Sitting in my classroom and thinking about where to go for my organisational internship, I pondered over all the possible options that I had. It was my longtime dream to visit Gram Vikas, an internationally-reputed grassroots NGO headquartered in Odisha, and meet its founder Joe Madiath, a man who has brought massive positive change and smiles in the lives of millions from the subaltern sections of the society.
My dream was not just to meet and work under his able guidance, but also to understand what inspired him to do what he does. I had never seen Joe Madiath before, but I remembered him very well as I had seen him in many TV/newspaper interviews, and on social media pages of Gram Vikas School. After going through the school’s website and getting to know about its exemplary works in the field of education, I made up my mind to intern with this organisation only.
Through Rohit, a good friend of mine, who works with Gram Vikas School, I inquired about the possibility of getting an internship there. He asked me to apply through the prescribed channel by sending an email to the organisation and attach my resume. I subsequently applied and got the official nod for the internship.
After reaching the Gram Vikas, Mohuda campus, situated in a remote village in the Ganjam district of Odisha, I was introduced to Joe Madiath, and this is how, for the first time, I got to see and meet him in person. How surreal it seems when you see your role model in front of your eyes!
Joe, as everybody addresses him, took me by surprise in the very first meet and exceeded all my expectations of him. The man, who has changed millions of lives, is an international figure with multiple awards and honours to his name, who has established an organisation as big as Gram Vikas, comes to the office on an old bicycle wearing a stitched cotton kurta. This was indeed a reality of disbelief for me.
In the very first interaction with Joe, I noticed that the 70-year-old was very calm, patient and attentive during our conversation. After explaining to him what I wanted to do and what I am expecting out of this internship, I did not anticipate what he was about to say. He said, “Go on with your project and I shall stand behind you.” And trust me, that was nothing less than a booster to lift up my energy and forget all my nervousness.
Joe can be seen talking to everybody on the campus, including the watchman, labourers, drivers, mess staff members, and anyone else on the campus. He sometimes even walks to the office space of his employees just to have a quick chat with them.
In Gram Vikas Shiksha Niketan School, Kalahandi, one of the four schools run by Gram Vikas, and where I spent two weeks, I got to interact with two senior-most staff members of the organisation who have been working there for the past 30 years. For a 21st century youngster like me, it is a little surprise to see people staying in one organisation for the last 30 years and yet work with undiminishing passion. This made me ask them an obvious question. I asked them what made them stay in one organisation for so long and work so dedicatedly. To this, both of them had a similar answer:
“It was around 40 years ago that Joe had come somewhere far from Kerala to our place to help us and improve our lives. The situation was so bad that people here did not even have a sense of wearing clothes. People used to eat only when they found something to eat in the jungle. Healthcare was so bad that people did not even know about hospitals, and most of them were treated at homes or left to die because of no other option. When I travelled with Joe to all these areas and saw his dedication towards helping them, I felt, if this person could leave all his loved ones and dedicate his life to us, then why can’t we work for our own people?”
They also told me how Joe cares about his employees and their welfare. One such incident that exemplified this was when Joe gave Rs 75,000 to a teacher who was in dire need of money. He asked him not to return this amount.
Joe’s life has taught me many lessons about my own life. His dedication to bringing a positive change in the society on a large scale is the first among all. The remote places like Thuamul Rampur in Kalahandi that I got to visit still do not have proper essential facilities such as a healthcare system, mobile network, internet connectivity, or public transportation.
Witnessing Joe’s inspiration in the hindsight to dedicate his whole life to work in such areas 40 years ago is sufficient to give anybody goosebumps. His punctuality taught me how a person who adheres to his values shall always succeed, no matter what. To my understanding, his life mantra is ‘simple living and high thinking’ and this is what makes him a monumental personality.
Featured image is representative.