Our Volunteers
Our volunteers over the years who gave us their time and hearts to nurture Vishwas and reach out to people who needed us.
Annam
I joined Vishwas to understand how to reach out to people which was always my aim.
I developed the skills slowly by observing my colleagues and sharing with them. I feel sharing genuinely, taking criticism in the right way and being open to learn really helps to develop the right skills.
There were ups and downs in my journey in Vishwas and am thankful to Vishwas for this wonderful journey. Determination to reach out to people gave me the strength to continue in this field. Now it gives me immense pleasure to be in Vishwas.
Anuradha
We are familiar with the phrase, “God helps those who help themselves”. We remember this when we have something going our way.
But what do you do when you do not know how to help yourself? Or , you don’t know if there is a concern which needs to be addressed? We have been there. Frequently getting angry for issues which seem trivial to others… feeling dejected or sad but unable to find its reason?
From my high school days, I had a goal to help people who can’t help themselves. At that point of time, it seemed vague or unclear or unattainable as I didn’t know any tried and tested method of achieving it. I wanted to help all such people. I didn’t know the path, but I had to do it.
Then came along Vishwas.
I knew that I had the commitment and discipline but needed someone to show me the steps. They took me in, just a lay person with a vision to help. They trained me well to achieve my long-lost dream.
Thank you Vishwas for empowering me with humility and empathy. More importantly, for making me a better person, better daughter, better colleague and overall a better individual.
Ashwini Kalkur
A person’s most useful asset is not a head full of knowledge but a heart full of love, an ear ready to listen and a hand willing to help others” Unknown
And this is precisely what Vishwas gives me the opportunity to engage in and I am grateful for that.
The journey with Vishwas has led me believe and realize that reaching out to someone might not change the whole world BUT it could change the world for that one person. This gives me and the other volunteers the vigour to tread ahead.
I am unabashedly proud to be associated with a voluntary organization like Vishwas that provides FREE counselling for those in need.
Girish
The day I came to know about Vishwas and their counseling process I was very keen to join the organization. Subsequently I went through an intense training program.
The day arrived when I had to do a one on one counseling session all by myself and that is when I realized how difficult it is to counsel others. Acceptance, and empathy are all easy to understand in theory but difficult to practice. In the process of counseling I am helping myself as well, as I had been told by Ramesh. My relationship with my family, relatives, friends and others have improved for the better due to Vishwas.
Gopal
One of the question that I keep reflecting is “How do you like to be remembered after you are gone?” This has been the question that enabled me to join Vishwas. By being there for someone I feel I am making a difference not only to others but for myself too. Vishwas has been a wonderful platform to do this. The journey in Vishwas has helped me discover myself. I have started appreciating the aspects of life that I had probably not given a second thought earlier. Thanks to Vishwas and my colleagues for their support and encouragement.
Gururaj
My journey through Vishwas can be summed up in simple words as “Self Help by helping others”. As life went on I realized that former was more than the latter. It all started in November 1995 through the 7th Training programme. I will always cherish memories of these eleven days. Vishwas has become a part of my life for all the gifts and values it has bestowed upon me. I have seen lot of people walking into our centre
and helping themselves to lead a better life.
I am not sure of my contribution to Vishwas but absolutely sure of what Vishwas has contributed to my life. The whole experience is so fulfilling.
Indu
“Empathy is…communicating that incredibly healing message of ‘you are not alone’ ”
-Brene Brown
This, to me sums up what Vishwas is doing for people as an organisation.
With time to spare and thoughts of giving back to society, I took a friend’s suggestion to think about volunteering with Vishwas. It’s been a journey of many learnings.
Equipped by comprehensive training in counselling skills along with learning sessions and continued guidance from the committed senior “Vishwasians”, I am taking baby steps on this path of nobility.
While volunteering is about helping other people, it has in turn helped me in better self discovery, humbled me and has given me a sense of purpose.
Thanks to everyone at Vishwas for all the help, guidance and acceptance extended to me.
More strength to this tribe of helping people at Vishwas.
Jayalakshmi
As the years went by, I started feeling “What am I doing”? After joining Vishwas, I found a purpose in my life. I am learning what life is all about by listening to people who walk into Vishwas. Thanks to Vishwas for helping me to grow.
The service we render to others is really the rent we pay for our home on this earth. Vishwas has shown me the way. I have great reverence for Vishwas and its founders for trusting me and providing an opportunity to be part of Vishwas.”
Nanda
Neeta
I’ve been with Vishwas since the last 3 1/2 yrs and my journey has been wonderful & very satisfying. It started with my training, learning a new approach to counseling has impacted my thinking and so my personal life too. I also gained a big support system at Vishwas and speaking to and listening to their experiences and their outlook is an experience in itself.
As we listen to callers and help them clear the Clouds, Vishwas has done the same for me.
I see things more objectively. I’m less judgmental. I have learnt & am still learning to be happy with myself.
Prabhavathi
What does Vishwas mean to me? Simple, it means Vishwas! Vishwas in myself to be able to reach out to those in need and do my bit. This empowering starts with the strong foundation laid by the initial training program, which is then followed up on the job through various modes of continuous improvement programs like continuous feedback mechanisms, expert-led learning programs, peer networking etc. What is amazing is the rigour with which this voluntary organisation is run – be it the processes or the discipline or the singular focus on the callers – all in a friendly, vibrant and positive ambience. The commitment and dedication of the founders and all volunteers is truly astounding. We see all 3Cs – Competence, Commitment and Consistency – in action day in and day out. No wonder Vishwas is 29 years old. I am mighty proud to be part of Vishwas. I go there to help others but I have realised that I get helped a lot in the whole process. It’s truly an enriching experience to be part of Vishwas.
Padma
Anybody, who would ask me, when I was a small girl “what are you going to become”, would get a definite answer ´DOCTOR´. Even though I could not become a doctor, I feel I have more than realised my dream of healing people by working with my callers in Vishwas.
My journey of Vishwas began about 12 yrs back when I started the training programme at Vishwas and I feel grateful that I got an opportunity to do this job. I am what I am today because of Vishwas.
Radhika
Being at Vishwas is as normal as breathing now. I’m just very proud to be part of the 21 years of Vishwas’s
commitment to voluntary counseling.
In the initial part of my decade long association with Vishwas, the commitment weighed on me.
However, the commitment of the veterans and the faces of my callers would give me the strength to step out of home and walk in with a smile.
To me, Vishwas is very personal. It allowed me to fulfill possibly my life’s
purpose and provided a happy place and group of people to be associated with.
Rakesh
I signed up as a Volunteer for Vishwas last year and it has been nothing less than an awakening for me personally. The training program helped me not only learn the process of counselling but also an important and often ignored facet of life – empathy and listening towards others. Vishwas made me more aware of myself and taught me that it is OK to feel vulnerable and seek help.
I look forward to coming to Vishwas every week. The organization is designed in such a way that as a volunteer, I am encouraged to keep improving myself so that I can offer better help to my callers. I have an experienced supervisor who is available to clear my doubts, wonderful fellow volunteers from various walks of life, many of who have been associated with Vishwas for more than a decade now, monthly meetings where we meet an expert on a topic related to mental wellness and finally, an ocean of books in our center to devour on related topics.
The organization runs like clockwork and is a shining example of how a non-profit organization can change the world. I can only but feel grateful that I am a part of Vishwas.
Ramesh
Twenty years is a long time in the life of any organisation. It is more so for a not for profit organisation like Vishwas which was a sort of trend setter to extend free and confidential services to help people in emotional stress. It is quite amazing to imagine now that Vishwas came into being purely by chance thanks to the initiative of Lata Jagannathan of Bangalore Medical Trust (more popularly known as TTK Blood Bank) and Kishore Rao of Karunashraya and the first training programme for lay volunteers conducted by PRN Murthy in June 1991. From 29 August 1991 till today the journey has been exciting, satisfying and rewarding.
Srivatsa
Vishwas has helped me to become an effective communicator with an ability to listen. It has helped me to create support groups and network that I can rely on to help me effectively balance my priorities – family, career, friends. It has helped me to admit mistakes, learn from them, remain open to make midcourse corrections with humility and passion.
Srividya
Vishwas, for me has been a 12 years journey of trust, faith and belief; that has opened a new world for me. My joy knows no bounds when in few days to a few weeks, I see tangible changes in those who come to Vishwas looking for help to solve their life’s problems.
I have benefitted the most: I feel I have become a better friend, a better daughter, a better colleague, a better human being. Here is my expression of Gratitude to all my Gurus; my family, my colleagues, my friends and my managers for their support in this
journey.
Sudarshan
My intention to join Vishwas was to see how to put into practice that I had learnt in theory through formal education. But what happened later is fulfilling and I did not anticipate at that time. This volunteering effort continues to heal my life.
After the experiential training at Vishwas, I joined as a volunteer in June, 2015. The counseling methodology followed by Vishwas was something I was naturally attracted during formal education studies too. I soon realized Vishwas has put in a matured working model with continuous learning through monthly volunteers meetings & weekly supervisions and is no less than a professional setup.
In summary, the whole experience is learning with humility, while being there as a mere catalyst.
Susheela
Surekha
Vishwas has positively impacted me in more ways than one.
Here, I have learnt that though I can never really change anyone, I can help. I can be a resource. I can nurture, listen to, empathise, understand, serve, sacrifice, appreciate, accept and affirm. I can provide the opportunity, the nurturance and the encouragement.
And as I endeavour to bring comfort to the anguished lives I am privileged to touch, I with reverence and gratitude in my heart say to Vishwas, ”You lift me and I lift thee, and together we ascend”.
Sanjay
My intention to join Vishwas was to see how to put into practice that I had learnt in theory through formal education. But what happened later is fulfilling and I did not anticipate at that time. This volunteering effort continues to heal my life.
After the experiential training imparted at Vishwas, I joined as a volunteer. The counseling methodology followed by Vishwas was something I was naturally attracted to during formal education studies too. I soon realized Vishwas has put in a matured working model with continuous learning through monthly volunteers meetings and weekly supervisions and is no less than a professional setup.
In summary, the whole experience is learning with humility, while being there as a mere catalyst.
Thangam
Reminiscence of a path I have followed over the last 22 years with passion and perseverance. Vishwas to me has become my way of life. This most satisfying and fascinating journey has made me the biggest beneficiary. It has awakened me to understanding the uniqueness of human minds and their behaviors. I have moved away from taking stands of right and wrong to accepting and realizing that there are many perspectives. The challenge is to tune in to the right frequency of these perspectives be it – a couple, a family or a work situation.
I want to use this opportunity to thank each one of my colleagues for their faith and support they had in me over the years. I truly believe that Vishwas wouldn’t exist but for this support. I would also like to express a deep sense of affection and gratitude that the people I reached out to have bestowed on me. Their good wishes and positivity keeps me going until today.
And to Vishwas all I want to say is you taught me commitment, discipline, empathy and humility.
I salute YOU.
Vimala
Two of my best friends who were callers at Vishwas introduced me to the organization. I was asked to join the Indiranagar center to begin with, under senior supervision.
I have been on the journey with Vishwas for eleven years now. Watching someone helping themself gives me new ideas to improve myself. I take this opportunity to thank Vishwas and the people that make up this organization for being a beacon of light and strength for us all.
Vijaya Pai
Vishwas has impacted me profoundly. I gained confidence and the ability to appreciate problems and think of possible solutions. I learnt to concentrate more on the person than the problem. It has helped me to realize that every issue has another perspective. I learnt to be a better listener without rushing to any conclusion. I came to understand that one should not judge any person or situation harshly or hastily.
Life is to be lived. And sharing is living. This is what we endeavour to do in Vishwas.
I am proud to be part of Vishwas family.
Ashwini
I joined Vishwas with the intention to help people and give something back to society in a way I can. Training and association with Vishwas has given me the platform to work towards my small contribution towards society. In this enriching journey, I have realised the immense impact on a person by just being genuine, listen without judging and provide unconditional support.
As I walk along this path, interacting with callers has also helped me to introspect myself and gradually work towards becoming a better person. Furthermore, the constant support and guidance from my colleagues is helping me to stay motivated, positive and have a fulfilling experience in this organisation
Surekha Bhat
Having raised two teenagers and simultaneously cared for elderly in law’s and parents gave me lot of perspective in life. I wanted to help those who need emotional support dealing with these issues. I wanted to learn the techniques and insights for doing effective counselling. Vishwas provided me the perfect opportunity to learn, understand the nuances on how to deal with the counselling intricacies. Viswas’s training was very interactive and insightful. It provided me completely different perspective on how to deal with emotional issues. I realised that I have lot to learn but I am confident that I can do so with guidance from Vishwas. I would like to thank all mentors who took time to guide and help me.
Haripriya
Use your voice for Kindness, your ears for compassion, your hands for extending help, your mind for truth and your heart for love.
And that is what empathy is all about. Love and compassion towards the entire creation, every soul, has the strength to heal the whole planet. And that brings a realization that, by being all of this, we not only help ourselves, but also become effective in spreading positivity all around us.
The training sessions and interactions with other “Vishwasians” has been so profound and intuitive that it helped break open many barriers and empowered me from within.
Like somebody rightly said, life is a sojourn on the planet and service is the rent you pay, it is indeed a noble character building experience to be of help to the society with utmost humility and respect for every individual – a sublimation of the inner self.
Shraddha Vasanth
As I reflected about life, there was a question within “how do I make my life meaningful?” It was this quest that led me to Vishwas. And Vishwas, to me means just that – Vishwas! Trust that the callers repose in us!
My journey so far has been very enriching. The training program was a great learning experience – about myself, about people, relationships and counselling. The primary focus is to help the callers and, in the process, also refine ourselves as human beings. The internal processes are very meticulously designed to ensure that callers get all the help they need. The rigour and commitment of the founders and volunteers is truly inspiring!
I’m very happy to be a part of Vishwas and look forward to a long and fulfilling journey.!
Sindhu
Vishwas is an ongoing journey of learning for me. The training was personally enriching in honing awareness towards judgements and perceptions which shape our responses and approach in daily life. It provides an opportunity to contribute towards the society by offering a safe and empathetic space for people in situational anguish and the power of listening with unconditional support. The methodology followed in Vishwas instills a sense of commitment and discipline while facilitating a mutually collaborative process of acceptance and empathy. I look forward to this learning experience and feel privileged to be a part of Vishwas.