Home At Last
No matter how many times I do it (this must be my 30th return to India), the shock of transition remains shocking. From the lush green of the Boston Commons to the steel and glass and gleaming floors of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport to a scene like this one on the road home to Dehradun […]
Friends of the Foundation
A few weeks ago I attended my niece’s graduation at Tufts. Neha is a bright star in the firmament – one of the nicest people I know, as well as one who makes our generation feel confident about “passing the torch”. Neha volunteered at Karuna Vihar when she was only in high school. She was […]
Lucky
April 29 was the hottest day Delhi has seen in 50 years: 43.5 Celsius (110 F!). Just our luck that that was the day we had chosen to fly out to the US. Except we didn’t fly out. Dad and I were up at 4:30 AM and planned to be on the road […]
Mini Physio
Here’s another story from Karuna Vihar. Ganga Ram, our physiotherapist assistant has been on leave for the last few weeks as his wife has just delivered a child in their village in Nepal and he’s gone home to celebrate. His absence leaves a large gap in the school as so many children need therapy. Not […]
The Evolution of a Chair
What a great invention! A wheelchair is one of the truly life-changing design ideas, and whoever invented it should get a medal. It certainly has made our lives better, and I know that is true for millions of other people as well. That said, however, the basic wheelchair, which Moy Moy has possessed for many […]
A Month of Poetry
April is Poetry month in America. What a lovely concept. There are all sorts of ways to celebrate it, including signing up to get a “Poem A Day” emailed to you for the entire month (go here to sign up). There is also a sweet idea called “Poem in Your Pocket Day” which is on […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]