An Inspirational Story and Bollywood Dancing at Upper School Assembly

On Thursday, October 13, the Upper School had the unique opportunity to hear the stories of Mangesh Pol and Gaus Sayyad, who were raised together at the Maher Ashram in Pune, India. In addition to their extraordinary accomplishments, Mangesh and Gaus epitomize what can happen when people not only overcome their differences but tap the power of their diversity to do good things in the world. Mangesh and Gaus were born to different castes and religions and came to Maher at the age of seven. They were already best friends before realizing that their differences, were they not living in interfaith, caste free environment of Maher, would have precluded their having any relationship much less a close one.

Now at the age of 23, they are both highly educated and successful and fully devoted to the mission of Maher, which in the Marati language means “mother’s home.” Its mission is to “help destitute women, children, and men from all over India exercise their right to a higher quality of life, irrespective o gender, caste, creed, or religion.” Maher also seeks to “identity and understand the root causes of violence and despair experienced by women and children in India and develop and deliver serves to address these root causes and their effects in villages and slums, so women and children are healthy, happy, and self-reliant.” Mangesh and Gaus are being groomed to lead Maher’s future.

At the assembly, Mangesh and Gaus told their stories and finished their presentation with a Bollywood dance. A video of their dance and another about Maher are linked below.