Everybody knew Wendell. Yes of course he was an international celebrity!
Most of us lay people read about him often, and most of us also connected with him on social media. For him, he was simply laying his heart bare and sharing his moments with the world. His posts were varied. He would post every day and sometimes there would be many posts as the day unfolded. There were days when he would post about his father and other family members. Each would be effusive as always of the love and special moments, values he had imbibed, he wanted to express and share with the world. He made all of us remember our own fathers and key family members and the love and values we in turn had been influenced with, in each of our personal relationships. There were days when he would post about his pets and he had many. And again we all connected with these as it pulled at our own chords of special bonds we shared with each of our cats and dogs!
There were days when he would post about a particular patron saint or an ongoing novena or simply about his daily routine with prayer and his faith in God. This helped us too to recall our own daily connections to God, prayer and everything spiritual.
There were also days when he would share about his work, successes and accomplishments. There would be posts with insights into his endless passion for his professional work. There would be insights about ways in which he connected with the ordinary from the many key initiatives with his work. He used his work to also promote the most ordinary and many a times forgotten individuals and organizations. He associated with individuals with different abilities always showcasing their extraordinary work. He associated with the visually impaired at the National Association for the blind giving them an inclusive, dignified and respectful platform. This helped us to connect with and also made us aware of the many challenges faced by the oft rejected individuals in our own society and how each had survived the odds to help them be independent and lead dignified lives. This made us beam in admiration of such an extraordinary man who in his successes also embraced in his stride those that needed a little push to shine.
There were days when he would post about gay rights and many a call to support LGBT campaigns. This helped us be vocal about human rights violations and intolerances.
There were days when he would post about his writing, his books. Phenomenal pieces about respect, dignity and empowerment. These inspired us and strengthened our own journeys of empowerment.
And then there were days when he would share about the many things that troubled him. Issues in his ancestral village, in his state of Goa and also in the country and the world. There were specific ones about the trees of Colvale in Goa that were slated to be cut down, about preserving heritage architectural gems in the state, about environmental degradation because of mining, about fashion and its detrimental impact on the environment, others about human injustices, the list is endless.
These helped us connect with our own inherent bonds to our environment, land and community. This helped us raise our voices and join him in the many endeavours and initiatives to help repair the damage that was being done.
We are all born good and humane. To love, to care. We are all ordinary.
Wendell was too. In his simplicity and ordinariness he helped us connect with being humane, in the extra ordinary things that he did.
He rose to fame. But unlike most celebrities he let his humane side shine above all else. He was a great connector. He connected us all with this humane spirit.
Many raise the question as to why one must do social work. I believe that all humans have a social responsibility. Once we belong to a community by way of location, belonging to a group, etc, we immediately have a connection beyond ourselves. Let’s say one lives alone. Far from other humans. Even then, he/she does belong to a patch of nature or land. To live one has to use different resources or benefits from that land for his/her survival. If I don’t care for it, if I don’t nurture it, I will perish. So it becomes his/her responsibility to take care of that land. It becomes his/her responsibility to protect, conserve it. Now let’s say one lives with his/her family on a patch of land. Therefore this unit derives benefits from their association as family members and also the land. And so all have a responsibility to both. To honour, respect and therefore care for both. When we live in a community, with other families and other humans, again the principle is the same. Since I derive benefits from the association, it is my responsibility to protect the interests of all.
I have always believed that social work and social responsibility is not limited or the duty of social workers, activists or celebrities.
It is the duty of all humans! And therefore there is also not an age where we become eligible to work for a cause for our community or humanity. We can do this right from the time we are children.
As children, this is important as it gives us an insight into the challenges of our fellow humans and the challenges with the place that we occupy.
So who is it that influences us to take this path? It is our upbringing, our families, key members in our families, our teachers, mentors or community that inspire and motivate us to practice this important tenet of human living.
Wendell, like all of us was lucky that he was influenced with so many values. But unlike us, he did not keep silent. He let these values find a voice. He let these values find a cause. He spoke to us every day. We liked, we shared. But did we listen?
(Tallulah D’Silva is a practicing architect in Goa and has recently taught at the Goa College of Architecture as adjunct professor)
