by anouradha bakshi | Aug 16, 2019 | Anou's Blog
Today it is my privilege and honour to reveal the cover for my friend Damyanti Biswas‘s debut crime novel, You Beneath Your Skin to be published next September by Simon & Schuster, India. I’ve known Damyanti for many years now and what began as a mere exchange of emails has blossomed into a life long friendship based on mutual respect and unconditional love. I’ve been a part of the journey of this book, and now it is always going to remain a part of my blog.
So, without further ado, here’s the cover! The red and black immediately captures nuances of an atmospheric crime story, and the face visible under the title makes you wonder who she is, and what her story might be.
Here’s the back cover blurb to tell you a little bit more about the novel:
Lies. Ambition. Family.
It’s a dark, smog-choked New Delhi winter. Indian American single mother Anjali Morgan juggles her job as a psychiatrist with caring for her autistic teenage son. She is in a long-standing affair with ambitious Police Commissioner Jatin Bhatt – an irresistible attraction that could destroy both their lives.
Jatin’s home life is falling apart: his handsome and charming son is not all he appears to be, and his wife has too much on her plate to pay attention to either husband or son. But Jatin refuses to listen to anyone, not even the sister to whom he is deeply attached.
Across the city there is a crime spree: slum women found stuffed in trash bags, faces and bodies disfigured by acid. And as events spiral out of control Anjali is horrifyingly at the centre of it all.
In a sordid world of poverty, misogyny, and political corruption, Jatin must make some hard choices. But what he unearths is only the tip of the iceberg. Together with Anjali he must confront old wounds and uncover long-held secrets before it is too late.
My dearest friend Damyanti asked me to read her first novel and sent me an advance copy of you Beneath Your Skin.
It was a PDF file and being environmentally conscious I decided to read it on my computer and not print it! I thought it would take me a couple of days with a bad back and an uncomfortable chair!
I began to read and was immediately taken in by the story wanting to know more, not being able to stop. Soon I was drawn into the familiar world of slums in Delhi where I work, and all my senses were tickled as I relived the sounds and smells and mood of what has been my life for 20 years.
Being an ardent lover of suspense novels I was on edge wanting to know what happened next and the bottom line is that I finished the book in one long sitting from morning to evening, even eating in front of my screen. I just could not move away.
I loved the characters and the numerous twists in the story. I look forward to reading the final version in a book form comfortably . I recommend it to all those who love suspense novels.
Do you read crime novels? What do you think of the cover of You Beneath Your Skin? Would you like to read this book?
All proceeds to the author from You Beneath Your Skin would be divided between Project WHY, and another organisation that works for the welfare of acid attacks survivors, Chaanv Foundation. If you would like to support a good cause, while reading an absorbing book, please pre-order You Beneath Your Skin.
by anouradha bakshi | Aug 13, 2019 | Anou's Blog
Tomorrow Ranjan, my significant other, celebrates his 70th birthday! We have been together for 45 years. That is more than a life time. He has stood by me like a rock and supported me in every way possible. He has given wings to all my dreams, even those that had the propensity to turn his life on its head. I could not have been who I am without his silent and loving support.
When I look back at our life together, I realise that I have made impossible demands on him and that he has always been there for me, Project Why being possibly the most challenging one. Imagine being told one day that life as you knew it is going to change drastically because your partner has decided to bring in a world that you barely knew existed within the confines of your home. Ranjan did not bat an eye lid when I told him I was setting up an organisation to help slum children and that its first office would be the guest room of our house. Now Ranjan loves the good things in life: good food and music, antic furniture and objets d’art, and an organised existence to say the least. And lo and behold one fine morning your sanctum sanctorum is suddenly invaded by people the kind you never met or even knew existed, by children running about, by strangers sharing your dining table, by cartons cramming the entrance door. Anyone would hit the roof. But not Ranjan. He simply accepted it all because he knew it made his partner happy. Unknowingly he had embraced seeing with his heart.
Twenty years is a longtime, and for twenty years Ranjan has had to live with the larger than life presence of Project Why. Even tough we eventually moved out of the house quite early, Project Why remained a permanent resident of my home. Ranjan became my sounding board in times of strife, the shoulder I could lean on when things got rough, the person I could share all my problems and angst with and he always listened patiently and gave the advise sought. His tender words of encouragement were the panacea for all ills and allowed me not to give up.
As time went by, Project Why worked its magic on him too. He came to appreciate the work we did, and enjoy the presence of the many volunteers who stayed with us, some becoming close to him too. When he was diagnosed with cancer, some even flew all the way to Delhi to be with him, some called regularly and others sent him feel good parcels. Ranjan had become part of the Project Why family.
I was deeply touched when I heard from friends that from the very early days of Project Why, Ranjan was very proud of what I did and though he did not tell me much, he shared his feelings with his friends and colleagues. I felt blessed.
I would not be wrong in saying that he has been my and Project Why’s staunchest albeit silent supporter.
Happy birthday dearest Ranjan.
Note: the picture above was taken at the Delhi Gymkhana Club, where thanks to Ranjan we could organise a lunch for all our staff members.
by anouradha bakshi | Aug 6, 2019 | Anou's Blog
Remake the world
With love and happiness
Remake the world
Put your conscience in the test
Remake the world
North, south, east and west
Remake the world
Gotta prove that are the best, yeah
Looking at this picture I am reminded of Jimmy Cliff’s beautiful song Remake the World. Chanchal, Anamika and Khushi are students of our Khader centre. They are in class II and are best friends. Last week, after school the three sat on the steps of the centre lost in their own world. They were busy remaking the world! They stopped to smile and pose for a snapshot that would freeze this magical moment for eternity and then went back to business. I would give my anything to know what was going on in their little heads, what dreams they were crafting, what morrows were they conjuring. But I will never know.
Like most Project Why kids, these three come form humble homes, where life is a struggle, children’s dreams are rarely fulfilled, and girls are often low priority. Chanchal has three siblings. Her father irons clothes on the road side and her mother is a house maid. Anamika’s father is a security guard and her mother attended our sewing circle and now stitches clothes at home.She has three siblings. Khushi’s has two siblings, her father works in a private company and her mother is a housewife. Life is no bed of roses. The only space these little girls can call their own is Project Why.
As I watched this picture I realised how in a manner of speech we at Project Why were actually remaking the world for children like these. Not only were we giving them an education and making sure they finish their schooling even if it means battling with the parents as is sometimes the case with a girl child, we were also giving each child a space to dream. And that is not all, we also gave them a voice and the courage to stand for themselves if and when needed. And wherever we could, we were there to give wings to their dreams. With each dream fulfilled we would in Jimmy Cliff’s words be able to remake the world with love and happiness, one dream at a time!
by anouradha bakshi | Jul 30, 2019 | Anou's Blog
At a time when the future of Project Why is hanging by a thread as we struggle to find our feet and long term sustainability, I sometimes find myself in need of a feel good shot to reassure me and give me the needed impetus to soldier on. One of the things I find myself doing is looking back at the two decades gone by and reliving a chapter of the Project Why story. Today I look back at our Khader women centre as it is one that may have to be shut by March 2020 if we are not able to find funding for it.
Like every part of Project Why, the women centre has a wondrous story. Though I have always believed that true change is to be routed through women, something Kamala my mother firmly believed in, it took some time for the women centre to see the light of day. The obvious way would have been to seed a women centre at the very outset but that was not to be as Project Why grew organically answering the whys that came its way. It would be the same for the women centre, a why that needed to be answered.
When two marginalised women one an alcoholic on the road to recovery and the other needing post surgery care came our way seeking help, we had to step up and give it. The need of the hour was to create a safe place for them to help them rebuild their lives. We did just that: set up a small residential facility for these two ladies. Easier said than done as when the community came to know about them, we were asked to vacate the premisses. Society is not kind to marginalised women. That is when we realised that to be able to find a place to house our ladies, we would need to do more than just that. We decided to follow the pattern of the other centres and set up a children centre next to our residential unit and also run a vocational centre to empower women of the community. We were lucky to find the exact space we needed at Madanpur Khader and the women centre began its activities in 2007 with two ladies in a residential facility, scores of children in an after school study programme and a handful of women in a stitching course. Our women centre was well on its way.
We would go on to close our residential centre as sadly one woman went back to the bottle and the other healed and went back to normal life. The space reclaimed would be used to extend our work with children and women. We would add a beautician course, secondary classes, a library and a computer centre as well as adult education classes. Today the Khader centre is a family of over 350 souls with a team of 15 people gently but firmly guided by the incomparable Dharmendra. One of our funders wrote beautifully about this centre. I share her words here.
Needless to say, I dedicated the centre to Kamala as every lesson I learnt at her knee was fulfilled within the walls of this beautiful centre.
The Khader centre is also dear to my heart for many other reasons. It was Utpal’s home for a while as that is where his mum was recovering before she finally left to disappear. It was the place where we first saw Meher and were able to conjure a better life for her. Today both Meher and Utpal come back and volunteer at Project Why during their holidays. There is really a kind of magic in this hallowed place.
So closing it is not an easy option. I will have to do whatever is needed to ensure that our work carries on. Today I want to believe in miracles and pray for one.
by anouradha bakshi | Jul 9, 2019 | Anou's Blog
One can hardly imagine how things unfold, almost serendipitously! Since last year our boarding school kids have been spending their holidays at Project Why teaching the younger children and participating in all activities of the centre. It all began in April 2018 when Utpal and Babli started going to the Khader centre to ‘pass’ time as they had just finished their Boards and had a lot of time on their hands while waiting for the results. They both taught junior classes and Utpal also taught he children dance. They enjoyed the experience and were all set to return during the winter holidays.
During the winter holidays as the children were preparing for their New Year Party and Republic Day celebrations, Utpal, the born entertainer, took on the role of master of ceremonies and choreographer. Needless to say the shows were perfect.
Volunteering became a part of these kids life. Every holiday they would return to Khader soon joined by Manisha, Meher and Vicky.
They did it with love and dedication, as if they knew in their hearts that this was the right thing to do. They were paying back!
This summer they would go one step ahead.
One fine morning Utpal told me that his Ma’am Madhumita was going to visit the Khader centre. I was pleasantly surprised but did not give it much thought at that time. Madhumati Ma’am came and taught at both our Khader and Yamuna centres. I put up a post on facebook thanking her for her visit and it is only when I saw her answer that I realised how Utpal had organised this visit. He had taken ownership of the Project. I share her post here: But I am really grateful to my dearest Utpal who had called me up one fine afternoon , when I was in Kolkata, requesting me to take class it was as though he had heard my hearts wish. I had been always wanting to pay a visit but due to my ill health , I was unable to do so but Utpal’s call came to me as a blessing from heaven, and Utpal was that messenger of God. Madhumita Nag Pathak Teacher CSKM
My heart filled with gratitude and joy. Looked like we had done our job well and instilled the right values in these children even though they were away from us in boarding school. Utpal had felt the desire to have his beloved teacher come and share her knowledge with the Project Why children. It was his initiative. He had taken ownership of the Project.
Utpal even invited the manager and of his school canteen to discuss funding options as he knew we were short of funds. Mr Sharma spent time talking to Dharmendra and sharing his ideas. It was a fruitful interaction that opened other ways of thinking and new possibilities.
At a time when we are all worried about the future of Project Why, these small initiatives are like a breath of fresh air. They are also proof of the fact that the next generation is ready to take the lead of Project Why 2.0. It was simply a matter of time.
It is also time for the likes of me to realise that our ways may not be the right ones anymore and that one has to accept change and go with it. It is time to pass the baton. We have done our bit and done it well. Now our role is to help the new generation take ownership.
