Life Events that helped realising Svadharma

There was no particular moment that made me work in the environment space but slow evolution conditioned by my Prakṛti (environment), Sanskriti (culture), and Paramparā (heritage). The value that made me work for environmental justice is Dharma (the right thing to do for a person’s moral and social obligations as an individual and as a member of society).

जगतःस्थितिकारणंप्राणिनांसाक्षात्अभ्युदयनिःश्रेयसहेतुर्यः स धर्मः । – (Śaṅkarācārya in his commentary on the Bhagavadgītā

[‘Dharma is that which accomplishes the three tasks of keeping the setup of the society in excellent condition, bringing about the worldly progress of every living being, and facilitating their progress in the spiritual realm as well (attaining Moksha).’]

• About Self: Cricket gave me the mantra of "Trusting the Process", “Controlling the Controllables” and Keep Moving!

[India lost to Australia in the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup, despite knowing the fact that Australia was way better than India. The loss initially didn’t go well with me, but slowly, the realization came regarding, firstly, looking at cricket among other things in life, not as the end of the world; things may or may not go as planned]

• About the Worldly Affairs: Trekking in the Himalayas and Travelling across Bharat. 

[Trekking In the Himalayas made me realize that no matter what we try to portray we cannot hide our true self. We cannot fake that we're fine, that we're not tired and need rest, and that we don't need support at times. And when we reach the summit, we still cannot hide our feeling of joy and ecstasy. Mountains are one of the few places where we feel that everyone can be themselves. No expectations, judgments, or cynicism. Just be ourselves because everyone else is. In the mountains, we are free to be whatever we are and this learning is crucial be it regarding disability or mental health]. 

• About Dharma: Reading and watching Ramayan and Mahabharat [including Bhagwat Gita] followed by going for 14 days of Vipassana made me more aware of the Dharma and changed my outlook on life.

[In the summers of 2019, I attended a 14-day Vipassana in Jaipur (India) where I meditated all day long, kept maun vrat, and ate only satvik food, which not only made me come to peace with myself but also changed the vantage point of looking at things and approaching the life. Vipassana taught me to think more and talk less].