An alternative kind of annual celebration, World Transformation Day 2020 #WTD2020 took place on Sunday 5th April across “6 continents with many people from a variety of different backgrounds coming together to make a difference.” Co-founder, Harinder, told us “the aim of the day is to allow people across the globe to make a difference to others” .The founders want to popularise this philanthropic movement in the same way as Valentine’s or Mother’s Day. The unique event is an entire day dedicated to constructively compassionate acts that honour oneself as well as the wider community. “We want to create a long-term, ripple effect. Outside of a Lockdown scenario, we have encouraged people for example to go into their local community e.g. homeless shelters to help, visit old people’s homes or participate at home e.g. invite friends to do group yoga or meditation together.”***At the time of the Coronavirus, three simple steps have been followed to take part globally. Harinder explained: “acknowledgement of someone on social media who has made a difference to your life, tagging them via the #WTD2020 hashtag; taking on a fun challenge to break through a comfort zone, filming this and posting it also adding the tag; sharing a personal journey or inspiring insight with people socially via written, audio or video format, again with the tag.” Interestingly, the second step helps raise money for the World Transformation Academy: the vision from which the central World Transformation Organisation grew. You can donate to this by visiting the website: http://link.wtohub.org/give.htmlWhen World Transformation Day first launched, Harinder wanted to start by making a meaningful reflective change in the neglected parts of his home country. “We wanted to introduce mindfulness to the people on the streets. We didn’t want circumstance to limit access to this precious resource. As a result, we worked with organisations and NGOs to provide food and shelter alongside classes to foster personal development at the heart of the slums as an integral part of launching WTD back in 2018.” Two years on, this has evolved into a thriving Academy where underprivileged families regularly attend to enjoy the meditation, life coaching and yoga classes. “We have 500 people per month on this incredible programme. Seeing the serenity on people’s faces has been a transformation in itself. The Academy provides those steadying moments of solace, which everyone deserves. Whether it is in extreme poverty or the fast-moving first world, or in fact together in a pandemic: we need to be able to stop and separate from the stress.”Indeed, WTD salutes a wonderful universality that celebrates inner peace as the fundamental security. “Actually, the best way to change the world for the better,” Harinder emphasised, “is to have people change themselves. They can then appreciate their lives, naturally wanting to contribute their piece to the planet.” He proudly reported: “the number of participants for World Transformation Day is only growing, aiming at 1 million people, this year.” Harinder, whose background is in optometry, has also founded Visioncare for homeless people, a free eye testing and glasses service for the homeless in the UK. “The idea of bringing people closer to themselves, and introducing joy has been my primary passion through life. WTD powerfully raises this awareness. The hope is to globally shift consciousness towards the humanly progressive practice of personal development. We want people to be able to be happy in themselves – embracing the difficulties in their lives, spreading loving and healing energy to others.” And so, in a world so otherwise fixated on the external and sometimes indifferently pragmatic, Harinder helps by bringing the focus positively inwards. “Enlightenment is accepting who you are in the present; remembering who you are now.”Tell us more on #WTD2020?As well as bringing together lots of people in the spirit of personal development, we’ve had motivational speakers and celebrities joining the movement to give their own special messages online! We’ve had: John Demartini, Dr Stan Harris, Zac Knight the singer, Shin of the DCS Bhangra Group, Channi Singh of Alaap Bhangra Group, Slinder Pardesi of the Pardesi Bhangra Group, Billy Schwer, the Boxer, Ayse Tolga, a Turkish actress and change maker, and Nevsah, a Turkish celebrity.Also, in the next few weeks we will be launching an online platform similar to Netflix at the time of the virus, www.WeInspireYou.com, which allows people access to videos and podcasts on self development such as advice on relationships and all aspects of personal development run by experts.What’s been a highlight moment with the World Transformation Academy?The testimonials where we’ve massively changed people’s outlooks. There was woman who was tragically enduring an alcoholic husband and had been on the verge of suicide. The mediation and yoga classes gave her an internal peace of mind. She could cope.Finally, do you think the privileged have a duty to give to those less fortunate?I don’t think it’s an imperative. I think wanting to give should come organically, and happens at different points for different people.#WTD2020
