Michael Daube, Citta and the Art of Human Kindness
By Caroline Walker

Daube was dumpster diving for sculpture materials when he discovered amongst the trash a drawing by legendary British artist David Hockney. Daube later sold the drawing, and in 1997, used the money — along with a lot of travel, determination, inspiration and hard work — to found Citta, an organization dedicated to boost the education, health care and economic prospects of people in India and Nepal.

Today, Tonic is hoping to spread Citta's message of help and hope, announcing a partnership with Daube to offer hand-made, cashmere Sūtra Scarves that feature words of wisdom, strength and inspiration. Each piece includes embroidered Sanskrit translations of words chosen by creative powerhouses — Natalie Merchant, David Bowie, Queen Latifah and Scarlett Johansson among them — making them as meaningful as they are luxurious. Together, we hope to raise funds toward the $65,000 needed for Daube and Citta to build a girls' school in Jaisalmer, India.

The scarves are works of art unto themselves and are knit and embroidered by the artisans at the Women's Center in Orissa, India, providing the means for locals to empower and help themselves.

The organization's website emphasizes that "Citta works to remedy the specific needs of a community, to produce an environment of equanimity and stability and one that provides opportunities and a sense of initiative and pride in its inhabitants." Following his true calling has changed Daube's life — not to mention the lives of hundreds of people abroad.

It could be said, then, that the whole trajectory of Citta's formation was the result of Daube's artistic drive. His inspiration comes from culture and "a scientific take on art," the foundation of which is his love of discovering ways in which humans perceive objects.

"The reason I became an artist is because I love anthropology, archaeology. I love studying different cultures, how objects are made." His Buddhist practice drive his perceptions. "In Buddhism, you observe through your own experience, through your own nature, so you're penetrating — you're owning — your existence and learning from it."

A Global Perspective

Daube made his way abroad in an effort to learn about the world through an anthropological lens. When he was a kid, he would blow out the candles on every birthday cake wishing for a trip down the Nile. In college, he finally made his way to Egypt (having his visa stamped, appropriately enough, on his birthday). Rather than enroll in a rigorous and pigeonholed academic program, he decided, "I'd rather be a freelance Indiana Jones and do my own thing." He jumped into his own explorations and studies, saying, "Anything I feel like I'd love to create and I feel like I can do — I don't have the money or the time a lot because I'm so busy, but I have the freedom in my mind to do it."

This same philosophy took him to Nepal to India, where he lived and studied for some time. He started learning about stark realities there, becoming especially engaged after reading an article in The Nation that described how India was addressing — and hiding from — HIV/AIDS. At the time, Indian officials denied that HIV was a reality in their country; in fact, representatives across Asia saw the spread as an American and European problem, almost nationalistically not in their blood. Instead of facing the epidemic, they attempted to banish it.

First from The Nation article, then from incessant independent research, Daube looked for answers as to how young women were treated and affected by this reaction. He saw a need for basic health care, so he did what seemed obvious: He built a hospital. He met women there who were struggling to support themselves, so he provided a little guidance in creating sustainable business. He realized that the need for care and services was growing, so he launched an initiative to address their causes. Daube founded Citta, the umbrella foundation funding the hospital and future initiatives, recognizing that he didn't need to be a doctor or merchant to make a difference, that giving local health care providers a place to practice medicine and artisans a way to sell there wares, he could empower locals to change their own communities.

After all, Citta itself is derived from the Sanskrit word for "heart" and describes the mind associated with the heart. The organization's work encourages everyone to take action and to feel the joy associated with making a positive difference in the world.

Doing the Right Thing

Daube started Citta because it was the right thing to do; he wasn't sitting around with excess philanthropic funds to spend, twiddling his thumbs and waiting for a project to occupy him. In fact, Daube admits that he comes from a "very low income family" in East Pembroke in upstate New York. He says, "I think the benefit of that is there's only one way to go. I find that for a lot of my friends that come from very privileged backgrounds, the challenging thing is that ... they have to figure out what to do with it, like financial expectations and family past."

He was close to his family growing up, his sisters and his younger brother, who has cerebral palsy and who, he notes, taught him so much. "I would think: Our minds are the same; the only thing that separates us is that my connection to my body is much clearer. Unfortunately, he didn't get that, so he's in the world with all of these challenges and I have all of this freedom. That helped me to see what I can do in this world." He notes that his blonde hair and blue eyes and white skin — for better or worse — get him attention from authorities in India; and he learned that, while he has no intention of exploiting this fact or drawing on lingering associations of western racial imperialism, he can make the most of his physical appearance by making himself heard. Referring to policy-makers and government officials, he says, "They don't know why they're talking to you, they just know there's a reason. It's not like you're taking advantage of your circumstances. You're using them as a tool."

He doesn't fancy himself a saint and he hasn't abandoned his creative work or his east coast life. He spends plenty of time in Nepal and plenty of time in India, but he strikes a sort of perfect balance between the beauty of fine art and the beauty of stark humanity. Referring again to his Buddhist practice, he notes, "People ask me all the time why I build these schools and hospitals and women's co-ops. 'Oh, it's so good you do that.' And I don't really think of it as good. I don't really think there's an option. I don't think of anything else that would —from what I know or understand — make sense. It's just out of the via negativa: I don't know what else to do. The only think I know that I can do is what might bring me clarity."

What Next?

With so much already underway, it's hard to imagine how Daube maintains such drive and ambition. He's hard at work on an art series inspired by the shapes of sound waves. He's raising funds now to open a school in India. He's working on setting up a new women's center in Jaisalmir, India. And now he's teaming with Tonic to share the Citta message and support the Center's construction. Daube has recruited an impressive band of renowned artists and writers to create sublime cashmere scarves embroidered with Sanskrit translations of the collaborators most treasured words. Exclusively here on Tonic, a portion of the proceeds from each piece goes to help make the next Citta dream a reality. It's safe to say that this remarkable artist's wild ride is far from over ...

Watch Michael talk about his work on the Sūtra Scarf project here: