Updates on the playground project (wow, it's happening!!!)

After a few months of fundraising and planning, the playground project has landed in Mysore! See the following for the updates on our friends Kendra and Baxter from Star Seeds Preschool, who are heading up the effort.

http://sseedsshantiplayground.blogspot.com/

Bullets

On India's Independence Day, the kids were visited by friends from the Bullets of Mysore club, a club consisting of men who own Enfield Bullet motorcycles. The 18 riders arrived at Karunya Mane in the morning and first served the kids a nice breakfast.

Checking out the bikes.

Enjoying breakfast before the flag-raising.

The kids then entertained their guests with singing and dancing, and some play acting, before going outside to check out the amazing bikes and to partake in raising the Indian flag. Thanks again to Ananth and his friends at the Bullets of Mysore club for a very fun Independence Day.

In memory of Mr. Joseph

We were saddened to learn of Joseph's recent passing, and wanted to take this moment to thank him for all that he did for our street kids.

Each Christmas, Joseph gathered up a group of yoga students in Gokulam and encouraged everyone to donate presents to our kids -- and to kids at other orphanages in Mysore -- he must have had 200+ kids on his list every year who benefitted from his kind spirit. He'd then don his red scarf and come to distribute the presents to the kids, enjoying every minute of their delight.

The following pictures are from December 2007 at our Street Program. The girls below, Amitha and Prema, loved their dolls!

The kids gave Joseph a photo album as a Christmas present.

Joseph always remembered our kids, and sent many volunteers and very helpful people our way. Joseph, our kids thank you for your kind and generous support throughout the years, and may you rest in peace until your next fabulous journey. Mysore won't be the same without you.

A summer with the Natana Raja Mata and Rangayana drama workshops

The Natana.org website describes Natana Raja Mata as a summer workshop that educates and entertains children, and caters to children in various dimensions, to benefit the child's wholesome personality development. Raja Mata covers a range of topics, from modern dance to rural games. 


Natana is run by Mandya Ramesh, a well-known comedian in India. He invites many of his movie and TV actor and actress friends to interact with the kids.

And, ten of our kids (Venkatesh, Pallavi, Latha, Sumitra, Prema, Pooja, Shanthi, Divya, Vijayalakshmi, and Manikanta) get to attend this great camp this summer, from April 11 to May 6!


Here's a peek at Natana:

So far, the kids have been engaged in acting, dancing, and arts and crafts. They are always eager to get there in the morning (around 9:30 am) and are very happy when picked up in the evening (4:30 pm).

Venkatesh

Another five of our kids (Vinod, Sharath, Shwetha, Devaraj, and Netravati) are attending the Rangayana workshop, held by Rangayana, a theatre repertory, in Mysore. It is a workshop similar to that of Natana. 

The kids at Rangayana go swimming, dance, act, and engage in arts and crafts. Sometimes, they start at 7:00 am, so they can take walks around the nearby lake and learn about nature. 

Netra and Vinod in front of the crafts they decorated the day before.

Both workshops host about 250 to 300 children from all socio-economic backgrounds, so our kids will get to interact with kids from middle- and upper-class families. 

We're very grateful to Ananth and his supporters at the Narayan Foundation for securing fifteen free spots for our kids this summer at these really great workshops! Thanks.

Feedback

We just a note from Regina, the volunteer who spent a couple of months with the kids chanting and singing with them twice a week. She recently went back to Australia for a few months, and plans to return to Mysore in August, to continue her volunteer efforts with our kids:

Anyway just wanted to say thanks again for the opportunity to be with the children. We had so much fun, I must say that I miss them very much and feel so energized from being with them and learning new chants with them, we danced we played we laughed and rejoiced in this wonderful universe, I cannot remember the last time I had such a wonderful time, for me this experience has been the essence of yoga.

As you know our beloved Guru [Pattabhi Jois] left his body but when I think about him leaving I also think about the gift of life that the orphanage holds and the opportunity to serve and and be humble within our life. I suffer on one hand from arthritis but I rejoice on the other for now it is time for Seva which is another school of yoga: Service and Devotion.

Many thanks to you and the board at Operation Shanti for allowing me the opportunity to do some service, I look forward to continuing in some capacity when I return to Mysore in August.

Aum Shanti Aum
sistashree

Online in Finland

Thanks to our friend Satu for writing about us on a travel blog in Finland:

http://blog.travelstart.fi/2009/05/apua-intian-katulapsille.html

(Google translate does a decent job translating from Finnish to English...)

Vishnu, Vinuta, Imran, Darshan, Jyothi

Chanting and singing!

We encourage volunteers to engage in activities with our kids that are related to their own hobbies or interests. Recently, Regina, a performance artist with several of her own CDs, has started chanting with the kids on Tuesdays and Thursday afternoons during their school break. She plans to produce another CD with a few recordings of our kids! Stay tuned for more...

Surya and Lokesh deep in meditation.

Regina with little Devaraj.

Creative fundraising

Recently, an Operation Shanti friend told us about her effort to do some fundraising for us in today's tough economic environment. We found her idea creative and personal to her, and wanted to share it with you.

From Jules:

I learned of Operation Shanti when I was in Mysore this past year. And held on to a desire to be connected to the mission.

In NY, I teach several forms or yoga at a beautiful studio called The Yoga Room (www.the-yoga-room.com). Prenatal yoga among them. For some time, I've been trying to encourage my Prenatal Yoga students to develop a simple home practice in the form of a simple sequence called cat/cow, which is very beneficial for most pregnant women. But I had little impact in effecting this.

Then, two weeks ago I conceived of this plan: I committed a dollar to Operation Shanti for each time a pregnant woman in my class practiced cat/cow in between the times I saw them. I told them of the mission of Operation Shanti -- and how far a dollar can go in clothing, feeding and educating a child in India. Well! We have had 42 'instances' of cat/cow home practice in a little over two weeks! When I hit 50 instances ($50 dollars) I'll go contribute thru your website. I expect that will be this weekend.

I'm thrilled with the success of this new program, and plan to seek corporate sponsorship so I might continue it. If any of your staff has connections with anyone at magazines such as Fit Pregnancy or (dreaming big) a contact at Oprah's O magazine or the like, an intro would be stellar and mutually beneficial! I'll be reaching out to a broad network seeking just such introductions as well.

If anyone there would like to discuss this program with me, I would be happy to hear from you.

Thank you for the inspiration and all you are doing.

Peace & joy - Jules

She's starting small, thinking big, and being persistent. And we get "personalized" support like this in both big and small ways. Recently, Kendra and Ryan arrived from San Francisco to volunteer at Karunya Mane. While in San Francisco, they took the initiative to hold a fundraiser and collected art supplies, kids' clothing, and other useful items for our kids at Karunya Mane. Every little bit counts, and our kids and moms really appreciate any effort that you make--especially when it is related to something personal to you.

And by the way, the cat/cow $50 translates into about 2400 rupees, enough to feed our kids three healthy meals for three whole days. Or, it can be used to provide protein powder to an anorexic and destitute street woman for eight months.

Thanks!

Spotlight on (and goodbye to) a volunteer -- "Kim Madam Kim Madam!"

Kim came to Mysore in 2006 to practice yoga and to volunteer at a charity. She started with Operation Shanti in the fall of 2006, and helped our kids and moms for two years, until mid-2008. Now, Kim is leaving Mysore for the "greener pastures" of Argentina, and we thought that we'd, along with our kids and moms, say goodbye to her and thank her for all of her contributions to our work. There were many.

with Pallavi, Apu, and Latta in our Street People Program in 2006

Kim started out volunteering with our street kids and moms, and she was involved with just about everything that we do -- from teaching our little kids their ABCs...

with Jyothi, Parveen, and Pallavi in early 2007

...to making monthly visits to the kids that we had placed in a residential school...

with Chumi, mom Kumari, and Venkatesh -- JSS Suttur 2007

...and to teaching yoga to our kids on Sundays.

Pallavi, Latta, Prema, Antony, Raguvendra, Nanjunda doing sun salutations

Kim also helped with taking our women and kids to the doctor when they got sick, made friends with the friendly ENT doctor who did Prema's ear operations, and gave it to the nasty doctor at Cheluvamba who insulted and abused one of our moms who had gone for  birth control advice.

Kim says, "There were many beautiful, heart-warming (and sometimes hilarious!) moments while I worked with Operation Shanti; however, to have witnessed how far the kids and moms have come over the past few years is the best overall experience. It's wonderful to see many of our kids now off the streets and living in Karunya Mane, a safe shelter where they're healthy, happy, thriving and getting a good education. And some of the moms have worked so hard and empowered themselves to turn their lives around by leaving dangerous and abusive domestic situations, for example. Now they're leading more peaceful and productive lives, taking excellent care of themselves and their children, and giving themselves the chance of a better future."

On the difficult times as a volunteer: "Definitely the most difficult part of volunteering for Operation Shanti was working with the terminally ill in our program--sadly watching them suffer while their lives slipped away, and then eventually saying goodbye. It was also challenging, and oftentimes maddening, to work within a system and a society that for the most part turns its back on the destitute--especially destitute women. To watch how inhumanely the poor can be treated here is just as sad and tragic as watching them die."

Recently, Kim paid a visit to the kids who are now at Karunya Mane to say goodbye before she leaves Mysore. Many of them remembered her fondly. When Prema saw Kim, she ran to her brother Venkatesh and said, "Kim madam! Kim madam!"

with little Vishnu

Even little Vishnu remembered Kim. She took him to the dentist after she noticed that his two front teeth had started rotting (mom was feeding him milk at night to help him sleep but often forgot to brush his teeth afterwards), and they spent quality time together during their several visits to the dentist.

And, what does Kim take with her to her next adventure from Operation Shanti and India? "All of the following but now to a greater degree: patience, tolerance, unconditional love, compassion, empathy, an open heart, and the joy in life's simple things."

More art supplies

Thanks to the dedicated effort of Tracy and Ray, their supply of arts and crafts materials -- crayons, color pencils, glue, paints, papers of all kinds and much more -- gathered from generous donors throughout the year arrived at Karunya Mane.

Some of the stuff they brought!

The kids are really enjoying their Sunday projects with our current volunteers Sara, Jen, and Ashley.

Ray helps Pallavi and Jyothi decorate the little stick figures with clothing and hair

Sara with her bunch of kids

Recently, the kids made these:

Jen with Manikanta and Prema

Latta

Jeevan

Volunteer notes

From Kelly Thompson, an Operation Shanti volunteer:

While I was in Mysore in spring-summer 2008, I was lucky enough to hear about Operation Shanti and all the amazing work they do to help local people in need of care and support. When I made contact, it was agreed that the best way I could help would be to offer English lessons to a few of the children who needed an academic and/or morale boost for one reason or another.

I went on to tutor two adorable wee girls called Prema and Pooja two evenings a week at the centre. I can hardly begin to describe how much I got from teaching them. Both girls were smart, sweet and sensitive, and it was my pleasure to nurture these qualities in them. Despite me not being in Mysore for all that long, it was hugely rewarding to see their confidence and abilities improving, and it was a complete joy to see them having such fun learning. Prema needed a little more help and encouragement because of her hearing difficulties but both girls participated to the max, helped each other out any time they could and learned very quickly. They particularly loved the most interactive tasks – such as singing songs, playing games and doing actions to help them learn new words. I left every session feeling revitalized from their sense of enthusiasm for communicating and sharing. And I like to think that the sessions boosted their passion for learning as well as increased their knowledge of English.

It's hard for me, as a relatively privileged Westerner, to understand what so many of the kids, and other people, at the centre have been through in their lives. But I feel truly privileged to have been able to help even just a couple of them in some small way, and I've learned a lot from them – through their commitment to hard work, their heartfelt warmth and their pure joy for life.

I found the whole experience enriching and inspiring, and I hope to come back to Mysore to help in any further way I can at the first opportunity I get…

Pooja, Kelly, Prema

A trip to Infosys

In late December, our kids were invited to the very fabulous Infosys campus in Mysore. If you're unfamiliar with Infosys, they are a global leader in the "next generation" of IT and consulting with revenues of over US$4 billion. Hugely successful in the business world, Infosys also places great emphasis on giving back to their community.

Manikanta and Lokesh, just slightly excited while on the Infosys Bus

The kids spent the day at the campus, enjoying a dance workshop and games, then a nice lunch and some outside playtime. The photos say it all:

getting ready to leave (that's Silvia in the back left, our volunteer from Germany who took these great photographs; our older kids were on a three-day field trip with their school to interesting places in South Karnataka)


...a far cry from the street...

entering the campus

Imran with his new friend

Netra and Sumitra practicing their balancing skills

Vishnu!


a yummy lunch

some outside time

...saying goodbye...

Thank you to the Infosys SOften team for all that you do for the underprivileged in your country. Your work and your dedication truly set the example for others to follow.

Spotlight on a voluteer -- Madam Inspector

Getting locals involved with our work in a significant way is something we welcome. Everyone wins. Our kids get to interact with others in their society, learning from them or just casually socializing, and the volunteers see another side of society that they were not previously exposed to in any meaningful way -- the lives of the destitute, how they live, and most importantly, how they think about life.

When a street mom is so poor that her primary concern is finding enough food to eat for that day -- as is the case with the people we help -- the last thing that she is thinking about is the future, or bathing their kid, or brushing to ensure healthy teeth for the future.

One of our volunteers from the community, Anu, has taken a very active role in the lives of the kids and women. A while ago, she developed an interest in what we were doing and has since thrown herself into our work. She has opened her mind and her heart to our women, how they live, what they think about, and she takes an active role in helping them with the areas of their lives in which need guidance and support.

Anu not only donates her time (and often lots of yummy goodies made in her kitchen), she encourages others in the community to contribute what they can. She shares with us her knowledge, ideas, and opinions, and -- most importantly -- her desire to help the destitute in her country. She admitted that, for a long time, she did not think about why the poor lived the way they do, the problems they faced, and why they were ... so dirty. Couldn't they just improve themselves? Get a job? Find a house? By talking to them and learning about their lives, she soon realized that it's just not that easy.

Anu visits Karunya Mane for her monthly "inspection" and encouraging talks wth the kids. She makes it a fun session, while at the same time instills in the kids the importance of personal hygiene and taking pride in keeping one's area neat and clean.

Anu checking Swarana's ears and Sinchana's teeth

Anu -- and the energy, effort, and dedication that she puts into her work as a volunteer (she also runs a full-time eatery with her husband, treats her employees as family members, and takes care of her elderly parents) -- sets the example for others in society of how to contribute what one can in a most meaningful way.

Spotlight on a volunteer

Three years ago, Matt from Manchester came to Mysore to practice yoga, and to volunteer with Operation Shanti and our Street People Program. Matt was an immediate hit with our boys as, in his late 30's at the time, he still possessed those kid-like qualities that children so easily relate to.

Matt with the boys three years ago on the street

This year, the same boys that Matt hung out with three years ago, plus a few new ones, are now at Karunya Mane. One of Matt's duties as volunteer this year was to play soccer and cricket with the kids on Sundays.


Matt also got to know the other kids at KM, teaching Divya and Shanti how to tie their shoe laces on Independence Day, and helping the three newest kids -- Vinod, Netra, and Swarana -- during their move-in at KM.

Matt also spent time on the street in the mornings, and the little ones sure did enjoy him.

Matt and Saumya

The younger kids didn't really remember Matt from 2005, as they were all of one year old then, but the older boys remembered him immediately -- especially Venkatesh, with whom Matt developed a strong connection. Matt's support for Operation Shanti doesn't stop with just spending time with the kids -- he created the site Shanti Shirts, a fundraising vehicle, and sponsors Venkatesh through our sponsor program.

Kites!

A couple of Sundays ago, the Bobbi art project of the day was kites... putting them together, tying the tails onto them, and the flying them. Did they fly? Yes!

Bobbi and Asha flying their kite

The conditions were perfect -- a strong wind and lots of space. Our big yard sure came in handy.

Even little Vishnu got to fly his kite!