10 May 2020
International Significance
Paul David Hewson, born 10 May 1960, known by his stage name Bono, is an Irish singer-songwriter, venture capitalist, businessman, and philanthropist. He is best known as the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of rock band U2.
Bono, as you might have heard of him, has over the years grown into one of the world’s best-known philanthropic performers. He has been dubbed, “the face of fusion philanthropy”, both for his success enlisting powerful allies from a diverse spectrum of leaders in government, religious institutions, philanthropic organisations, popular media, and the business world, as well as for spearheading new organisational networks that bind global humanitarian relief with geopolitical activism and corporate commercial enterprise.
Wikipedia states his name as Paul David Hewson, KBE OL.
KBE -> The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service.
OL -> The Order of Liberty, or the Order of Freedom, is a Portuguese honorific civil order that distinguishes relevant services to the cause of democracy and freedom, in the defence of the values of civilisation and human dignity.
If you haven’t – do check out his songs. 🙂 At least these two:
#1 One
One love | One blood | One life | You got to do what you should |
One life | With each other | Sisters | Brothers | One life |
But we’re not the same
We get to Carry each other
#2 With or without you [Bonus trivia: Ross dedicates this song to Rachel in F.R.I.E.N.D.S on the radio. 🙂 ]
Personal Significance
In 1912, Anna Jarvis trademarked the phrase “Second Sunday in May, Mother’s Day, Anna Jarvis, Founder”, and created the Mother’s Day International Association. She specifically noted that “Mother’s” should “be a singular possessive, for each family to honour its own mother, not a plural possessive commemorating all mothers in the world.”
My parents have taught me how to lead by example – by serving all their lives, selflessly
Without a doubt, a mother is (in almost all cases) the person who does more for her children than anyone else in the world. And is also (in almost all cases), the one woman who’s truly taken for granted and the purest love that ever exists for any person.
Father’s day, in case you don’t know it, is the third Sunday of June – so if you’re reading this, Baba (Marathi word for father), wait for 6 weeks more. 😉
Mother’s day
But there’s a story behind everything. How a picture got on a wall. How a scar got on your face. Sometimes the stories are simple, and sometimes they are hard and heartbreaking. But behind all your stories is always your mother’s story, because hers is where yours begin.
~ Mitch Albom, For One More Day
tl;dr – if there’s one thing I have learnt from my mother, it’s this: It is not enough that we do our best; sometimes we must do what is required.
My Aai (Marathi word for mother) retired in 2019 from Government service and was awarded the above for 35 years of distinguished service by Maharashtra Forest Office Department’s Chief Forest Conservator. 35 years of service! THIRTY-FIVE YEARS. Seems incredible to me even a year hence.
I haven’t even lived that long yet, (and won’t for another 7 years!) so I don’t know how qualified I really am to talk about something this significant.
In today’s era, when people change partners, friends, jobs, cities the way they change their smartphones – such dedication and perseverance is visible mostly in the older generations and I hope our generation imbibes this in some form or another.
To Aaaai, who taught me a lot of things just by living her life – I again wish you a very happy post-retirement phase and a wonderful life ahead with lots of good health, travel and may you get everything you need, desire, wish for… and then some more. 🙂
Thank you for teaching me:
-> that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow
-> that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a lazy son, a crazy family, and a busy work load
-> that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you’ll miss them when they’re gone from your life.
-> that making a “living” is not the same thing as making a “life.”
-> that you shouldn’t go through life simply taking everything you get; you need to be able to give something back.
-> that whenever one decides something with an open heart, that is usually the right decision.
-> that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one
-> that you should show (not tell) your loved ones how much you love them through actions
-> that I still have a lot to learn
-> that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel
-> that we like because and love despite
Last, not the least, that I can listen to silence and learn from it. It has a quality and a dimension all its own – and someone who does not understand your silence will most probably not understand your words.
Servant Leadership
The evil / root cause of all our troubles lies within: in the form of passive acceptance of injustice by those who suffer it and ignorance by those who witness it.
Why look for transformational, inspiring leaders in businesses around us? Our parents are the prime example of exemplary leadership. If infographics speak more to you, here’s a great one from Catherine Adenle:
Old v/s new a.k.a Transactional v/s transformational leadership
Try to do this, if you haven’t – not just in businesses / work life – but in your personal life.
Become servants who lead, not leaders who serve.
Despite whatever your fancy degrees have taught you, we’re always dealing with people, not objects, not targets, not blog / book readers, not personas / target groups – but REAL human beings.
There is no ‘them’. We’re all ‘us’.
If you can or wish to, donate for India’s fight against COVID-19
“I for India” is India’s largest fundraiser concert, to help raise funds for the India COVID Response Fund (ICRF). The concert will feature India’s leading actors, musicians, singers, sportspersons and industrialists – all coming together to support COVID relief work, on 3rd May 2020 at 7.30pm IST.
Let’s unitedly fight against COVID-19.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/donate/878714602647054/10220650793475518/
To donate using UPI, please visit: https://pages.razorpay.com/IforIndia
—– Frequently Asked Questions——-
HOW MUCH OF MY DONATION GOES TOWARDS THE CAUSE?
100% of the funds raised on Facebook go to GiveIndia. GiveIndia is working with 100+ trusted non-profits who are working on the ground to fight the pandemic.
WILL MY DONATION BE MATCHED?
Yes, every rupee you donate will be doubled by one of our generous donors Action Covid-19 Team, A.T.E Chandra Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Omidyar Network India and Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies, so that every donation you make has double the impact!
WHICH MODES OF PAYMENT CAN I USE TO MAKE A DONATION?
All Debit/Credit Cards on Visa/Mastercard/Rupay are accepted.
I am, after all, cleverly disguised as a responsible adult. 