Surya performing a dance based on a story about a farmer in ancient times how is beseiged with problems that he eventually is delivered from by devine intervention. The story goes on for an hour and the dance is elaborate with subtle hand gestures and precise movements of the feet. Surya knew the dance by heart and several others that he performed at night after the conference discussions had ended.


Surya's story was entrancing. He had been offered a kind of gift. Living as remotely as he does you would not expect him to have personnel access to someone like Bill Mollison, but the fact that he was in the right place at the right time and was able to meet Mollison, exchange some ideas, and come away from that brief meeting a changed man, is remarkable.



Like Laljahri, Surya had been catalyzed by both the meeiting with Mollison and by an spark he contained within himself, curiosity perhaps. He had become an agent of change. Like Laljahri and Renu he was inspired, passionate, intuitive, and bold. Like Laljahri and Renu, too, he possessed the courage to go against what is conventional, "go against the grain" as we say. In his case he's gone against traditional Nepali culture, particularly it's patriarchial structure and tradition. He’s a revolutionary.

Aas I've already mentioned, Surya brought to the conference a much needed practicality and wisdom based on his years of experience as a hill farmer. He helped ground the conference in reality, helped bring it back to the basics, back down to earth. He contributed knowledge which he was able to share in an open, patient way that was refreshing. Like Renu and Laljahri, he "added his light to the sum of light" and created deeper understanding. Like Renu and Laljarhri, he emerged as a leader of the conference.

I refer to this group as "The Gang". From left to right, Suvenda, Renu, Laljahri, Surya, and Anil. This was the group that spoke to the more difficult issues, the challenging questions regarding sustainability and globalization, during the conference, and who showed initiative, leadership, and creativity. It was an honor for me to be there with them.