Love, Niranjan

Dearest Silverline,

Where do I even begin? Do I start with how we met by chance?  Do I tell people how you took me, a nervous international student trying to find himself in a new country and you helped him find a home? Or do I write about how you also gave him a family, showered him with love, taught him values and put in his path a bunch of phenomenal human beings as his ‘housemates’ and set him on a journey to use his privileges to empower people for life? How can I even put into words what you mean to me? However, here’s a rather futile attempt to quantify my love for all things you!

On a fine February afternoon in 2019, my phone buzzed from under a pile of heavily highlighted PhD thesis revisions, with a message out of the blue from one of your finest humans, asking for a 10-minute chat to learn about my mental health and wellbeing struggles as an international student. As any typical PhD student with a chronic inability to say ‘no’ would do, I (of course) said an emphatic YES! But little did I know that ‘YES’ would then set me on a journey to define and redefine myself for years to come. We ended up chatting for an hour. The more I shared my experience and the more I learned about your Kaupapa, the more aligned I felt it was with my life’s purpose, to give back to the community and in a mere week, I was part of your team our family.

You gave me the chance to rub shoulders with some of the most phenomenal human beings on campus from diverse backgrounds and inspirational life stories in our cosy little studio, a space we always left with our cups full. We laughed, cried, hugged and were our most vulnerable selves all without the fear of being judged, discriminated against, or taken for granted. Many of those humans came to be my brothers, sisters, friends, wise counsels and in all, my family away from home. These people would go on to be my shoulders to cry on, the arms that embrace me during my highest highs and most importantly be my ‘mirrors of truth’, who reflected the real me by being their authentic selves and in turn helped me self-reflect to become a better version of myself. What more could a student holed up seven thousand miles away from his home ask for? You showed me what it is to be mindful, to be accountable for my actions, to be compassionate, to have a social responsibility, and hold a safe space for the next person with a smile on your face.

We had one Kaupapa: to encourage conversations and create a safe, inclusive space for students from diverse backgrounds to share their own and listen to others’ accounts of their mental health and wellbeing journeys and collectively challenge the struggle. And what journeys did we have the privilege of listening to over the years! We hosted several events and served out platters of important conversations on identity, belonging, racism, sexuality, toxic masculinity, and homesickness, along with some even delicious platters of kai. But we always made one thing clear, we were mere enablers, and facilitators, but never charlatans. Boy! did the students warm up to it! We took immense joy in even the smallest wins like when a student stopped at our stalls and chatted with us or sending us heart-warming messages after our events or even better, bringing their mates along to our subsequent events. We were making the important things heard and the right things cool. We rolled out it's not awkward bro (INAB), to get the bros of Dunedin to “speak up” rather than “man up!” about their mental health struggles. We valued authenticity and celebrated vulnerability in our Silverline festivals where the conversations opened many ears and even more eyes.  The people who walked through our doors were real humans sharing their real stories providing us all with plenty of food for thought. 

You gave me several opportunities to share my story and be one of the many voices of the international student community, which only went on to show me I’m not alone and there are several people from the farthest corners of the world who resonated with my feelings. We then went on to create ‘Face Value’, a video series that explored relationships between people, be it platonic, romantic, or familial through some deep and meaningful questions and enjoyed the emotions that flowed through the room. What I’ve come to learn from you is to see that silver lining in everyone. You showed me that the biggest gesture you could show someone is to hold the space and be there for someone at their lowest because isn’t that what family does? 

You have amongst you some of the most amazing wāhine, who have empowered themselves, lead with their heart and continue to empower others around them. You also have men that are comfortable with their masculinity while still being vulnerable and caring amongst your ranks. You continue to be a miniature model space for an inclusive and harmonious society. We have made some lasting memories over the past four years of my association with you.  I wouldn’t have found myself If I hadn’t fallen in love with you. You continue to make me a better person and I will carry you with gratitude, in my heart wherever I go, forever.

With Love,

Niranjan

Silverline Lead (2019 – Present)