Thread

"If not you, then who?" That was the simple challenge I posed when opening applications for The Satyarthi Fellowship. Over 1,200 brilliant youth from 35 countries responded, and we proudly selected 25. Filled with unprecedented energy, courage, and conviction, these young change-makers are currently gathered at Balashram for intense, transformative discussions. During a deep conversation on self-compassion, one of the fellows asked me a profound question: "I always struggle to know who I am. What do you think of yourself?" I told them: This is one of the oldest questions among thinkers and philosophers. But at my core, I feel that I am simply one of the eight and a half billion people on this planet. That is the real me. Everything else is just an identity imposed upon me or born out of ego. Stripping away our labels allows us to connect deeply with our shared humanity—and that is where true compassion begins.