as one of the heroes.
I believe she found her Ikigai - a reason for being or purpose in life.
Recently social media became frenzy with the images of a black panther roaming in the Kabini forest in Karnataka.
The man behind the camera is Shaaz Jung, who spent 12 hours a day for five long years tracking Saya, a melanistic leopard who found his way into the Kabini forest.
A professional wildlife photographer, cinematographer, and big cat specialist, Shaaz's connection with the wilds of India is decades old. Having spent the last decade guiding safaris, Shaaz now specialises in documenting melanistic leopards.
"I have spent nearly every day of the last two and a half years trying to shoot the panther, and I would be happy if I saw him once a week. One good picture a month would mean a lot to me," Shaaz said to The Logical Indian.
For 30 years, D Sivan trekked almost 30 kilometers every day to deliver letters to a remote area of Tamil Nadu.
D Sivan delivered letters to inaccessible areas of Coonoor - a feat that required him to walk through thick forests and cross slippery streams. Not only did he do that for his job, but he also faced the possibility of attacks by wild animals and has been chased by elephants, bears, and gaurs during the course of his service to the India Post.
He recently retired and his dedication to his work was highlighted by IAS officer Supriya Sahu.
Ikigai: the art of living
Life is not a problem to be solved.
“Just remember to have something that keeps you busy doing what you love while being surrounded by the people who love you.”
The beautiful thought is from the book Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a long and happy life. Trust me there is no secret. The thoughts that have been shared in this book or the lessons from Japan’s centenarians are nothing new.
“To live a long time you need to do three things: exercise to stay healthy, eat well, and spend time with people.”
If I tell this to my Malkin(mother) she will say you spend ₹500 to understand this. I would have told you for free.
My quest to find my purpose in life has been an ongoing one. Earlier I was finding it in the outside fancy world. “There is a passion inside you, a unique talent that gives meaning to your days and drives you to share the best of yourself until the very end.”
And if you are like me who is yet to find the Ikigai then listen to Viktor Frankl, “your mission is to discover it.”
To be honest I have stopped chasing the purpose of life. I do things that give me peace and I live.
“A happy man is too satisfied with the present to dwell on the future,” Albert Einstein.
Time for a quick recap of my stories from the world of online fundraising for nonprofits.
The donation page is one of the strong pillars of online fundraising. But are nonprofits paying attention? “83% of donation page visitors leave without ever making a gift, so take every opportunity to simplify the process!” says CauseMic. My article (State of donation pages) shares learnings from the research of 152 nonprofit organizations.
Videos play a big role in today’s online communication strategy. My second article tries to understand how nonprofits are using videos on social media. The story is based on the research done by Tectonic Video.
My final article is based on Blackbaud’s latest report, The Charitable Giving report 2019. According to the report, “Online giving in 2019 grew 6.8% year over year for the 5,204 nonprofit organizations in the analysis.”
Thank you for reading.
Peace be with you ♥️