Women's Views on Health, Peace and Development
July 2000
Banner photo: ©SEKAI BUNKA PHOTO
Expanding My Life
Ms. Harmeet (Monu) Sarin's practice of Buddhism began in 1986 when her husband's sister introduced her to the philosophy. Remembering that time, Ms. Sarin says, "I thought that I was a happy person with a loving and happy family--a doting seafarer husband, two very active small children and numerous family and social commitments. That there was really nothing I wanted to change in my life." After she began practicing Buddhism, she gradually began to understand that she could gain control over her whirlwind existence and expand her life even further. Ms. Sarin recalls, "I gradually saw my capacity to work increase; and I was more in command of situations, including household and social ones."
Ms. Sarin says, "Buddhism taught me to depend on myself; to look within for solutions rather than without; and to take responsibility for situations rather than blame others for spoiling them." She began to view all problems as situations waiting to be challenged and overcome, and found that working for others--and helping them change their lives through Buddhist practice--gave new meaning to her life. For the first time in her life, she could find a reason for suffering and an answer as to what could be done about it. She also discovered that Buddhism was more than just theory: it was a practical prescription for living life fruitfully, and it provided encouragement for winning in all situations.
Ms. Sarin at a discussion meeting
Of course, she says, life was not without trials and tribulations, but she found that she was able to use them as opportunities for her personal growth. Around the time her husband left his job at sea and started his own business in New Delhi, and her children started to go to school, Ms. Sarin found that she had extra time. When she heard about an opening for a part-time job in January of 1988, in the International Labour Organisation (ILO), she applied and got the job as an assistant in the cooperatives project.
Even though it was a short-term assignment, she was happy to be involved with a UN organization working for the betterment of society. She was also fortunate that she could be back home from work every day at exactly the time that her daughter returned from school. In May of 1992 she began working full-time with the ILO's International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC), an important program of the ILO with partnerships in more than 90 countries focusing on the worst forms of child labor--hazardous work, forced labor, very young working children, girls and street children. Initially, she was worried about whether or not she would be able to manage the full-time assignment, but she decided to give it a try. She says, "It was a dream come true to be able to work for a social cause, especially one targeting the elimination of child labor. Exploitative child labor is one of the biggest scourges in any community, society or country. It is very painful to see adults and even other children treat unfortunate child workers with contempt and exploit them mercilessly. It was very clear that we needed to do something immediately to change the situation and to ensure that every child had a right to food, shelter and education and the right to live with dignity."
Visiting project areas for the ILO project (1997)
Inspired by the Buddhist belief that one can change one's karma and the circumstances of one's life in this lifetime, Ms. Sarin plunged wholeheartedly into her work, meeting with representatives of NGOs and other civil society organizations and explaining to them the actions they must take in order to eradicate child labor.
In the beginning, everything was fine. She could manage her home, her office, her Buddhist and social activities and enjoy them all. Then gradually, as the activities increased, the pressure at work became intolerable. Barely able to keep track of time schedules, she kept juggling appointments, and her relationships with people suffered. Her health also deteriorated. She had constant pain in her back, abdomen and legs, and the doctors couldn't diagnose the cause. Eventually, they discovered that she had tuberculosis of the pelvic bone. Ms. Sarin recalls, "During all that time I never lost the will to work for the ILO or to do Buddhist activities. Both were equally important for me. I knew that if I continued with my Buddhist practice, I would be able to muster the life force to get through the day--come what may." Once the cause of her sickness was diagnosed and she began taking medicine, she was on the road to recovery. Things suddenly took a turn for the better: her health improved; strained relationships turned into friendships; again, work became manageable.
Visiting project areas for the ILO project (1997)
In mid-1998, Ms. Sarin became involved in formulating a project on the elimination of child labor in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Based on her belief in the Buddhist admonition that evil has to be eradicated from its roots, she offered fervent prayers for the success of the IPEC program; that is, that the scourge of child labor be rooted out of society and that each and every child be entitled to the right to happiness and a holistic education. This was the first time that the scope of a project was formulated to cover an entire Indian state rather than focus only on a small area or city. Through this project, the ILO heightened awareness of child labor in Andhra Pradesh and is progressively striving to eradicate its most hazardous and exploitative forms.
She is happy to be associated with this innovative initiative in Andhra Pradesh. As a program officer, she will be stationed in the New Delhi office, while the rest of the team will be operating from Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. She will be responsible for the programming and financial work related to the project and will also provide advisory support to the implementing agencies associated with it.
Visiting project areas for the ILO project (1997)
Ms. Sarin's level of activity and responsibility has increased in both the ILO and the SGI, but she no longer feels that she is simply coping with a difficult situation. She says, "Thanks to my practice of Buddhism, I have developed the necessary confidence and life force to carry out my responsibilities joyfully. My biggest dream is to see child labor eradicated not only from India but also from the rest of the world." She is doing her part to ensure that each child has a happy childhood and gets the basic necessities of life. She believes that in order for parents to be capable of providing those basic necessities for their children, they must have "decent work" and an awareness that their children are the future of their society, country and the world. Children need to be taken care of for the future--their future and our future.
She says, "I always pray to be healthy in mind and body and to be able to work in society for its betterment with a 'hands on' attitude rather than waiting, watching and commenting from the sidelines. It is a tremendous responsibility since, in doing so, one touches many people's lives. I would like that touch to matter--to change people's lives for the better."
