It all started during one of our courses on Human behaviour in February 2009. We were supposed to take up a project that we had never done in our lives and that which would be deemed “out of our comfort zones”. I wanted to take up some project that would bring satisfaction to me and that would also satisfy the project objectives.
Brief description of the project
My walkabout was to organize a one day event at an Old age home in Manila, Philippines. I arranged for snacks – biscuits, juice and sweets – for the aged people (called lolos and lolas in the local language – Tagalog) and arranged for some “fun” activities. The fun activities included karaoke, aiming the balls into the basket, reverse counting, making pyramid with playing cards, etc.
Some key-learnings from my visit:
Smile wins hearts:
It doesn’t matter who you are to greet someone, you win hearts by your smiles. You smile at them and they return you abundance of happiness. They are so pure at heart as they’ve come out of the bitterness of the life and its experiences. They have transformed to pure, innocent souls because years of experience have told them what matters most in life. So, I understood what life was all about in the day that I spent at the old age home. So, this applies in the corporate world too. Smile a lot at people. Make people feel happy and important, was the key take-away for me.
Know how to connect with people:
Although I do not know Tagalog, I knew that the lolos and lolas would relate more to the event, if I spoke atleast a few words in the local language. So, I wrote down words such as “Ano po ang pangalan nila?”, “Kumusta po kayo?”, “Magandang hapon po”, “Kumain na po ba sila?”, etc. When I asked these questions, the inmates became very happy. They even responded and questioned in return. Thus, I felt, during a conversation, try to gauge the easiest way to communicate information and make best use of it (corporate world).
Relationships bring happiness and not the materialistic pursuits:
The irony is that most of our time in life we run for materialistic things without focusing on relationships. But then, I realized that it is not money that drives everything. It is the relationships that take you till the end. As soon as I started talking with them, I was called as a ‘Church father’ and a ‘Church brother’. They imagined me to be some divine person who has come to help them all. They were so happy when I took photographs with them. Most of them had their relations’ photos beside them and I could see how they valued their loved ones.
I could see one common thing among all of them. Although I could not understand Tagalog much (the local language), I knew every person in that old age home had stories to share, their life challenges, successes and pains. Each one there is a wealth of information, encyclopaedias of life’s struggles who have seen and experienced both good and bad in life. They just expect a smile, respect and attachment from the world and not sympathy. They wanted me to visit them regularly. I was atleast said thus, thousands of times: “You are such a wonderful person. Hope you come back regularly”.
So, what did I learn from this: Relationships bring happiness and not material pursuits (always).
All’s well that ends well
At the end of all this, I had to present to the class on what I had done. I had made a video that saluted my parents for what I’m today. Suddenly, at the end of the presentation, I saw that some people were moved to tears and that I was getting a standing ovation. I had never got such a rousing applause or appreciation. I always thought that such standing ovations are for people like Sachin Tendulkar (after scoring a century), for great orators and others. I was really moved that people really understood the value of parents. I also felt satisfied that my trip not only taught me an important lesson – that parents are the most precious gifts on earth – but also taught my class mates.
A month later, my professor wrote in Manila edition of Business World. Here is an excerpt on what he said:
“Among the most applauded initiatives was that made by Satheesh Kailasam, who organized a day of fun and games for the elderly wards at Golden Acres home for the aged. Satheesh, 24, worked as a senior business analyst after obtaining an engineering degree. With a slim budget of two thousand pesos, Satheesh brought so much happiness and laughter to about a hundred lolos and lolas who are now living separately from their families.
Many of his classmates emerged with moist eyes after viewing a video clip of his day at Golden Acres. Yogesh Yoshi wrote: “When I reflected on this, I realized that no matter how well I succeed [later in life], my parents have been the ones who always supported and encouraged me. This presentation made me think [about] what is important to me in life — money, career, or people close to my heart? From now onward, I would definitely think on similar lines while setting priorities and making key decisions in my life.”
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