Farewells! It is always so difficult to do them, especially when there is more than one person leaving. This time, there were five! Each one of these women has a different story in the Foundation; each one deserves a party all to herself. But time is limited for everyone and we can’t always do public justice to the amazing contributions each one has made. Their work remains as their true testimony, and knowing them, I think they prefer it that way.

Still, a little acknowledgment here won’t go amiss!

Rucheta and Pramila are the young ones at either end of the line-up. They were both with us for a year – Rucheta in the Resource Centre as Communications Coordinator and Pramila as a Special Educator at KV School. Rucheta is a model of efficiency and organizing skill – she’s one of those people to whom you just have to explain a thing once – then it’s on HER list, and you know it will be done. Her husband Ankur is in the Army and has been transferred to Nasik, hence her departure. Pramila worked in the school as teacher for the Deer Class. She was creative and fun and the children all loved her. She has gotten a senior position as a lecturer at Raphael and we are thrilled with her success.

Then the Trinity: Tara, Geeta and Shipra. I spoke about their names at the party, and how apt each one is.

Tara means Star and it’s the perfect way to describe her. For me, she is not only a bright spot in the firmament, but my True North as well. I came to rely upon her insight and analysis for a wide range of issues and I expect to continue to do so even when she leaves Dehradun. What I will miss most about her is her sense of humor – sometimes she made me laugh so much my stomach ached. But I can only laugh like that with a person I trust from my heart, with someone I know is good to the core. That’s Tara.

Geeta. Her name is the same as the Holy Book of the Hindu faith, and as one who believes in the Word, and in its power, that means a great deal. We go to our scriptures for wisdom and strength and clarity and that was the role Geeta played here in the Foundation. As a counselor, she helped us look inward and find our own answers. She moved through our lives like a fragrance, never calling attention to herself, always deflecting it back to us. She will do the same wherever she is. What a gift we are sending out to the world!

And Shipra. Her name is the name of one of the Holy Rivers of India. My husband, Ravi, believes in the power of rivers as much as in the power of love. He believes that our rivers are the lifeblood of the nation and that without them, we are nothing. Shipra was that to the Foundation. She flowed into every corner of our work with a simple and calm presence that energized and transformed and purified. Her deep understanding, her sweetness and her belief in people will remain as her legacy here in Dehradun.

We wish each one of these wonderful women the best that life has to offer and the grateful thanks of the friends they have made here in the Latika Roy Foundation.