Bless your hearts, Alpana and Ram. We are proud of your efforts.
c-da
At 7:58 PM -0600 2/11/07, Ram Sarangapani wrote:
We just came back from Assam from a short trip. Trips are always
short, even though we spent a few days more than usual.
This trip was a bit different as it was one of the most fulfilling
ones we have had. We ignored the usual frustrations with erratic
power supply, or the fact that phone service is just as bad, or of
the traffic congestions etc, etc. This time we availed the
opportunity to visit a few places where a few people are making a
big difference in the lives of many.
Snehalaya
Some of you must have already heard of Snehalaya and of Fr. Lukose
of Don Bosco. Chandan da had introduced netters to Snehalaya and
about the excellent work that Fr. Lukose and some volunteers
(including a young lady from California) are doing.
Snehalaya has several centers in Guwahati, and is basically a
shelter for abandoned or runaway children who have no place to go.
The centers provide food, shelter, and clothing for these children.
Many of the older children go to school during the day. The center
also provides a place where the children get involved in
extra-curricular activities, such as , learning to cook, singing and
dancing, reading and writing, and generally try to take care of
themselves.
Fr. Lukose and his small band of volunteers pick up these children
from the streets of Guwahati and bring them to their shelters.
During our visit, the children sang a beautiful song, welcoming us,
and the girls danced to a song that was beautifully choreographed.
The glint of hope in the eyes of those children managed to put a big
lump in our throats and made us wonder whether we had let our lives
go by just like that.
Parijat Academy
We were introduced to Parijat and its founder Uttom Teron through a
video presentation by Ankur Bora of Austin (at Rajen Barua's home).
So, we made plans to visit the academy at Guwahati. Alpana also made
sure to pack some children's books, puzzles, and flash cards. These
we understand (later) were a big hit with the children.
The academy now has 54 young children, and 8 (mostly volunteers)
teachers. The entire Teron family has put their hearts and souls in
making sure that the poor and unfortunate in the surrounding 7
tribal villages have a place where their children can get some basic
education.
As it was the year-end, we could not, of course, meet any of the
children, but we could hear their laughter and playfulness through
the thin, mud walls of the couple of classrooms.
The Teron family also invited us to a fabulous lunch (baali-bhat) -
cooked outside, and we ate under the trees. This was just out of
this world, and their hospitality knew no bounds.
Alpana tried to hone in some new skills by trying out dhaan-jara etc.
We are also trying to organize an agricultural project for the
future, so that the academy can earn some operating expenses in the
long run and the children can get some hands-on experience..
Parijat is located in Gorchuk, Pamohi in Guwahati. Here is their Web
site again (we had got this address from Ankur before):
<http://www.parijatacademy.org/>http://www.parijatacademy.org/
Ashadeep
Mukul and Anjana Goswami run Ashadeep, a rehab for mentally
challenged women. They have several centers, and even a day school.
The women are housed in a safe and secure environment. Besides some
mental-health help, the women are taught some basic survival skills,
where possible.
Both Mukul and Anjana, along with their small group of people, work
tirelessly and often way into the night.
I have kept in touch with Mukul for a number of years. He has
related some of the most poignant stories of mental illness. Many of
the people working at Ashadeep (including the Goswamis) often cannot
draw a paycheck, but there is a tacit understanding and the urge to
help out each other when necessary, but all the while making sure
the rehab is run smoothly.
We visited their locations at Silpukhuri and Fatasil, Guwahati.
Here is their Web site:
<http://www.giveworld.org/ashadeep/ashadeep_profile.htm>http://www.giveworld.org/ashadeep/ashadeep_profile.htm
Amar Ghor
As some of you may be aware Amar Ghor is a shelter for elderly
women. Ms. Rini Kakati wrote about this shelter some time ago in
this forum. The shelter was established by Ms. Suchibrata
RoyChoudhury (daughter of Sri.Ambikagiri RoyChoudhury). This is
probably the first of its kind in Assam, and it was an eye-opener to
realize that Ms. RoyChoudhury had the foresight to establish such a
center.
Many of the women in the center are able live there comfortably, and
without being a burden on their families.
One wishes there were many more centers like this throughout Assam.
Right at the beginning, we mentioned that the trip was 'different'.
It was different because of the many experiences we encountered when
visiting these places. It was also different, as we realized that
there are still a set of people in Assam who are willing to put
others before self, and that too with lifetimes of commitments. We
are sure there are many more unsung heroes out there, and this is
just a small sample.
We urge netters to do what they can. Even small contributions go
toward helping a section of the often disadvantaged and cast away
members of our society that have very few places to turn to.
Of your contributions, no one will ever know that you gave, but the
fact that you did, may help put that innocent smile back on a
child's face, and make life a lot easier for some person in
unfortunate circumstances. And most of all, it should touch your
soul.
Attached are some photos we took. Please follow the links below:
<http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0EatGrRuyasXVg>http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0EatGrRuyasXVg
<http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0EatGrRuyasXZQ>http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0EatGrRuyasXZQ
Unfortunately, we forgot to take the camera to all the places.
Thanks for reading.
Alpana & Ram Sarangapani
Spring, Texas, USA
_______________________________________________
assam mailing list
[email protected]
http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
_______________________________________________
assam mailing list
[email protected]
http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
