Baba Amte
And now for something entirely different. When Baba Amte died in 2008 at the age of 93, the world remembered him as this century’s mightiest champion of people affected by leprosy. He was that indeed, but his vision was more complex and more compelling than any one issue could elicit and the more I read […]
Shaheen Mistry
Here’s a dynamo. Shaheen Mistry is young, brilliant and very articulate. She is also fearless and a natural leader. Akanksha is her brainchild and it is a rare pleasure to watch her in action with the team of dedicated and creative teachers who have been drawn to her vision of bringing education to children from […]
Akanksha – Be the Change
I’ve been looking forward to this since January – Shaheen Mistry, whom I admire to the point of hero-worship, invited me to come and speak at Akanksha’s annual Education Convention – a colorful, creative extravaganza in which bright, lively young teachers come together to celebrate the Akanksha vision, re-dedicate themselves to its mission and pick […]
The Latika Roy Foundation – Larger Than Life!
There we are, in all our glory! Of course, as usual, there are a few missing – most of the Core Group for starters, with Sebastian goofing off in Holland, Savita in a training for counselors in Delhi and me behind the camera; as well as most of the Latika Vihar staff – but it’s […]
Vandana Bedi Visits Dehradun!
I was so excited when Vandana called to say she was in Dehradun for a meeting and would like to drop in to visit. Vandana has been a legend in my mind for as long as I have known her. I first met her in 1995 when I took Moy Moy to be assessed at […]
Teamwork!
Here are three of our best and our brightest, conferring over the latest acquisition: Boardmaker! Thanks again to the lovely students of Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island for their efforts to raise the money to buy it for us. Don’t you love college kids???!!!!
Rama Bhandari, the Jewel in the Crown
Rama Bhandari retires today, after working in the Foundation for 12 years. Rama is a special educator with a heart of gold, a teacher who is universally loved by her students and deeply respected and admired by her peers. At her farewell party, tears flowed as one after another staff member stood up to recount […]
A Blessing from Anne Bruce
I caught this moment at the farewell party – Anne saying goodbye to Chhoti Manju in such a lovely, ashirwad sort of a way: it seems to me to sum up what her time here with us was like. Anne, age 65, brought not only her professional expertise as a speech therapist – she also […]
Backstage with Aruna Roy (and Bunker too!)
Meeting Aruna Roy was one of the best things to happen to me in a long time. I have heard about her for years from Ravi, and from Dunu, and from reading about her work in the press – but nothing prepared me for the real thing – the woman herself, so fiery and passionate […]
Lest We Forget!
My posts have mostly been about my travels for the last month, but I’m back in India now and I’ve spent most of this week visiting the projects and re-acquainting myself with the children, some of whom I was meeting for the first time – like this little charmer here. . . It’s wonderful to […]