Seva: The Heartbeat of My Academic Journey

Seva, the act of selfless service, has been an integral aspect of my life since I visited  the SRMD Ashram in Gujarat, India, in March 2021. Since then, years of seva have developed my interests in various academic areas; from technology to marketing, programming to business organization;  seva has exposed me to many new fields.

At the age of 13, I joined SRMD’s Audio-Visual (AV) department, a small volunteering team to  amplify the mission’s online presence. As a budding online producer, my early projects included mostly travel highlights along with amateur films featuring my siblings . This  was my first venture into a corporate setting. I focused on a video editing role within the languages department. This experience widened my understanding of different languages and cultures. Seva further deepened my interest in  global dialects, molding me into a multi-linguist. My passion for Spanish grew during this time, leading me to choose it as a GCSE subject. I worked hard on the subject, resulting in me taking the final exam a year early!

My role was to convert the mission’s original Gujarati self-development content on YouTube to other languages for foreign followers. My basic knowledge of video editing was inadequate for this as the process of preparing videos is complex. I was determined to learn this, thus  within a week,  I started a crash course on animating with Adobe After Effects. I realized how powerful professional-level animating applications were as they made my laptop crash. Learning to work with After Effects has been one of my favorite  benefits of doing seva; it is a rare skill indeed. 

As expected, I faced several challenges. Sometimes, Premiere Pro stopped working, audio channels glitched, even keyboard shortcuts malfunctioned, but each problem had a solution. I imbibed skills about working with complicated programs, deepening my passion for editing evermore. My efficiency also increased as I saw that I could complete the animation of a one-minute reel in ten minutes that previously took 2 hours. This achievement not only made me satisfied but also proud.   

Through seva, I have learned the value of time management , while working with dozens of videos in multiple languages. Despite my heavy school schedule, I managed my stress by taking things positively. This made me rethink my working style, leading to improved productivity. I have reduced my procrastination, which has been key to my success with school projects. This has resulted in a fine balance of work and play, which continues to today.

My interest in management was sparked when I organized the SRMD’s massive online database. The way I handled the database from low-resolution files to drafts made me realize the leadership qualities I had. Within seva itself, I have progressed to become a lead video editor, training other sevaks to edit videos while maintaining standardized  export formats, video bitrates, and nomenclature. The leadership skills gained through seva have been vital to making me the student leader I am today.

Reflecting on my experiences in seva, I am grateful for the exposure I have received. The experience not only taught me valuable skills but has also left me amazed by the exposure I have received to the corporate world. My role as volunteer has taken me not only deep into high-quality video-editing, but into broader aspects of social media marketing and online design. The holistic experience of working in a group and organization has given me great, transferable, work skills. The last 3 years of seva have undoubtedly developed my academic interests in technology, so I can confidently call myself a "tech guru"!