by Anuradha Bakshi | Dec 4, 2005 | Uncategorized
project why has been a journey of discovery, not only of India, but of other lands.
Japan had been till late an unknown land that one viewed with awe, admired its wizardry, and got acquainted with its cuisine.. but somehow it remained faraway and unatainable.. till nauko walked in one fine day with a big smile and tons of warmth…
for the past two years the japanese ladies of delhi have become part and parcel of project why as they come regularly and teach many things to the children. their subdued presence, their meticulous and unobtrusive ways have made them loved by all be it the children or the teachers.
we celebrated the bamboo festival and learnt a japanese song and recently we were part of the japanese ladies bazaar where a lovely poster in japanese introduced our activities..
this lovely link between a tiny slum in India and a group of japanese ladies is one more proof of the indubitable reality that when one learns to see with one’s heart, differences vanish and the world becomes one.
どうもありがとう。 Dōmo arigatō Nauko
by Anuradha Bakshi | Dec 1, 2005 | Uncategorized
The serenity prayer has been used in many situations and today as I tried to explain the realities of India to some friends from other lands, it came back to my mind:
Grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
How true these words ring as one tries each day to get a little further in the goals one has set and the dreams one has conjured
One can understand how defeated one who does not understand India in its complexities can feel when faced with what seems simple activities. It is true that one would like to change everything in a hurry but can one forget that we are dealing with thousands of years of traditions, customs, mores, hurts, inconsitencies, unfairness.. much of which is so deep seated that it will take time to unravel and redress.. and yet things have to change.
The only way to succeed is to accept those that will take time to alter and change the ones we can without disturbing fragile equations.
One just has to look at the number of social laws that gather dust, as the causes they seek to redress continue to flourish bet it corporal punishment or child marriage..
India will change one day, but one has to have the patience and the serenity to accept that she will change slowly and in her own time..
by Anuradha Bakshi | Nov 30, 2005 | Uncategorized
project why may not have much in terms of what success is measured by in our day and age: buildings, fancy resources or comfortable bank accounts. but there is one thing it has had in abundance and that is the goodwill and love from every corner of our planet.
we pride ourselves in the great team of volunteers that have passed by. each one has left a little of himself and taken a little part of us.. each one becoming better, more complete, more understanding or at least more humane…
and if each meeting is filled with expectation, each parting is always a moment of sadness..
Taylor, a young student from the US left us yesterday after many weeks spent with the little children of the creche.. I instantly liked this young man.. his eyes twinkled and his face reflected a beautiful soul…
They say children do not fake feelings, and our little twins who had never smiled gave Taylor their first smile ever the moment they met him..
Taylor left me a beautiful letter in which he tried to convey what his stay with us meant to him. I do not know whether we deserve all the kind words he wrote, but I would like to share the following as I feel it somehow reflects what project why stands for: ” If through the course of my lofe, I am able to create a small fraction of the hope and joy you have created, I will consider myself a success as a person’.
Yes, project why is all about hope and joy..
and I am sure Taylor will succeed in life… and we will remember him each time little Fatima, or Asiya or Manoj smile…
by Anuradha Bakshi | Nov 29, 2005 | Uncategorized
My father left me 13 years ago, today…
Pwhy would not have existed it it were not for him..
Among the many things he taught me, was the meaning of unconditional love.. the one you give without any expectation…
It took me a long time to understand that his legacy was the abundance of love that I was almost choking with, and that had to be let out and shared: pwhy was the obvious answer..
pwhy is an ode to love, a love that makes you richer as the more you give the more you have to give..
everyday i am overwhelmed by the abundance of love that pwhy has brought into my life.. and I feel blessed
by Anuradha Bakshi | Nov 28, 2005 | lohars
sunday evening saw a star meet a young boy and a spirited woman..
yes akshay kumar, the bollywood hero met Arun the young valmiki boy whose heart surgery was sponsored by him, and Bindiya a lovely lohar (gypsy) lady who won our raffle and hence a meeting with the star..
the venue the home of our friend vikraant who had made this possible..
the smiles on the picture say it all: there were no cameras, no flash lights, no media, no buzz, just people meeting people, discovering each other, bonding in a humane manner.
it was delightful to see akshay holding on to arun’s hand an answering the candid questions of this young boy; it was touching to see him take time to find out about the Lohars and their history…
it was a great simple moment, where no one was pretending to be something or someone else, as there was no one to watch. just people bonding in one happy instant that each one would carry as a memory.
and for that moment in time everyone was a *star*!
