Interview with Ms. Roopal Shah - UHERO

APEC PANEL OF EXPERTS
Roopal Shah
UHERO
This article is part of a series featuring
APEC experts, available online at
www.uhero.hawaii.edu/74
Interview with Roopal Shah
By: Kathy L. Aldinger
How did you get involved with
the Hawai’i Ku Like Kakou
Community Mural Project?
Meleanna likes to say that I fell
out of the sky. (laughter) After a
number of amazing years in India,
I was intent on interacting with
America differently and eager
to learn from the indigenous
experience here. Circumstances
worked out as APEC graced this
sacred land. Right place at the right
time - and with a skill set that was
useful to this incredible hui of
artists interested in manifesting an
indigenous framing of economics
inspired by a spirit of aloha,
relationships, and sharing, rather
than consumption maximization.
What were some of the concerns
regarding the mural and were
there hurdles to overcome?
One of the central lessons from
the mural is that the highest
manifestation of self is through
spirit, and if you find yourself
guided by spirit, whether you think
of it as the universe, or God, or
whatever, that sometimes things
work out in ways that you couldn’t
have directed - even if you wanted.
So, yes, there have been obstacles,
ABOUT MS. SHAH
Roopal Shah is a co-founder and
former executive director of Indicorps.
A graduate of Harvard
University and the University of
Michigan Law School, Roopal
practiced law for almost a decade,
clerking for Federal District Judge
David Alan Ezra in the District of
Hawaii, practicing at a law firm in
DC, and serving as a federal prosecutor
in San Diego. As part of her
Indicorps commitment, Roopal
lived in India for over 7 years, encouraging
a Gandhian-style leadership
and search for Truth. Roopal is
currently a member of a 3-person
Hawaii Kakou Mural & Community
Engagement Project Steering Committee
in hopes of bringing light
to New Old Wisdom from those in
touch with their indigenous roots.
but what most of us have been
“wowed” by are the doors that have
opened up to make this possible.
The Hawai’i Convention Center
very kindly offered to let us paint
on the premises. The mural has a
happy and high visibility home;
Aunty Ti – part of the HCC kokua
team – watches over the mural as
if it was one of her own children.
Some of “wow” factors are not by
chance; they happened because of
relationships that the Meyer sisters
have cultivated over the many
years that they have been in public
service. But the number of people,
including you guys (the UH APEC
Interns), who have just been so
willingly a part of this mural and
community engagement project
Photo retrieved from: http://www.law.
umich.edu/newsandinfo/amicus/archive/
sept2010/3.html
has made for a pretty miraculous
opportunity, as well as outcome.
What does peace and economic
security look like to you?
You can collect all of the money
in the world in search of economic
security, but you will never,
ever have enough to feel secure.
When you strive for “security,”
– economic or otherwise - what
you really seek is love and mental
peace, and you cannot buy that
with all of the money in the world.
The only real way, that I have found
any security, in my own journey, is
the arduous road of cultivating the
spirit within.
Interview conducted by Kathy Aldinger, UH Mānoa Peace Studies undergraduate student, and does not necessarily reflect the views of UHERO or the University of Hawai‘i.

“Hawai‘i Loa Kū Like Kākou” mural,
installed at the Hawai‘i Convention Center,
was completed by five Kumu artists, six
Alaka ‘i artists, and 17 Haumana artists.
It was a gift from the Office of Hawaiian
Affairs to the Hawai ‘i Tourism Authority
and is the first piece of Native Hawaiian art
to be permanently displayed in the Hawaii
Convention Center.
Art is our visual currency. We
trade in heartworks; we trade
in spirit; we trade in aloha.
- Meleanna Meyers
What drew you to Hawai’i?
I used to be a lawyer in my past
life and clerked for Federal District
Court Judge David Ezra in 1995-96.
That was an incredible experience
and opportunity. Since that time, I
recognize Hawaii’s unique cultural
attributes and incredible spirit of
aloha. A Gandhian search for my
own [T]ruth, a quest to learn from
Hawaii’s indigenous community(s),
and the ocean called me back here
for a second Hawaii sitting!
Crystal Morton, UHM studtent; Meleanna Meyers, Native Hawaiian Artist, Hawai‘i Kākou;
Roopal Shah, Hawai‘i Kākou; Kathy Aldinger UHM student and APEC Intern.
am grateful to the law for all that I
have learned, including the ability
to think and write persuasively. I
practiced law for almost a decade.
And I enjoyed my experiences in
the law. I’m not sure exactly what’s
in store next. For the time being,
I’m focused on learning just to be,
rather than constantly defining
myself by what I am doing.
How long have you been in
Hawai’i?
Since January 2011. . . trying to
find my way on the Big Island.
Do you see going back into law or
does the future hold something
different for you?
I’m finding my legal skills useful
in ways that I hadn’t predicted. I
Interview conducted by Kathy Aldinger, UH Mānoa Peace Studies undergraduate student, and does not necessarily reflect the views of UHERO or the University of Hawai‘i.