I work everyday, but every day is a holiday for me because I enjoy my work.
Sudha MurtyRead
One needs determination to bring in changes in the lives of Devadasis. I would approach them wearing pants and t-shirt and without a bindi, they would chase me away. When I narrated the experience to my father, he told me to don traditional wear and dress like them. After bringing in changes in my dressing style, the Devadasis welcomed me.
Interpretation
Determination and adaptability are essential to create effective change in people's lives.
This quote illustrates the importance of understanding and respecting cultural practices when trying to instigate change. Sudha Murty's experience highlights how her initial approach was met with resistance due to her attire, which did not align with the customs of the Devadasis. By changing her appearance to match theirs, she was able to build rapport and foster acceptance, demonstrating that adaptability can enhance connection and facilitate progress.
In practice
In a presentation on cultural awareness, this quote illustrates the need for adaptability.
I work everyday, but every day is a holiday for me because I enjoy my work.
When a mother feels cold, she asks the child to wear a sweater. Our concept of poverty is that way. When we do a project and people receive our help, we may think that they are getting benefited, but is this what they really wanted?
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Things will get easier, people's minds will change, and you should be alive to see it.
The only way to get change is not through the courts or - heaven forbid - the politicians, but through a change of human consciousness and through a change of heart. Only through the arts - music, poetry, dance, painting, writing - "can we really reach each other.
Nothing grows old-fashioned so fast as modernity.
We can either save the planet from catastrophic warming, or protect fossil fuel CEOs. Not both. Do the math(s)
New beginnings – professional, personal, or come what may – are always uncomfortable, but being open to them is the only way to grow. In the end, we are all capable of so much more than we think.
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