Celebration of Teacher’s Day on Septmeber 5th at Sri Ram Vidya Mandir. The children played the role of teachers for entire day and produced a show of song, dance and skit. In honour of the important work each teacher was given a gift and letter in gratitude. more photos
Monthly Archive for September, 2009
This past week both the girl’s and boy’s field hockey teams whom local tournaments. Several children also won medals in a local track and field meet. Congrats to all.
Dear friends,
My 2009 new years resolutions included regular updates on the Sri Ram Ashram web site. Better late than never, I have started posting once again. So much has happened in the 1½ years: Puja, our first child, is married and living in Haldwani. Meena, who arrived as a sickly five year old, is studying to become a dentist. Renu and Mala completed their BBA program and just started working for a transport company in Jaipur. Prema joins them as she completes her BA in Tourism Studies while receiving on the job training. In early August Vijai Raj started college in Chandigarh. He is studying for a BA with an emphasis on physical education. Vijai Pal is completing class 11 and 12 in Rajastan where he will also be trained for work in the transport industry.
At the other end of the spectrum Baby Sita is now six months old. Found in a sugarcane field she arrived less than one day old weighing 3 ½ pounds. Today she is gorgeous and healthy. Vanadana turns two in September. She is incredibly verbal reciting poem after poem in both Hindi and English. Preeti is a hefty nine-month-old beauty, Anjula, who was abandoned when she was six months old, turns two in January. And Ansula, who weighed 2 ½ pounds and spent her first weeks in ICU fighting off an infection, is 2 ½ and everybody’s darling.
And that is just the beginning.
Headed by our new principal, Mrs. Jyoti Nandi, the school is thriving with 550 students ages three through 17. We have a wonderful sports program; our girl’s hockey team was the first female team in the history of Haridwar District to qualify for a national level tournament. Music, dance and the sciences are thriving. We are developing an excellent core staff who place education at a premium.
Andrea, our trusted nurse from Germany, keeps the clinic running twice weekly. Harvard dental school has sent volunteer dentists two years running. Our clinic managers, Dr. Om Prakash Tighe and Peggy Green are spearheading traveling medical camps into poor villages where medical care is minimal.
We have gone on trips to Delhi, started a successful exercise program (www.crossfitsriramashram.typepad.com), celebrated many festivals and welcomed many new guests and old friends.
To keep everyone updated I promise to post regularly to the web site news page where we feature children and events. We have also started a Sri Ram Ashram facebook group for quick announcements and update links. Feel free to join us. If you wish to receive similar newsletters in your email box please sign up on the web site under contacts.
Thank you for your patience and support. Thanks to all of you we are thriving.
In peace,
Rashmi
Sri Ram Ashram
Vandana arrived at the ashram when she was five days old. Abandoned in Uttar Pradesh she was brought to the ashram via a 35 hour train ride by man who last visited the ashram ten years ealier. Happy Birthday Vandu!
We get many visitors to Sri Ram Ashram each bringing their own skills and enthusiasm. Recently Rajiv Khan visited and taught the boys asanas and gymnastics.
“Tapan Dada don’t forget that I am your daughter Kiran. I was crying for you. Tell the doctor please cure me very quickly because children are crying for you. “
Translated from a letter Kiran wrote to Tapan Dada the day before his shradha. She told me not to forget to give it to him when I see him.
