Weaving in community and connection at the Himadri Hans Handloom
On a recent trip to India, I was struck by how powerful the connection between humans can be and how - sadly - we, in our North American workplaces and lives, simply don’t do enough of this. By missing out on these golden opportunities, we’re depriving ourselves of finding more overall well-being, and we’re also inhibiting our ability to drive greater success.
Two instances where this lesson was made clear to me.
I had the honour of visiting a temple in Jaipur along with hundreds of others at worship. It was a exhilarating occasion of clapping, singing and dancing - a true celebration of spirituality in joyous community. The most moving part for me was how welcomed my friends and I – obvious outsiders - were made to feel in this space. So many people came up to us – women in particular – and held our hands while meeting us with warm gazes and open smiles. They simply wanted to connect – introduce us to their families, learn where we came from, find common ground. It was deeply moving and so strange to experience communion with these beautiful strangers.
I also observed connection in workplace during my travels. We visited the Himadri Hans Handloom centre near Almora in the Himalayan region of rural India. Here women artisans weave beautiful, one-of-a-kind textiles for sale to the international market. As we walked into the facility, we were met by a cacophony of sounds; the slap of handlooms and the whir of spinning wheels. And rising above it all was the chatter and laughter of dozens of women at work. As we toured the centre, we were amazed to see women industrious and in flow creating stunning scarves and stoles while connecting joyfully with one another. I don’t know what they were discussing, and it didn’t even matter. They were so clearly a social community as tightly woven as the textiles they were creating.
These two experiences resonated so strongly with me because of how much of this deep connection we lack in our lives and at work. When is the last time you felt profound fellowship with a stranger? When is the last time you felt in flow and deeply connected with your colleagues and teams at work? And more importantly, when is the last time you deliberately made an effort to enhance that feeling of connection in your own life and the lives of others?
The fact is that if we can find a way to do this more, we will feel better as human beings. Connection makes us happier people. And when we feel better, we are more engaged, more productive and more creative. This is good for us and great for the businesses we run and the organizations where we work that will see better bottom-line results. So, it simply makes sense for us as individuals to connect meaningfully with others more often – our families, strangers and the people with whom we work. Challenge yourself to do more of this everyday and then notice how good you feel.