Romance at the Mela
One more backstage story from the Concessions Mela! As usual, we asked a lawyer to be there to help answer any legal questions our families might have. Ravi Bhatia was helpful as well as cheerful and we were all happy to have him there. But none happier than Hema and Rajesh who realized with delight […]
Sad
Sometimes kids are sad. We can’t solve all their hurts and worries all the time, much as we might want to. Sometimes we just need to let them feel the way they do and be there for them in whatever way seems to help. I was moved by this little boy, and even more so […]
This is Rajesh, the very charming staff person at our Doon Hospital Helpdesk and that fellow on his finger is called Hagrid. Hagrid is the Resource Centre mascot and he gets passed from one to another on a weekly basis. Whoever has him gets to choose who he goes to next and that decision is […]
Bag Me Kya Hai?
Once upon a time, we had a genius of a speech therapist working with us. Her name was Aparna and though she finally moved back home to Pune after five years in the Foundation, her fame lives on in a game she taught us called “Bag Me Kya Hai?” (What’s in the Bag?). It’s a […]
Kids Grow Up (Another Story from Ummeed)
Look at them! Anshi and Eesha, two of the old hands at Ummeed’s EIC – Then and Now. I met both these little girls over a year ago on my last visit to the centre. I was amazed by how much they have grown and how far they have come. But this picture is the […]
Early Intervention, Ummeed Style!
For a taste of sheer joy, head on over to the Early Intervention Centre at Ummeed in Mumbai. I spent a morning there yesterday and it set me up for the week. I literally couldn’t stop smiling. Every child was cuter than the next – and the mothers! Such an amazing group of devoted, happy […]
The Best Part of Mumbai
One of the most wonderful things about traveling for work is the chance it affords to reconnect with old friends. Two of my very favorite people in Mumbai are Kabir and Karun, Vibha Krishnamurthy’s two boys. They wake up ready to roll, full of energy, insight and wit, and they meet me at the door […]
Concessions Mela: The Real Story
The Concessions Mela was a success at one level. Just about everyone got their certificates. The clerks who came along with the doctors were busy from the moment they arrived, and it was hard work. They barely got a chance to breathe, let alone look up from their papers, stretch their legs or sip a […]
Concessions Mela: Backstage
First off, WELL DONE Awareness Team! What a fabulous performance. The Concessions Mela was an unbelievable show of organization, dedication, festivity and accomplishment. Nearly ninety children and adults came, with their parents and brothers and sisters, to apply for their disability certificates in another “One Stop Shop” approach to what is normally a painful and […]
Inclusion in Mussoorie
Brother Dominic Jacob is the headmaster of St George’s School in Mussoorie. But before that, he had the same job at St Joseph’s Academy here in Dehradun. It was at his request that we started the Early Intervention Centre there and with he has been an invaluable advocate and friend ever since. Concerned about some […]