They arrived at midday and had a company-related workshop which lasted a few hours, after which they were given a short tour of Nectar of Love, seeing the various forms of service that the team was engaging in (for example Narayana Seva, mobile medical unit, radio station and the organising of events and conferences). The youth then talked about their way of doing selfless service, stating some of the needs and problems that people are facing, explaining that this philosophy is a fundamental part of their lives and that they have been doing it for decades. They also explained how service can help the employees to bond better as a team, because it develops good qualities in them. From their side, the Microsoft employees were surprised to see that everything was set up and has been running without relying on any external sources of finance, be it companies, European programmes , organisations or private financers and that no one is working or being paid to run any of these operations, but rather that people are giving a large amount of time and effort simply in order to help and serve others.

 

At around 4:00 pm, it was time to begin cooking. The youth had prepared vegetables and ingredients to feed around 400 people. It was surprising and delightful to see the employees practice teamwork and cooperation in a different environment. Within minutes they had already broken up the process of cutting and preparing the vegetables, and began working as it if were an organised production line, with one person passing on the process to the next person. Swami’s presence was felt in the atmosphere of unity and joy. After cooking and packaging the food, everyone delighted in eating in the tasty dish that had been prepared, before going on to deliver it to those in need.

 

There was a lot of joy overall, as many of them were reminded of their younger days cooking in the army together. It was fulfilling to see that Nectar of Love was able to serve as an environment to further increase the employees bonding as a team, as they worked together and used their skillset to serve others selflessly. After all, that is the vision for Nectar of Love, to promote selfless service as a necessity in people’s lives, and to provide an environment where people will have the opportunity to engage in a wide range of activities that will benefit society, but more importantly, their own selves. Through collaborations with other organisations, municipalities and companies, the youth are hoping that more and more people will come to know the sweetness of love in action.