Wife, Mother, Friend, Social worker, Social Entrepreneur, Business woman. Using words to describe Anarben Patel is like trying to capture a beautiful panorama with a mobile-phone camera.
They are a mere snapshot of the roles Anarben might play in a few hours, not an entire day even. From the loving mother planning the next nutritious meal for her family, to planning the five year vision for her social enterprises, to compassionately listening to the woes of a volunteer – you can see her switching back and forth with equanimity.
A regular meditator and Yoga enthusiast, the constant awareness through her journey has brought incredible clarity in her in service. And that allows her to play the complete spectrum from a strict administrator to a loving friend. When asked how she does it? She replies with a humble "I try my best" followed by a characteristic laugh that we're used to hearing in every possible scenario.
More publicly though, she has been known as the co-founder of Manav Sadhna an NGO that serves 10,000 slum children every day, founder of Gramshree that works with 2000 underprivileged women of Gujarat and more recently the engine behind Craftroots – an effort to serve the artisans of Gujarat. She has also been one of the key facilitators behind the Seva Cafe – although most say she has been informally running one at home for decades!
Some of us may have encountered her walking through the slums of Ahmedabad caring for the women, or heard her publicly addressing up to a 100,000 people at a time. Whatever the interaction, you will find yourself drawn up by her way of approaching life. Join us, as we share the journey of Anar Patel on October 20th and hear her thoughts on what it means to be a woman, how you can empower a community by serving them and more importantly how she keeps her balance in this ever changing, demanding world we find ourselves in.