Vinoba entered my life in 2004, tagged with an anonymous act of kindness, with a gifted Camera I stayed with Dwarko Sundarani, a then 86 yr old Karmayogi, who had worked with Vinoba. ‘Samanvaya’ was the essence of his quest, ‘Harmony between science and spirituality’ and for which he said ‘Jeevanam Satya Shodhanam’ (Search for your own unique truth).
Through that search, I found many service servant leaders, quietly doing their experiments of love, all over the world. One such seed is ‘Moved By Love’, a collective of volunteers, holding the space of Maitri, doing small acts of kindness. This led to ‘Vinya’, a film project, consisting of several short films, exploring the essence of Vinoba through the people who lived with him and exploring the universal relevance of his thoughts which shines the light for the generations to come
Like a moth who moves towards the light passionately, to be consumed by it, so was I towards Vinoba. A seeker, who walked more than 40000 miles, from home to home, from a person to person, looking deeply into their eyes, he would ask with immense love, “brother, won’t you share what you have with others who don’t”. Although he collected millions of acres of land for the poor, all he really was trying to do was connect hearts. Somebody said about him “Service of man is to him nothing but an effort to unite with God, He endeavors every second to blot himself out, to make himself empty so that God may fill him up and make him His instrument.” His Life than later became from pursuit of truth to practice of love, as he said ‘Jeevanam Sneh Sadhanam’.
So like a seeker, I too, make a humble effort to go on a journey with you, telling you his story in my own way, through words, visuals and silence. Knowing whatever needs to be expressed, has ready reached your heart and it’s really ‘us’ who is telling and listening this story to each other.
Here’s a short film on Paunar and other interviews and short films