What are Aastha's Programmes all about? There is a story about Birbal who was walking home one evening, when he saw a group of people searching for a valuable ring under a street lamp. Birbal joined them in the search. After some futile crawling around on his knees and peering, it struck him to ask them, "where was the ring lost?" "Out there", one of them pointed. Then why are you searching for it here?" "Oh well" one of them said, " it is dark over there, and there is light here" Almost all of us want to learn, grow, be successful, be happy.. there is always something we want, even if it is the status quo!! Many of us are content to accept what life or fate doles out to us, and structure what we want within these "givens". Some of us take it upon ourselves to search for what we want. And then, most often we search in places we are familiar with, with a few people we are comfortable with. In places where there is light... The Aastha beckoning is to do a bit of searching in the darkness, in unknown areas and in unfamiliar ways. Invariably, if our search leads to real meaningfulness or transformation, it is because we free ourselves to get our own insights, to choose our own kind of adventure or direction. The Aastha programme offers a setting and the company of co-searchers, some invitations, perspectives, concepts of the self, organizations, human groups... and some triggers... what you do with them is entirely up to you.