I have written a blog entitled “what a year it has been” where I looked back at the year gone by through my Project Why lens. It was indeed a very special year one that will usher a transformation for Project Why.

But today I would like to take a walk down memory lane and share what 2025 was for me.

The one thing that comes to mind is my health that was abysmal to say the least for the larger par of the year gone by. Several health issues practically grounded me and locked me up within the four walls of my home. This was understandably extremely disheartening as I was unable to visit the Project and interact with the children and my team.

My lifeline to the Project was the WhatsApp group where the teachers diligently share pictures of various activities in all centres. And pictures do speak a thousand words. Regular Zoom calls kept me in touch with the staff and the lead team.

2025 saw sea changes in Project Why thanks to our funder turned mentor AdishJi who helped us address the elephant n the room: the long time sustainability of Project Why. To this end he suggested seminal changes in our way of functioning. Change as he warned us was ALWAYS painful as it entailed giving up comfort zones and embracing the unknown. I watched my staff struggle through the changes and could feel the resistance but hats off to them they soldiered on. I am confident that 2026 will bear the fruits we seek.

2025  did not only usher changes in the management structure that graduated from the mom and pop culture where everything grew organically and somewhat haphazardly. Today we have three verticals: programmes, Administration and Finance and Marketing and PR. The idea is to free Project Why from the shadows it was relegated to, mostly because of my reclusive personality, and showcase its achievements and successes. An aggressive marketing and social media thrust and a series of YouTube films showcasing our success stories were the highlight of the this new avatar. I must admit that even I did not realise how much we had achieved. This sentiment was echoed by many after they watched our silver jubilee celebrations on November 1st. It was an incredible show!

2025 also saw our entry into the digital world of learning with the setting up of our very own state-of-the-art recording studio where lesson were recorded fr most of the subjects of classes 9 and 10. This will launch Project Why to a wider audience.

It was also the year where I finally felt that we had addressed the elephant in the room that loomed large for several years. It finally felt that Project Why will live beyond me and that is all thanks to Adish Jain our donor turned mentor and friend. He ensured that we present a cohesive and trustworthy image to the world. My gratitude to him knowns no bounds.

All in all 2025 was a great year in spite of my health hiccups!

I look forward to 2026.

I will end with the new year wishes I sent this yer:

Let the past rest softly,
let the present breathe deeply,
and let the future unfold with hope.
Wishing everyone a beautiful New Year ✨

Project Why 2.0 was after the pandemic, when we had to reinvent ourselves, rebuild our donors network and adapt to a new normal.The year was 2021. We limped back to  some semblance of normalcy, with some changes but ready to continue our journey notwithstanding the short Covid hiatus.

Our mission was always to ensure our children get the best start in their lives after school. For a long time we believed that what was needed was a good school leaving result as it was essential to get admission in a good college. And we fell back into old patterns though I was not comfortable with this approach. But I had to set my qualms aside as there was larger elephant in the room that need to be addressed and that was: what will happen to Project Why after I leave this world. So before making any sea change in our programmes, we needed to secure our future. Time to. conjure another miracle.

The miracle happened in the form of a donor who promised long term support for one  centre and also promised to find out more donors like him. But there was a caveat: we had to accept to change ourselves to meet the demands and challenges of the 21st century. We accepted his advice and slowly transformed our functioning. Last year the elephant in the room was dealt and we could see Project Why living beyond me if we payed the game right.

After a much needed organisational change to make us more efficient of course but also to transform what has till date been an organic sometimes hap hazard structure to one that would gain the confidence of our potential donors. In spite of some hiccups, some resistance and some pain we were able to do so. Today we have a modernised and strong administration that will stand the test of time.

It was rime to address the other elephant in the room: how to prepare our children for the challenges of the 21st  century. It was a clear that a simple BA would not get anyone anywhere.

The main objective of Project Why 3.0 is to make our children ready for the rapidly changing employment scenario as just teaching the 3Rs is in no way sufficient.

To this end we began making some changes to our programmes. It was decided to put emphasis on English and computers. Today all children from class I to XII are learning English every day and have computer classes thrice a week. This has been very successful and appreciated both by parents and children. And of course speaking English and having a good grasp of computers are skills needed in the future.

While surfing the Internet to find out what are the skills needed for children today I came across an. interesting article of the World Economic Forum. It states the following Today’s job candidates must be able to collaborate, communicate and solve problems – skills developed mainly through social and emotional learning (SEL). Combined with traditional skills, this social and emotional proficiency will equip students to succeed in the evolving digital economy. Good leadership skills as well as curiosity are also important for students to learn for their future jobs.

The article has a graphic (shared above) that gives details the skills by dividing them into three categories: foundation literacies, competencies and character qualities. A quick perusal of the graphic shows us that what we are teaching children today can in no way prepare them for the future. We need to find a judicious system whereby we teach children the curriculum needed to complete school while integrating the skills they need to gain meaningful employment.

The present education system in India was designed by the British to make ‘babus’,people who would do what they are told and not think for themselves. What is needed in today’s day and age is the absolute contrary. According to the article to succeed today you need critical thinking, creativity communication, collaboration, curiosity, initiative, leadership and so on. Certainly not to do what one is told. What is needed is the ability to think out of the box. The million question dollar question is how?

The answer was provided in the article itself through another graphic,

This graphic outlines the approach that needs to be taken to introduce and perfect these skills within the existing structure. As we can see the idea is to create the right environment for children to grow and bloom.It is suggested to encourage play-based learning and break down learning into small pieces. The child should  be allowed time to focus in order to foster reflective reasoning. The child should be allowed to discover topics taking advantage of their own strengths and personalities in an enabling environment where the child is praised.

Specific examples are given for each skill. For eg to develop creativity the child should be given autonomy to make choices or to ameliorate communication one should create a language rich environment. To awaken curiosity encourage questions and to foster critical thinking it is necessary to give constructive feedback. The bottom line is simply that one has to flip the equation and make the child the centre of all activities. This is quite akin to the Socratic method  that  uses open-ended questions to spark curiosity, critical thinking, and deeper understanding, moving beyond simple answers to explore “why” and “how. Ask More, Tell Less: Instead of giving answers, ask questions that guide them to discover the answer themselves. This boosts critical thinking and problem-solving,
develops communication and listening skills, fosters a love for learning and intellectual curiosity, builds confidence in expressing ideas.

The task is daunting and will require teachers to get out of their comfort zone and change their approach to teaching. The curriculum remains the same, the way of teaching changes. It is a huge challenge but we have never shied away from any challenge and I have full faith that my team will rise to the occasion and do wonders.

Come to think of it, I have always felt uneasy with the way children are taught as . Way back in 2006 and even before I had given my views on education several times an always believed in Jacques Delors 4 pillars of education: Learning to learn, learning to be, learning to do and learning to live with others. Sadly one was not able to incorporate these in our way of teaching.

But today the writing is on the wall and if we do not make the needed change our children will not be ready for tomorrow. So Project 3.0 is just that: changing our approach to education so that Project Why children can think out of the box and shine.

That is the difference we need to make today, so help me God

Over the last 25 years we have been able to answer all the why’s that came our way, even the most disturbing ones. But today we stand helpless as Delhi chokes on the most toxic air imaginable. Readings have gone beyond the fathomable, breaking the 500 mark and even going to 1000. Let me remind you, readings should be under 50!

This not the first time this has happened. Over the past two decades or so we have seen pollution rising to alarming numbers. Every year the ruling dispensation goes into crisis management and comes up with a series of measures some more ludicrous than the other with a new one added this year: banning tandoors! When the air quality improves they simply slink back into their comfort zone. They never seem to want to address  the situation in the long term,

Come October or November when the pollution strikes the ruling party decrees a  series of short time measures: sprinkling water on the roads, banning construction activities, banning cars from outside Delhi and of course closing schools! As always it is the children who get hit first., Online classes are not the solution. Those who come up with such ad hoc solutions do not realise the reality on the ground. Younger children cannot study online on their own and working mothers have to take leave to enable the children to do so. And if you do not have household help, what do you do with your child. But who cares.

Children from privileged homes have staff to take care of them and air purifiers in their rooms, but what about the underprivileged ones? If the school closes they roam about the streets breathing more toxic air. There could be a simpler solution: make it mandatory for schools to have air purifiers in the classroom. But who is listening? (I just heard that the State Education Minister has said in a Press Conference today that air purifiers will be installed in 10000 classrooms across Delhi. Let us see when it happens!)

Construction causes pollution they say! Look around you there is construction everywhere with old houses being knocked down and bigger ones coming up as rules are relaxed to please the construction lobbies. Who will the bell the cat? And what about the labour who loose their livelihood when ad hoc bans on construction are decreed.

It is also believed that cars cause pollution. The car lobby is powerful and with the advent of easy loans everyone is buying a car or a bike. Look around you there are no more cycles on the road. In richer homes they are several cars, one for each member of the family. I know of people who go the same wedding from the same house in several cars. And recently I learnt that some even have cars for their dogs.In Singapore buying a second car comes at a price with stringent rules and makes people think hard before they decide to purchase a second car as taxes and insurance are very high.

Car pooling is almost anathema to the privileged and taking public transport is unheard of! People who happily jump  into metros or buses while holidaying abroad would never do so when they are back home and  yet this is a solution to the pollution we are always complaining about. So to resolve pollution we need to change mindsets and that in my humble opinion is quasi impossible though it is time to give it some serious thought.

I was a tad amused when an eminent doctor stated that one should simply move out of Delhi! The rich may do so but what about he poor. I know many families have relocated because they can do so. People are rushing to hill stations which are getting overcrowded and not only that but the AQI of a place like Dehra Dun that was once unpolluted is now above 300!

Our city does not have a proper garbage disposal and recycling programme. In parts of Delhi mountains of smouldering  garbage release toxic fumes 24/7. I shudder to think about the state of the children’s tiny lungs in those areas. As citizens we are not even able to segregate garbage and dispose of it in a responsible manner.

Potholes abound and roads are cleaned with broom sticks with more dust rising in the air. What about mechanised cleaning of roads.That would be an option.

It was sad to see that though the Parliament spent over 10 hours discussing Vande Mataram, it could not find the time to discuss pollution as the opposition created a ruckus and Parliament was adjourned. Pollution was not important enough to be addressed by those we elect to represent us in Parliament.

Help me breathe say the children of Delhi but their plea goes unheard. What is even more disturbing is a senior politician saying that pollution does not result in lung disease and even death and if that was not enough another added that the WHO numbers do not apply to us. I guess for him we belong to another planet and have steel lungs. It is believed that breathing in Delhi today is like smoking a pack of cigarettes. Imagine what that does to the minuscule lungs of a new born.

Unless we all, government and citizens, are willing to address the elephant in the room and catch the bull by its horns nothing will change. We all will be breathing toxic air and complaining come winter 2026.

As I said in the beginning, we are faced with a why we are unable to answer. We are totally helpless and can just watch our children struggling to breathe as we cannot help them reclaim their right to breathe.

It is children’s day today but actually every day is children’s day at Project Why! In all centres children are busy celebrating with games and competitions. 10 children from every centre have been invited to lunch by Azure hospitality at their famous Dhaba restaurant and you can imagine how excited the chosen few are.

As always, the onset of winter has got the pollution levels rise to unimaginable levels and Delhi is a real gas chamber. You can barely breathe. The privileged can shut themselves in their homes with air purifiers running 24/7. But the poor have no such luxury. They just continue surviving as they always do with a smile. My heart goes out to them.

With all my health issues, I have not option but to remain indoors.

This forced incarceration has a silver lining I guess as I decided to write a blog after many moons. My once prolific creative juices ran dry for years and in spite of many attempts I have not been able to resume my ‘one blog a day’ routine of yore years, But somehow I have the feeling that time has come to at  least try and bring back the lost practice.

So much as happened since the terrible day in 2020 when I got diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a death sentence of sort as this cancer it is said is not curable. But here I am 4 years later ready to take on what life still has in store for me.

One of the let us say ‘elephant in the room’ is undoubtedly what happens to Project Why after me. A succession plan has to be put in place and that is what we have been busy with lately. Project Why 3.0, the one without Anou, is being conceived, albeit gently.

The true successors of Project Why can only be those who have been associated with it since its inception. New roles are being defined and a transition plan set in place. It is felt by one and all that I should still be the one to see the transition through. I am honoured and humbled by this decision and will find the strength to abide by it in spite of my advanced age.

The levels of anxiety and even fear are high but they are accompanied by dollops of excitement and enthusiasm. The next weeks and even months are not going to be easy as getting out of comfort zones is a challenge. The new leaders will have to work hard to be accepted by the team but they are willing to accept the challenge. I am confident that they will be able to succeed  though there will be hiccups along the way.

So challenging and exhilarating days await us at Project Why but this all behind the scenes. On stage Project Why will continue its mission of creating spaces for children to be children!

Happy Children’s Day!

Many years ago I added a tag line to my email signature. It was : “I am busy being grateful”. This was because of the miracles big and small that came my way as Project Why and I embarked on am incredible journey that is still enfolding. The tag line sat quietly on my screen as we travelled on.

Last week I was reminded of these words written so long ago and realised that subconsciously they had remained as new and pertinent as when I first wrote them. Project Why could not be without the deep gratitude I felt at every instant.

So who am I grateful to? First and foremost to all those who have reached out and helped me, from the big donors who reach out and adopt a centre to the tiniest donation of a child’s pocket money to help the surgery of another child.

This year I feel blessed as we welcome all our major donors.

Last week Mr Trivedi and his daughter Shelly and son-in-law Andres celebrated Republic Day with us at the Yamuna centre. The Trivedi Family Foundation sponsors our Yamuna and Khader centres. Thanks to their generous support we are able to help over 400 children dream big! My heartfelt gratitude to this wonderful and compassionate family.

In February we welcome Adish and Asha Jain of the Asha and Adish Jain Foundation. They sponsor the Okhla centre; another 350 children. And that is not all. Adish Jain has committed to support Okhla as long as it exists. How can I not be eternally grateful.

And there is more. In February we welcome Kiran Frey and Pradeep Sethi and their daughter Nina from Chess without Borders. Thanks to them Meher who had suffered terrible burn injuries when only a few months old underwent restorative plastic surgery to enable her to get back the use of her hands and then went to boarding school to complete her education. Today she is preparing for entrance to medical school. More gratitude.

In March we await the visit of Hans Emde and his family from Project Why Germany. They have supported our work for more than a decade now. We are deeply grateful again. Few months ago we had the visit of Xavier Ray from Enfances Indiennes who have been with us for more than two decades and stood by us unwaveringly. Chapeau Bas!

We feel blessed that all our main funders visited or are visiting us this year.

My gratitude also goes to a very special being that I call the God of Small Beings. She/he has walked with me every step of this journey and never left my side. It is she who has ensured that we do not falter or miss a step and always guided us in the right direction. It is also this very special God who has woven one miracle after the other. I would like to share one.

In February 2003 a toddler fell into a boiling pan and sustained third degree burns. He would then go and to lose his dysfunctional family and be left all alone. It is this very special God who crafter a future for him. Little Utpal was healed, went on to complete his school and then college and is now in Mumbai living his dream: making serials.

This is only one of the many Project Why miracles.

So you now understand why I AM BUSY BEING GRATEFUL!

I feel blessed.

I am just back suitcase shopping. Not for me though! I do not travel.

Come Monday Utpal will board a train and leave for Mumbai to fulfil his dream of working in the movies. The stage is set for him as Mrinal and Abhigyan wait for the shooting of their next serial. My mind goes back to 2006 when I had gone suitcase shopping for him as he was going to boarding school. He was 4. We bought a little red bag and filled it not just with the things on the list given to us by the school, but also with a plethora of dreams yet to be revealed and fulfilled. Today one of these comes true.

Over the past years as he moved from class to class we packed many suitcases for him never forgetting to tuck in the yet unfulfilled dreams.

If his going to school the first time was a rite of passage for the two of us, today as he moves into the adult world is yet another one we both have to go through.

I remember when he left for school the first time, I wept like a baby, a mix of feelings gushing through my mind, and my heart being ripped wide open. Was I doing the right thing in sending such a tiny tot to a big boarding school. The mind jumped in to quell the heart: it was for his good; education was what would make the dreams come true.

The primary years ended and we moved to secondary school, then the final examination and results. School days were over. Then came college in another city a few hundred kilometres from here. His BA in hand, Utpal came to Delhi for his internship and then secured a job in a digital media start up. But that was not in the dream box.

I was happy having him at home, seeing him every day. It was comforting but as I said not part of the dream. I was quite happy the way things were but not the God of small things to whom all dreams were entrusted. He had to make them come true. So the universe conspired to make things happen and they did at lightning speed: a phone call or two and before we knew it Utpal had a job offer and even a place to stay for the initial days. It was time to go.

The last few days have been busy shopping, packing, cooking special treats. No one is saying anything. Each quietly counting the days till the suitcases are ready to move and our little Utpal with them.

The coming  days will be hard. Keeping a brave face is hard. The half packed suitcase in the room stares at me and I feel my throat constrict and my eyes well up.And I am not the only one. Though no one says anything. There are so many things I want to say but can’t. I find myself patting his cheek or giving him a furtive hug and walking away.

I know I have to let him go as that is the only way he will be able to find his wings and fly and let him go I will as there is no other option. I know that when it is time to leave the house, I will send him off with a smile and the right words but I also know that when the car is gone and one has stopped waving goodbye, I will break down and weep.

But suitcases with dreams have a destiny to fulfil.

I will simply pray everyday to the God of small things to take care of my darling child and walk with him always.