Gitanjali is woman on a mission, a seeker journeying the path, and a sister connecting with family in the most unlikely of places. Amid all the external impact (like her TEDx Talk, Gandhi Fellowship, and 2013 Laureate Global Fellowship), Gitanjali cares most about connecting with the human spirit. She stops to reconfigure her inner alignment. Last February, she partook in a 30-day “In-Turnship” at the Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad, where she engaged in daily practices like meditation and sweeping, and held circles with servant ladders from all walks of life. More of her and Kat Katha’s spirit can be witnessed in this powerful recap and video of their August 15 Street Celebration “Carnival” of small acts with great love on G.B. Road.
Home to 77 brothels, 4,000 women, and 1,500 children, it is the largest red light area of Delhi, India.
A few years ago, Gitanjali Babbar walked right in Delhi’s G.B. Road is a place where no woman would go voluntarily. She quite literally knocked on the brothel doors, walked up the narrow staircases, and talked to the people there– sipped tea with the brothel owners, listened, laughed, and came to know the women as her sisters, their children as her family.
Three and half years ago, she found herself launching
Kat-Katha, a nonprofit that’s quietly been transforming G.B. Road brothels into classrooms, community centers, and safe spaces for the women and their children to learn, explore creative arts, and come alive with a sense of connection, expression, and possibility.
Last Saturday, we had the gift of hosting a circle of sharing with Gitanjali and learning more about her experiences and insights from stepping straight to the heart of a neighborhood that most steer clear. About sixteen of us circled up for an hour of meditation, followed by Gitanjali’s spirited stories, open-hearted Q&A, and emergent conversations over dinner. Some highlights from the sharing are captured here. Shared by Audrey Lin
Above video is a sharing of her personal journey in a spirited circle during one the Moved by Love retreat.