ormorethan 20 years,NipunMehtahasbeenopeninghisdoorsto
friendsandstrangerseveryWednesdayevening,creatinga spacefor
peopletositincircletogether,meditate,sharethoughts,andenjoya
meal.Theinvitationisto“wakeuptowisdominstillnessandcommunity,”
asimplegestureofserviceandconnectionthatnowtakesplacein
people’slivingroomsacrosstheglobe.AllofNipun’slifeworkcomes
fromthissameplaceofgenerosity,beitKarmaKitchen,a restaurant
chainwherethemealyoueatisgiftedtoyoufroma previouscustomer;
Kindspring,a spacetopracticesmallactsofkindnessandshareinspiration
withothers;orLaddershipCircles,a transformationalprogramfor
peopletodiveintogifteconomypracticesandlearntoleadfromwithin.
Undertheumbrellaorganisation,ServiceSpace,alloftheseprojects
notonlyseekto,butare,manifestingthegifteconomy—aneconomy
basedongenerosityandabundanceratherthanscarcityandfear.
Growingup,Nipun’smissionwastoeitherbecomea Himalayanyogior
a tennispro.Whateveritwas,hewantedto“bethebest.”Heexcelled
atschoolandwentontostudycomputerscienceandphilosophyatthe
UniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley.Impressinghislecturers,heimmediately
gota jobasa softwareengineer,quicklyfindinghimselfonthecorporate
ladder.ThewisdomofNipunatage 25 wastorealisethatthisladder
actuallyhadnoend,anddidn’tleadtomorehappinessorevena feeling
ofsuccessaswaspromisedtohim.Andso,whilemanyofhispeers
werebecomingfull-timeworkaholics,hebecamea full-timevolunteer,
andhasstayed that way ever since.
Nipun was honoured an “unsung hero of compassion” by the Dalai Lama,
not long before President Obama appointed him to a council for addressing
poverty and inequality in the US. He talks frequently on the topic of
giftivism, and how relationships in this current economic paradigm have
been reduced to a very deadening, singular kind of transaction. His role is to
bring an abundant mindset back into our communities, where giving might
well be the ultimate reward, and where there are many kinds of capital to
trade: from love and kindness to labour and time. Perhaps most noteworthy
of all is Nipun’s humility, vibrating through everything he touches, and his
conviction that ego is not the core of what it means to be human. It’s eco.