Satyagraha = truth and firmness

The first time I heard about Indicorps was through a presentation by Sonal Shah and her brother, Anand, at a family friend’s house in Maryland. Like many of my peers, I felt then like a fully assimilated Indian-American, endowed with extraordinary parents but disconnected from their history. College had shaped me into an activist, eager to fight injustice but disillusioned by the futility of protest, so I was intrigued that Sonal and her siblings had founded a “Peace Corps for Indians”. But it wasn’t until they played a short video featuring a member of that year’s fellowship class that I was hooked. I watched a person just like me describing the simplicity of her lifestyle in the desert frontier of Kachchh, Gujarat, and I had to apply. She also had wanted to do more, had made this journey through our Motherland, and had found herself along the way.
Indicorps offers an opportunity to meld real development work with a lived education about cultural roots. It places young non-resident Indians with non-governmental organizations (NGO) working with villages and urban populations on a wide variety of development topics. Already planning to apply to medical school, the health focus of one particular project outlined on Indicorps’ web site created an ideal intersection for my fellowship. With the guidance of a partner NGO, I helped to develop peer educators who overcome modest means to generate awareness about HIV/AIDS among their neighbors in the slums. In the process, I gained a mentor, learned a language, and became an adult.
At orientation each year, the fellows become fast friends who remain close for years afterwards. We can immediately identify with each other’s background and motivation, and Sonal is a grounding presence amidst complicated issues to which we devote hours of thought. She challenges us to question the inherent agenda buried in information, to deconstruct the assumptions we carry, and to value personal working relationships with locals above numeric or tangible ends.
Before Indicorps, I was immersed in the great wellspring of intention that leads many students to demonstrate against how our tax dollars are spent. We spoke desperately against anything that appeared communal, oppressive, or unjust. But it wasn’t until my Indicorps fellowship that I actually built something together with people. Now I feel privileged in a new way, honored to share chai or dinner with the most genuine people I know. I gained insight into sustainable grassroots development, into India, and into myself. But I also learned important lessons about bias.
Sonal and her siblings are the last people whose character or values could sponsor hate. As an example of their vigilance against Indian neo-colonization, they carefully chose Ultimate Frisbee as the cornerstone of an Ahmedabad youth empowerment project because it emphasizes teamwork without celebrating any iconic Western athletes.
You may ignore this testimony, and simply repeat claims that by tenuous association with the RSS or VHP, Sonal is a 'right-winged Hindu fanatic'. But I have never seen even a modicum of religious or political influence in any of her work. Sonal is one of the most progressive, bright, capable people I have ever met. She engages in long discussions about how we can achieve a secular India. She inspires me to see every side of an argument, and confront new problems from the ground up. I consider myself lucky to even know her. Her siblings, Anand and Roopal, have both devoted their livelihoods to serving India, and we all grow from their example.
The Shahs work tirelessly for equality and opportunity for all South Asians, both in the sub-continent and abroad. I believe Sonal Shah to be an informed, experienced humanitarian who lends an important voice to President-elect Obama's transition team. Hopefully we can all understand each other soon.

Thank you,


Manish K. Pant, 2003-2004 Indicorps Fellow