Prathamesh Kadam - Dharashiv, Maharashtra

 

My Journey with LMAD – From Darkness to Light

I still remember the date — 1st June 2022

That’s the day my sister enrolled me for a conference called “Let’s Make A Difference” (LMAD) at Asia Plateau, Panchgani. Honestly, I had no clue what this 8-day conference was about. I didn’t go by choice. I just trusted my sister. She had attended LMAD way back in 2007 and 2011 in Baramati, and even after so many years, she still carried that light inside her. She used to say, "Only this conference can open your eyes."

At that time, I was in a really dark phase of life. I was trying to heal from something that had shattered me. Someone close had promised to be with me forever  and broke that promise. I had built my whole world around that person and when things ended, it felt like everything collapsed: my goals, my confidence, my direction. I was living in a cloud of confusion and fear. I had almost convinced myself that I had lost everything.

In the age when I should’ve been focusing on my career, I was drowning emotionally. I stopped thinking about my family. I wasn’t mature enough to understand what I was doing. I was lost.

And then… LMAD happened.

In the first session, I heard about this thing called Quiet Time where you sit in silence and reflect. I had never done anything like that before. But when I tried it, something inside me shifted. I started thinking about my mistakes… how I hurt myself, and how my actions affected my family who only ever wanted me to be happy.

For the first time, I felt regret. Real regret. And that regret became the beginning of change.

As each day passed in the conference, I was going deeper into myself. I wasn’t mixing much with others. I was just staying close to myself — facing my pain, my past, my decisions. But the environment around me was so pure. The volunteers, the energy, the honesty — it was something else. It felt like I was in the right place, at the right time.

Then I came to know about LMAD’s Fellowship Program a group of six youngsters had given 7 months of their life to serve this movement. I saw them, full of energy, purpose, and clarity. That was the moment I was sitting on the last bench in the hall and I said to myself:

“One day, I will be on that stage.”

The seventh day of the conference hit me hard. The fellows shared their journey, and I could see myself in their stories. It gave me hope. That hope turned into strength.

On the eighth and final day, I felt lighter — like a big load was lifted from me. I had cried, reflected, written letters to my past self, and forgiven myself. I made real commitments to myself. I didn’t want to go back to the same old life. I wanted to walk a new path.

And I did.

After the conference, I started working as a lecturer. Along with my job, I continued Quiet Time every day. Slowly, things started falling into place. I got a chance to volunteer in LMAD's regional conferences in Bhanpura and Jamshedpur. While talking to students there, I saw the same pain and confusion I had once faced. And I was able to guide them — not because I had all the answers, but because I had walked the same path.

Then came the December Workshop — a more intense and serious space. That workshop helped me go even deeper within. I understood my patterns, fears, and values more clearly. It was like cleaning up my inner home.

During one conversation, I casually told Viral Sir that I wanted to do the fellowship. He didn’t say much then. But days later, he gave me the opportunity.

That was a dream come true.

The 7-month fellowship was one of the most powerful phases of my life. Every morning started with Quiet Time and yoga. We worked with the LMAD core team, planning and executing 11 events across India. I interacted with 2200+ participants, each with their own story. I learned so much from each person I met.

We also got to meet and learn from people in high positions — IAS officers, founders, leaders, and changemakers. But the biggest learning was not from their titles — it was from their simplicity, calmness, humility, and the way they served others.

In those 7 months, I found something I had lost years ago myself.

After the fellowship, I came back to work this time as a Site Engineer. But I was not the same person. I had clarity. I had values. I had a purpose. And people started noticing it. My colleagues respected me not just for my work, but for the person I had become. That’s what LMAD gifted me — a new identity rooted in truth.

And life kept blessing me.

I got married. And guess what? My LMAD friends — from all across India — came for my wedding. That’s the kind of family LMAD gave me. These are not just friendships; they are lifelong bonds.

My wife Aishwarya saw the change in me. She supported me throughout. And post-marriage, she attended the LMAD conference too. That was a full circle moment for me.

Today, whenever someone appreciates me in society, I know deep down that the credit goes to LMAD and my parents. They brought me to this path and helped me stay on it.

I still do Quiet Time. I still introspect. I still live with the values I picked up in those 8 days in June 2022.

To Viral Sir — thank you for believing in me when I didn’t believe in myself. You have been more than a mentor — you’ve been a guiding light.

To my LMAD family — thank you for standing by me in my worst and best times.

And to anyone reading this  if you’re feeling lost, just trust the process. Sit in silence. Listen to yourself. The answers are all inside. LMAD will just help you hear them.