[Below is my share on a ServiceSpace call this morning, about the story behind a newsletter we send out.]

About eleven years ago, I remember joining my first Awakin Circle.  It was straight out of a conference, where I had heard Nipun-bhai.  I remember sitting in the circle, and when it was my time to share, words were failing me.  I was kind of overwhelmed. When you're holding that talking stick, it's an interesting point where you want to share, but you don't have words. I remember saying, "I don't know if it's allowed, but may I just share my favorite song?"  I had never done that in a circle of strangers before.  As we spoke about quality of holding space earlier, I felt so very comfortable although 90% of the audience probably didn't understand a word of what I sang -- since it was in Hindi.  At the end of the circle, a lot of people came up and said, "You know, we felt connected."

Ever since that day, I've just found that music has been a great way for me to express myself. At the end of the day, all I want to do is reach heart to heart; really connect with the other.  So many times, so many conversations, I may forget what you told me, but I remember how you made me feel.  I just stayed with that.  And music lets me fulfill that intent.

After I encountered ServiceSpace, there has always been this desire to share and give -- and give of myself at multiple levels. It's only recently that I came across this question: what would the world look like if we were all were just sharing what we already had?  Instead of dreaming up new projects, what if we just gave what we already had? I realized over the years I'd whipped up a music collection, and whenever someone would say, "I enjoy the music you play. Could you share?" I used to do that with books, so why not music too?  So I would take time out to burn personalized CD's or playlists, and I would offer it to friends.

Over time, when we encountered the idea of 'Jai Jagat' -- one world family -- I always wondered how can I reach out and connect with even more people beyond those who are in my immediate connections?  How do I put out what I really love so that anyone anywhere could potentially access it?  I must say that the weekly Awakin passages were a deep inspiration. I thought maybe I can make it a practice every Friday to put out one song that has touched me.  And KarmaTube was another great inspiration, in terms of the power of media.  Both of those strands came together to birth Maitri Tunes, with the sincere intention that maybe one song may touch your heart, just the way so much of ServiceSpace touches me every week.

Maitri Tunes started more than two years ago.  Every week it features a song for the spirit, with cultural context, lyrics, a photo, and sometimes a video.  

When I started, I had listed around fifty of my top favorite songs that I wanted to send.  I figured it would last me the whole year.  The most interesting thing is that I never got beyond four!  By the time I put out the four, everyone from everywhere was just sending me their favorite music. Funniest thing is that I now have so much music from all over the world, in languages that I don't even understand.  There's just so much love in the way in which all this is held.

I just had this one insight through this practice -- that when you really start sharing, when you really start putting out all that you have, somehow the universe starts pouring in more.  When you start giving, you are given to.  So I must say that I don't know how every week's newsletter comes out. I mean, I'm just sitting on inspiration. A part of me feels a little unprepared. Unprepared, and yet we have this goldmine. When someone sends me a song and it touches me deeply, I'm like, let me keep aside everything that I'd lined up and let me put out this one first.  It's an organic process, but underneath it, I'm learning to respond to the universe's flow.  That's been a great gift for me.

A case in point is Jayesh-bhai, who once pulled out this song from on his Whatsapp: Time To Be Happy Is Now.  There were about thirty of us, and all of us started just giggling and laughing and having such a great time. It's like, this is it. This is fresh. This is it. I go back and I discovered that they're many versions of this, but there is a super cute one minute video by a father and maybe a five year old son in Thailand. It was so heart warming and it became a Maitri Tunes.  Behind each newsletter is a story like that.

Really I just wanted to express my deepest gratitude to so many of you on this call today.  I just want you to know that I'm just deeply touched.

One of my teachers once told me that it's so easy for us to share each other's food. Being an Indian, I'm so happy eating Mexican food or Italian food. What stops us from sharing each other's spirituality and from sharing each other's music?  I've just found music to be a great connector across cultures and in all my travels. I'm just grateful for this opportunity. As we say, it's difficult to say thank you to say one name, so I bow to all of you, the entire ecosystem.  Thank you.