26- Binod Rai: Do What You Love and Help Along the Way
Candice Noss: Hello and welcome to the design for greatness, podcast conversations with Candace to help you elevate your mind, body, and spirit, and own your divine greatness. Today you have Episode Number 26 with Bernald Ray. It's about one man's impact on humanity. I love it. I am so happy to introduce you to one of my favorite human beings, Bernad.
Candice Noss: I had the incredible opportunity to lead a Youth League humanitarian team of 29 people to Nepal. This past June and July, and I worked with Benod all year leading up to this trip, and then his team inside Himalaya totally took care of us throughout our 2 weeks of service there.
Candice Noss: and it was incredible, like all humanitarian work, this experience opened hearts connected us so powerfully to the people of Nepal, and ultimately every sacrifice that we made to get there and serve was just absolutely magnified and amplified. Just blessings were showered upon all involved, and that is truly one of my favorite things about humanitarian work.
Candice Noss: My heart is just exploding with gratitude for all of these experience, and especially for Benod, who is a huge piece of making all of it happen. He is the founder and director of insight, Himalaya, which is a trekking company, and he takes people all through the Himalayas. He is the Nepal County Court country coordinator for waves for water, which we will dive a little bit more into in just a minute, and as I alluded to Benad is the in-country coordinator for youth, link
Candice Noss: Benad welcome to the design for greatness. Podcast I am so delighted to have you here.
Rupa Rai: Thank you so much. And Namaste.
Candice Noss: Namaste. I love Namaste, in fact, that was one of my favorite things. Coming home. I actually wrote a whole entire speech about Namaste, and for anyone that doesn't know Namaste means the light in me honors the light in you and
Candice Noss: everyone in Nepal Namaste, when you meet when you leave, it is said, probably a million times a day. I'm exaggerating, maybe just a hundred, but it's said all the time. And so the cool thing is, you're then looking for the light in people that you're honoring every time you say it, and I just I love that.
Rupa Rai: Yes.
Candice Noss: So, Bernad, let's get into what brought you into humanitarian work and kind of give us a little bit of background about how you came to be in this beautiful place where you are able to impact so many people.
Rupa Rai: I think humanitarian work is something that as a family, as a
Rupa Rai: you know, as a Nepali, we.
Rupa Rai: we're always practicing humanitarian work in terms of helping a fellow men being conscious of
Rupa Rai: of those around you, and and then also because of my faith being a Christian.
Rupa Rai: What I learned from the Bible, and also
Rupa Rai: basically being aware of things around around you, helping others, and how to be useful for others was always there. But then, in terms of
Rupa Rai: doing humanitarian projects.
Rupa Rai: That's sort of work only started when I
Rupa Rai: was introduced to the organization called Waves of Water, totally by coincidence.
Rupa Rai: and also by a natural disaster, which was the earthquake of 2,015. In Nepal
Rupa Rai: there was a huge earthquake. We almost ate rector scale
Rupa Rai: and made it to the International News headlines.
Rupa Rai: It was such a big shock.
Rupa Rai: And you know, suddenly, and, as you said earlier, I run a adventure travel company in Nepal.
Rupa Rai: And so we were looking forward to the season coming up, and and this event happens.
Rupa Rai: And while the very next day, when the incident happened, a gentleman called Ryan called me.
Rupa Rai: and he said a friend. He was a client
Rupa Rai: who actually said that he knew of this gentleman called John Rose.
Rupa Rai: who was very keen to come to Nepal. I had heard about John before.
Rupa Rai: but it hadn't stuck in a mind, and, surely enough, a few days later John turned up on the doorstep
Rupa Rai: on my doorstep, and was there with a few 100 water filters.
Rupa Rai: and he wanted my help to
Rupa Rai: distribute water filters in Nepal. So that's how it all began.
Rupa Rai: And so then, at that particular time, I just saw myself as being someone who could be useful for John.
Rupa Rai: I did my my best. I was totally involved with the distribution of the water filters, and then that's how it picked up.
Rupa Rai: But then, with time I
Rupa Rai: I saw how useful the water filter was, and how it was a very useful tool in helping people who were really desperate.
Rupa Rai: And then it also made me understand how water which all of us.
Rupa Rai: especially people in urban areas, especially people who have access to easy access to drinking water, take for granted
Rupa Rai: that how important water was.
Rupa Rai: And so everything suddenly came to light.
Rupa Rai: and I could join the dots.
Rupa Rai: and I've saw how the simple device
Rupa Rai: could be so useful for people, and how people were desperate for
Rupa Rai: portable water, how people were even losing lives.
Rupa Rai: And so that is how I got more and more involved with wastewater.
Rupa Rai: And I really find myself being very grateful to this day, that how?
Rupa Rai: I only the only explanation is hand of God
Rupa Rai: where I got this opportunity to be involved with this. And and I could be very productive.
Rupa Rai: So that's what I've been. Yeah, that's what I've been doing. And then what? As you know that. You know I'm in the travel trade business.
Rupa Rai: I have tried to
Rupa Rai: use the tool in my everyday life, in my business, speak to people, and then, wherever and particularly when we had when we have the youth Link group come over to Nepal.
Rupa Rai: I noticed
Rupa Rai: there was a demand for bottled water. We were camped or we were staying in a remote area, and one of the big key issues was bottled water. And I remember very early on
Rupa Rai: when Youthlink told me that we have a budget for bottled water.
Rupa Rai: and that thing really came to mind said, like, you don't need a budget. You can use the money elsewhere. And he said, Why, why? Why? And he said, because that's what we do in Peru. This is what we do in Thailand. And I said, no, but there's water filters.
Rupa Rai: You save that money. I don't need that water. I will provide portable water. And so that was how it all started with youth link. And then I start thinking like, hang on.
Rupa Rai: Why can't is there any way you can introduce these water filters in other destinations as well? So you use less plastic, and then maybe even give out water filters to the communities you work. And so I was so
Rupa Rai: elated, so happy, when one of the leaders
Rupa Rai: few years ago told me, called me from Vietnam when I was already with a youth Link group in India, saying that you know, by the way we are distributing 20 filters in Vietnam now at the very, at this very moment. This is what I'm doing.
Rupa Rai: And and so that was like.
Candice Noss: It.
Candice Noss: It's absolutely incredible. And water potable water is a basic human need. And so many people are sick, so many people die, so many people struggle because they don't have potable water. In fact, when I was in Kenya that was one of the biggest problems there, and the men would be
Candice Noss: addicted to alcohol because alcohol was actually cheaper than the water, and this was creating all sorts of issues, because then they were drunk, and they actually became infertile, and this huge problem, and so, after I was introduced.
Rupa Rai: Call that.
Candice Noss: Yeah. And i, 1 of the team leaders that went to Kenya this past year. I told her about the water issue there, and she took waves for water waters, filters to Kenya this past year while we were in Nepal, and they were in Kenya, so.
Rupa Rai: Oh!
Candice Noss: The waves for water filters are absolutely incredible. And what a blessing to be able to spend! You know the hundreds of dollars that that we would have spent even just for that one trip where you were able to provide the the water, and we wouldn't have to pay for the bottled water. I mean, it's.
Rupa Rai: Hello!
Rupa Rai: The ripple effect of
Rupa Rai: best part is, it's so easily done, and and and we need to do more of this. But it's a it's a game changer.
Candice Noss: It's a game changer. 100%. And one of the very favorite things that we did was visit the homes in the community there in Nepal, and the kids on our team would then give them all a water filter, and you taught us how to use that water filter. In fact
Candice Noss: I drink. I drank from a from you, took this water, and you put dirt in this water and all sorts of crap in this water, and then you ran it through the filter and I drank it. And I've never yeah. I'm still alive. And I maybe you could share with us about how American tummies are the worst.
Candice Noss: Very good, very good. Yes, I also haven't told you about.
Rupa Rai: How the water filters, too. I I wanted to mention to you 2 things about
Rupa Rai: how the water filter has been very useful, or how this water filter program
Rupa Rai: has been very useful. Even I would call. I would like to call it personal
Rupa Rai: number one. Of course we were able to help till date more than like 50,000 people
Rupa Rai: more.
Rupa Rai: And and so so that is the direct,
Rupa Rai: wonderful effect of the water filters. There's no doubt about that. We need to do more of that. But the other thing that what I, what I've experienced in my business is before we had the water filters, we had the issue of having to boil the water.
Rupa Rai: How do you provide clean water? And you'll be surprised, you think like, Oh, you go up in the mountains you have, you should have access to spring water. So what's the issue? But one of the things that happens in the Himalayas is that one
Rupa Rai: should always be aware that, or one should always think that there's someone above you
Rupa Rai: in the sense that there's always there could be a village above you there could be some grazing animals above you. So in this nice green meadows, with this nice spring water, there are these yaks, and these, you know, lovely animals grazing around. So when they graze on the grass and drink in the water, and the next thing they poo and pee in the water, and then, as the water comes down, this lovely spring water can also have waterborne diseases, and so we.
Rupa Rai: before we had access to the water filters. We used to take the water. Of course, we told the guys get spring water, go further, go 1 h, get clean water. They got the water. They boiled the water. But even though we boiled the water, there was always someone who was ill had a tummy issue which was very frustrating.
Rupa Rai: And and it's funny you mentioned about the American tummy, and I believe the American tummy is the most sensitive of all tummies.
Candice Noss: That's what you told us. Yes.
Rupa Rai: So that's an excellent testing bed.
Rupa Rai: And so the and so when we got the water filters, we put the American tummy to test the water from the water filter. And so, since we've had access to the water filters.
Rupa Rai: kids that are. And also, you know, Western kids from the United States from Canada, kids who probably never been out of the country came with the parents, and it is very important that no one is sick, because in the past. We've had situations where people got ill, and we had to evacuate, you know, let alone someone not having a good holiday, but evacuate the person off the mountain by helicopter. You know, it's a risky.
Rupa Rai: just because, you know, someone got a bad tummy in this pristine mountains. And so once we've had the water filters. There's absolutely no problem with people having tummy problems, and therefore
Rupa Rai: I am very confident when when I when I say that, please don't use bottled water.
Rupa Rai: This water filter, or this water coming out of the filter is is way more than enough.
Rupa Rai: Multiple needs.
Candice Noss: And and like, I say, it's a basic human need that every human being on this planet really should have access to clean water. It's
Candice Noss: it's 1 of the most basic basic needs. And I mean just youth link alone. When we were there, just our one, you know, 15 day trip, we, we were able to give them to 37 families, plus the health clinic. And then a past youthlink trip had given one to the school, and then one of my incredible clients was able to donate one to the whole village. So in just
Candice Noss: I mean, that's an impact of just one trip. But to think of how many over the years you've been able to distribute. It's absolutely incredible.
Rupa Rai: I've I've been.
Rupa Rai: I find myself very grateful because I've been useful for that sort of projects.
Rupa Rai: and of course I've had to travel quite extensively in Southeast Asia as far as Indonesia, down South but even up in China, Mongolia. But some of the toughest areas I've seen is Bangladesh.
Rupa Rai: It's in the slum areas just next to the you know, the big, bustling city of Delhi.
Rupa Rai: You know, cities of Myanmar
Rupa Rai: flooded areas in Myanmar, and I have used that same filter from which youth link students drink from. I've used the same filter in areas where I, too, had lots of doubt about like, will this filter work.
Candice Noss: And then.
Rupa Rai: Interesting thing is just as you said earlier, that every time we do the demonstration we make sure the water is murky. We filter the water through these amazing filters, and drink in front of
Rupa Rai: the recipients, because we believe, unless and until we drink the water, unless and until we believe and show
Rupa Rai: that this filter works no one's going to use the filter. No one's going to believe. And so I've been in a situation where I was in Myanmar 2016 summer, just after Flood in West Myanmar, a place called Rakhine, and we were in this middle of the village, and very quickly I found out that the only source of water they had was this
Rupa Rai: a very, very muddy pond in the middle of the village, which is like chocolate, brown.
Rupa Rai: muddy pond. Whenever we tell
Rupa Rai: people wait to get the water from, we always say that get use the water
Rupa Rai: which is, use the source which is the cleanest.
Rupa Rai: And I said.
Rupa Rai: So we're going to do. We are about to do this demonstration. They said, Okay, bring the water. And so they bring this bucket of water. Chocolate, brown, muddy water, they said, like, well, I think you might have a better sauce someplace half an hour later. Further? No, maybe an hour further. No, this is the only water.
Rupa Rai: Okay, so is this, yeah, this is washing water, drinking water. This is buffalo swimming, water, everything. This is it. And so there this is. This is early days, like, you know, this is one year into the project, and there I am doing this demo chocolate brown water. Did, the demo drank the water I survived. And so if you, if it works in that in those conditions it'll work anywhere.
Candice Noss: I love it. I love it well, earlier you talked about how you're a Christian, and you feel like God has truly been in the details of this and kind of been guiding you and leading you in this so that you can have this beautiful impact. Will you speak to more to that, and how you've been able to kind of follow those little promptings and tender mercies, and how that's shown up for you.
Rupa Rai: Now, that's a very good question.
Rupa Rai: I think the things you know how my life has charted out to be it was never planned.
Rupa Rai: I believe the way things started out, the things the way the way things unfolded was.
Rupa Rai: it's definitely divine intervention, divine blessing.
Rupa Rai: For me it was looking back. It's always been like things true to your faith.
Rupa Rai: Put in 100% to the effort.
Rupa Rai: Put put in 100 person effort. The task that's given in front of you
Rupa Rai: and and really focus on the work there, even though when things around you look like no way, no way, everyone's moving in a different direction. Everyone, my friends, are doing things different, but my work is so different than what convention people are doing.
Rupa Rai: which is very scary.
Rupa Rai: very unconvincing. Actually the situation, the things that's unfolding is very unconvincing, nothing to convince you that you are on the right path.
Rupa Rai: But it's about trusting and moving on.
Rupa Rai: So that's how I've
Rupa Rai: I've experienced in my life. And then, obviously staying true to your faith and to that immediate plan of vision.
Rupa Rai: The rewards are have been really, you know, like I couldn't be better.
Candice Noss: Astronomical. Yeah, beautiful. Well said.
Candice Noss: so in my business I talk about living with a mind friendly, aligned, a body purposely loved, and a spirit powerfully accessed.
Candice Noss: and we were talking a little bit before we hit the record button about how, when we purposely love our body by keeping it moving that it helps our mind stay aligned, and it keeps us from a lot of the mental health things that can really trip people up. Will you speak to that, and kind of what you've seen with your trekking and all of your experiences.
Rupa Rai: Oh, I don't know if I will be speaking in line in what what you are.
Candice Noss: However, you say it is great.
Rupa Rai: Tracking side of things.
Rupa Rai: I through through the trekking business. I have find out it's the the businesses that I've been involved in
Rupa Rai: the business of service, providing service. I feel I'm really privileged, because, you know, it is service, but it's a service where it's to do with creating holidays for people. So it's not.
Candice Noss: A lot of fun.
Rupa Rai: So like already, people are coming in a in a very happy mindset. So it's like, Okay, wait on. Bring it on what's happening. But it's not like I'm going to give you an injection, or
Rupa Rai: I've been doing
Rupa Rai: so so already. I'm in a happy state of mind. So so I am in a privileged position, but what I feel is
Rupa Rai: what I've the the thing that I've learned from my work is that in terms of mental stability, mental health.
Rupa Rai: I feel that
Rupa Rai: you know service. If you're involved with service when you are actually caring for someone, in whatever way.
Rupa Rai: then obviously that itself is huge mental healing for yourself
Rupa Rai: what I've also observed. If if
Rupa Rai: you know things like where you're actually concerned about yourself most of the time. And I think that's natural human nature. It's so natural to just think of yourself, of your family, your kids, and of course there's you have.
Rupa Rai: Your plate is full, your plate is always full.
Rupa Rai: and there's so much to be done at the moment.
Rupa Rai: But if you do not consider about anything beyond your plate, but only thinking about yourself. Then I feel that's
Rupa Rai: that obviously doesn't help the you know. It doesn't give you a mental health. You know, healthy men, mental health. So, coming back to my business. What I've in my line of work. What I found is whenever I have.
Rupa Rai: you know, take taking people up the mountain, which I usually do take up, you know. Go up a hill. If I'm always caring for someone, helping the people. And of course not. Everyone is cruising up the mountain. Some people are struggling, and then so it's talking to them and taking their mind off of the stress and the worry.
Rupa Rai: And within a few hours the person on the top and and the person tells me like, Oh, I you know how quickly we are already up here, and and so it's about, you know, when you're concerned about people. And then the other thing. So not only you help someone to go up the mountain. Suddenly you realized I didn't even feel that, you know. Climb up the mountain. You I don't feel any climbing.
Rupa Rai: I don't feel any, you know my my rucksack, you know, rubbing on my shoulders. I don't feel that, and that's I feel so. That's what we what I've learned. We for a healthy, you know. I almost feel like.
Rupa Rai: you know, the best way to live your life is a balanced life is when you are
Rupa Rai: looking, you know, helping others, and so on.
Candice Noss: Focused on others, helping them.
Rupa Rai: Think Bible talks about that all the time. It always talks about like, you know, lay up treasures in heaven, help others, and all that I don't think it's. It's like.
Rupa Rai: you know, it's God wants us to do that actually, for our own being, our own well-being. First.st
Candice Noss: Absolutely, absolutely. It's a secret to life.
Rupa Rai: And I love how he's created this whole universe, how it is all you know, interconnected, but in the right way. It's not like you know, save lots of money and then help others. It's like.
Rupa Rai: and all that, and you know what that bank account I'll I'll fill it up for you.
Candice Noss: Absolutely. I I.
Rupa Rai: I'm not even like oh, because that's what I read in the Bible. No, it's like
Rupa Rai: that's what I'm experiencing.
Candice Noss: Yeah, it's what you're experiencing. That's so incredible. Well, you take treks in the Himalayas and Nepal in India all over the world. You've had the opportunity to interact with probably every single nationality in this world. What have you noticed about all the people that you've been able to interact with.
Rupa Rai: Such a good question.
Rupa Rai: because, you know, I've occasionally do you have clients saying like, Benoud, who do you like? I'm French? Are French people, really nice British people. Maybe it's trying to find out who are the business.
Candice Noss: Comes, and they're like, we're your favorite team you've ever had.
Rupa Rai: In the face in the face.
Rupa Rai: but what I like to say, and then, of course, with my 30 plus years of experience in in the travel industry. I started when I was 18, and also, thanks to humanitarian work in India and some remote places
Rupa Rai: where you meet people from, you know both both work.
Candice Noss: All walks of life.
Rupa Rai: Come across all walks of life.
Rupa Rai: maybe with managing more people at the grassroots level
Rupa Rai: business, normal people to the elite.
Rupa Rai: Both experiences. Now I'm 50 years old.
Rupa Rai: I put all this experience on the table. I say, like, there's good people, every religion.
Rupa Rai: every race. It's just like, if you've not if you feel that certain group of people are horrible people. You haven't met the good people. You haven't traveled enough.
Candice Noss: Yeah, yeah.
Rupa Rai: I love that you can go everywhere and and I also like to
Rupa Rai: say this. It's because now I grew up in a in a pretty
Rupa Rai: close Christian family Christian surrounding when I was a as a child.
Rupa Rai: where everything was very black and white, and one of the things about travel showed me that there was obviously, you know, nice people everywhere, and also the fact that many places
Rupa Rai: I found people in other faiths other than mine, who were less
Rupa Rai: particular about what my religion was, what my faith was.
Rupa Rai: I found them to be more generous.
Rupa Rai: Maybe they're trying to impress me.
Rupa Rai: but I just found them so kind and so generous, and so
Rupa Rai: judgmental, less judgment, judgmental or non-judgmental. I thought my folks need to see more of this.
Rupa Rai: and again in terms of reverence
Rupa Rai: to just like the bigger power.
Rupa Rai: you know, that's like, sometimes people in my feet didn't even
Rupa Rai: have that sort of reverence and reverence with people of other faith who
Rupa Rai: my folk might say like, Oh, but maybe you know they are not. You know they're heathens, or whatever
Rupa Rai: these these people have more reference.
Rupa Rai: 10 times more than my folks. So in that respect I feel like I have huge respect for people around in the if I say I do not have respect, or if I do not have respect, that would be like, I haven't seen enough. I have been so naive. I've been, you know. I just like
Rupa Rai: very sad, broken.
Candice Noss: I love that. I think when people have judgment, it's out of ignorance, and truly.
Rupa Rai: Absolutely.
Candice Noss: Once, once you're able to experience. And that was why I actually was so excited to come to Nepal. I had never been to anywhere, and Nepali is such a hard language. Oh, my goodness! In fact, I'm going to have to have you speak some to me. It sounded like alien.
Candice Noss: and I actually came home, and I had my husband look it up, and Star Wars, the ewoks on Star Wars. They speak a combination and.
Rupa Rai: And it's.
Candice Noss: Is one of the one of the languages that the Ewoks speak, and it was so interesting because
Candice Noss: I had never.
Candice Noss: I speak a little bit of Spanish. I can kind of understand a little French, you know. There's some of that.
Candice Noss: This is completely different, like a hundred percent different. And I found myself feeling like I was speaking like hearing alien all the time, but I would look into the eyes of these people, and
Candice Noss: there was nothing.
Rupa Rai: Something that's coming through.
Candice Noss: And love. Yes, and I'm like you can speak alien to me all day long, and I just love you.
Rupa Rai: Absolutely. It's about connecting with the people.
Candice Noss: Good.
Rupa Rai: I think youth link program is an amazing program. I wish the kids
Rupa Rai: would have more time to to add the at the various communities, but I know there are time limits
Rupa Rai: more in terms of how much time they can spare from their some holidays, and so on. But
Rupa Rai: but I I still feel it's a wonderful program where you know you are or youth. Link is
Rupa Rai: create has created the platform
Rupa Rai: for these young people to come, you know, close, very close to the local people. And
Rupa Rai: I think, especially in my travel as well.
Rupa Rai: It is so important that I connect with the right people.
Candice Noss: And that networking it works, seen.
Rupa Rai: It is so important to connect. Yeah. And if in any experience
Rupa Rai: now, I'm so conscious that I whenever I visit a new country, I will, even though the fact that I've been in the travel business for 30 years, I should be saying like, I'll you know. Let's get on a plane, go to this amazing place and find people explore, and so on. I'm reluctant to do that because I feel the moment I step on
Rupa Rai: on in new soil in the new country. I want to meet the right people.
Rupa Rai: and I want to be in the right company, because the moment you do that. And suddenly that whole place opens up, and that is the lasting image in your in your head, and that will never go away. And and after that even you might meet really horrible people. It doesn't matter, but if it's the other way around, it's a difference.
Candice Noss: Those connections, they make all the difference. So.
Rupa Rai: So I think youth Link is doing that for these kids. If these kids went with their parents and didn't meet the right people, they're like, Oh, you know, Peru. Horrible place, Thailand. I don't want to go there anymore. But again, if it's youth links done it so many times, you know. And you're going with the right people. You're meeting the right people making the right impact. It's going to be like, Wow, that's like magical.
Candice Noss: Changing your life. Yeah. And the neat thing about the time that we live in is with social media and Facebook, I mean, we're Facebook. I'm Facebook friends with so many of those people that I met this summer. And we can, we can keep those connections which is incredible.
Rupa Rai: They can speak English, but they they are on Facebook.
Candice Noss: Well, they actually type English. So they have enough that we could communicate a little. I wonder are there any experiences where you feel like have been big turning points in your life, and some experience that really helped you decide who you wanted to be and what you wanted to do, and any of those
Candice Noss: that can kind of help us understand.
Candice Noss: You know those turning points and and where we want to keep our focus.
Rupa Rai: I think I've been blessed in the sense that, as I told you earlier you know, I
Rupa Rai: started off my life as a young man, and being involved in the travel trade business.
Rupa Rai: and one of the nice things was, I was introduced to bench tourism
Rupa Rai: from a very young age, and so, being up in the mountains and all that was really nice. And the next thing I just finished high school, and my father suggested that we should start a travel company
Rupa Rai: where we would take people the mountains when they're coming on holidays.
Rupa Rai: And so I thought it was a wonderful idea, and joined him. He had. He was in his early forties, and he just led the army, and so he had the army training, and and of course, I, being a.
Candice Noss: Strappling young man.
Rupa Rai: Army kid, you know I was, you know, when you have a dad, and who's been in the army. So that's like, like, you know I'm still in the army sort of thing, you know.
Candice Noss: And all that is already there. And so.
Rupa Rai: I grew up in this family business, where I was involved with the got really involved with the tourism business
Rupa Rai: really early on, but I really enjoyed where I was, and I just believed that this was my purpose.
Rupa Rai: This was, I was within God's plan.
Rupa Rai: and the more I was passionate about it. So I just
Rupa Rai: but completely passionate about what I was doing.
Rupa Rai: and the more passionate I got.
Rupa Rai: I guess I guess that reflected in my work that reflected in my.
Rupa Rai: you know, I'm in my smile, and I was doing, and I I was beginning to meet the right people and
Rupa Rai: and things that I thought like, I wish I could be involved with this, and I wish I could be exploring new areas, or I could be, you know, looking for snow leopards up in the mountains, or something. These projects did arrive, and I was involved with this sort of thing.
Rupa Rai: and there was never a dull moment. So, looking back 34 years like just went like that.
Rupa Rai: And and now my son, who is now in Canada, and he's gone studying there, and
Rupa Rai: 9, 50, and and I've taken up
Rupa Rai: much of the work from my father, who's still very active in the business.
Rupa Rai: But I'm now, you know, doing R&D new vision, new
Rupa Rai: areas that we are growing. And now I'm looking like, well.
Rupa Rai: looking back, I had so much fun.
Rupa Rai: and I would like my son to do the same.
Rupa Rai: and so I want to prepare him, or also young people, which we do. We. We prepare young people to come into the work. And the people that we that work with us in the business.
Rupa Rai: Who they've been working with us for the last 20 years. 30 years now their sons are working so with a second generation, and so on.
Rupa Rai: so I can say that my work has only gotten better every time, because I have been totally focused on the work.
Rupa Rai: and and things have unfolded
Rupa Rai: in the right way. Have there been challenges? Of course? Yes, we have, as you said earthquake. Nepal is a country where we have a lot of political upheavals.
Rupa Rai: and we also have economic challenges here.
Rupa Rai: One of the biggest challenges, of course, is the political
Rupa Rai: and stability that we have, and so on.
Rupa Rai: And also, tourism is a business that's very sensitive, meaning. If there's some
Rupa Rai: instability in the neighboring countries that affects as well.
Rupa Rai: And of course, you know, Covid is there?
Rupa Rai: But because we've been in the business for so long. And I guess
Rupa Rai: hard works have really paid. And people always remember us. And it's always like, How are you guys? And they want to come back again and again. And so we've we never really promote the business. It's always been word of mouth.
Rupa Rai: That's just.
Candice Noss: This is beautiful.
Candice Noss: Yeah, so that.
Candice Noss: And I love how you said your passion, like your passion, reflected in your work. I think there's so much power in living with purpose and truly believing in and loving what you're doing and knowing that what you're doing is serving others and impacting lives. And I was pondering while you were talking.
Candice Noss: You know you, you impact every humanitarian group that comes and works with you. But you impact
Candice Noss: all of the workers that you employ. You impact every tourist group that comes.
Candice Noss: You impact everywhere that you've been able to do these waves for waters. And now your your impact is growing even to India and all of these things. And and you know it started from this beautiful desire to serve and have fun and help. Other people have fun. And and now the the ripples of you living into your greatness, you doing what you love, being passionate about it, and and using that to serve others. It has just
Candice Noss: had this beautiful, beautiful ripple effect, and it and it continues to grow and and like, I say, now these waves for waters are in Kenya, and they're in Peru, and they're in Thailand and all of these places that we're going. And Fiji, yeah. And I want to get one for my own. 24 h, Kit.
Rupa Rai: Oh, yeah, definitely suggest, you have one.
Candice Noss: Yes. So where? Where do what do you?
Candice Noss: As I say that to you? And you kind of see this impact that you have?
Candice Noss: What are your thoughts about all of that.
Rupa Rai: Well, it's impact has only come from. The fact was, when the need was had arose
Rupa Rai: for me to be proactive.
Candice Noss: Yeah.
Rupa Rai: I was there, and it's
Rupa Rai: if I wasn't there, then someone else would have done it.
Rupa Rai: And while I say this I
Rupa Rai: I do want to mention how on 2 occasions I told John Rose.
Rupa Rai: No, that, John. Maybe this sort of work is not
Rupa Rai: or maybe I'm not the the right person to be leading the work in Nepal and India.
Rupa Rai: Because and that's 1 year on after I started doing. Because I said, I'm you know I do this sort of work. I'm a i'm a service provider.
Rupa Rai: I always saw myself, you know, more like a business, and helping John with the with the program.
Rupa Rai: But I just felt like maybe the program would be more effective if there was an expert, an expert who had done humanitarian work all the world, and was specializing in water, and this and sort of thing. And John said, No, we're not
Rupa Rai: I.
Rupa Rai: If you really ask me, I like to work with people like you, who run businesses, who is a
Rupa Rai: has been running business and is passionate about what they're doing, because you have a very clear focus of what you want to do, what you can achieve
Rupa Rai: and how much time it takes to achieve.
Rupa Rai: So I have no issues from my side, if you are concerned, that when you are busy with your work eventually, then, you won't have time. I have no issues with that you can work whenever you are free.
Rupa Rai: And so there were 2 occasions where
Rupa Rai: and looking back, I think one of the reasons, I said, that is because when I distributed the water filters in parts of India.
Rupa Rai: Well, you know, we were looking in.
Rupa Rai: you know, sometimes 40 degrees centigrade in the summer.
Rupa Rai: at 9 o'clock at night, in some areas of India, you know, these are pretty scary places, even locals. They don't want to go there. And so when we were working through that, you know, you're giving more than 100%
Rupa Rai: in these areas where you know, there's also
Rupa Rai: But
Rupa Rai: and then when you go back, we do what we call it an M. And E, which is monitoring and evaluation. So it's not only about giving out water filters, but you're going back, and you're making sure the water filters are being used. If it's not being used, why are they not using it and all that sort of thing? And if it's been damaged. You replace that that sort of thing, you know, and you go at least
Rupa Rai: 3 to 4 times a year to make that make sure that happens. But sometimes when you go back, and if you you find that the person hasn't used the water filters, and it's it's it's still brand new in the plastic, and then tucked it away, and you go there and says, Why haven't you used it? And said, Oh, well, I want to save it. I want to use it for when we really need it, you know. And and that's and so that's becomes like, you get quite upset about like, Oh, you know. Maybe I didn't do it right, like, I'm the one who's so successful.
Rupa Rai: So those are the things that you know put you down. And so when John said, like John and said, like, you know, you're expecting 100% success.
Rupa Rai: my expectation is 5% success. Even if you make 5% success, that's huge.
Rupa Rai: And then and on one occasion he was. And then one occasion he explained to me, you know, remember since, and that was like.
Rupa Rai: it's 4 years after the earth, Nepal outquake, and he said.
Rupa Rai: in 4 years, Benod, we've distributed more than 5,000 water filters in Nepal.
Rupa Rai: and of all the people who we distributed water filters.
Rupa Rai: Only one person is working with me
Rupa Rai: from Nepal, and is now working in India.
Rupa Rai: Isn't that you the person?
Rupa Rai: And so you are the person who.
Rupa Rai: of all the people, has now come all the way to India, and is now making waves here. What do you think they said like.
Rupa Rai: well, I think you're right.
Rupa Rai: I'm continuing helping with John.
Rupa Rai: I'm more inspired.
Rupa Rai: And I'm still very passionate about the water filters.
Rupa Rai: And that's yeah. That's how all these things have unfolded.
Candice Noss: There's there's a saying I love, and it says many are called, but few are chosen, and the reason I believe, that few are chosen is because we actually must choose ourself.
Candice Noss: We actually must must say, like, there's a need. And actually, I can do that. And I will do that. And I will put myself out there and and do the hard thing.
Candice Noss: even if it looks like it's not going to happen. And I think managing expectations is absolutely critical.
Candice Noss: There's a quote that I love, and it says, can you be 100% commitment show up in a hundred percent alignment with 0 expectation, and that really really
Candice Noss: makes you check yourself like, what is your
Candice Noss: your desire? What is your compelling reason to do something? And can you show up.
Candice Noss: even if even if you know, there's 0 expectation. And this is just so powerful to to recognize.
Rupa Rai: And if I may, if I may share my thought on this.
Candice Noss: Please.
Rupa Rai: I think you can. You can. You can see me as a person who, even though you know I meet people, and I'm always sort of in the front line with clients, and yes.
Rupa Rai: as a personal, you know, on a personal note, a person you know me personally, you know. If
Rupa Rai: if there was an opportunity to, you know, just like, go ahead and do something. I'm usually the person who is always like no, give someone else a chance, and that's because that's by my nature, and I just don't want to be the person who's like Oh, no! Give it to me and grab. And all the same things. And that's how it's been in my life. And sometimes my wife looks a lot like, you know, like
Rupa Rai: you're the last person who's been like sitting at the back. You've been always dealing with people in the front, you know how to deal with people. Come on, go on, you know, and that's me as a nature. But then, again, being a little bit philosophical, or you know about my life, I always feel like that's how I've lived my life.
Rupa Rai: But then, looking back, it's always been like.
Rupa Rai: you know, God telling me like, Yeah, but if you are, you know, if you are confident, if you are ready to be out there. Then you know I have your back.
Candice Noss: 100%. I have your back. I love that, I love that. And I love how at this, at the start you talked about, you put in a hundred percent effort.
Candice Noss: You know, you put in a hundred percent effort. And sometimes you don't know but you're true to the faith. And you put in a hundred percent effort, and God will have your back.
Candice Noss: and that.
Rupa Rai: Yeah.
Candice Noss: Absolutely beautiful.
Rupa Rai: Also wanted to mention you earlier, which I didn't, and is
Rupa Rai: before I joined my family business
Rupa Rai: I had the opportunity to travel to the United States, and and study in in in Hawaii.
Candice Noss: Oh, wow!
Rupa Rai: Someone from the Himalayas all the way to Hawaii, and this was in way back in the late eighties nineties. You know, I was like high high school.
Rupa Rai: That would be a really interesting story, a young man from the Himalayas. And now doing something
Rupa Rai: and once in a while I'll just think like, what would I have you know? How would my wife how would my life be, you know, unfolded if I taken that path?
Rupa Rai: And then I also look about. Look at you know
Rupa Rai: today where a lot of young people leaving the country.
Rupa Rai: and and occasionally there's some young and Nepali people come back to the country, and they say, like, Wow, you know, Nepali people now coming back. So it's a big thing.
Rupa Rai: But I am an example of someone who
Rupa Rai: Didn't see the grass greener on the other side stayed back, believed in my
Rupa Rai: my family, who obviously thought the better.
Rupa Rai: And obviously we're much mature enough for myself.
Rupa Rai: And I obviously prayed for the decisions that I'd made.
Rupa Rai: And and, as I said earlier, put 100%
Rupa Rai: looking back, that's the best thing that I did.
Rupa Rai: But then, at that particular time.
Rupa Rai: 35 years, 34 years ago, I had absolutely no idea
Rupa Rai: what I was doing, and many, many times.
Rupa Rai: There were a lot of people, even close religious like who said, like, you know, you regret this.
Rupa Rai: and for an for a teenager for a young man, that's really, you know, very worrisome. That's very concerning.
Rupa Rai: But I think so important to to focus, to believe in yourself.
Rupa Rai: And then, as things unfold, where you're making
Rupa Rai: the right decisions and following your heart.
Candice Noss: Yeah.
Rupa Rai: Definitely.
Rupa Rai: He's off now. I'm already looking at a situation where my son's on the other side.
Rupa Rai: And he's getting his education. But I'm thinking like, Hey, look at me, you know
Rupa Rai: I did it.
Candice Noss: Life. Yeah.
Rupa Rai: And I always tell I was. I always sometimes parents, and even
Rupa Rai: senior people like to say like, Oh, young people, you know, do they know what they're doing? I feel I like to say, young people today are way more clever than us. You have more, so much.
Rupa Rai: so much
Rupa Rai: they have so easy access to to knowledge and information out there, and I believe they are
Rupa Rai: way more adaptive than ourselves.
Rupa Rai: And so you know they. They understand these sort of things, and and they
Rupa Rai: You need to see the both sides.
Candice Noss: Yeah.
Rupa Rai: And also follow the heart.
Candice Noss: Follow the heart. They're gonna make good decisions absolutely.
Candice Noss: Yes, absolutely. Well, Bernard, it's been so incredible to spend some time with you. If people want to get involved with waves for water. How do they do that? And how would they say they want to just get a water filter for their own 24 h kit or their own, you know safety.
Rupa Rai: They can go onto their site
Rupa Rai: waste of water.org, and there there
Rupa Rai: places where they can make donations. They can also be updated on what things are happening. All over the world.
Rupa Rai: We have the water has branches all over, particularly in the Philippines and Nepal India, where so much
Rupa Rai: it's happening. Where's our water is also very active in the mainland us, especially when there is natural disasters. They're always there in the front line.
Rupa Rai: and and John, who is the founder. We work very closely with him, and not only do do we work with water filters, but we are also. We also work with other projects like, say, for example, recently, or
Rupa Rai: we've been working on this project where, during the earthquake of 2,015 there was a lady who we totally
Rupa Rai: came across totally by by chance, where she had lost her husband in the earthquake.
Rupa Rai: She was expecting a baby. And now the baby is, you know, a beautiful girl who's going to school. So we want to build a house for her. So you know, it's not only water filters, it's so many other things that we also
Rupa Rai: helping right there.
Rupa Rai: All right.
Rupa Rai: So so they can go onto the website and they can donate
Rupa Rai: and and be a part of it.
Candice Noss: Absolutely. I will link that in the show notes. And what if somebody wants to take a trek in the Himalayas? How would they get a hold of you to go trekking with benod and insight.
Rupa Rai: Come on in the press, please.
Candice Noss: Choose me.
Candice Noss: Goodbye.
Rupa Rai: Is the best place for for tracking, particularly at altitude.
Rupa Rai: I'll just tell people
Rupa Rai: and that's the reality. Our mountains begin where others finish. So if you're into mountaineering, if you're into being high up in the mountains, you have to come to the Himalayas. I've been in the
Rupa Rai: adventure travel business for the last 34 years, I'd be more than happy to take people up into the mountains. Help them arrange holidays in Nepal. It's not only about trekking. It's not about mountaineering. We also have beautiful national parks, and then we also have lots of villages and very active towns and villages which I suggest that you should visit.
Rupa Rai: and yes, so the company is called Insight Himalaya. So if you went to inside himalaya.com, it's lots of information, and do send us an email.
Rupa Rai: And we are here.
Candice Noss: Love it. I love it well before we sign off here. Is there anything else on your heart that you would just like to leave us as as we
Candice Noss: move on.
Rupa Rai: Well, I think at this particular moment, I think. Thank you so much for your for your time, giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts.
Rupa Rai: I can only say that what can I say?
Rupa Rai: And
Rupa Rai: I think basically, what waves of water their slogan which says,
Rupa Rai: do what you love and help along the way. If you can do that, do what you love. I think that's what has. I think that's my tagline as well.
Candice Noss: That's been your theme of your life, right?
Rupa Rai: What you love like. It's number one. Do what you love and then help along the way. I mean. I didn't. Did I help along the way, not in the scale of waste of water. It was always like, Do what you love was there?
Rupa Rai: Of course I
Rupa Rai: I feel I was actually helping people there as well, because, like, do what you love. I was like I was doing what I love passionate. And then, obviously, people were saying, like, you know that they are like, take them on top of a mountain or a hill, they will start crying. And why are you crying? This is, this is your holidays, and I've always wanted them. You made it happen. Oh, did I make it happen? Okay? And so like, do what you love. And I guess I helped you on the way. So that was something that was always doing. And now, with
Rupa Rai: I am helping more. And so I think I'm so privileged.
Candice Noss: And with you, link
Rupa Rai: I know, and we you, link youth. Link was totally coincidence.
Rupa Rai: They were looking for a partner in in Nepal, and little did I know, and I was with my wife there, and
Rupa Rai: and they just like, Oh, someone told me like, Oh, there's this organization called Youth Link. They want to take students in the monsoon. The person who connected me actually said like, I actually told them you would not be interested. And I said, like, How did you say that I said like, no, because it's like monsoon like you don't reckon the monsoon. I said, Yeah, but I'm free in the monsoon. I think I can help, because I like the idea that I can now not only do business, but I was like helping people, you know.
Rupa Rai: You know, I wanted to do that like, you know, it's not like taking people on a holiday all the time, like I want to do something where I'm like helping my country sort of thing. And so that's what the water filters also did like. I'm now not only like taking people holiday, and you know, like I wanted to do helping, you know. And so that's how I came across ways of water. Sorry. And I met Jordan, and there's another Lady Rebecca.
Rupa Rai: and
Rupa Rai: and so like, can you help us be? Know that said, Yeah, of course, and said, Oh, by the way, we are going to come to Nepal next month you came to Nepal blah blah and restless history.
Rupa Rai: So it's just like click. So well.
Candice Noss: Yeah.
Rupa Rai: What you're loving.
Candice Noss: Doing what you love and help along the way. That's amazing. It's amazing. Well, thank you so much for being here. Thank you for inspiring us all about the impact that one person can have and just appreciate you so much.
Rupa Rai: Thank you so much and so wonderful of you to have me.
Candice Noss: Not mistaken.
Rupa Rai: See.
Candice Noss: Thank you so much for joining me today. Benod is truly an incredible man who has this huge heart for service. His passion is contagious. I love how he showed us today what it looks like to actually do, what you love putting in 100% effort, staying true to the faith and helping people all along the way.
Candice Noss: Benad is a wonderful example of a man who is owning his divine greatness and using that greatness, including his skills, his passions, all the things he's been blessed with using his greatness to do great, impactful things in this world.
Candice Noss: It's beautiful.
Candice Noss: If you enjoy this, podcast please do me a favor and subscribe to it. Please rate and review it. This will help others find it and allow this podcast. To grow.
Candice Noss: I am passionate about helping others realize that they truly are designed for greatness, and that they have incredible divinity within themselves.
Candice Noss: I hope this podcast inspires you to own your divine greatness, and then use that greatness to step up and serve this world in ways that are totally unique to you and unique to the greatness inside of you.
Candice Noss: It all starts with mind, body, spirit, alignment, and love, love for God, yourself and others.
Candice Noss: If you're ready to take the 1st step, then it's going to require you to become the boss of your brain.
Candice Noss: If you're ready to do that, then sign up for my free Mini course. It's called 5 days of focus. The link is in the show notes along with the link for waves, for water, youth, Link and Banan's trekking company inside Himalaya.
Candice Noss: as always remember whatever place or circumstance you find yourself in. Believe in your belovedness, own your divine greatness, use that greatness to fulfill your missions.
Candice Noss: You are designed for greatness.
