The lost art of perseverance — and an example of someone who did
Three years ago I met a women in her 70s who inspired me on spot. She was no ordinary person, she was a dedicated social worker with 30-years of service that made her an instant magnet of authenticity.
Her story began when on one fine day she was called upon a unique path of community service, to help establish a Center for empowerment of women in rural India — and so she took up the challenge as a fearless youth.
When she started, she had to leave her home, a phd program and every other form of comfort behind in her hometown of Chandigarh and shift to a bare land with a small room in Indore — where she’d spend some 25 years, empowering 6000 tribal women and establishing an NGO that continues till this day.
She, Janak Palta McGilligian, along with her husband Jimmy McGilligan were both honored by the governments of India as a Padma Shri and Order of British Empire by United Kingdom for their tireless services in social work that span three decades.
Today, her book is out online and its a must-read for everyone interested to see how one can adopt a long-term vision and stick to it till you make it happen, regardless of how long it’ll take to achieve it.
