Wish You A Very Happy, Healthy & Joyous 2011!

"We Enjoy Life To Its Fullest Under All Circumstances"

Oasis Team On Annual Vision Retreat

Munnar, Kerala and Kodaikanal, Tamilnadu were the two places for Oasis annual vision retreat this year.The nature was at its peak; atmosphere, really 'cool'. What can be the better choice for place - for reviewing the whole year, looking within our own selves, learning and planning the next year - than "God's Own Country"?!

What the team did in Retreat:

Oasis Retreats are always planned to interweave various sessions regarding work/agenda on hand with trekking in nature, site seeing and entertainment.

The sessions done during the retreat were:

1. LIFE Class review & Summer camp plans:

After almost a year of working with children, team reviewed Life Classes. Team shared highlights, struggle area, personal & group learnings, suggestions for betterment. Plans for Summer Camps were laid down and discussed.

2. Key responsibilities, projects, plans & events in 2011:

Individual key responsibilities, projects, plans & events for 2011

were discussed & decided. Key leadership positions were reviewed and reshuffled.

3. Professional Work Culture:

Everybody shared their views on Professional Work Culture. Team discussed how each one will inculcate such a culture for higher productivity. E.g. Though team members are friends for decades, one should respect & value each other's time & priorities and do not take each other for granted.

4. Friendship Diary:

During the retreat, every one was given a special notebook to write a friendship diary. Every one wrote for all other team members, at frequent intervals, about positive aspects/dimensions of their life.

Purpose was to see how many positive things we see in each other while we work with each other on almost daily basis. Normally, we tend to be more critical than appreciative. The exercise turned out to be a good soul searching for many friends.

After More Than A Decade, Leadership At OASIS Trust Is Changing

Sheeba Nair Welcomes Mehul Panchal As The 4th Managing Trustee Of OASIS

Sheeba Nair Managing Trustee: 1999-2010

This has been a legacy of growth and self education

October 1999, when I received the invitation to become the Managing Trustee of Oasis, it was one of the most turbulent and testing times for Oasis as an organization and for me, personally, an equally painful & difficult crisis. Today, I am so sure that it was destiny’s chosen plan to design this opportunity for me at that specific time! Nothing better could have wrenched out the best from within me to fight the challenges in the most conscientious manner and thereby honour the responsibility I shouldered, in letter and spirit.

In retrospection, what has evolved me as the person I am today by facilitating my strengths to flow out, what has pushed me to work on my limitations so that I could serve the objectives of the cause with higher accountability and improve my abilities to contribute better - I humbly owe it all to this decision. At OASIS, this has been the legacy of growth and self education, inherited by all those who have accepted this invitation!

So all I want to say first is a huge Thank you to Oasis for this lifetime

opportunity and to everyone who has been with me in this journey over last 11 years of my tenure! Now I look forward to the inauguration of Oasis Valleys institute this year and contributing to the newer challenges of IYLDP project for school students.

I am extremely glad to announce the appointment of my dearest friend and colleague, Mehul Panchal, as our next Managing Trustee and invite him to lead the Board of Oasis Trust here on.

Known as the Organic Man of Oasis team, this new position has deservingly flowed down to Mehul in an equally natural & organic manner. An electronics engineer by qualification, he is now a committed farmer-activist researching and propagating sustainable farming technologies in India. It is his dedication and perseverance over the last 1 decade visible at Oasis Valleys farm today, which has earned him our unanimous vote as the perfect choice for this responsibility.

I seek your continual blessings as we heartily welcome Mehul to elevate the vision of OASIS to newer heights under his able leadership & wish him God speed in all his green endeavours…

~ Sheeba Nair

Mehul Panchal Managing Trustee: 2011 onwards..

Oasis has lead me to a meaningful life

Thank you, Oasis, for giving me this huge opportunity.

For last two decades I am part of this unique phenomenon called Oasis. Oasis has shown me a path to make this human-life a meaningful saga and always guided me to come out as much stronger person in all critical times of my life.

I have witnessed greens as well as browns of Oasis in last 20 years. From a city based youth organization to almost a national level movement, Oasis has risen to such height on solid foundations of deep rooted principles and values, on stronger urge for idealism in Life. I know what I will bear on my shoulder when I am taking responsibility of leading Oasis Trust.

Thank you, Sheeba and all my team-mates. I sincerely accept this invitation and look forward to take OASIS to become a throbbing national level movement with added chapter of Organic Farming & Sustainability for Indian Farmers.

~ Mehul Panchal

Detailed report on these changes and more about OASIS Trust will follow soon..

Retreat Learnings:

Responsibility is what brings out the best from within us

1. It was an opportunity to review my last decade as the Managing Trustee of OASIS - we all learnt that responsibility is what brings out the best from within us and it was so heartwarming that at OASIS, the responsibilities are treated as well as awarded not as mode of hierarchy or to create name or fame, but as a huge opportunity and a healthy competition to learn & evolve as a better human!

2. We can introspect and see ourselves clearly (objectively) only if we are happy! If we are unhappy or emotional or suffer while doing so, we can’t do it. When we are happy to see within, we are so peaceful!

3. Professional work culture: Just because we are friends, we can’t ignore the professionalism in the work culture especially since we work in completely different projects. e.g. - It’s so important to keep communication channel alive & share our developments with all friends regularly. To promptly convey any useful data that we may bump into accidentally, to the respective friend, that could be of use to his/her project even if it’s not relevant to our work area.

~ Sheeba Nair

We all felt profoundly touched

This was our first retreat after working for teenagers assiduously for an year. Thus it was one more milestone and turning point for all of us. Almost all core group friends took up Life Classes as their exposure. While children have welcomed and benefited through these classes, we all felt profoundly touched- either inspired or shaken up.

How can we remain young enough at heart to be able to connect with the younger generations? How can we win their trust? How can we handle and direct heir energy? Are we good examples for them to emulate? Do we come across them as learners?

Questions were abound. All had enough experiences to mull upon. Life Classes had given gifts of great opportunities to us all to learn and grow!

Thank you, kids!

~ Sanjiv Shah

My learning – OMCC Annual Retreat 2010:

1. Friendship Diary writing:

Initially I thought I would be able to write many positive dimensions about my friends as I know them for last 12-14 years.

Within two days I found that I don’t have many things to write! I realized even though I “know” my friends form more than a decade, my observations and many learning about subtle dimensions of their Lives, their growth, their struggles and their aspiration are so limited.

It is so easy to be in touch with, for many years, and yet not even be aware about various intangible yet important dimensions of close teammates’ lives! It is so easy to get lost in work, goals... and forgetting people...missing small yet important beauty any relationship has to offer!

2. Professional Work Culture:

It was so nice to have a healthy environment where all (colleagues, boss) are giving, important and crucial feedback about where you need to grow or focus to become a better professional.

~ Dr. Neha Vakharia

What I brought back from Retreat:

What is taking responsibility? Ensuring committed results in ALL circumstances without keeping any space for reason/complain to escape.

I came back with an urge to understand this, implement this and get results better than before.

~ Pallavi Raulji

It's fun in life to stretch limits

It's important and fun in life to stretch my limits. Be it climbing steep uphill, eating heartily or working for long hours.

~ Ami Desai

"We Shall Work With Overflowing Enthusiasm And Happiness Towards Transforming Education System For Character-building"

Oasis Team at Lockhart View, Munnar. "Together we can achieve anything humanly possible on this earth."

Some Memorable Moments

This Diwali time Team Oasis was on vision retreat to South India, especially Kerala - God's Own Country.

Jobs on hand were to review 2010, be with one's own self, meditate & learn from the past and plan the future - 2011.

In the lap of nature, the whole retreat was interwoven with enjoying scenic beauty, trekking & building health, eating most delicious south-indian food, reviewing the year passed and planning the year coming keeping self-development always at center. (Friends are thankful to Sanjivbhai for such a meticulous planning which balanced everything so nicely!)

While Team Oasis is charged and prepared for the new year, Team Alive wishes you all a very productive 2011.

~ Mehul Panchal  

"We can introspect ourselves only when we are happy."

"Only those who are responsible can be happy!"

"Ego is like a ghost-snake, the moment there's light it vanishes. If we see our mind clearly (in full awareness) ego vanishes."

To View Alive Archives, Please Click here>>>

  Alkesh Raval

  Jolly Madhra

  Jwalant Bhatt

  Kshama Kataria

  Mehul Panchal

  Sanjiv Shah

  Sheeba Nair

  Umesh Patel

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