Dear netters,
Please find below an account of a trip to Assam by Ram and Alpana Sarangapani
who recently visited Snehalaya , a shelter for abandoned children , Parijat
Academy , a school for underprivileged kids , Ashadeep , a rehabilitation
center for mentally challenged women, Amar Ghor , a center for elderly woman.
Its heartening to know such endeavor, someone spending their effort and time
supporting such cause. While your monetary contribution is valuable, your time,
your interaction and your compassion is invaluable. I wish there will be more
such news from we the expatriate people of Assam.
Meanwhile , please find here with the updated website of Parijat Academy . A
number of people from United State and Europe have recently visited the
institution.
http://www.parijatacademy.org/ParijatTestimonial.html
This is indeed a pleasure to let you know that the website of Parijat Academy
has been hosted and maintained by Santha Mani of Houston free of cost.
Sincerely,
Ankur
Austin , Texas
Ram Sarangapani <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 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/
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
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=0EatGrRuyasXZQ
Unfortunately, we forgot to take the camera to all the places.
Thanks for reading.
Alpana & Ram Sarangapani
Spring, Texas, USA
---------------------------------
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