The big day...visit to Shanti Bhavan



Me with our tour guides Sarita, Lilly and Thomas

The grounds of Shant Bhavan

 Some students in the second grade class

 

 The art room!

 

Manju, Me, Veena, and Shanti

 The younger children going to

lunch

Nap time

After spending the first night after the Pooja in the beautiful new house, Manju and I set off to Hosur, two hours from Bangalore to visit Shanti Bhavan. We picked up Shanti, their Director of Outreach and Development along the way and she directed our driver through traffic and then very rural back country (for India) until we reached the gates of the school. After a welcome cup of tea, we were taken to an assembly much like Parker's Friday morning. The whole school was gathered on the floor of a large community space. The program began with the school song, which talks about all the potential these children have and how they can become whatever they choose. I was moved to tears. Students then presented news from around the world and responded to questions from others. A couple of skits were performed and some of the older girls performed a dance that they had learned for the previous school graduation. It was Veena, the assistant principal's, birthday and two songs were sung to her and a card from the kids and faculty was presented. Lastly, Manju and I introduced ourselves.We then were introduced to several of the volunteers working there. Many are from the States and most of those from New York! Then our tour began. Three graduates, Thomas, Lilly, and Sarita were back at Shanti Bhavan working as substitute teachers while on a brief school break. Their energy, insight, intelligence, poise, and knowledge is hard to capture in words. They took us to all the classes, filled us with stories from their days at the school, answered our endless questions, and were truly an inspiration. This school's mission lives in these kids. They came from a place that offered them no future to speak of and are now in a position and with an obligation to raise their families out of poverty and give back to the school that supported them and gave them a home from the time they were four years old. If only more children were given similar chances, the world would be a better place. We handed the second grade teacher the writing and illustrations that our 2/3 kids made for them, and during the course of the day those children wrote responses that I'll bring back to our 2/3s. Hopefully we can keep this burgeoning relationship going and the Shanti Bhavan children will become our experts when the 2/3s study India next spring. The teacher volunteer opportunities abound, but a word of warning...these children will steal your hearts and you won't be the same!! To say that this was an inspiring day doesn't begin to express what I'm feeling right now.