BRIEF UPDATE

Yes. The one month break seems to have become a trend with the ever busy Neha Joshi. And yet again I am armed with an excuse! I was in Goa attending WAVE: Women Aloud Videoblogging for Empowerment...

On October 12th Jo, (that's my boss for the uninitiated) sent me a mail about a two week film making workshop in Goa. My first response was WHOA GOAAA!!!! And then after I finally read the whole process and spoke to the concerned people I was skeptical to say the least, a woman representative from each state?? The mere logistics of the whole thing seemed suicidal. But who am I to complain? It sounded like an experience of a lifetime and definitely worth the two day travel to Goa. Plus incase it turned out to be fraudulent project: I’ll be in Goa with no work! Ah the joy of being the poor victim!! How bad can that be right? (Wink, wink)

But WAVE had a different idea. They turned out to be real and focused! I must say well done team! You managed to convert this cynic into a fan despite the lunch (How can I not mention that!!!) GREAT JOB!!!

WAVE for me is a visual platform that cuts through all social, economic, religious and regional boundaries. It was a whole 15 days of creative, dedicated and absurd women (and two men!!) bringing their best together.
The best part of the project was that the learning did not end with the end of the classes. The dormitories were a big feeding ground for education! Each woman at the workshop felt passionately about her cause. This passion helped all of us to unlearn a lot of what we thought we knew.

If I had fun breaking myths about People with Disabilities, I too in the process was jostled out of my comfort zone. Child sexual abuse, the water crisis and its effect on woman from slum areas, half widows in J&K, lack of basic healthcare in remote areas of my state.... There is a lot that the world needs to know and work for. WAVE offers us that platform. Yes, we will talk about the issues that concern us but we are not going to take the beaten down path. We are the youth, we don’t just talk about the problem we find solutions. That's what this group of WAVErs intend to do. In our small way we will bring about a change, a revolution in how issues are to be looked at. Yes the world is grim and life is grey par kal ko hum aapne haatho main le kar chalte hai, yeh badlega, isse hum badlene ki poori koshish karenge....

Well as I said this training was in Goa so there was obviously no way that one could not have fun right? Even though the training sessions ended by 6, dinner was at 8 and we were meant to report in by 9 am everyday, we went out and partied our hearts out!! Though our facilitators (especially Kurt and Sapna) tried their level best to persuade us against it!
Goa is as beautiful as they say in fact even more so. The first assignment we had was to shoot profiles of our group members. Now my group had a group of insane girls just like me, there was Avni, Mugdha, Laheru, Venisha and me. The reason why I loved this group was simple they knew how to have fun and give their best to whatever was assigned to them. Each one of us had something to offer and each one of us learned from the other.

Since we all wanted to see Goa as well as shoot we decided to go to Old Goa and shoot our profiles at one of the churches there. It was great! The place was conducive for our creative juices and our shopping desires! The was a certain comfort level that we all had with each other, which was a little unnerving because I had never met these girls before and here I was feeling like I have known them for years! We decided that every girls profile will be shot and each one of us will get a chance to shoot. We were all here to learn and will therefore not allow anyone be left out. And we managed that, though we did need a little extra time.
This was also the day that I drove my group mates up the wall with my stubbornness! I wanted authentic Goan food and there was nothing else I was ready to eat so we went around town looking for what suited my taste buds! I was both amused and shocked to see lots of north Indian restaurants all over. It was funny, ironic really Goa main Goan food nahi milta aasani se... that’s when I realized that somewhere we are all loosing our identities and maybe that’s why we try to hold on to them so strongly....
See as I said the education didn’t take place only in the sessions...

More to come soon...

C’mon I can’t possibly mention 2 weeks in one post now can me?? Plus I need to keep you hooked ;)

The Journey Continues...12 Years of the KV Calendar

12 tiny steps towards the journey of a lifetime…

The Karuna Vihar Calendars are a mirror to the foundation. Each of the 12 calendars created so far have a theme that in a small way talks about who we are and what we believe. The first calendar came out in 1997.

'1997 CHOTI SI ASHA'

"We have tender hearts and small hopes-we only want to reach the moon and the stars"

1998 CELEBRATING INDEPENDENCE

"We explore the meaning of Independence for people with mental disabilities . We are convinced that true freedom for our children can only be achieved through self-reliance"

1999 CELEBRATING 'SLOWNESS'

"Like everyone else, we are moving towards the millennium one day at a time. The difference is that we are learning to break the day down into minutes and savour each one as it comes.


2000 SUPRISED BY JOY
"We chose it because we wanted to enter the new millenium with the record set straight at last: Noboby is being noble here; none of us are candidates for canonization. We do what we do because we love it."

2001 CELEBRATING FRIENDSHIP
We celebrate the joy our children find in each other and the suprising depth of the love they share. We celebrate their delight in being together and their non judgemental regard for one another.

2002 A CELEBRATION OF TEACHERS
We celebrate the security of knowing that with them, our children are in good hands, free to grow and explore and learn, free to become their best selves."

2003 A TRIBUTE TO FAMILIES
All of us need a place where we can be ourselves: not a label or a type or an example of anything - just ourselves. For most of us, that place is family.
2004 ORDER AND BEAUTY : CELEBRATING MATHEMATICS
our special children teach us how to count all over again, gently reminding us that their place value has already been assigned: it's up to us now to do the math.


2005 CELEBRATING INCLUSION
We celebrate inclusion in its most spacious sense-the universe and all it contains-people,animals,poetry,song,lichens,spotted owls. Damn everything but the circus!
2006 - KARUNA VIHAR TURNS 10 (first ever black and white calendar)
But some things are black and white and it takes a grown up soul with the heart of a child to see them:the power of love, the beauty of each person and the human spirit's endless capacity for growth.
2007 CELEBRATING IMAGINATION (Dedicated to the memory of Linda Upadhyaya)
We honor the life of a woman who helped children and their parents discover how to dream and we give thanks for the spark and fire and the flight of the mind - who can say where it will take us next?

2008 CELEBRATING ABUNDANCE
...Recognizing that we really are blessed and fortunate and lucky - right now, just as we are,exactly in this moment.
2009 CELEBRATING THE JOURNEY
It's a journey of discovery,of joy and of sorrow and we set out on it alone,yet mysteriously together,united by the road and our shared humanity.

NOW... Here is a sneak peek of the Karuna Vihar 2010 Calendar....

CELEBRATING FOCUS

Limits, paradoxically, set us free. They narrow our range but they deepen our scope. They make it possible to accomplish the significant.....

To order a copy or donate call us at +91-135-276-1014 or mail us at priyam@latikaroy.org

All donations go to support the Latika Roy Foundation's work for children with special needs.

Special Thanks to:

Photographers - Avinash Pasricha, Edmund Cluett, Jo Chopra, Margaret Mcneill,Rahul Saini,Lucy Cuseo & Purnima Rao

Designers - Shalini, Neha Agarwal, Beth Shirrel, Prashant Upadhyaya & Edmund Cluett

Printers - Vinay Aditya at Systems Vision and Thompson Press

Donors - JRD Tata Trust Fund, Action Aid India, ONGC

THANKS KARTIK (JAIN)

Kartik Jain a budding photographer is a friend. I met him first at Samira's place. I really can’t go into who Samira is because that will probably take the entire blog in short she is my childhood friend. I grew up with her. She is that person who has always been around. A friend who I wouldn't be able talk to for 2 straight years yet when we do catch up seems like the two years changed nothing! Mira Kuhn-best friend, soul mate, sister, my partner in crime!
Anyways this is not about her this one is about Kartik!

Thanks for the amazing photographs you took.

BACKGROUND
The Latika Roy Foundation played host to 7th graders from Woodstock School. The students were here from November 3 to November 6 and on the last day we organized an inclusive activity for students of Woodstock, Karuna Vihar and trainees from CVT at Latika Vihar.
The students were divided into groups of 4 and they were given bed sheets, paintbrushes and lots of paint to unleash their creativity! And unleash they did! Now how Kartik got to know about the activity is another story.

SCENE 1

Neha Joshi (yes, there is another Neha Joshi at the Foundation!) and I were traveling back from Delhi. We were very excited as our tickets had been upgraded and we would be traveling in style AC 1 Tier!!!
Anyways so we bumped into the kiddo at the station and what do you know he is traveling in style too! So there we were sitting in our cabin with an elderly couple, Kartik, and the two Neha Joshis. Two people from Latika Roy Foundation and they don’t talk about it, not possible. So we began rattling about what we do and about the Woodstock visit yada yada yada.
That's when Kartik tells us that he had come to Delhi for a photography workshop and we pounced! "Why don’t you come and shoot some pictures for us Kartik?" He agreed!
CUT TO SCENE II
The mayhem begins!!!
The children poured in at Latika Vihar at 11 am on Friday, November 6 and Kartik strolls in at 11:30. With paints and children everywhere I could see Kartik maneuver his way around trying to take photographs.
These are some of his photographs. I must say WELL DONE KARTIK!

That's ME!

Helping a friend.

What one group made!

The other Neha Joshi-hmmm now I can give Picasso a run for his money!

A splash of Colour!

Hema Di(The force at LV) and Me(the chotta force at LV)

The 3 Musketeers (Neha J, Neha J and Priyam -my sister from another mother)
Having fun together

Now that was FUN!!! Thank You to the whole team...

Rambling

Yes I feel like rambling...
Sometimes life seems like a rock rolling down the mountain...its moving too fast downhill and gathering momentum with every minute. Damn the law of gravity...
While all I’m hoping for the time being is a little break. Just a tiny little break.

Where is it heading, why and for whom?

Somewhere down the line I have forgotten who I am living this life for. I feel like somewhere in this life of mine I have no time for me.
This is everyone’s life but mine...

Rambling that is what I am doing, probably because life’s moving faster than I am. I’m growing every single day and everyday I am challenging myself, my own beliefs and my own decisions.

Every single day, it’s more about me, every single day it’s less about me.
I am no longer me and I do not know who I want to be.

Something has changed but I feel like holding on to what it was. The change is growth and I love growth, it’s eminent, essential yet somewhere down the line I want it back to what it was...
But I no longer know what it was like….

What I once held dear no longer has any value.
What I once thought inconsequential now suddenly holds significance.

I’m losing myself in this search for myself.....

But, Who am I?

Am I what I think or what you think?
Am I what I see in the mirror or what I want to see in the mirror?
Am I my dreams or my reality?
Really, who the hell am I?

Whose life is this? Whose questions are these?
Not mine.
Yes Mine.

Here I stop.
Here I begin.

Just a thought

A moment of joy is better than a life time of sorrow....

A friend once told me its okay to be random!

Taking your advice. 'Get it'. And this thought came across while talking to another friend, Sood that's you if you didnt get it!

To both of you - Thank You!

Back with a Bang!

Chaotic control that’s the best way I can describe the last two months! It has been ages since I wrote but I do have a very good excuse! Since my last post in September we have had 2 melas, 3 small productions and 1 film meeting! Well so as you can see I have been busy! The melas were great fun! As I was saying chaotic control.... hmmm now how do I explain that to you? Okay so we started with a Janamashtami celebration and a big Independence Day celebration (all of this is there on our site http://www.latikaroy.org/). Both these celebrations were marked by performances by our children. A dance by our lovely Radha Krishna devotees and a play on the gallant Rani Laxmi Bai (for the uninitiated - she was the Rani of Jhansi, one of India's first female freedom fighters). One of the photographs in my last post (one with the green turban is from that day!). It was a last minute goof up. One of our actors Arjun decided to not come on the day that he had the play! So there was Neha Didi trying her best to control the children from panicking while deep in her heart she was the queen of paranoid panic!!!So at the last minute I decided to wear a turban and be a man!

Now as they say it’s only the beginning. Things never truly end when they are meant to 2 days after the chaos Merrow, our Volunteer from Cambridge University put up her production with the children at Latika Vihar. The play was one of my favourite fairytales Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and we had an extremely talented Snow White who didn’t deter to say other actors dialogues if they forgot to say them! (What presence of mind!) To cut it short it was a HUGE success. It was the first time many of our children spoke in English and they were astonishingly perfect!

Once the Latika Vihar events got done and over with (at least for a while) I got down to what I am being paid for! Work on the website and the Resource Centre!

Merrow and Ashleigh our volunteers had come up with a brilliant fundraising project called B.U.I.L.D.E.R. The project would involve students from across the city in our fundraising drive. In my personal opinion it’s a well thought out, creative and productive project. What it entails is that we approach schools speak to them about our work and our needs. We then let them decide how and if they want to support our cause. The project allows the children complete freedom to use their own creativity to fundraise through events like school marathons, yard sales, dance shows etc. All the ideas, planning and work is done by the children. The project helps them in understanding a company structure as it would require a proper work division and demarcated responsibilities. The aim is to train the children in a possible career in events and fundraising. The qualities that they need for this project and the qualities that this project would enhance will help them in the future for college applications, job interviews etc. the process also spreads awareness about the cause of disabilities. Great project huh Ek teer se teen nishane! Thanks Merrow and Ashliegh! We are still talking to schools on the same project and have my Alma Mater Welham Girls School on board!

Now we had Yvonne from Birmingham, England who started something called The Wall at Latika Vihar (yes Welhamites it’s exactly like the Wall in school!). Children think of a theme and write articles, do research, take interviews and put it up on the board.
But one of the most important thing that Yvonne did for me was plan, plan and plan some more! You see I love ideas and I’m ever ready to do things at the drop of a hat! My agenda in life would promote a shoe company very well, Just Do It! Yvonne on the other hand brought the control to the chaos!
We had two Melas, Dusshera and Diwali and did I have fun pulling her leg about her habit of putting everything down on paper! But thanks to those papers I never forgot anything!!!
The Dusshera mela was great fun we had dances, food and the burning of the Ravana!

But you know what the best thing was? The involvement of the children, you should have seen some of the older kids who stayed back to make the Ravana!

Those who practiced diligently for the dance and others who tried their best to make little decorative pieces for Latika Vihar!

We than celebrated Diwali in grand style (phew we really don’t leave any festival alone now do we?). Just a few pictures of the rangolis by the staff and children will show you the effort that went into this mela!

With the diyas burning bright the centre looked beautiful.

Now the movie! Well it’s a bit of a surprise so I should not spoil it. All I can say is we are in the process of making a small film which I hope will be appreciated by all those who care about the cause and want to learn more about it. The movie is being made by a group called Xebec Film Team who had done an amazing job with our previous film. Here is the link to that film http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC2ncbi_U4w

Phew! To be honest this is still not the end.... there was much more and will always be more....
Here's looking ahead to November.

PS: that was just the work front!!

Photos Courtesy: Yvonne, Merrow & ME!