~Written Jan. 30th, 2016~
Mahatma Gandhi once said, “the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others”. On January 11th, 2016, seven people from around the world gathered in India to do just that.
We met in Gokarna on the southwest coast of India to form the 2016 Performers Without Borders India Team. The intrepid travelers are:
- Mika (Our Tour Leader) from America (Oregon).
- Magnus “Mango” from England
- Beatrix from Spain
- Sara from America (California)
- Tyler Spades from America (Oregon)
- Shouniez from South Africa
- Shaheen from South Africa
We met on the shores of Kudle Beach, Gokarna, India and instantly felt the electricity in the air. The family had assembled! We were all unique artists with specialties in various forms of prop manipulation, dance, acrobatics, theater, and clowning. Our hearts were open and we were ready for adventure, but first we had to build a show!
Our first two weeks together were spent rehearsing every day at Namaste Yoga Farm up the hill from the beach and playing together every evening in the warm waters of the Arabian Sea. We quickly bonded and enjoyed going on adventures to town together, eating out at beach restaurants together, and most of all creating an artistic masterpiece to share with all the children we were so excited to meet. Finally at the end of our boot camp we had an hour long SPACE CIRCUS that we performed for all the locals and tourists alike on the beach. It was a smashing success and although we all wanted to stay in paradise longer, we knew the kids were waiting for us up north.
On the morning of January 24th we packed our bags, pet our new circus dog Pooba goodbye, and loaded the taxi for the train station. We had all made several friends on Kudle Beach, but our mission beckoned. We boarded a 23-hour train north and were excited to truly begin our PWB tour. Next stop: the city of Ahmedabad in the state of Gujarat!
Gandhi died 62 years ago today. This is especially poignant at the moment because I’m currently sitting outside of his house in his garden… When we arrived in Ahmedabad Mika was the only team member with knowledge of our coming adventures. We knew that we were meeting our partner organization Manav Sadhna at the Gandhi Ashram, but it wasn’t until we got there that we realized how connected to Mahatma Gandhi they were. Their headquarters is located on property donated to Gandhi where he lived after returning from Africa from 1927-1930 and we got a full tour including the bedroom Gandhi lived in for years and the garden where he spoke many words of wisdom. The non profit organization is based on a fantastic philosophy of “love all, serve all”. By seeing “God” in every individual (Manav), mere service is transformed into worship (Sadhna). To this end, Manav Sadhna is engaged in constructive humanitarian programs that cut across barriers of class and religion while addressing issues faced by socio-economically less opportune segments of society. In executing this mission, Manav Sadhna is guided by Mahatma Gandhi’s beliefs in love, peace, truth, non-violence and compassion.
It has been TRULY inspiring to see the immense amount of passion this group pours into their surrounding communities. They have built dozens of community centers in impoverished neighborhoods and have taken us to several of them to teach and perform for the children living there. At one of our favorite communities Manav Gulzar they explained to us that it was the only community in the area where Muslims and Hindus lived together in peace and unity. They even shared a community center with places of worship for both faiths.
We have performed our SPACE CIRCUS eight times in the past 6 days and the show has matured into something beautiful and inspiring for the children to witness. Our hearts are currently EXPLODING with LOVE! It is hard to put into words the feeling we get from interacting with these kids while seeing them laugh, smile, and jump for joy.
We have taught workshops in staff spinning, diabolo, juggling, hula-hoop, acrobatics, plate spinning, and contact juggling to hundreds of kids.
“Persistent questioning and healthy inquisitiveness are the first requisites for acquiring learning of any kind” ~ Gandhi
Their eagerness to learn fills us with ambition and their chants and cheers give us enough energy (along with all the chai) to make every show an earth-shattering event! On special evening shows we include an extra 45 minutes of FIRE performance that drives the crowd into a frenzy of screams and applause. Word of our shows has certainly traveled around the surrounding communities by the Gandhi Ashram and we have all grown accustom to the friendly smiles and waves from locals as we walk down the street.
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Unfortunately today is our last day in Gujarat and we board another 30-hour train tonight. This is the first time Performers Without Borders has been to Ahmedabad so our presence has been a “test pilot” for future tours here. We all feel that there is SO MUCH MORE work we could do here and absolutely love the area. One week has certainly flown by, but we are all happy that we were able to come at all and lay down this first foundation of circus arts. We hope future tours can work with Manav Sadhna again to continue growing circus programs in the area for all the amazing and beautiful children we have met.
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
~ Mahatma Gandhi
Written by Tyler Spades, January 30, 2016
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