Abandoned

A field social worker found a little girl at the bus station a couple of weeks ago and brought her to us. She's almost four years old, and was a little shy for her first two hours at Karunya Mane, then she opened right up!

Tunmai enjoying her milk at KM

Tunmai loves to talk with the other kids, and she shared with them that she used to play at the bus station while her mom drank and slept there. The social worker and her organization placed mom in a rehab facility, where she'll stay for a few weeks. Nobody knows where dad might be, although the little girl talks about him leaving their house and going to work.

The other newcomer to Karunya Mane is little Adarsh. He was abandoned by his mom, and a social worker brought him to us. Nobody knew his name, so our kids named him "Adarsh," which means "perfection." He seems to be about two years old, and is still adjusting to Karunya Mane. His hair is a little thin, he has a big belly (usually a sign of malnutrition), and a runny nose but should be fine in a few days, as he's got lots of love around him, with all of our kids watching over him.

little Adarsh after a week at KM

Sanju is back

Do you ever wonder who the street people are, especially the ones who look like they haven't had a bath or a decent meal in years? Or do you just walk by them, trying not to look because they stare at you with the most pitiful expression in their eyes, begging for something from you? They're just humans, with their own stories, and sometimes have fascinating personalities and life dramas, and a host of strengths and weaknesses. Just like the rest of us.

Often, it is difficult to understand where they came from or how they got to be in their situation. Many are mentally challenged, meaning that talking with them to find out their story is even more difficult.

Regardless, some display a warmth, an innocence, and a genuineness that is sometimes rarely seen in our fellow humans, who are busy with earning money, taking care of the house, and trying to climb their respect "corporate ladders."

Maybe by having absolutely nothing to their name except for the clothes on their back, the odds and ends packed away in the ever-present plastic bag ("plastic cover" in India) that they carry, and the two or three rupees in their possession makes them so open, so free of judgment, so carefree, that getting to know them forces us to look inside our own selves and reevaluate our own lives.

Sanju in 2007

Sanju, an endless wanderer, is such a street person. We met her in 2007 when she arrived at our area on the street. She immediately became everyone's favorite because of her smile, her genuine warmth, and her absolute inability to pester anyone for money. She even turned down coins when she felt that she already had enough for her day's meals.

Sanju talked to the street kids about her "computer brain," and they laughed when she laughed. At times she spewed out phrases in such perfect English ("It is raining!" instead of "Rain coming!") that we wondered where she came from and what her experiences have been along the way.

Then after a few months, she left suddenly and without warning, and without saying anything to the new friends she made. We didn't see her for two full years.

Recently, Sanju returned and seemed the same as before, maybe a little more melancholy. Sanju told us that she went far away, to stay with the Tibetan nuns who cut her hair and gave her food.

Sanju, back at Sayyaji Rao in 2009

Older by two years, Sanju seems a bit less happy and carefree, and is a little worried about her eyesight. We took her to the eye clinic, and they told her to come back the following Wednesday for cataract surgery, but she was too afraid to go. Hopefully, she'll be ready one day.

And we asked her, "Sanju, do you have enough money for food today?" "Oh, yes!" she responds in English, and shows us her seven coins and a ten-rupee note. We offer her another ten-rupee note but she said "beda" in the local language (meaning "I don't want it"), and our other street women friends -- who all knew her two years ago -- tell her to take it so she can buy more food later. But she refuses. Funny Sanju. We do love her complete honesty and transparency, hiding nothing.

A new baby...

Banu, a young woman who lives on the street, just had a baby, who we named Venkatesh. We're not sure where Banu is from, but she looks about 17 or 18, and came to the street a few years ago.

The baby's grandma is Kaveriamma, one of our other street women, and her grandson Rajesh, who is also about 17 or 18, is the father.

Mom Banu and baby Venkatesh

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

Charity Yoga Event in Los Angeles for Operation Shanti

If you are in the LA area, please click on the following image for details on how to participate in a charity yoga event for our kids, held by Garth Hewitt.

The events include a raffle for great prizes from excellent corporate sponsors, an art auction, and an exhibition of Garth's photographs from India.

Project Dog House

Another summer project for our older kids was building a dog house for our three dogs, who came with our kids from the street. Here's what they came up with. Not bad for using extra materials around the facility and a bit of cement -- and all for under $10!

Mom Maggie and her puppies arrived last year. Puppies Gundha and Shirley are now fully grown. Having pets around teaches the kids not to beat them and hit them, and to take good care of their animals.

The older kids are also responsible for washing and walking the dogs when they aren't studying. Considering our dogs are street mutts, they sure are nice and clean. And friendly!

Sumitra, Devaraj, Manikanta, Jyothi, Netra, and Pallavi
hanging out in front of the dog house.

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

Kaleem's birthday (and cute kids)

Kaleem celebrated his eleventh birthday on May 6 this year.

Darshan and Devaraj giggling. Little Pooja eagerly waiting for her slice of birthday cake.

Amita trying to feed little Umesh a piece of cake. Suma also waiting for cake.

Kaleem

Milk!

As part of their nutrition program, the kids at KM get a glass of milk every morning before school and every afternoon when returning from school. Also added to the milk are a couple of scoops of protein powder for an extra nutrition boost.

Saroja pouring Sreenevasa his milk while Harish
helps scoop in the protein powder

Little Sumitra getting her glass from Saroja... mmm, looks yummy!

Summer cooking lessons

This summer (April/May), the kids had a few activities while on their school break. One was cooking lessons twice a week from Anu. They learned to make lots of Indian favorites, like upma, tomato bhat, idlis, vegetable palyas, and lemon rice. Their first lesson of course, was on hygiene in the kitchen and the need to clean a kitchen til it is spotless.

Sreenevasa, Asha, Kaleem, Nanjunda, Amita, Venkatesh, Lokesh, Vinod

Anu moved the stove to the floor so all could see and participate

Asha holding the end product, with Kaleem and Amita looking
on, and Nanjunda offering you some chutney!

Timing was perfect for the cooking lessons, as we lost our cook (again). We've got a new cook now (more on her later), and in the interim the older kids used what they learned and helped Saroja make a few meals.

School grades and marks cards

Here's how our kids did in school this past year:

A new little girl and little boy

Two more little ones joined us this week. Lalita (age 4), and sister to Vinod, Netravati, and Swarana; and little Gowtham (also age 4), brother to little Jeevan.

Lalita, a bit shy during her first days at Karunya Mane

Gowtham, also a bit shy but if anything like his brother Jeevan, he'll soon
be another rambunctious kid at Karunya Mane with endless energy!

Gowtham used to live with his mom in a shack in a slum area of Mysore. Mom collects used paper and cardboard from waste baskets and sells them for income. She also cleans houses when she can find work. Her husband comes and goes and does nothing to support the family.

Gowtham is a bit underdeveloped and malnourished, and we've put him on supplementary protein powder to help with his weight.

Gowtham at his house last year

Two new little girls

Karunya Mane is up to 39 kids now, with the two latest additions being Vijayalakshmi and Vinuta. The girls come from socially and economically poor background. Dad committed suicide a few years ago, leaving their mom Lakshmi all alone. She cleans houses for a living, lives in a tiny house in a slum area of the city, and struggles to take care of her girls. None of her relatives bother to help with their care.

Vinuta, a mischevious little one!

Vijayalakshmi, very well behaved and extremely smart.

The girls have adjusted well to being at Karunya Mane, and are enjoying the rest of their summer with the other kids.

Street boys and "solution"

Many of the street boys here sniff "solution" -- you see them holding small pieces of cloth to their nose, and then hide it in their pockets. These pieces of cloth are soaked with something, usually paper correction fluid, available for 25 rupees a bottle.

Salman, the son of one of our street moms, is addicted to "solution." He's so addicted to it that he cries when we take his bottle of paper correction fluid from him, and he often shows up with dried white fluid on his hands and face.

It's a really sad situation, with many young street boys are addicted like this.

May 2009 e-newsletter

Our May 2009 e-newsletter is out.

Saturday activities

Kids usually go to school on Saturdays for half a day, and get back home by 1:00 pm. At Karunya Mane, our kids spend their Saturday afternoons catching up on chores and studying.

On this random Saturday in late March, the kids took some time to wash their school shoes and socks.

Divya

Prema, Amita, and Manikanta

Manikanta the ham...

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.

More creative fundraising

We sure do like when we get emails telling us about the support that people are showing our kids and moms, especially during these difficult times. Messages like this show us that people are doing what they can to continue to help our kids and moms.

Recently, Sylvie wrote that she showed the movie Y Yoga at her yoga studio, and during the evening raised US$120 for Operation Shanti.

During these tough times, people do want to give to good causes, it's just a little harder to do. And these creatively sourced, extremely valued donations go a long way. For example, US$120 will pay for two of our after-school teachers (covering 12 of our kids) for an entire month.

A recent article

Please see our Web site here for a recent article about one of our board members in India, who talks a bit about Operation Shanti and a few life lessons.

little Sowmya at Karunya Mane

Little Sowmya, who hangs out on the street while her mom Girija begs, just came to Karunya Mane. Sowmya's older brother Surya is also at KM, and she wanted to join him before school started next year.

Sowmya!

It took her a couple of weeks to get adjusted to being at KM, and hangs close to brother Surya, but she's now integrating well and playing with the other kids her age. She'll start school next June, along with the other kids.