“Spirituality is very deeply embedded in the culture of India. My grandfather, a farmer with 12 children, was inspired to explore his spiritual side, and that experience impacted him profoundly. He responded by giving away much of his wealth as his 'Guru Dakshina', or gratitude gift: 100 acres of farmland, a car (which was rare even to possess in the 1920’s and 1930’s, especially in India), and a large amount of gold jewelry. My grandfather’s spirituality gave him the powers of a healer, and every day there were long lines of people outside his door waiting to be healed and blessed. I heard several such stories of healing about my grandfather over the years from family members as I was growing up, and that has had a profound influence on me. He was a very special man, held in great esteem by thousands. Years later my father, his 12th son, continued my grandfather’s legacy of giving. He helped nieces and nephews with their college educations and marriages. He, in fact, even donated two flats to relatives without a penny in return. With real estate in Mumbai (Bombay, India) being very costly, the giving away of personal wealth with no return whatsoever has led me to hold my father in high esteem.
“I am nowhere close to the level of giving of my grandfather and my father, but I am committed to continuing what they began by giving my time, efforts and funds, serving on non-profits, and working to bring about positive changes in our community. We know about the problems that Memphis has, but that's no reason to give up. Instead, I take it as my personal challenge to change the city for the better: emotionally, physically, spiritually, and in every way possible. The organizations I involve myself with give back to the community, and one of the most important ways we do that is revitalize blighted areas. That happens one house at a time. I don’t want just to give back from a distance. I want to be there, to form relationships, to be involved with the community in which I live. I am proud to be a Memphian.”
“I am nowhere close to the level of giving of my grandfather and my father, but I am committed to continuing what they began by giving my time, efforts and funds, serving on non-profits, and working to bring about positive changes in our community. We know about the problems that Memphis has, but that's no reason to give up. Instead, I take it as my personal challenge to change the city for the better: emotionally, physically, spiritually, and in every way possible. The organizations I involve myself with give back to the community, and one of the most important ways we do that is revitalize blighted areas. That happens one house at a time. I don’t want just to give back from a distance. I want to be there, to form relationships, to be involved with the community in which I live. I am proud to be a Memphian.”
Sandeep Pednekar serves the community in a number of ways. He has been a City Commissioner with the City of Memphis and currently serves on the Shelby County Mayor’s Young Professionals Council. He is the founder of India Fest. Of special interest to him is the US-based non-profit 1 Universe, Inc., with offices in three countries, devoted to diversity and inclusion. He is committed to promoting love, peace, and harmony among people from all over the world through his work with the arts and cultural organizations (both non-profit and for-profit).
For more information, see
http://www.memphis.edu/wumr/profiles/profile_sandeep.php
For more information, see
http://www.memphis.edu/wumr/profiles/profile_sandeep.php
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