A Ceilidh in Edinburgh (and Ceilidh means Generosity)
Well, it doesn’t actually. Here’s Anne’s explanation: The thing about the word ‘ceilidh’ is that it’s in the process of evolution. It’s Gaelic, and means a getting together, usually for an evening, to dance and sing and tell stories, say poetry, play instruments, anything anyone wants to do really. But over recent years it’s being […]
This is HUGE
Here are Raj Kumar and Harikala, holding their letters of acceptance to a six-month training course in Mumbai for Child Development Aides. What a thrill! We are all so proud of them and so excited at this wonderful opportunity they have been given. The course is being run by our good friends in Ummeed – […]
One Small Change
The Core Group! It is an institution in the foundation, harking back to our earliest days, when the CG was comprised of Paula, Linda, Aparna, Manju and me. We met religiously every Tuesday and the original idea was that the session would last only 15 minutes: a power meeting for which everyone would come prepared […]
Something to Say
Moy looked so pretty the other day I took a whole series of pictures, in most of which she was smiling beautifully. But this expression caught me by surprise. Look at her eyes! Wide open, waiting expectantly to be listened to. Mom! She seems to be saying: I want to tell you something. A few […]
Staff Updates
I miss our old staff. There are so many wonderful people who have worked in the foundation and then moved on – too many to list, really, and with my memory, I’m sure to forget someone absolutely crucial. But they all live on in my dreams and they all pop up from places as far […]
Smitu Kothari
Smitu was one of the first Indians I met after falling in love with Ravi. He and his then wife Poornima were living in the US in a sort of exile (it was during the Emergency in India and they had left the country rather than face almost certain arrest and imprisonment) and they spent […]
Flowers: free and for all
As the winter winds to a close and the summer begins, with those dry, dusty breezes already making the afternoons just a little bit sleepy, I want to pause to say thank you for the flowers. Our little garden is a source of so much pleasure – I love to wander across the lawn in […]
Lauren Stichter and Her Bag Full of Tricks
Lauren is our newest volunteer. She’s an art teacher from Philadelphia where she works in a school for deaf kids, some of whom have other learning difficulties as well. She’s fluent in sign language, which automatically makes her a fascinating character to us, AND she’s an artist in her own right. (You can check out […]
The Lonely Crowd
A few days ago, I read this tiny news item in the Times of India: “Cafe Manager Kills Self“ A 23 year old man allegedly committed suicide on Tuesday morning by hanging himself from the ceiling fan in his home in Malviya Nagar. The victim, Harsh Saini, was working as a manager in a Cafe […]
Like Water For Traffic Story
The Mean Streets of Dehradun . . . it takes nerves of steel, an iron resolve and a certain measure of masochism to venture out on them – whether as a pedestrian (really dangerous), a bicyclist (even worse), or a driver (in which guise you engage in delusional thinking by believing you are in control). […]