बापू

For us at the AHC Foundation, Gandhi Jayanthi holds a special significance. Last year while we celebrated the 150th year of the birth of the Mahatma, not only were we celebrating the life and teachings of the Mahatma but were also celebrating our renaming and birth as the Ambassadors of Heritage and Crafts Foundation ..

Can we ever say enough about the man, the leader, the visionary, the Mahatma.. the one who spearheaded our freedom movement with humble yet powerful means .. it was truly revolutionary and unbelievable that he unified the whole nation with a feeling of nationalism and achieved freedom and liberation by adopting Ahimsa, Satyagraha and Non Cooperation..

there are so many aspects of his life, his teachings, his values that we can learn from and follow..

For us at the AHC Foundation, the one teaching that always stays with us, guides us and motivates us is his teaching that ‘the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.’

We believe no truer words have ever been spoken.. in our journey as ambassadors, we have found utter joy, cheer in the moments spent in empowering the lives of the artisans we work with.. the smiles on these countless, nameless faces who have mostly been neglected, abused and relegated to obscure corners, when we try and understand their problems, their dreams and aspirations for their kids, appreciate the beauty and precision of their skills is priceless.. as we work with them on this path that we have set out on, we are constantly learning, we are discovering ourselves and what we are capable of and every day we are definitely becoming better version of ourselves.. we are constantly realizing that all that matters is to just be more human and humane..

Gandhiji always believed that true growth and development of our nation depended not on our cities but on the strength of our villages and the power of the handmade, handwoven and handcrafted.. the power and skills each of the artisan, craftsman, weaver, sculptor possess is our true strength and the rich heritage of our nation..

We at the AHC Foundation feel truly blessed that we have this opportunity to spend our time, direct our efforts, focus our energies in the service of others.. in empowering them.. in creating sustainable and sufficient infrastructures.. encouraging artisans to return to their traditional and century old arts and crafts and thereby not only empowering individual artisans, craftsmen but the whole community..

Today as we celebrate the birth anniversary of Bapu, we at the AHC Foundation recommit and rededicate ourselves to his values and spirit.. we shall continue working with the artisans, the weavers , the craftsmen, empowering them and their families, their villages and promote the rich legacy of our country and the beauty of its handmade and handcrafted..

बापू से बस ये है सीखा,
अपनी खोज है तो करें लोगों की सेवा..
इसमें मिलता भरपूर आनन्द,
ढूँढ लेता इंसान ख़ुद को भी..
हम सब ने ये है करा एलान,
कारीगरों की सेवा है हमारा उद्देश्य..
हर कारीगर का हो उद्धार,
और हम भी बने बेहतर इंसान..
मनुष्य होने का अर्थ जो समझे,
जाना सबके कल्याण में है अपनी ख़ुशी..
अकेले आगे बढ़ने में है क्या मज़ा,
सबके साथ में ही तो है असली कामयाबी..