Christmas Day at SD by Usha Baliga ...

Hello Arun,

Christmas Day at SD:
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The day started with various activities for the kids of Sahasra Deepika. Mr Dilip had organized a free dental check-up camp for the kids. When the kids were getting their teeth checked the rest of the kids were teamed up into 4 groups and we conducted organized games. Dr Vidya and Dr Manjunath friends of Dilip generously agreed to spend their precious time to check the oral health of the sahasra deepika kids. The kids with certain dental problems were asked to visit the dental clinic at a later date so that they can get the fixes done.

The other activities included indoor games, outdoor games, where every kid was made to actively participate in those games. Mr Karthick, Krishna Nair and Seema were the enthusiast behind these games. Some of the kids exhibited their talent at pot paintings and drawings. The paintings were so neatly done with least possible mess in the work place. We had scrumptious lunch prepared by the head cook of Sahasra Deepika. Ms Usha read couple of moral stories to the girls after lunch. Later after relaxing a bit we had half an hour session of Satsang. Mr Ravi and Arun Kumar sang few divine bhajans and the rest of the folks sang after them. All through the Satsang there was pin drop silence except for singing one wouldn't hear any other noise. The atmosphere was filled with the Omkars and melodious divine songs. When all these activities were going on the doctors were amicably doing their jobs except for lunch break they were busy as bees.

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Regards,
Usha

Sharing some of my happiness ;) Seema

Hello,

Sharing some of my happiness ;)

I had the privilege of celebrating this years Xmas in a very special way

If not for the childrens at SD (sahasra deepika), the Christmas would have turned out to be any other ordinary holiday

SD is an NGO working towards children in need. There are arnd 60 kids currently

Around 8 to 9 of my friends got together for this event and decided to so something special for the kids in SD.

We reached the place on bannerghatta road on 25^th of dec, around 10 a.m .The kids were anxiously awaiting our visit

Though a holiday, they were all in their classrooms reading for their upcoming Xmas. (SD is a residential school too for these kids)

The boys I tell u are boisterous, the girls were too shy. …But once we went up to them and spoke, they were all willing to chat with us non-stop

These kids start their school arnd 8 a.m …Have a brk arnd 10 a.m during which they are served some nutritious drink. Again arnd 12.30, they

Break for lunch and play for sometime before returning to their books. They are let off arnd 5 p.m, after which they clean their classrooms and wash their clothes..

Mind you, they are all in the age groups 3 to 12yrs.

During weekends, these kids indulge in learning music, games (like chess, carom) for which some ppl from the city volunteer.

The first thing that strikes u here, is the discipline of the place and the children. Though from various backgrounds, they are taught to behave themselves.

I had an opportunity to tour the place with 3 of the kids here (senior ;) ) SD has a pretty big campus where an international school is coming up. ( These kids will ultimately absorbed into this new school)

They told me stories of the fox,snake, peacocks, crows with stolen eggs, elephants which are frequent visitors to their places..They also offered me start-nellikayi ( star gooseberries ;) )

There is only one caretaker here and one house-mother (a young girl to monitor the activities of the kids)

The place is a huge one with ample space for the kids to play a variety of games..

We started our celebration by dividing the kids into 4 groups and playing a lot of games with them…

All the team leaders were selected through a voting process and given a mask…then started the volley of games…

The boys soon split to play frisbees, cricket and football (which we had donated as gifts to them)

We read some stories to them too….

We also wanted to organise pinata (actually, matka- breaking – indian version ;) ) for the kids for which we had gathered a lot of chocolates and gifts..

But cudnt manage to get an earthern pot..so managed with aluminium pots,later which the kids painted showing their skill of painting ( see the pic)

We had also organised a dental-free checkup for which our doctor friends volunteered…

The zeal and happiness on the faces of them, made my day very special…

Around 3 p.m , we organised a small satsang, wehre we intiated some bhajans..The kids were so sharp to catch the words and repeat it accurately..

After this we had some snacks, distributed xmas gifts and left the place arnd 5 p.m

I am not sure if I hav captured my whole day here….but when I composed this mail, I actually relived that day

These kids jst need ppl to visit them and spend some time with them

For some pics http://www.flickr.com/photos/90208175@N00/

For more info, http://www.sdie.org

It was an xmas well spent

Regards,
Seema
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Seema Parambath

UNO, Intel Technology India Pvt Ltd

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Heaven on the Earth

http://www.sdie.org

Me and my friends this Saturday been to Sahasra Deepika school FOUR KILOMETRES from the Meenakshi-Sundaresan temple on Bannerghatta Road(Bangalore) is a bylane that is soon to be called Sahasra Deepika Road. A near-untrodden path leads you to what looks like a beautiful resort. Fruit trees stand in measured distance of one another and the serene silence opens out into a picturesque white building. That is Sahasra Deepika — meaning, "a thousand lights" — home to children who have none. This is the home built by T.V. Ramakrishna, whose own home now is in the U.S

Dr. Ramakrishna was born in a village called Thallagavara, 60 k.m. from Bangalore. His father died when he was very young and his widowed mother did her best to educate him. The teachers in the remote rural school spotted the young boy's potential and encouraged him to study with small amounts of scholarships that came his way. His first scholarship amount was six rupees. As he continued to maintain high scholastic standards, his scholarship money increased to a princely sum of ten rupees! He lived in hostels that served him measured food. His degree in Civil Engineering got him a job at the PWD, where he worked for over a year only to realise that this was not his calling. So he started to teach at the Visveswaraya College of Engineering before leaving for the U.S to do a Master's in Engineering and Planning and later his doctorate.
Seventy-three-year-old Ramakrishna today recalls his journey from Thallagavara to the United States — a journey that could have happened only by the grace of God. He left India in 1965 and was soon joined by his wife and two children. Dr. Ramakrishna also carried with him memories of what it means to be poor.
Give them food, they are hungry again. Give them education, they are forever away from poverty." This is the maxim that governs the Sahasra Deepika Project. Attached to the orphanage is a free boarding school for the children, where they are taught the syllabus prescribed by the Karnataka State. They are taught in English so that they can become a part of the mainstream faster and with fewer handicaps. They have a reading room, a library, and half a dozen computers with an instructor.
His charming wife, Vijaya, is a passionate spokesperson for this cause. Years ago, while in the U.S., this couple were witness to the way in which sections of the Indian community came together to build a temple there. That incident helped them decide to build a "human temple".
he deeply committed NRI couple feel that one does not have to wait to become rich in order to work for a cause. All that one needs is support. People have to come together and just do their bit without a selfish motive. What Sahasra Deepika now require are sincere and educated volunteers. It needs housemothers — women who are educated and who are interested in looking after children. There is a Board of Directors in the U.S. and a Board of Trustees in Bangalore. But it would be glad to have skilled people pool in their visions to uplift the needy.
Giving the children a home and education alone is not enough. They must have good people living around them. The Outreach Programme of Sahasra Deepika aims to improve the quality of life of the people in the nearby village, Sakalvara. Young women are being trained to be economically independent and schools in the area are encouraged to participate in competitive events.
Sahasra Deepika can accommodate more children — Ms. Vijaya and Dr. Ramakrishna spend most of their time travelling through villages to see if they can help a truly deserving child. They have many more dreams for this home. They are in touch with the agricultural universities, hoping to see if some portion of the Sahasra Deepika land can be converted into an agricultural laboratory by the time the children finish school. "He is so impatient that he wants these children to go to college now!" says Ms. Vijaya about her husband. The children at the home call this couple Mataji and Pitaji. The robust-looking children of the lovely home make one think, rather ironically, that they are luckier than many who have parents. For, in a country like ours, there are so many children with parents who have no access to food or education.
The homecoming of Dr. Ramakrishna and his wife is special for they are not back to see how they had lived years ago, but to see how they can help others live better. They hope to see a thousand hands join them in their efforts
http://www.sdie.org