For the past weeks now Delhi has been akin to a gas chamber. The levels of pollution have gone beyond imagination. The air is heavy with pollutants of all kinds. There is a terrible sense of deja vu as I read a post written exactly one year ago which still relevant today. It is as […]
A very irate daughter came to me one evening last week as she has just heard from her Personal Trainer who wanted her to do ‘functional training’, something she does not like, the next morning. This is normally scheduled for Thursdays and the ‘next’ day was Monday, the day after Diwali. The reason he gave […]
At Project WHY, our greatest assets are our teachers. By adopting a teacher for just INR 10,000 (USD 145 or Euro 130), you enable a good teacher to reach out to 50 underprivileged children that need educational support to complete their schooling years. Without good teachers, this is not possible. Help support our initiative by adopting one […]
Amazon-bestselling author Damyanti Biswas is donating all her proceeds from her debut crime novel You Beneath Your Skin to Project WHY and @StopAcidAttacks Our share of the proceeds will be used for women empowerment programs. The story of You Beneath Your Skin was written while volunteering at Project WHY. It is an intelligent, socially engaged […]
Last week the special class of Project Why put up stalls in many places to sell their beautiful Diwali diyas (earthen lamps) and other Diwali ware. Of all the sales the most touching one was undoubtedly the one held at the CSKM school. Anita, Himani and Geetu were the ones who were to man the […]
Miracles are what happens when you get out of the way of yourself wrote Brad Szollose. Words of wisdom I need to heed as I am seriously in need of a miracle at Project Why. A grant we were confident would come our way slipped by and we also lost a substantial chunk of money […]
Miracles happen every day. They are the hands that reach out to you when you feel lost and alone as I have been for the past few weeks wondering how I would keep Project Why safe. In times like these, all you need is that little miracle to just tell you that all will be alright. This time it came in the form of an email that simply said : My uncle wanted to know of any place that looks after women and their education. I gave him your contact details. The Angel this time was a wonderful soul who I have not yet met in person but who has reached out to me virtually in more ways than one. Her name Sunita Saldhana!
It is serendipity at work again as in the very week of Kamala my mother’s 102nd birthday I have been asked to speak on a panel on crimes against women and how to empower them. The event is part of the promotion of our dearest friend Damyanti Biswas‘s debut novel You Beneath Your Skin. I […]
It has been just over a week since our dearest Damyanti’s debut crime novel You Beneath Your Skin was published. In this short time not only has it got rave reviews but the screen rights have also been picked up by a renowned Bollywood agent. Damyanti is now busy promoting her book across India with […]
Last Thursday was a very special day. It was the launch of our very dear friend Damyanti’s first crime novel You Beneath Your Skin at the prestigious India International Centre. The author’s proceeds will come to Stop Acid Attacks and Project Why. So the guest list included over 20 Project Why teachers! The excitement was […]
Project Why UK is now a registered charity entered onto the Register of Charities with the Registered Charity Number 1184910. This is all thanks to the unstinted efforts of wonderful souls who have worked hard to make this happen. Thank you Jennie, Harriet, Jon, Cat, Viren, Catherine and Mahua. They all came to Project Why and carried […]
There is a new kid on the block! Kiran has joined the Project Why team as English teacher. Her first assignment: Okhla! I could not resist going to see her on the second day of her teaching and was amazed to see how comfortable she was. Was this the tiny baby I had held in […]
For these women who often live lonely lives in their patriarchal homes, coming to class is also a social event as they can share their problems and stories with other women and be heard and even helped. It is undoubtedly the highlight of their day.
I feel so grateful and blessed when I see these women as they take charge of their lives. I feel immense pride in having been able to help them do so.
If you are in Delhi, please come and visit the ladies of the Project Why beauty parlour. It will warm the cockles of your heart
The flood waters have receded. Luckily they did not enter the Yamuna centre. The incredible Yamuna team is now busy executing Plan B whereby they will open the centre and resume classes but with the minimum needed as rains can still come and bring floods with them. They have decided not to bring all that […]
2019 has been the year of floods as many parts of India have received unprecedented rain. Delhi has been on flood alert since the past few days. For many of us it does not matter as we are safe in our homes, but for the thousands who live close to the river it is devastating. […]
Hoisting the flag at the Giri Nagar centre last week was a walk down memory lane. This is where it all began way back in the winter of 2000. In those days we had just acquired a small mud jhuggi across the street where the flag was hoisted and had begun our spoken English classes […]
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 […]
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 […]