Subba Rao When a group of bandits harasses travelers, most worry about
their safety. If you're Subba Rao, you'd follow them to mountain
caves and confront them, armed with nothing but a bag of candy and
a heart full of love ... and consequently you would convince all
550 bandits to put down their weapons and help the poor villagers
with development work!
Fearlessness. Peace. Everyone wants it, many rally for it, but
few actually have it. At 77, Dr. Subba Rao - a Gandhian legend
respectfully called "Bhai-ji" - still has a habit of doing the
unimaginable: whether it means confronting bandits with compassion,
engaging in peace dialogue with world leaders, or inspiring 2400
youths to take a 8-month "peace train" pilgrimage across India.
"Accept everything that makes you strong -- physically,
intellectually and spiritually," Dr. Rao says. "Reject everything
that makes you weak."
Service Without A Pause Subba Rao grew up in British-controlled India, and began to follow
Gandhi as a teenager. First arrested at the age of 14 (and released
the next day) for painting an Indian freedom slogan on a wall, he
continued in Gandhi's footsteps (and later Vinoba's),
by engaging in all types of humanitarian work.
When he speaks about the history of India, Dr. Rao isn't
retelling stories he has read; he's talking about what he has lived!
Being fluent in all 18 languages of India, Dr. Rao has been there
and done that. He studied law at Brown University and has even
been a translator for many, including the Prime Minister of India.
And yet a suitcase and handbag contain
all his possessions.
A fellow of the Gandhi Peace Foundation, founder of National
Youth Project of India, and a friend of world-renowned instruments
of social change, Subba Rao is a man of amazing intelligence, grace
and spirit. His work with children has taken on many creative
shapes and forms, all incorporating the Gandhian principle of
service to humanity. On his 8-month peace train service tour,
2400 youth made daily stops to villages throughout India, where
they biked and searched out ways to serve the poor, the elderly,
or anyone else who was within the range of a random act of kindness.
After just one week with "Bhaiji" at a youth camp, teenager Ragini
Sreenivasan felt that Dr. Rao was "the perfect man to teach Gandhian
principles." He even started to spin yarn at the age of 13, she adds.
As Gandhi's quote reads, "You must be the change you wish to
see in the world" - so reads the life of Subba Rao: a man who IS
the change.
Read More ...
On Wednesday, August 23rd, we have the rare privilege of hosting such
a noted and eloquent speaker, as Dr. Rao shares his personal journey
and the universal principles that have lighted his way. This event
is hosted in our home and there is no cost to attend; please RSVP
for more details (unfortunately, we can only accommodate the first
75 RSVP's).
Internationally, he is known for a wide network of Gandhi
Camps that brings the wisdom of Gandhi's principles -- truth,
tolerance and self-help -- to the next generation youth. Over the
last 18 years, the camps have touched tens of thousands of kids.