Fundraising Distribution and my Farewell Party!

Last Friday, the whole of Udavum Karangal’s Shanti Vanam came together at the park. That includes all the children, patients, and volunteers. That was a lot of people! There must have been at least 500- 600 people.

            The lovely staff of UK and I tried to separate the items bought in order to distribute them. We hurried to open the huge sacks of slippers and separated them into sizes that were needed for each unit. The model house girls, the young Sishu Bhavan kids, the older Gokulam girls, the older Boystown boys, the working male patients of Dignity, the working female patients of Athma Shanti were all given slippers. We gave them just 25 each in a place where there were surely 50 or more people. These slippers were said to be carefully used in rotations when each person needed them when going out.

            The event started off with a bang. Not only was this an event to distribute the stuff that we bought from the fundraising money, but it was also my farewell event. I hardly have 3 more days left at Udavum Karangal.

            Papa Vidyaakar started off by saying that we’re all gathered here… Ms. Ramya has helped purchase these items personally depending on each person’s needs. He said that I am an ambassador for Udavum Karangal. Not to blow my own horn, but I’m merely sharing some of the interesting things that Papa Vidyaakar said the other day. He stated that he was impressed that I was able to withstand for 2 months in this place with less facilities, and that he (in the beginning) underestimated what it is that I can do. He shared that I was always doing something or the other… either teaching bhajans, writing something or doing something… he also said that there will always be a part of Udavum Karangal in me as I’m involved in the Child to Child harmony project and through many other ways.  

            I then said that it was my pleasure and my honor to have spent 2 months here at Udavum Karangal and to have gotten to know many people really well. Thanks to him and to God for such an opportunity to be amongst the most loving &  caring people. We proceeded to the giving of the items.

            I asked the children, how many of you really know what your caretakers do from the time they rise till the time they go to bed? How many of you know how hard they work for your welfare? All the annas, akkas, & paatis who take care of you so well need to be recognized. So, to honor them, we will be inviting people to come forward and receive a token of appreciation. 

            First, I wanted to honor Kutty Pappas – the home for spastic children. Their caretakers do everything from A-Z for those children. Papa Vidyaakar said a few lovely words about each set of people and then we called their names and they came forward to receive the gifts. The young people and middle aged women were given fancy jewelry, the older women were given sarees, and all the men were given shirts.  They were so joyful. Each person took blessings from Papa and expressed their gratitude.

            When I was calling the names… it was funny as I did not know everyone personally. I would call someone’s name and they would be very much elder. I would say Babu…and see him getting up and say Anna…and the whole crowd starts laughing!!

            We then called the people in charge to receive the jewelry sets that were bought for important functions… like weddings.

            Then, the in charge person of each unit was called forward to receive bags full of slippers.

            There were boxes of underclothing also that were bought… and they were to be given at a later time.

            My aunt, my uncle and my nephew came to grace the event on my behalf. It was a pleasure to have them over.

            When we were almost done… the people who didn’t show up when their name was called came. The children so keenly stated that so & so akka is back. Please call her… this paati is back… it was nice to see that they took the initiative to make sure that their caretakers who were left out were well taken care of. It showed how much love and affection they share with their caretakers.

            After handing out everything, we sponsored snacks for everyone. I wanted to make sure that the snack they got was a rare item and we got them vegetable puffs. Rose milk was also provided for everyone. They enjoyed it.

            As a means of crowd control, Papa Vidyaakar asked the patients to sit in the side pathway so that we’d all have enough room to move around the park where the event was held. Hence, the patients were sitting outside my visibility. Then when we were nearing the end of giving the puffs, the patients who speak very well came up to me and said how come you didn’t give us any puffs? I was like… umm… okay… not sure why you didn’t get any and I must have handed it out to at least 7 patients before the social worker who takes care of them came running to say they already got some. Some of the ladies were eating their second share and what was cute was one lady stuffed it inside her clothing to show as if she didn’t get a second one. It was cute to watch the patients.

            What was more interesting was that one deaf & mute volunteer came up to me and made gestures saying that this one lady did not receive anything.  I had just dealt with patients, and I was not sure who this lady was. So then I asked a sound lady and she states her name and it just so happens that when I called her name she did not show up, as she might have been busy. What was unique about this situation was that a deaf & mute lady insisted and got a saree for a lady who can speak very well, but is shy. How sweet!

            We then sent the leftover puffs to Maduravayil, a place where the intensive psychiatric patients and elderly women stay. They loved it as well.

            Overall, people were extremely joyful. Even ladies that always kept quiet and seldom spoke to me started conversing very well after that evening. I took pictures with all of the volunteers in the children’s section.

            The day was so beautiful. One of the volunteer ladies that I had closely gotten to know expressed… Ramya, I left like getting emotional as you said you were leaving. We’ve gotten to know each other well… I was able to share my sorrows with you. Our families have abandoned us and when people like you shower love it gives us joy. This lady wishes me well always. She prayed for me when I was sick… she gave me Vibuthi and said you should not get sick again! She has taken care of me well. She then said, you have gifted me with something… but what can I give you? I expressed that her love that she showered was plenty enough!

            The girls at Gokulam had requested that I stop by when I’m wearing a saree… and so I stopped by to say hi and their love is simply abundant.

            I then took a moment to say thanks to Papa, two lovely social workers who had guided me and stood by me, and to the manager Sir who skillfully executed everything. I then said my byes for the day and left. What a beautiful day.

            Can’t imagine how many people were made happy. The joy was clearly evident in their faces. It was a memorable day indeed.  

Purchasing!

Dear friends and family,

I am now approaching the last few days of my journey here at Udavum Karangal. As you are all aware, I had fundraised money for buying things that are much needed for the people of Udavum Karangal. I am proud to say that we saved a lot of money by purchasing at wholesale rates at the nooks and corners of small shops in Paris Corner. It was such an interesting experience. When I kept thinking of the good that this purchase would bring to many, I was able to easily overlook the difficulties of shopping at Paris Corner… a place that’s very different from where we normally shop.

            Our first stop was at a jewelry shop to buy huge sets of jewelry (similar to those of Bharathanatyam sets) for functions such as weddings and wedding receptions. As they had to rent these jewelry for one day use for the same amount in the past, we decided to buy two sets of jewelry for their use. At first I thought, why invest money on jewelry!?! However, you will not believe the amount of compliments, thanks and smiles I’ve received after people have seen these sets of jewelry. They cherish their beautiful girls that much. They take care of them so well and Papa Vidyaakar wants to ensure that each child’s wedding/ reception/ function of becoming an adolescent is well celebrated to make the child feel special as they are his own.

We then purchased few sets of undergarments for all the children and volunteers at a reasonable rate with a nice quality. It came well within our budget and with much more quantity that what we planned as it was sold in dozens only.

Our next stop was of course, to stop for lunch. After we had replenished our energy, we then went to buy Sarees for the older volunteers. It was surprising that sarees were available for very cheap at Rs. 180 each. After purchasing sarees, we went to see what types of shirts they had for the volunteers and workers of Udavum Karangal. Even the shirts we bought were bargained down to Rs.180 for a very decent quality shirt. We also bought a small special occasional jewelry set at Rs. 180 for each young female volunteer. Many of them are hardly 16-20 years old volunteering in their break from 10^th – 11^th STD, or volunteering after High School.

When I saw how hard the people work day and night to take care of the children, patients, or the organization itself, I was amazed to see their dedication. They do not complain about the amount of work they have to do. They simply do it with elegance and grace. That’s when I realized that they definitely need to be recognized for their hard work.

We then bought earrings for the patients at the psychiatric ward. We got great deals for them. I have never seen earrings in dozens for hardly Rs. 12 or so. These earrings are to be kept for their special occasions.

Last but not least, we bought slippers… good rubber slippers. We bought almost double the amount we were going to buy at half the price that we had budgeted. Each slipper costed less than a dollar. How cost efficient!

After making all of the desired purchased that we planned on doing, we still had plenty of money left to give for the expenses of the books for the children this year.

Overall, this purchasing was very eventful. Thanks to all the donors who opened their hearts and gave with all their might.  I was surprised to see some people who opened their wallets wide disregarding their situations in life. I was so happy and appreciative of their efforts, of everyone’s efforts. Thank you.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank some special people for making this happen: my parents! If it weren’t for them, I would have been lost. If it weren’t for them I wouldn’t have had such an idea to execute something like this. Having executed this projected so smoothly is simply due to their guidance, dedication and hard work from Dallas! They have always been and always will be the back support for all my endeavors including my charity projects. Thank you Mom & Dad.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the two social workers in this organization who gave me suggestions on how and what to purchase with the fund raising money. Not only that, the manager helped organize things smoothly as well. We were given a vehicle, which was driven by a driver who roamed around to help us. There was a gentleman who came along with us to show us the shops to buy things at the cheapest rates. Two lovely ladies accompanied me to purchase the things at a high quality with the cheapest rates. They were great at bargaining too! The day started at 10.00 A.M. and ended at 10.00 P.M. Not only that, we had to go another day for a couple of hours to buy more things at T-Nagar. All of this was possible with the help of all these lovely people of Udavum Karangal. Thank you!!! It was amazing to see how dedicated the staff of Udavum Karangal are and how much they want to make sure that the people are taken care of. I have heard the staff there say that Papa Vidyaakar says working at Udavum Karangal is not called working but it’s a way of life… it’s a way of living. It’s really true. The commitment the staff show to the children and patients even on a Sunday night after 6.00 P.M. is truly remarkable.

Yes! We will be handing out these purchased products tomorrow evening! I will be sure to let you know how that goes! This was indeed a beautiful way to have personalized things bought for the people.

Until then, it’s me, Ramya… signing off with a sad note that I only have a week left at Udavum Karangal during this trip. Thank you God, once again, for showing me another world… a world full of loving, caring, and innocent people who mean well regardless of who you are!  

When I returned back to UK....

After being sick for over a week, I returned back to Udavum Karangal. I was yearning to see the smiling faces and to receive their love. Little did I know what I had in stock for me. As soon I arrived, all the staff lovingly asked where I was and if I’m better now. When I visited the model house girls… they said that as soon as they found out I was sick, they prayed everyday for me to get better. I was so shocked to hear that. How nice! Usually, our hearts immediately go to pray only for our kith and kin... but here they have included me in their close knit family as their kith and kin!

The next day, I went to see the psychiatric patients. They were so excited to see me that some ladies almost spit on my face to find out how I was. I was able to witness their unconditional love once again! They excitedly shared how they have sung bhajans the whole week I was gone. They were eager to learn more new bhajans before I leave.

Since I’ve been here for almost two months, people have developed trust and confidence in me to open up and share their stories of how they arrived at Udavum Karangal. It breaks my heart to listen to each story as they say it out of disinterest and yet with a keenness to share their sorrow with someone who can lend them an ear. However, each story ends the same way! What? The life stories of many people have the same similarities? Yes! They all end by saying… "if it weren’t for Papa Vidyaakar, we would be on the streets, or we would be in danger now, or we’d be dead by now. He is the God in human form for us as he has saved us from our troubles." It’s amazing to hear how much trust and belief each person has kept on this one man. The level of gratitude they express to Papa Vidyaakar is immeasurable. At the same time, the amount of love, care and support Papa Vidyaakar gives to each person at Udavum Karangal is also immeasurable.

I thought just these two units of people had prayed for me to recover. However, when I went to collect my dinner at this other unit called Gokulam, a home for older girls, the mother their said she was so worried and she would enquire daily as to whether I have returned. She was so happy to make me dinner after I returned back. She then tells me she’s a great nurse who nurses the sick back to health. She says she’s a Christian and it’s her duty to pray to God for the welfare of others and she prayed for my welfare.

Now, think about this… imagine the most corrupt Indian Government employee with Lakhs of Rupees… is he happy? Does he have all that he needs to live a fulfilled life? I think not! One of the most basic need for a human being is love… if you’ve ever felt deprived of love (which we all feel, once in a while…) come recharge and replenish with the abundance of love and care at Udavum Karangal. After being drained by the virus infection for a week, I was recharged by the unconditional love and prayers of the people here. Thank you God for surrounding me with people who care!

As I count the days left of my trip at Udavum Karangal, India… I feel saddened. Every where I turn, people keep telling me… you better make sure to say bye to us before you leave! It’s nice to be in such a happy place… its definitely not utopia… but in my opinion, it’s very close to it!

Readers… thank you for your support in reading my blog entries so far! I hope you too have gained some valuable information! Stay tuned for more interesting information… shortly!

God is great!!

God is great! Yes, yes, yes he is! Within the span of 3 days, we reached our goal for fundraising for this good cause!!! We have attained a little bit more than our desired goal of $2100. Thank you God.

God is great! The model house1 girls have all been doing their gratitude journal. It was impeccable to see them. I was so proud of them that a small teardrop came down my cheeks.

God is great! God and Papa Vidyaakar had given me an opportunity to conduct an event of children’s show yesterday. The staff at Udavum Karangal wanted to make the stay of the Hong Kong girls (roommates of mine, who have come to volunteer) a memorable one. They gave the girls the assignment of doing some fun events such as singing songs and practicing an Indian dance with the children of Udavum Karangal. The event went very well. I too participated in it, by training 8 girls to sing the song “Chinna Chinna Aasai” and singing with them.  Two girls, my dearest pen pal, another really sweet girl, and I together sang the song “Satham Illada thanimai keeten.” We sang the song somewhat well… it was a long time dream of mine to sing this song as it’s a record breaking song by S.P.B., and with the help of these two girls, I was able to sing with them. They were all enthusiastic, and they listened attentively to the suggestions I gave to correct our mistakes.

What was most amazing was the keyboard player that played for our songs. He too is a child of Udavum Karangal. He could simply listen to any song and play it easily on the keyboard. I was mesmerized by his talent. Moreover, I started thinking… what if he had the opportunity to have music lessons… I wonder where he would be. He later tells me that his dream is to somehow become a music director. He says he only has very minimal music books… and I asked him if he knows about Mozart’s music… and he had no clue. I was saddened that he didn’t even know of Mozart. But I was happy because he uses his talent well! I, however, had been given piano/keyboard lessons as a child, and I didn’t use it well. I told him that I sold my keyboard and my piano. He says, that’s okay…even A.R. Rehman sold his instruments as a child. I said, he sold it out of poverty…what reason did I have? He even wanted to turn my sad response of selling my instruments into a beautiful opportunity. I was overjoyed by meeting him… I have such high regards and respect for him and his talent. God is great… may God make his dream come true to become a music director. And perhaps… God’s little helpers could sponsor his music lessons & music books?!? : )  

After the event, Papa said a few words and he said, everybody please say thanks to Ramya akka for compeering this event and for the songs they sang… and the whole 500+ crowd said thank you. A thank you from them was nice, but not necessary… because the pleasure was mine. My heart only ached for a father’s approval, not the thanks. Nevertheless, I was thankful to God and so happy for having had such an opportunity to make these people smile for 45 minutes.

            When we finished, snacks were handed out. A girl in a wheelchair said, Ramya akka… you sang so very well. My heart went out to her. She knew my name… I didn’t know hers. I couldn’t remember which home (section) she’s from. She said can u lift it up? I was confused… I usually hear people saying, Ramya! Your pants are sweeping the floor, lift it up. So, I was like…what my pants? She laughs…and says… no… lift my wheelchair up to the pavement so that I can go. I then pushed her wheelchair to her home (Sumai Thangi – Burden bearer) and said byes. She said, she too wants to sing like me… I said, of course you can! You can even sing better than me! You just have to try!

What is funny is that I’m just a very average singer, but the amount of people singing my favorite bhajans are only like a LOT. You will not believe the amount of ripple effect here my average singing has had here. If I simply teach 20 kids the bhajans, they go and teach it to 100 kids in their prayer session and it is simply amazing to hear 100 kids sing bhajans.

Last week, I was worn out from the excessive heat and I took a day off. I also had to leave the next day to go home. So, I was gone 2 whole days. When I was about to enter the pathway to the psychiatric patients’ home… I was stopped and questioned by many people as to how come I didn’t come those two days! I had to explain in detail. Since I was in a hurry that morning, I packed my breakfast to eat later. When they asked me if I had eaten my breakfast, I said not yet. People were shocked because it was close to 10.00 A.M. A patient said, if you don’t eat properly then something will happen to you like it did to my mom. You better eat now! I was surprised as to how much they care for me. Another lady states, let me go right away and get you breakfast first. You must drink or eat something. How else would you have any energy? They left me only after they got a guarantee from me that I will eat after bhajans.  

Later on that day, I was walking towards the kitchen. Then three ladies said, how come you didn’t come for 2 days? I said, you noticed? What’s surprising is I barely knew they existed like 2 weeks ago. They know my name and everything about me. They watch out for me daily. These people are caretakers of the children. They too grew up here. However, they do not know the real world. They only know what is inside of Udavum Karangal. So, with awe, she asked if I’m a singer in music troops, and if I have released CD’s all over the world! I was shocked… of course… and with a smile, I replied… I’m not even sure if I have what it takes to release CDs inside Udavum Karangal. She then tells me, that they listen quietly when I teach bhajans to the children. A boy apparently said, akka akka, please come… that akka is teaching bhajans there. She said she listened for over 10 minutes before anybody spotted her. They then asked me if I could teach them some bhajans… I said of course! But, they said that they don’t have the time as their schedule is very full.  

God is great! He has given me the opportunity to be with so many blessed and wonderful people and witness such beautiful happenings! Just this last Friday I saw a beautiful family that have a newborn baby sponsoring a boy and a girl. What was sweet was to see them make their few months old child interact with the kids they are sponsoring now. I then heard that they called the day their child was born and asked Papa and the people of UK to name him. What an honor!!

God is great! There was this girl who was a chirpy teenage girl who always joked around. Not sure what happened, but she was avoiding me due to some misunderstanding. I was able to speak to her and get through to her, with God’s grace! She was then smiling and joking later today after I spoke to her. Each time I look at some of the children here… I can feel their pain mixed with joy!!

God is great! A young teenage girl who takes care of the children put henna on my hand so beautifully. I had so much fun eating dinner with all the volunteers/ care takers! It was a joyful night!

Yes, God is great! Thank you God for shining this light on me by giving me this opportunity to serve and learn life lessons.