Today is October 2nd, Gandhi Jayanthi (Gandhi’s Birthday) and the International Day of Non-Violence. I received an email from Srikanth AP with a greeting card on Non-Violence day. What was interesting was that the card had a quote from Gandhi (one of his very last notes left behind), which i had never heard, and which is extremely profound. 

I did a google on that quote and turns out Larry Brilliant from Google.org has a post on slate where he quotes “Gandhi’s Talisman” as the guiding principle on how google.org chooses projects/initiatives to back. 

Here is the Gandhi Talisman.

I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man [woman] whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him [her]. Will he [she] gain anything by it? Will it restore him [her] to a control over his [her] own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to swaraj [freedom] for the hungry and spiritually starving millions?
Then you will find your doubts and your self melt away.

Thanks Srikanth