What I learnt being a part of a Nobel Peace Prize contender

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Editor's note: I was on my way back after a day of teaching at Ashoka University last week when I noticed a group of young people with half-empty backpacks at the Jahangirpuri metro station in north Delhi. They were in a loose huddle and something about their energy caught my attention. One of them broke away and came towards me. “Ma’am, are you a member of Karwan-e-Mohabbat?” she asked me. I nodded a yes. “I follow your work, we really like the videos you share,” she said. “You are Natasha Bad…” She paused to let me help her with my uncommon second name. “Are you students of Ashoka?” I asked. “No, ma’am. Jindal University,” she said. “You are in Ashoka?” “Yes,” I said and we chatted a bit about our courses. I had a long commute ahead of me, but this small interaction energized me. It is easy to forget that the work we do has an impact. Perhaps it is also necessary to not obsess with outcomes. When we invest ourselves in long-term projects, it is important to keep one’s focus …