ANOU’S BLOG
scars of change
Utpal and Meher had a terrible tryst with fire when they were juts babe in arms. That terrible moment changed their lives forever. Perhaps this is the way the God of small persons operates.Were it not for their scars these two spirited kids would have had very...
who we are
Manu is back home. Not quite healed but well on his way to full recovery though the road is still long. He came back home clutching a bunch of red roses given to him by his best friend and pal Prabin who had been by his side almost 24/7!His road to recovery has been...
a message from Ram
We were rummaging through old home photographs and memorabilia when my eyes fell on a small leather bound book. It was a copy of the new testament and belonged to Ram, my father. A couple of pages had been earmarked. I opened the first such page:At that time the...
the reason why I was running…..
What kept me going so well yesterday wasn't only down to training. I kept reminding myself of the reason I was running, which was 'Anou and the women and kids at Project Why', and it gave strength to my legs to know that you were thinking of me.These were the words...
musing on
The little boys are lost in their game. At this very moment it is all that matters. The only aim is to try and win. They are not bothered about tomorrow or times to come.On Monday these three boys and their pal Utpal and didi Babli will pile up in a big car with their...
A perfect birthday gift
Manu is coming home. He will be released from hospital tomorrow which happens to be my birthday. Could I have asked for a better gift!He is still very ill and needs to be tended to and looked after but having him back at the foster care will mean seeing his lovely...
a birthday wish… or rather many
I will be celebrating my birthday soon. Birthdays have become for me the time of the year when I take stock as honestly as I can of the years gone by and try and make some resolutions for times to come. It is also when, in the dead of night, I blow on virtual candles...
the key to her morrows
The scars on this beautiful face will soon be things of the past. Today a 10 am, little Meher will be admitted in s swanky hospital under the care of a top plastic surgeon and tomorrow will begin a series of complex procedures all aiming at rebuilding her scalded face...
I want to go home
Ghar jana hai - I want to go home - are three words that I heat twice yesterday. Simple words that could have been said innocuously by anyone. But in this case these three anodyne, words took on a whole new meaning as they were mouthed by what one may call homeless...
ward no 10, bed no 27
Ward no 10, bed no 27 is where Manu sleeps today. It is not what I had wished for him when I first set eyes on him in May 2000 and threw myself a seemingly impossible challenge: to give to this street soul a home with a warm bed and a family. I guess it is at that...
Manu’s spirit
When Manu spent his first night in his own bed in our foster care after sharing a hot meal with his roommates, I felt I had reached home after a journey that had taken almost a decade. Had I not fulfilled the silent promise I had made to myself the day I had set eyes...
I wish…
Some months ago our dear friend Sabrina shared a project she had in mind. She wanted to write a song and record it with the pwhy children. What was special about the song was that she wanted the lyrics to be written by the children and based on their dreams and...