midway mysteries
I am now convinced that all activities of project why seem to be ordained in some way. At every step that led us from barely 50 kids to over 500 in 7 short years via open heart surgeries and more, we felt guided by some invisible spirit. To the unordained and oft...
one year later..
It was just a year ago that a little red bag sat packed in a room in my home and that I wrote one of the most difficult letter of my life as little mr p set out for his first day in a boarding school, after bidding a poignant farewell to his mom in her first rehab...
picture perfect
This is not a painting or a touched up photograph. It is s snapshot of our 'class in a box' - a.k.a as our manav kalyan creche - and was taken by a visiting friend.What makes this class so special is that it is the initiative of two barely literate slum housewives who...
whose family is it anyway
I have been watching the recent on-goings of the Presidential elections. I have nothing against any candidate but could not but wince when I heard our prime Minister defending the lady candidate's past with the words "she cannot be held responsible for the...
changing egosystems..
“Trying to save ecosystems has more to do with changing egosystems.” said Don RittnerLast week a visitor from Europe shared his dilemma about choosing a new car. His main concern was carbon emissions and thus his choice a small car though he was a person who could...
bake a cake
When Kiran got admitted in an upmarket pubic school.. it was a dream come true for her family and for all those who love her. Admission woes were soon forgotten as she set of in her sparkling uniform to conquer a new world.It would be a big challenge to see her...
depend on them…
Don't believe in miracles - depend on them said Laurence J Peter and that is what we have been doing for seven years now. If you need to know whether miracles exist or not,just read on.Manu who you see in the picture used to roam the streets dishevelled, uncared for...
a different QOTD
The recent plight of HIV+ve children has been making headlines. Denied school, then readmitted, then targeted. As usual once again it is good copy for the media and we have picture of the little souls with their faces blurred but ever so recognisable flashed on the...
just another day at project why
Friends often gently remind me to talk about project why particularly when tend to digress on larger issues or as was the case lately, wander into deep introspection.Maybe the mere fact that I can indulge in the above proves that all is well at project why. But still...
and there is always tomorrow.
Courage, it would seem, is nothing less than the power to overcome danger, misfortune, fear, injustice, while continuing to affirm inwardly that life with all its sorrows is good; that everything is meaningful even if in a sense beyond our understanding; and that...
Remembering mom.
She left seventeen years ago. Every year on this day I remember her; write a few words, light a lamp, place a garland on her picture, sit quietly in her favourite spot in the garden or make her favourite dish. Then everything is put back into some corner of one's...
a woman of substance
A few days back an acquaintance who is a jet setting honcho of a huge MNC was house hunting. He finally zeroed on a flat in an up up market district of our capital city. The rent a whopping 550 000 rs a month! Mind you it is not a bungalow, just a second floor in a...
the heat is on
The heat is on. The weather girl predicted a whopping 45 degrees with a sweat factor of 27% making it feel like 48 degrees. The sensible thing would be to stay at home, away from the sun and the scalding wind. True that is an option for some of us, provided the...
the preppies
We have a new class. It is one we had to create by force majeure. Though we ourselves believe that children should not be made to study at too tender and age, sometimes noblesse oblige and you have to bow to the rule of the day.So much to our sorrow we had to take the...
a milestone for project why
The arrival of Pritpal is a real milestone for the special section of project why. Pritpal is an occupational therapist and will work with the children every morning. This will be a quantum leap for many kids and is bound to help them have a better future.My thoughts...
all god’s angels
All God's angels come to use disguised said James Russell Lowell. We have had our share dropping by project why in all shapes and sizes to help and guide us, and like all angels flown away before we even realised who they were. However, there has been one little angel...
a salvo from the heart
We all love positive stroking; come to think about it, it is something we need. We have had our share but often it is more lip service than a salvo from the heart.Usha is a special educator from Jan Madhyam an organisation we network with and has been coming to...
reservation imbroglio- whose in whose out
Tuesday morning some French friends set out from our home to board a train to Rajasthan. They were on a three week holiday and were hoping to be able to visit as many places as possible. As they were leaving, I told them rather casually to get in touch in case there...
five – oh – oh
This is the 500th post of the project why blog. By curiosity I went back to blog number one and read it. What a long way one has come since that day when with faltering fingers I wrote the first blog and entered uncharted courses not knowing where they would lead...
a few of my favourite things
Last week a TV crew came to project why. They spent two days capturing the shots they wanted and driving us literally up the wall. When it was over, the producer handed me a form tat he said needed to be filled. It began like all data sheets with queries about name,...
happy b’day girl
When she came to us a few months back we did not know whether she would make it. her tiny and frail body, her almost cerulean hue, her huge sparkling eyes made a quaint and disturbing picture.Her near brush with death made scared us no end, but soon miracles occurred...
.. better than all the rest
You' re simply the best we sang with as much energy as Tina Turner as the 12 girls of our class XII batch cleared their Boards with panache. Yes this year the project why class XII was an all girls batch. A matter of pride for us but also a true reflection of an...
the length of a lifetime
The story of little M should send chills down every self respecting human being's spine. The question remains: Does it? Or have we become so inured to crime against children, particularly small children, that we turn our hearts away.Can any society that calls itself...
You’re simply the best
Once again our kids have done us proud. All 12 project why students have cleared their class XII Boards and some with distinction. What makes this bunch different to all others is that many come from poor homes and have studied against many odds. Some were even...
ultimately it is all worth it..
When Deepak walked into the office this morning we all held our breath and stared in wonder. Was this the same child who just about a year back could barely breathe and seemed in constant pain. Was this the baby who had suffered a code blue, something we see on TV...
a unique summer camp
When my children were young, summer holidays always spelt disaster as one would be plagues with a leit motiv of I'm getting bored or What do I do now. One would try and plan things but they never quite met the standards of demanding kids. Those were the days before...
let us get started…
I normally am rarely at home during the course of the day and thus am not aware of he comings and goings that dot a normal working day seen from the inside of a home. Yesterday I remained indoors on doctor's advise and spent most the time in my tiny office which is...
end of a lifeline
Bye bye hot samosas was the the blog I had written some time back when one first heard of the probable banning of all street food in our city. Yesterday the Supreme Court decreed and imposed a ban on all street food.We often fail to see things unless we have a real...
Blowin in the wind.. revisited
How many times must up a man loop up, before he can see the sky, wrote Bob Dylan way back in the sixties in his legendary song: Blowin in the wind, an ode to all the unanswered questions that dot our lives.Today I am reminded of this poignant words as I watch Utpal...
pablic main thi naa…
Children sometimes say the most astonishing things. Many times it takes you a while to decipher the words as they often assume that you know what they are thinking and deliver the rest in what can best the best riddle..Kiran and I were riding in the three wheeler when...
Reclaiming their rights…
Sunday 13 May was an special day at project why. A Right to Information meeting was held at our Okhla centre. Santosh and Priyanka tow RTI activists from Parivartan and Kabir, came all the wau from east Delhi to explain how this Act could make a diference in the lives...
Apocalypse when?
Global warming is hitting our planet faster than we can imagine. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its latest report: "Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability," in Brussels, 6 April 2007 and the findings are alarming and urging...
a new *kid* on the block
Little Kiran has survived all her admission woes and is now in a new school. She is special for all of us at project why as it was the day she was born that our work at Giri Nagar began. Right from the beginning she has been part of us and grown with us.Since she was...
khabhar why ki.. a different look at project why
There is a new blog about the comings and goings of project why. Khabar why ki was launched some time back hesitantly by our incomparable duo Shamika and Rani. After a slow beginning it as now taken off in style.Khabar why ki is a blog in roman Hindi and shares in a...
354495 – a personal journey
India celebrates 150th anniversary of the 1857 uprising often known as the first war of Independence. The capital is in festive mood, a holiday had been declared and the police is on tenterhook as is usual every time we celebrate an event!For the past week TV channels...
A proud moment at project why
Meet our new teachers: Azad and Pinku Kumar. At first glance they look like many of te young teachers we have but that is not quite so.Azad and Pinku Kumar are our old students who have just sat for their XI Boards. Knowing their track record they will pass with high...
I’m explaining a few things
Once again I borrow the title of one of my favourite Neruda poems. The need for this post is based on a call from a dear friend and supporter who was a bit perplexed at what what happening at project why. I guess his doubt came from the posts like this one, and could...
setback
Just when you think that you have got it all in place, that you have achieved the quasi impossible, that it is time to make grandiose plans for the future and that you can bask in your so-called glory, you are dealt with a blow that calls you to order.This picture was...