Taka-story

TAKA | BOGOR

When the first time I got introduced to Bamboo community, I instantly feel connected to its principles of simple living, solidarity and contemplations. Principles which have been tickling my heart since my childhood and grow strongly day by day.

I guess contemplation is one thing which naturally flow since I was a kid. With the thought of being ‘the ugly duck’, when I was little I love to spend my time in solitude watching and observing nature. Drawing, making crafts, writing – expressing feelings and thoughts that I have in the way that I like and keep it only for myself. I only have ‘God’ as my friend – off course, at that childhood days, with the understanding that I have as kid about who God is. ‘God never punish’ is the strongest feeling that I have about that Entity.

Brought up as Moslem in a unique parents: free-thought mother and conservative father, helped shaping myself to be who I am right now. Not this or that, but to be the ‘or’. What I learned since my childhood, choosing to be the “or” need strong roots of faith in the self and in God in His purest and original quality of entity.

Grown up chosing to be the ‘or’, make my eyes observed and my feelings drawn to people who are not ‘in the flock’, those who are less seen, heard, protected, trusted, cared for , work with, power. Choosing to be ‘the or’ is the instrument of growing and nurturing the solidarity in me.

In my line of work, listening and understanding the feeling and opinion of people from different nation, creed, race are the core of what I am doing. To put myself in the shoes of people who forced to flee their country mostly because the first three, from five, grounds of persecution acknowledged under the 1951 Convention of refugees: Race, Religion, Nationality.

Through the experiences of learning with and from the asylum seekers and refugees, mostly forcibly free for their life from their country for their ethnicity and creed, I must take myself beyond my thoughts shaped by the environment around me. Reconnect with the original me and continuosly checking with the Eternal Companion. Challenge myself to reflect and express the deeper meaning of solidarity. Break all seen and unseen barriers in this world that make human being apart from each other. To see more to the life within the human not to the vessel hold the life. To see more with the eyes of the heart and building communication more to heart-to-heart conversation. To see more the essence of a human being. No matter what the human is doing, even the worst, the essence of life force within is always goodness, positive quality.

Those experiences that I had through reconnect continuously with myself and The One and dive more deeply into the true meaning of solidarity, brought me to an insight which bring me more and more to freedom. Live simply. Related to place, people, possession and position - Nothing is mine. All those things can change or gone anytime. I learn to have more less and less desire. All is and will always be provided if I need it and make effort for it.

The more and more I go deeper to myself, the more I found the imperishable treasures which already given by The Generous One. Peace, love, happiness, respect – a lot more others. Each time I refound the gem of the imperishable treasures, I realize more and more of how The Merciful One loves me and already given what I need. Then, what else do I need?

What is left now is sharing the imperishable treasures and remind my fellow human family of their original self as peaceful being and their own natural-innate wealth.

Taka Gani

Taka-Gani-bwTaka Gani has worked with Jesuit Refugee Service since 2003 and is based in Bogor, Indonesia, accompanying urban asylum seekers. Taka is also a volunteer trainer with Living Values Education. Taka is interested in self-development and knowledge through learning with the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University.