Our dearest friend Kabir of Azure Hospitality conjured another miracle. This time an invitation to a ‘posh’ lunch at the new Mamagoto in Connaught Place. For many of us lunch at a restaurant is a mundane affair. This is another story.

Most of the invitees had never been to a restaurant of this kind. Most of them probably never tasted high quality asian cuisine- a far cry from the chow mien or momos now available at every street corner. Many of them had never entered a restaurant of this class.

But the Project Why team team is to the manor born and no one would have guessed that this was a first!

The invitation was for 20 guests so students and teachers from each centre were selected. Every one was beautifully turned out and tasted new foods with enthusiasm. It was a merry party that lunched a the new Mamagoto on that sizzling day.

But all good things come to an end and so did that lunch.

To say that this is a memory that they will carry on their hearts forever is an understatement.

Two of the guests voiced their feelings.
One said this was probably the first and last enjoyable moment of his life.

The other simply said that this lunch was the happiest moment of her existence.

It is touching and humbling to see how an occurrence we take for granted gives such joy to those who rarely experience it.

Thank you Kabir and the Mamagoto team

Today we would like to walk down memory lane and talk of all the visitors we have had over the years. In most cases they return more than once. That is the magic of Project Why: once you walk in you leave a little bit of yourself and take a little bit of us.

We have many kinds of visitors, some who have become die-hard supporters and who make it a point to visit regularly. There are even Project Why tours organised by them! The best way to see how time has passed is to peruse the pictures and look at the children grow.

Some visitors come and share their skills. It could be a magic show, where tables flew and roses appeared, a brass band from France, a  Flamenco class, a wall painted on Xmas night or a song written for Project Why and performed with the children. The time and care is touching.

They are of all ages and come from across the globe. A bunch of Cub Scouts from the American school decide to help their Okhla friends paint their school, a group of girls from the American school in Beirut came visiting too. An octogenarian from Australia came to share Mahatma Gandhi’s message.

They come and spend time with children not shying from dirtying  their  hands. They serve meals to the children at the Yamuna centre and even give pedicures to special kids!

They come bearing gifts or ready to get us what is needed. They respond to our appeals be it for state-of-the-art hearing aids or a roof that needs to be made.

One  of the most touching group of visitors were students with special needs from France who came to meet their Indian friends. That day doors and lanes seemed to have grown large enough to welcome the elaborate wheel chairs. It was a magical moment when no language was needed to convey what was felt. Everyone danced and laughed to their heart’s content. Invitations were made and for an instant, one believed that Project Why’s special kids could maybe visit their French friends till reality struck: given the circumstances our kids would never get a passport. But one can dream and who knows? Dreams do come true.

Over the years, we have been privileged and blessed to have so many people come to Project and leave as friends forever. Those who cannot come back remain in touch and in our hearts forever.

Please do read the links in this post. They are precious memories

The dentist comes calling

It was dental checkup time for children from the special section, the creche and the primary section. This was the first dental check up at Project Why and was made possible thanks to our friend Neena Gulabani from the Anubhav Learning Centre. Two young dentists Rinku and Shweta spent the morning peering into small and not so small mouths. The children as always behaved perfectly though one or two of the tiny ones got a bit frightened. The doctors gave the children toothpaste and told them to brush TWICE a day. Some need dental care and we are working towards a solution.

The star of the day however was Ganga. She decided to express her gratitude and ours too by performing a lovely dance for the visiting doctors. It was such a special moment and we invite you to share it with us. What makes this so poignant is that little Ganga has a terrible skin condition that may be life threatening.

Sometimes God’s ways are difficult to understand for us mere mortals!

Enjoy some German moments at Project Why.