In a world full of strife, war, poverty and inequality, every human being yearns for Peace. The Sanskrit phrase ‘Om Shanti’ conveys the message of ‘eternal peace’. But what do we do to create Peace in the world? How do we create Peace in our nation, community, or neighborhood? What actions do we take to foster Peace within our family or ourselves?
While everyone prays for Peace, Ankit plays for Peace.
What’s in a name? From Ankit To Peace Ankit!
With due apology to the late Bard, a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet. But for humans, the name carries a lot of weight!
The school records show Ankit was just ‘Ankit’ without any last name. As he grew up, ‘Ankit’ quickly built an identity of himself. He observed that people wanted to know his full name. They were not satisfied when he said his name was Ankit. People would ask him Ankit what? and he would reply Ankit.
Ankit says – A little more thought on this insistence on the last name revealed something. People wanted to know his roots. They were interested in his caste, his religion, and his lineage.
Ankit did not wish to identify himself through his ancestors, religion or caste. He decided that he wanted people to know him by his work. After a lot of ‘manthan’ or ‘internal churning’ and discussion with his mentors, he struck upon ‘Peace.’ He found himself engaged in spreading ‘peace’ through his work. And so he gave himself the title ‘Peace’.
The discovery of a path to Peace.
Ankit’s journey for peace started when he was in his 12th std. In his neighborhood, 70% of children and youths drop out of school after their 10th or 12th. Carol Bagh in New Delhi is South Asia’s biggest market for jeans, mobile and car accessories. Children are lured into earning once they reach the age of maturity.
Ankit says that the neighborhood had a community center. One volunteer – ‘Vijay Bhaiya’ – used to help the youths with their studies. He also assisted them in preparing for the board exams. One day Vijay told the youths that some special guests would be coming the next day.
When Ankit went the next day, he found three grown-ups teaching and playing games with the teenagers. The games were such that there was no competition, nobody was a loser and everyone enjoyed playing. Initially skeptical, Ankit soon joined the group. When he started playing he realized that was the first time in his life that he played games. He enjoyed the moment immensely. He wished that he could keep on playing. He did not want anyone to ask him to stop.
But soon it was time for the mentors to leave, with a promise that they would come again. The next week, ‘Play for Peace‘ organized a three-day workshop for training facilitators. Ankit attended that workshop and he says – ‘This was it. I found the purpose of my life. I enjoyed playing and teaching others to play for Peace.
He has never looked back since that day. He started to take an active interest. As a facilitator, he learned the values of compassion, safety, and empathy. He also understood harmony, justice, and resilience. This gave him a sense of peace. It brought him joy. These feelings helped him look towards the future with hope and positivity. Eager to share these experiences with others, he decided to never stop playing for peace. He committed to helping others play for Peace, no matter what challenges he faced.
A 12th pass becomes a first-generation graduate and a globe trotter!
Ankit is the Project Head for MP at Moinee Foundation. He trains teachers of government schools to give digital education to students. This job has finally provided him with the stability of income his family insisted on. Besides, he facilitates as a cooperative game teacher for many NGOs. He supports small and big social service organizations. He uses the hands-on experience he has gained in the journey of spreading Peace.
This month he made his first international trip to Vietnam. He participated in ‘Dances of Universal Peace‘. This is another event organized by an NGO working for Peace. In ten years, he has traveled to twenty-three states and 50 districts in India.
The transition from a shy, unassuming, 12th-pass boy from a lower-income family to the Project Head of a renowned NGO and an ambassador of Peace, was not easy. It came with its share of challenges and ups and downs.
The Journey…….
Being the eldest son of his family, Ankit constantly faced pressure to earn a regular income or try for a government job through SSC. Ankit gave in to his family’s demands. While pursuing a bachelor’s through IGNOU, he started preparing for SSC exams.
While working with the ‘Play for Peace’ team as a facilitator he met some Khojis from Swaraj University. Attracted by their stories of self-led learning, he made up his mind to go for the two-year Khoji program. He conveyed to his family, that the course that he was pursuing did not interest him, and begged them to give two years of his life for himself.
After a lot of convincing and cajoling his parents and family members agreed. He applied for a scholarship and got accepted. He went to Udaipur as a Khoji. By the end of the first year he found a transformation in himself. The program polished his salesmanship skills and networking skills. During the second year he became part of the Swaraj team and single-handedly led many of their programs and workshops.
Mission Accomplished
When he returned from Swaraj University, his network of professionals and friends had doubled. Although he was earning through the projects, the income was not regular. Once again, his family pressured him to continue his studies. They wanted him to land a job that would provide a regular income.
During this time, his networking helped. Finally, he was selected as a Project Head at Moinee Foundation. This quelled the pressure from his family. He restarted his studies in a subject of his liking – Public Administration through Open University and continued volunteering as a mentor, facilitator and trainer in various organizations.
A lost childhood regained.
When he recounts his childhood days, Ankit has a smile on his face. Today he has no regrets, but way back, things were not good.
From the age of 5 to 18, Ankit never played games – an essential part of a normal childhood.
His day would begin with going to a government school. After coming back, he would study for some time. Then it would end with helping his father to sell fish.
Coming back late at night – his day would end. He never had friends, only his siblings and cousins who lived in the same building.
They led a hand-to-mouth existence. He learned that earning money was his responsibility, along with his father.
He never knew what was festival celebration, as during festivals they had even more rush of customers. This continued for around 13 years till he met the Play for Peace team members.
Today he relives his childhood by facilitating children, youths, and elders to play cooperative games. During the process, they rediscover the innocence and joy of making friends. Create bonds and experience deep human connection through community living.
Message to the Youth – Role of Parents and Mentors.
The neighborhood where Ankit grew up increased the likelihood of him falling into various traps. These included addiction, greed for money, peer pressure, hopelessness, anxiety, and harboring a pessimistic view of life. However, Ankit emerged unscathed. He had his share of lows and feelings of purposelessness. He also experienced self-esteem issues and faced the drudgery of the everyday struggle for money.
Ankit attributes this to his parents. They used to keep a watchful eye on the activities of their children. He also credits his mentors. Even today, they ask him about how things are going. They gently nudge him back to his path if he appears to go astray or confused. They share with him their dreams, aspirations, and goals. This has helped him stay on track and focused on his goals.
His message to the Youth is – Never lose hope whatever the circumstances be. There are good people all around us. You just need to take one step on the right track. Then, you will get help and support from sources unknown to you.