Thanks to many invisible hands, I was blessed with an opportunity to shadow Jayesh-bhai for a full 12 hours -- from 10am to 10pm -- on my first day in Ahmedabad. Now, a day later, I am still slowing realizing the depth of this gift, and the soul-impact of being in the presence of the "walking love" of Gandhi Ashram :)

This fourth-generation Gandhian radiates love from the core of his being. All the slum children and school students blossom in bright smiles when they see him, and rush over for hugs and blessings. (He said at one point, "Do you see their beautiful smiles? When I feel even a bit tired, I always go to visit the children.") The adults who cross path with him always leave happier and lighter, and stands up taller.

Jayesh-bhai is 100% attentive to the person(s) in front of him, despite having to interact with groups after groups of visitors with very different topics -- from developing NGO partnerships to a personal confession. In our 12 hours together, Jayesh-bhai welcomed a dozen waves of visitors, and visited another dozen classrooms and dorms -- literally interacting with a thousand people. By any measure, his schedule is busy. But being in his presence, one does not feel the slightest sense of hurriedness. Instead, he always walks and talks very slowly and mindfully, stopping to catch up with neighbors or sing a song with his now 94-year-old primary school teacher. When I speak with him, I feel like we had all the time in the world.

Jayesh-bhai effortlessly notices the smallest details, and responds with loving action. He saw that the pile of shoes outside of the hall is randomly laid out, so he bent down, and arranged all the slippers by hand in a neat row. He noticed that the tabletops in the dining hall are not perfectly wiped, so he found specialized sponges to make all the tabletops shine like mirror. He picked up small pieces of candy wrappers on the ground as he walked around the schools for slum children.

In each of these cases, Jayesh-bhai never suggested that others should do anything about it; instead, he quietly went ahead to do the dirty work by himself. He pays great attention the fine, "aesthetic imperfections" that I often brush off as "good enough". But upon reflection, only this level of attention to details could create a physical environment that uplifts the people in it with grace and dignity.

Jayesh-bhai truly practices "Laddership". During a talk to a group of 40 scavengers (of the formerly "untouchable" caste), Jayesh-bhai invited the elders among the group to come on stage, and bent down to touch their feet and asked for their blessings. His talk of inspiration is about other people's every-day-hero stories, while skillfully removing himself from the center of attention. As we toured the Gandhi Ashram after dark, Jayesh-bhai held the flashlight and stood by the stairs so that other visitors could see the stairs. More than once, he even carried my sandals as we walked.

Jayesh-bhai described how various projects around the Gandhi Ashram have developed organically, without any "strategic planning". He also believes that there is no coincidence -- everything is unfolding according to the divine plan. "Everything here is organic. Everything up there is organized."

His shared his principle on engaging volunteers from around the world: "We would not tell any volunteers what they should do. We help build heart-to-heart connections. After that, people will find their own ways to serve. If we assign tasks to volunteers, then we are using them. An NGO then becomes an EGO." :)

(Quick notes here, hoping to share more in the coming days!)