Sirf theen dhin?

This entry is adapted from an email that I sent earlier today to a friend back in the States. It provides some sense of the exhilarating exposure we’ve had so far to the non-profit/NGO community here in Bangalore.

India.
is.
amazing.

Most of my musings should be up on the blog soon. But oh my goodness. We’ve only been here three days, and it’s just been almost overwhelming to meet so many amazing people involved in these initiatives. We keep getting more and more contacts along the way. In between, the food and the people are just wonderful.

This morning I woke up at 6:30 am and just couldn’t go back to bed — too many ideas and excitements running through my mind. I sat outside on our balcony that overlooks the side street off of Lingarajpuram Main Road and wrote in my journal. It was uncharacteristically peaceful since it was so early on a Sunday morning. Later, over coffee and cutlets (incredibly delicious, as is all the food here), Professor Moledina and I spent a couple hours talking and brainstorming about GSE. We talked about want to do for the blog and our upcoming appointments and new “pies-in-the-sky” for future expansion and what other kinds of stakeholders we want to bring in… I’m not sure if I can accurately convey how amazing these last three days have been. And it’s only been THREE DAYS.

And if you had told me this morning that I could somehow become even more excited about what we’re doing, I would have been completely incredulous. But I am writing now from the home of Jairaj Daniel, a Wooster alum from the Class of 1983. I think we’ve been here for over three hours already! And Professor Moledina and Mr. Daniel are still actively engaged in conversation. It’s incredible the potential that this program has; it almost feels tangible in this environment where like minds meet.

[Click here to listen to a short interview with Jairaj Daniel ’83 and hear his thoughts about Global Social Entrepreneurship (select the file called “Jairaj Interview”).]

Update:
Later that evening, Professor Moledina and I blew off some steam by going shopping on Commercial Street again. It’s wonderful going there; the service is magnificent and I love how unique all the shops are — the prices are also very reasonable. It was great because really needed to disconnect from GSE for a little while. The most important lesson that I took away from my time working with non-profit organizations in New Orleans last summer was the importance of balance. It’s very hard to get that here in Bangalore so far since we’ve had such a packed schedule.
I ended up taking a nap on the balcony when we got back to Lingarajpuram; the sounds of the traffic actually helped me clear my head and fall asleep.