Awakin Talks, Speaker Bios

Sunday, December 8th, 4:30-8:30PM, Mumbai

Dr. Vikram Patel: Right after college, he decided to move to a small village of Goraj and serve patients at Muni Seva Ashram. With his stethoscope around his neck, Vikram would sit on a small stool under a tree every Sunday. Medical check-ups and medicine prescription for one villager after another. Today, across a 300-acre campus outskirts of Vadodara, the Muni Seva Ashram operates programs focused on agriculture, education and medicine -- a nationally renowned cancer hospital, a senior center, several schools from kindergarten to 12 grade, agricultural programs to free farmers from market forces, a school for the mentally challenged and a cow-shed to name a few. It's also quickly becoming an impressive model for sustainable use of technology. Decades later, his work has expanded to become a world renowned inspiration, he remains a man of few words who lets his actions speak for themselves. And yes, his wardrobe is still the same -- two pairs of clothes. Read more: Smallest Big Story of Goraj.

"We are here to share our joy in the world," says Dr. Vikram Patel.


At the age of 13, Shalini Jatia started her journey with service at a crèche centre caring for mentally disabled children. Finding her life purpose early on, she started serving as a medical social worker at Breach Candy hospital in Mumbai. 5 years in, she accompanied one of her patients suffering from cancer to Tata Memorial Hospital. Always available to serve where she can best, she realized that the hospital needed far more help than Breach Candy did. She registered as a full time volunteer in the pediatric division -- realizing that 25% of the families were abandoning the child’s cancer treatment. Head, heart and hands aligned,she personally spoke to more than 300 patient families and put in support systems and processes that have today led to the abandonment rate falling to 4% resulting in thousands of lives saved.

As secretary of Impacct Foundation, (Tata Memorial's pediatric division) and as a member of various organizations such as Indian Cancer Society, Anjeze Charitable Trust, Cuddles Foundation and St. Jude’s, Shalini has been felicitated with many awards including the “Contributions to Society” by the Prime Minister. However, she believes her biggest award is her ability to serve. She truly feels she has received much more than what she may have given.


Ritika Mittal, and her mother are co-founders of "Mora". One look at her life and it is clear why she also calls herself by her new name 'Keduk Tshulo' -- a name that comes from Chakhesang Naga tribe in Nagaland, which means "sitting together by chance." Ritika's is a journey of a wide-eyed girl from Jalalabad, Punjab to working with the local women's group from the remote villages of India.s eastern frontier, via the hustle bustle of documentary film-making (and TV reality shows!) in Mumbai. What started with designing her own wedding saree led her to follow her heart to go to the North East of India, where she routinely treks to unreachable corners in search of cotton textile weavers reviving those weaves. Nothing about her work is assembly line. As with the textiles, she strives to weave strands that connect Mora buyers with the village community she works with. Her search turns within, and Ritika writes that the name she chose for her venture a decade ago - 'Mora' (meaning mine) is no longer is about her. Read More: Love is all it takes to be you.

"We all have experienced moments of sitting by chance with someone and from that moment, woven a story we had no intention or plan to create," says Ritika Mittal.


Hans Dalal is a great example of living in co-existence with wilderness. A sound engineer by profession, he worked with renowned artists in the Indian music industry. But in 2007, he was so enthralled by the sighting of a tiger at the Kanha reserve that he shut down his studio to work with the poaching community in Ranthambore. In 2013, along with his wife Avantika Chandra, he started an NGO called Preservation for wild landscapes (PROWL) and now lives near the Tadoba reserve. Hans is born with cerebral palsy and the social stigma surrounding it made even the mundane things challenging. But far from being rattled by the challenge, Hans did everything from learning music, traveling without wheelchairs and trekking in the Himalayas to name a few. Read More : Battling demons, Saving Tigers

"On a safari at Kanha on a holiday, I saw a tiger for five seconds, and that moved my core!", says Hans Dalal.




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About the Event

Two simple ideas lie behind Awakin Talks. First, intrinsically motivated service creates a very different pathways to social change than merely pursuing external impact alone. Second, by simply holding space to share and listen to such stories, we unlock a profound new possibility in society. We start to Awakin -- awaken with kin.

Vinoba Bhave used to say, "What rises up like a fountain, will return in the form of many distributed drops." We feel that, in this era, social change will manifest via many small and decentralized efforts and our hope with this event is to presence those droplets of inspiration -- so everyone is moved to shine their corner of world with great love. We have noticed that when we lead with love, unexpected synergies unfold organically and we very much count on amplifying that magic.

To nurture this intention we are bringing together four diverse, inspirational souls for Awakin Talks on Sunday, December 8th.

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RSVP For Awakin Talks

To join the event on Dec 8th, 2019, please RSVP below and you'll be sent the details.

FAQ ...

  • What is the evening flow? We will begin with 20 minutes of silence. Then we will have four speakers share for 15 minutes, a special musical performance, and some surprises. :)

  • Who is hosting this event? All of us. :) In particular, it is anchored by local Awakin Mumbai Community and many other Moved By Love friends.

  • Is RSVP required? Yes. There is no charge for the event, but we need to RSVP's from everyone since we have limited space at the venue.

  • Can I volunteer? Yes, absolutely. We're all volunteers. Do contact us using the contact-us form on this page. Please call or SMS Amit at +91-9891993012 to help out.

  • Do you do other related activities? Yes. Please check out Awakin Mumbai.

  • What's the history of Awakin Talks? In 2014, we hosted the first Awakin Talks in Mumbai. Since then, it has emerged in various cities around India.

Keep Me Posted

To be informed about future Awakin activities in the area, subscribe below and we'll keep you notified by email.

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Thank You!

We are profoundly grateful that our paths have crossed in this sacred way. Please do get in touch if you have any questions. We look forward to growing in stillness and service, together.