Q: How did you get involved with Aid?
I have been in the USA since 1957. My visit in India in 1992/1993 made me painfully aware of the inequalities and social issues prevailing in the society such as poverty and illiteracy. I met Ravi Kuchimanchi and Balaji Sampat at the same time. Since then, I have been involved with the development of AID, writing its by-laws, developing its Jeevan Saathi Program and of course, working on various projects.

Every AID Chapter has periods where the energy may be a little low. Do you have any words which we should remember for such times?
I was visiting Hyderabad in February of 1993, and it was very hot. It was then that I encountered my teacher, a young girl whom though I never spoke to and whose name I never learned. While working on a book, I decided to take a break. I was gazing out of the window and saw a young girl hammering bricks for road construction. That experience shook me because I realized that although the young woman was working much harder than me, I make more money in a day than she does in year. Why should my work be more valuable than hers? This incident made me better realize the inequality in the society. It is not God who is to blame, it is us whom we must blame, we are the culprits. Therefore, we must take responsibility to amend the situation.

What is your opinion on the necessity of having projects which are long term?
Chapters should be taking more long term interest in their projects. Rather than take up small short term projects, the focus should be on partnering up with NGOs who are involved in long term infrastructural development in India. The goal is continuity between generations. This will require large scale pooling of resources on the US volunteers part. Instead of 10-15 people working on projects, these projects should be adopted by larger groups of 60-80 people.

Do you have any words of wisdom for the newer volunteers of AID?
You must decide your own path, so I will not leave you with too many words, but I will say this:

Pothi padh padh jag mua, pundit bhaya na koi
Dhai akhar prem ka, padhe so pundit hoye

Essentially, it is not the scholarly texts, but the simple feeling of love and passion which makes one a great scholar.