Indian Standard Time

We finally arrived at the Gandhi Ashram and were taken to Manav Sadhna office where we would make a call to contact Nirali who would take us to the volunteer housing. As we entered I saw people learning the basic on computer. We sat and watched as V-Jay helped us to call Nirali. Nirali showed up much later than she said. Of coarse it was on Indian time frame which is always much later than the said time. And when you understand this then you know they are not late, they are on time in Indian Standard Time, I call it IST.

We were taken to the women’s volunteer dorm. I met Laxmi, Auchil, and Snehal.

Lakshme is from the UK and has been here for a few months volunteering and has taken up guitar lessons with another native who has volunteered to pay acoustic guitar for the children at the hostel boarding school in the Ashram and at Seva Cafe. Auchel is a social worker doing her Masters degree here working with women in the slums on setting up bank accounts and educating them on basic business start ups. You can find out more about what she does through http://www.indicorps.org/volunteer.php

May be it was all the fatigue, may be there were all the dangerous adventures with the train, I felt a sigh of relief upon arrival and I felt a sense of refuge here. May be it was just all these beautiful young people in their twenties taking time off in their busy and very blessed lives to share their skills and hearts in this volunteer work to contribute to change this world to a better place for everyone.