Building an India Where Everyone Matters
At our All-Staff Meeting earlier this year, we heard Drs. Ravi Chopra and Vijay Mahajan speak on ‘How to Build a Country’. It’s not just about the kids, for many of whom Latika is an oasis in a world that still has a long way to go. It’s about helping build a society where disabled […]
Friendship First: Breaking Down Barriers with Fun and Games
At Latika, we believe that inclusion of disabled children isn’t just about placing them in mainstream schools or social settings. It’s about creating environments where every child is genuinely accepted, valued, and supported, in the classroom and beyond. Our Wabi-Sabi project works to integrate disabled children from Latika into mainstream education, but we don’t stop […]
A+ on our Building Report Card
We love it when our architects visit just on general principles: it’s reassuring to know that the plans and the reality are in sync and that the drawings are being carefully reviewed and referred to at every juncture. Indeed, I often feel that Ashish and the Parag crew know what each room is for better […]
Janmashtami at Latika
At Latika, there’s something worth celebrating every moment – a student begins to focus on an activity for a minute longer than he usually does; another waves bye-bye to Mama without tears; a third begins to walk to the bus stop all on her own…. But what better way to celebrate than through the festivals […]
A Pension for Naresh
Naresh, 48, lost his mother in 2021 and, more recently, his father in January 2024. Since his father had been a government employee, his dependents were entitled to a family pension. However, Naresh couldn’t access the funds independently because he’s intellectually disabled. Without a legal guardian, the pension and property rights were out of his […]
A Ramp to the Stars
It’s been a long time and a great deal has happened since my last post! Sorry about that, but I will try and make up for it by giving you a guided tour! Chalo. Let’s begin. Guided tours keep us all very busy these days. We bring parents and grandparents to see the building where […]
Meeting The Built World
When Sumita and I attended a two-day training on India’s National Building Code, I never expected it would be such a turning point in my life. I thought we would learn some things about ramps, doorways and accessible toilets. I didn’t realize that it would change the way I think and speak; that it would […]
A Tidy Site is a Safe Site
Whenever we were sick as children, my mother would tidy the “sickroom.” She put fresh sheets on the bed and brought in a few extra pillows so we could sit up comfortably. She made sure the windows were open (fresh air was key) and we were allowed to use a special tray for our meals […]
Stairs | Why Every Millimeter Matters
I cannot get over just how detailed and demanding every aspect of constructing a building is. Right down to the last millimeter. everything matters. Who thinks about stairs, though? They seem like such simple structures, the kind of thing we all drew as children and constructed ourselves using wooden blocks. But, while stairs are indeed […]
Quality Control
You don’t get to this stage of construction without having kept a close eye on structure, strength and the quality of the materials being used. And, as we keep learning in this building project, it all comes down to systems. Every month, Ashish (the Cushman & Wakefield engineer at the site) conducts a review meeting […]