Oasis hosted an inspiring dialogue with Shri Anil Swarup (Retd. IAS), founder of 'Nexus of Good' and an author under the 'Nachiketa Greatness Series'. The event was organised at Oasis Valleys with topics 'Challenges Before A Civil India' on 9th and 'The Winds Of Change' and 'Whitherto, Education?' on 10th, respectively. It was an insightful experience for all, providing valuable takeaways for reflection, especially for youth leaders.
Challenges Before A Civil India
Vision For Developed India
Anil Swarup shared challenges faced by Civil Service Organisations - NGOs in India, as seen over 38 years of his services as an IAS officer as well Founder of ‘Nexus of Good’ in the last 5-6 years.
The session was ably anchored by Amrutbhai Patel, Retd IAS, Gujarat. More than 50 selected invitees including, Govt officials, educators, NGO leaders, youth change-makers participated in this interaction.
In crux -
Challenges For Civil Service Organisations
First: Spread Good Word
There is a suspicion towards civil services society - the NGOs, in the government (and vice-versa). To overcome that challenge, we need to continuously demonstrate that NGOs can do phenomenal work because they ARE doing .
Demonstration & Visibility are essential in the present-day world where visibility is the key. Why don’t we have the courage to appreciate good work? If we genuinely feel it, then appreciate it. Spread good word about NGOs, amplify it.
Second: Financial Viability
It is good to do good to others, but if the whole project is not financially viable, then it will not be sustained. Funding is going to be the fundamental key for most of the organisations, and that is going to be threatened because the fund corpus is not likely to grow; rather, demand is likely to grow. So, to manage the shortages in the supply of funds - 1) Improve the way of spending money to get better return out of it. 2) Present yourself such that you get money, which is the difficult part.
Third: Threat by Organized Negative Sector
Threats by those who are negatively impacted by your work; vested interests who are benefiting when you are absent. To ward that off, we cannot use the instruments they are using, the language they are using. NGOs while facing this threat sometimes become aggressive. Aggression & arguments do not help; Substance & Dialogue help. Every NGO will have to evolve a clear-cut communication strategy for it.
Fourth & Fifth: Equip, Retrain Human Resouces & Presentation Skills
With the emergence of technology, the NGO people will have to re-train themselves, their Human Resource. We need to equip them with Presentaion Skills. If we don’t, then chances are there that they will not be able to face the elements around them.
For any idea to be executed and sustained, it has to be:
The Winds of Change (Anil means Wind!), was an autobiographical session, where Anil Sir answered questions of Oasis Young Trustees about his Life-journey, from a young boy with a single-minded goal to an honest & bold bureaucrat to a Change-Agent.
We give examples of Great People of past to our children. They are good to remember, but difficult to follow. Instead, we should give examples of common people around us who are honest and doing some really good work, so that it becomes easy for the young generation to grasp.
दुनिया में बहोत लोग है देश की चिंता करने के लिए|आप अपनी क्षमता के बारे में सोचे और वो कीजिए जो आप कर सकते हैं | Be a Good Human-being, first.
Whitherto, Education?
Road-Map For Transforming Education System
Whitherto, Education? was a close group session for brainstorming ideas, inputs & stategies for scaling and sustainability of Oasis Movement.
Message for Young Leaders:
All of us should think big but with our feet firmly rooted. And, see what the distance you can walk & inspire others by your walking. It’s the easiest thing to pass the blame or responsibility on somebody else, but with every step you take, you are leaving some footprints behind & those are the most important footprints. It doesn’t matter what others say or don’t say, you are the center of the universe. You have to determine your course of events and there by your influence on others, but it has to start with you.
Be the people of Actions and not Ideas.
Takeaways For the Youths
A powerful reminder of personal responsibility...
I sincerely appreciate your invitation to Anil Swarup Sir’s event at Oasis. It was a truly enriching experience, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to attend.
Anil Sir’s clarity, honesty, and practical approach stood out to me. His emphasis on aiming high, testing limits, and
leaving behind meaningful footprints was a powerful reminder of personal responsibility. His perspective on being ‘selfish’—in the sense of first building ourselves so we can contribute better—resonated deeply.One of his most impactful messages was about recognizing and amplifying the goodness around us. While people often focus on negativity, he reminded us that everyday life is filled with goodness—we just need to see, appreciate, and spread it to create a larger positive impact. His perspective on action was equally impactful. He emphasized that ideas alone hold little value unless they are put into practice.
His message was simple—if something is within our capacity, we should take action. If certain things are beyond our control, we should shift our focus to what can be changed and move forward with action.
Thank you, again, for thinking of me and extending this invitation. It was a session worth attending, and I truly appreciate it. Looking forward to more such inspiring engagements.
~ Jatin Patel, Businessman, Mumbai
What we look for, we eventually see...
Goons, rascals, and bad people quickly unite in groups, but why does a good person often stand alone in doing good? Why can't good people come together in the same way?
Why worry about what is not in your control? Instead, focus on what you can control, now.
Let's start by saying/talking on something good at least once a day about someone. Can't you find a single person to speak good about each day? Once you start practicing, you will slowly begin to notice the good in life, good people, and good things. What we look for, we eventually see.
~ Deep Nagare, IT professional, Pune
The Event ended with
the soft launch of Vadodara Chapterof 'Nexus of Good'
Editorial Team: Divya Hadiya, Riya Shah,
Aatmaja Soni
Editorial Guide: Sanjiv Shah, Sheeba Nair,
Mehul Panchal
Alive Newsletter/ Magazine16 March 2025
Year 18, Issue 6
You receive this newsletter because you may be one of the participants of Oasis activities or may have been referred by our core friends or you may have given your email address to us. Please feel free to share this newsletter with your friends, family, and co-workers. You have permission to use this content in your newsletter or email system as long as you do not edit the content and you leave the links and this resource box intact. We will be happy to receive a copy of the same. If you wish that this newsletter is dispatched directly to your contacts, you may recommend the same to us along with their key details. Incase if you do not want this Newsletter, you may unsubscribe it.
