The Anniversary

We found ourselves celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the official launch of the Annapoorna Programme. A modest celebration, modest just like the attitude of its people.

We learned the secret of how they operate on such a scale, reaching such large populations. A secret simple in thought, yet rarely applied — because people do not think along these lines, for many obvious reasons.

It is a threefold synergy among the Government, Society, and the Non-Profit Organisation. The Government, on its part, facilitates permits, regulations, and institutional frameworks, and at times even acts as a partner of the NGO in various public programmes. The second partner is Society at large, which contributes resources — both material and human. And finally, there is the Non-Profit Organisation itself, which approaches the mission with clarity and precision, with a goal that is unmistakably defined, and serves it with absolute dedication — not as a side project.

In this particular case, as we can clearly see, the effectiveness and scale of the work, along with the transparency surrounding everything related to it, leave no room for suspicion — as is often the case with NGOs in our time.

What we learned, therefore, is that when one attempts social reforms of such magnitude and impact, the only way is through this threefold collaboration. No one can do it alone. Not the Government, not the citizens, and not the NGOs.

The day unfolded strangely, as if something needed to fall into place. As if a correction had to be made.

The day was saved by a conversation with a woman who, truly, gave the exact dimension of what is happening within this powerful movement — a movement that seems to carry the potential to change everything. Not merely as something that would ease the burden of a segment of the population, small or large, through the offering of services, but as a transformation of the consciousness of society as a whole — through the heartfelt participation and offering of each individual.

Most importantly, not in a dry or mechanical way, but with feelings of brotherly love toward a stranger. With feelings of fullness, peace, and a quiet joy — the kind of joy that no amount of shopping could ever secure, as has already become evident.

She was not a wealthy lady making extravagant donations, nor was she the head of some corporate giant. She was simply someone who gave, as we say, “from what little she had.”

Her life changed, she told us, simply because at first she was surprised and wanted to learn more about it. And then, naturally, the basic sense of honour that exists in human beings inspired her to take part in it as well, even in a small way — by making small monthly donations of 15–20 euros.

She remembered that when she first began supporting the Annapoorna Programme, what struck her most was that at the time, 15 euros were enough to provide a child’s breakfast for an entire year. Of course, back then the programme was still in its infancy, and the numbers were negligible compared to its current dimensions.

“Our life began to change noticeably, almost immediately after we connected with this effort,” our new friend told us, referring to her small family. “Besides the quiet but deep satisfaction I felt, even with such a small contribution, life — even for our extended family who had nothing to do with it — began to become easier.

Even securing the basic necessities always required tremendous effort on my part. I was doing exhausting jobs that I disliked, and the money was always inversely proportional to my physical and emotional fatigue.

And then suddenly, opportunities began to appear — opportunities that were increasingly closer to what I truly loved and what I was actually good at. Yet in the past I never dared to pursue such things, because they simply did not pay.

Working conditions became more and more dignified in terms of salary and in terms of what I was entitled to. The people I worked with were better and better. And on top of that, there was enough time and energy left for me to devote myself to the things I love, the things that truly have meaning for me. My health improved, and my love for life came back to life.

I quit smoking simply because I realized that the money I used to spend on cigarettes could provide food, medical care, or education for a child. When that realization hit me, I was shaken. Everything began to change in a way far better and far more beautiful than I could ever have imagined. 

I watched her as she spoke, and I knew she was telling the truth.

“And you attribute all this to that small monthly donation you made?” I asked her.

"At first glance, it may seem that way. But in reality, that functions more like a pretext — an occasion — that activates a kind of grace from Life itself, a benevolence that simply wants to give away. It works on a deeper and more multilayered level. These things I learned as time rolled by, and I spent time studying their philosophy, and now all these make sense.  I approached it in a simple-minded way with an open heart.

It is not only the donation. It is not enough. The world is full of NGOs now.  Appeals for donations have become a defining feature of our time.

Personally, I feel that even with that small contribution — the kind I have the capacityt to make — the blessings of every mother who sees her child recover, who sees someone caring for their food, for their education… the blessings of every person whose life becomes better through the work of these people… all of that is what is transformed into good fortune in our own lives. Truly! I swear on the laundry I am about to hang!

What people call the ‘law of karma’ does not operate only in its dark manifestation, but also in the positive actions of the individual — and in collective action as well. This organisation is a living entity, with a beautiful karma of its own.I am very happy for our friendship, in an era where darkness is overflowing.”

I laughed at the way she swore, and I could not get enough of listening to her.

“The Indians have a beautiful and powerful culture when it comes to what we call charity, and it has its roots in the texts of their powerful, time-honoured philosophy.

They teach that one should give with faith. Not to give without faith. To give with sensitivity and to be generous in one’s offering, with a sense of awe — even with a kind of fear that what one offers may not be enough. To give with discernment and true understanding of where and to whom one gives, remaining aware of the condition of the recipient. To give with humility.

The offering that is given simply because it must be given, without expectation of return, at the right place, at the right time, and to the right person — that is considered a pure and virtuous offering. What is given with the expectation of reward or for the sake of display is an offering tied to ambition and ego. And what is given at the wrong place or time, or to an unworthy person, without respect, is an offering born of darkness.

The offering given to the worthy multiplies.”

All of this, as you can understand, is in itself a practice in the art of Life for the giver. It improves the person, slowly liberating them from the things that keep them captive — things that exist today and are gone tomorrow, especially in our time.

Think about it for a moment.

Charity carried out in such a spirit creates an ecosystem in which everyone benefits. The progress of the one who gives is just as important as the progress of the one who receives — even if they belong to different fields. Otherwise, it has no meaning.

How free can one feel — and truly be — when one surrenders with trust to Life and its wisdom, with the courage drawn from another beautiful and powerful truth of Indian culture:

“He who sustains and protects Goodness and Righteousness is, in turn, supported and protected by Goodness and Righteousness.”

During our visits to this place, we meet people who have simplified their lives so much that they are happy — and who face life’s difficulties from a place of fearlessness and trust that never betrays them, even though it may seem as if they are walking on the razorś edge.

They know, and they firmly believe, that whatever they possess but do not truly need was never originally theirs. That it belongs to someone else". 

I continued listening to her, astonished. She was speaking the truth, one hundred per cent.

I left her and walked toward my room.

What a strange day.

And what a strange woman.

How much truth she spoke.

Mahashivarathri is dawning — the night in which, more than any other night of the year, one can turn the mind toward the Perfection of Life. Toward the Love of God…