Shishukunj Bharat Darshan Trip December 2007

Leave Messages for your friends here!

2008-01-02T10:38:00.000Z

Now that everyone is back to individual homes, i am sure you are all missing your travelmates and friends a lot! The parents, friends, your families and I have had a lot of fun here on this blog updating it and leaving comments for you all. There are requests to keep this Blog live a bit longer so that a lot more people who were vacationing can see it.
So now its your turn to keep it alive and kicking! go ahead and post messages to each other or for rest of the group.You can share pictures as well!Enjoy! ( its easy, try it!)

A Brilliant New Year - Last day in India

2008-01-01T04:56:00.000Z

Here's wishing everyone at Shishukunj,the parents, the karyakars, families and friends a brilliant 2008 ahead. God Bless all and keep everyone safe.

Hope everyone has enjoyed the celebrations and recovered from the celebrations! The children are surely having a blast in Mumbai and enjoying their last few days of sunshine!

Here are the updates in their own words -

Written by Rajalben Shah – evening of Sunday 30th December

Sunday morning and another day full of memories just waiting to be made. An hour’s drive that morning led us to a school for blind children called Pragati Andha Vidyalaya (PAV) in Badlapur. There, we were greeted warmly and introduced to some of the children. They put on a show for us; involving different yoga postures hanging off ropes and a rollerblading stunt.

The show continued inside one of the school rooms; with garba dances incorporating different props, and a bollywood dance was also performed, while we were given refreshments of tea and biscuits.

As we toured the school grounds we were taken to another classroom where the pupils showed off their musical talents through keyboard, drums and singing. The activities created an upbeat atmosphere, as we sat back and enjoyed the concert. What the pupils lack in sight, they definitely make up for in more than one way. We continued on our tour of the school grounds and many of us encountered brail for the first time.

From PAV we travelled to Bhiwandi to a school called Bhairav Saravali specialising in aid for the deaf and dumb. There we were paraded into the school and given tie and dyed chundris and handmade flower arrangements.

A mini mela with stalls depicting different Maharashtrian celebrations and festivals met us inside as we were taken from one corner to the other of the field. We were then welcomed to the school in a more formal and direct manner and enjoyed a dance on rollerblades performed by some of the students that study at the school. We then had lunch and relaxed for a bit.

After that we had a volleyball match against the school (Shishukunj vs Bhairav Saravali); obviously Bhairav Saravali won, by a lot! We then went to watch a 2 hour long manoranjan session which consisted of a number of fantastic items including dancing and acting.

It was really good seeing how talented these baalko were even with their disabilities. Then we had dinner and we left to go back to the hotel. We arrived at the hotel at 11.30pm and then went to our rooms. We all learnt a lot that day and felt very grateful for what we had.

Written by Shivaniben Patel – evening of Monday 31st December
We left the hotel at 10am. We then went to see the various sites of Mumbai. This consisted of an interesting museum dedicated to Gandhi, which we all learnt a lot from and some other beautiful sites.

We had lunch at Mcdonalds which was surprisingly tasty compared to that of London and we all really enjoyed the food.

We finished site seeing at 4.20 and headed back for the hotel, arriving at approximately 6.30. We were given an hour to get ready and then we met in a separate room of the hotel to begin our new years eve celebrations. All the beno were dressed in formal Indian wear, the bhaio on the other hand were in more western clothes. The evening started with an amazing magic show, performed by Miss Krupti Parekh (an internationally acclaimed magician).

We then had a game of musical chairs, pass-the-parcel and Oscars for the Bharat Darshan trip. These included ‘most likely to be president’ (Kishanbhai) and ‘most in trouble person’ (Akhilbhai). We then had a few closing speeches and retired to our rooms (to continue celebrating with our friends). The new year has started off on a high and we all had an amazing evening!

Written by Surajbhai Shah – morning of Tuesday 1st January

Today is unfortunately our last day of this amazing Bharat Darshan Trip (arrwwwww..!!!). Planned is go shopping to the famous Santa Cruz area and Lincoln Road street market then to return to the hotel early evening to pack suitcases and have dinner. We shall be leaving to go to the airport about 9.00pm to start our return journey.

Anoushkaben Amin writes...

2007-12-31T05:46:00.000Z

The group is presently in Mumbai and spent the day yesterday visiting the shishukunj supported projects in Bhiwandi.( details awaited ) I certainly know that it was a long long day for them. Today is going to be a day for sightseeing - the city of Mumbai and maybe a spot of shopping.

Here is the entry from Anoushkaben's diary -

Another early start had us all leaving Mysore at 6.30am and beginning our four hour drive to Bangalore airport. Activities of the coach journey included catching up with some well-needed sleep, joking around and scaring Surajbhai out of parenthood! We reached the airport at 10am, and ate some wraps – yum yum. Check-in was a time-consuming exercise, and at the departure gate, a few of the karyakers at the back of the queue were man-handled by an AirIndia check-in assistant, who would not allow us to stand in front of her desk - argh. Then we boarded the plane, and spent the one and a half hour journey singing, playing cards, sleeping and updating our diaries among other things. We arrived at Mumbai’s new domestic airport and collected our baggage at around 2pm. Leaving the airport, we were greeted with a new view of India – the sun shining down on the modern city. We took the drive through the city to our hotel and were allocated our rooms. The afternoon was spent with relatives or relaxing in the hotel and then we walked to the Radhakrishna restaurant, where we had mocktails and very cheesy pizza. After that we explored the shops and experienced the trauma of crossing Indian roads! We returned to the hotel and went to sleep.

Prajwal writes...

2007-12-29T12:58:00.000Z

For those of you who don't know me, I was Panache's representative with the Bharat Darshan group from Puttuparthi to Mysore and back to the Bangalore airport.

Despite tight schedules, waking up at unearthly hours and adventurous train journeys (read Vikash's "The Indian Railways Experience), I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent with the group. Parents should be proud to know that the these kids were ready for anything. They were up and ready by 4:30am when told to do so; they not only carried their own heavy suitcases up and down the stairs at the train station, but they also helped the adults with their luggage!

I was also pleasantly surprised by the group's enthusiasm. Most of them seemed to understand the essence and spirituality of India after having visited all the temples and ashrams (I am assuming that this was one of the goals of the trip). It was also heartening to hear that they were ready to come back back to India again next month if they could!!

I must also congratulate Suraj(bhai) along with his 3 musketeers Vikash, Chirag and Rikesh for the patience and endurance. They make the most serious meetings into fun-filled discussions!

From what I have heard and seen on this trip, Shishukunj has succeeded in cultivating a sense of responsibility and autonomy in their young members and has helped them stay in touch with their roots.

I hope everyone has enjoyed the trip so far and that the last leg in Mumbai is more relaxed and less hurried!

Shivaniben Patel and Sajniben Shah write....

2007-12-29T06:56:00.000Z

[Wednesday] …[ AT MADURAI ] After we arrived and were greeted, we were given some free time to freshen up and relax.

At about 12.30 we left to go to a restaurant in another hotel to each lunch. We had tomato soup, shak-rotli and chocolate ice-cream for dessert. After finishing our scrumptious meal we left to go to various mandirs; the first of which was located in a cave. At this mandir we were greeted by many cheeky monkeys (like us) as we got off the coach. Some of us were quite scared ?, but we survived ?.

We only spent 10 minutes in that specific mandir and then we set off to go to the main mandir of Madurai- the Meenakshi Temple. This temple was fully dedicated to Shiva and Meenakshi (Parvati). The mandir was very colourfully decorated and hence aesthetically pleasing. There was a tower which was surrounded by around 1500 sculptures- WOW! We spent a large part of the afternoon exploring the mandir and it was an enriching experience.

We then made our way back to the beautiful hotel where we were given 1 and a half hours to relax. Some of us watched TV, whilst others went to the gym (i.e. Rishielbhai who was asked to pose for the gym instructor). After this we had a rooftop dinner in which we ate ITALIAN food. We had spaghetti, macaroni, garlic bread etc. It was YUMMY!!! The group then split up. Most of us stayed at the hotel and chilled out. A couple of us (4 to be exact) went back to the Meenakshi Temple to observe the ceremony of moving the Shiva murti. Despite a rush to enter the temple, we managed to get in with only seconds to spare before the gates shut. We watched the Lingum murti being moved from the Shiva mandir to the Meenakshi Temple with a ceremony to respect Shiva by symbolically washing its feet. However, we were not able to go into the inner sanctum of the Meenakshi shrine, due to the crowds. We returned to the hotel fairly early, and soon fell asleep, as we had an early start the next morning.

[Thursday] We met in the café of the hotel at 4.45am, having checked out of the hotel. We ate breakfast: toast, croissants, idli and vada. We sang Happy Birthday to Tanviben, who turned 13. We departed from the hotel at 5.30 for a 4 hour coach journey, to Rameswaram. We arrived at a bus stop outside the village, as the coach wasn’t allowed inside. Hence, we travelled for the first time, in a public Indian bus; let me tell you, it was an experience compared to London transport. We arrived at one of the most sacred temple towns in India, and visited one of the twelve Jyotirlingam shrines. We were blessed with 22 different types of water from several springs, the last of which was from the holy river Ganges. This was beneficial for those who had not showered that morning! We then went to the Gujarati bhojanalaya of the mandir (at 12.00) and were given until 12.30 to eat our lunch, after presenting Tanviben with her huge birthday cake (which was obviously shared between all of us)! We went to the bus stop and journeyed back to where the coaches were waiting. This experience was different from that of the morning. Only half of the group managed to get onto the first bus and so the second half waited for the next. We travelled for another 5 hours, arriving a hotel (to have dinner) at 6.00pm. We had a full on Chinese cuisine and left for the station in preparation for our 15 hours train journey (which some of us were dreading).
The train journey wasn’t as bad as we had expected. The first challenge we encountered was having to carry our suitcases up one flight of stairs and down again, but we all managed it in the end (with the help of Rishielbhai; who was carrying 2 bags at the same time and then going back for seconds!). We waited for the train to arrive for 1 and a half hours, after which we had the whole of 5 minutes to load ourselves and our luggage onto the carriages (it was a tight squeeze). Despite lots of noise at the start, we all settled down within 3 hours or so and soon fell asleep…

[Today]…we were greeted at 7am with a surprising breakfast on the train, consisting of quiche, a huge donut and the biggest slice of luminous cream cake I have ever seen (however a few of us [ e.g. Anoushkaben and Sajniben] ate the food with ease). We all had our memorable experiences in the toilets (some good and some not so good). After a few hours of talking about how many cockroaches and mice were crawling on us throughout the night, we entered the station at Mysore. There was another rush to get out of the train (as there were 40 of us it was inevitable). It took us 20 minutes (by coach) to arrive at the hotel- which was surprisingly posh. Apparently it is where a few Hindi movies have been filmed ?! We then has 45 minutes to relax and have a much needed shower before going down to the ‘Parkview’ restaurant in the hotel to eat lunch (which consisted of Chinese and trifle etc. ). Straight after lunch we headed out to do some more sight-seeing. First we went to a famous palace in the city, it was stunning! We spent a lot of the day there-looking around. At 2pm we left to go to a local Ashram, which Hansaben and Kaushikbhai knew quite well.

The most memorable thing there was the renowned Bonsai Garden (one of the best in India). It was gorgeous. We had some herbal tea (which many of us consequently bought) and then most of us left at 6.45pm to return to the hotel. However, about 10 people stayed to join in the Bhajan session (which was apparently incredible).
At 8pm we went to dinner (we ate paneer, crispy vegetables, sweetcorn soup etc.) and finished the day with an hour long reflection session, after which we were all ready to go to sleep!

Saturday, 29th December 2007

2007-12-29T06:03:00.000Z

Thank you for all the lovely messages, i am overwhelmed. I am only doing my job and its been such a pleasure getting everything right for the children. I admire all you parents for believing in the experiment and sending all of them away to "experience and grow". I have a seven year old daughter myself and i learn from you and hope that i will find it in me to let go of her when the time is right to find her wings and fly.

About today -
I am just back from the Bangalore airport, they all made it in good time and were all set outside the airport at 10 AM for an 11.40 AM flight ( Indigo air flight 6E 275) We had taken along some vegetable Katti rolls for them as brunch to tide them over until the late lunch in Mumbai at 3 PM. The flight was on time, so they all went in while Suraj Bhai checked in for all of them and got a bunch of boarding cards. They said heartfelt goodbyes to Prajwal who had been travelling with them for a week. There were invitations going out to him to get packed in a suitcase and be carried away until London!

Jayeshbhai is waiting for them at Mumbai and they land at 1.30 PM. By the time they collect the bags and get into the coaches and then arrive at the hotel, i would say that it would be 3.30 PM.approximately. They are staying at the Karl Residency

Here are some pictures of today -

Thats Prajwal on the left -

and that mystery person in red on the left is me :)

UPDATE AT 2.30 PM : They have landed safely and are on their way to the hotel! Over and out for today!

Friday, 28th December 2007

2007-12-28T06:17:00.000Z

We have more than 4000 hits on this blog but only 12 votes!?! Please vote - so that we know if this has been a good practice, whether my obsession with updating it has been worth it and we know if we have been successful in keeping a two-way communication going between the parents and the group even at remote places!

They all successfully boarded the correct train at Madurai and when i met them today morning at 7 AM in Bangalore, they seemed to have had a good night's rest. Here are some pictures of today morning-

ALL THESE PICTURES CAN BE ENLARGED.

Notice the Chaiwala below!

I sincerely think , for getting you so many pictures, i deserve a good treat from the parents the next time I am in London ! ;)

As i write this, they have arrived in the regal city of Mysore and checked into the "Sandesh the Prince" hotel.They are going to have a continental & chinese menu for lunch ( for a change) and later go on for sightseeing of the Mysore Palace. At about 4 PM, they plan to spend sometime in a local ashram before proceeding to the Brindavan Gardens. The dinner is back at the hotel and they leave from there at 6 AM tmrw morning by road to get to Bangalore Airport in time for the flight to Mumbai.

Thursday,27th December 2007

2007-12-27T06:14:00.000Z

What amazing kids! i called them at 9 AM and they had already travelled 5 hours and were already in Rameshwaram!! Super energy, super timing!
At 9 AM they were to go in for sightseeing of the Rameshwaram Temple and later have lunch at the Gujrati Bhavan nearby.

A vegetarian thali meal awaits them. they are carrying a huge cake for Tanvibens birthday and will be cutting that at lunch time.
They then drive back to Madurai, have dinner at a restaurant opposite the train station and board the overnight train to Mysore. The train leaves at 7.45 PM. They reach Mysore at 10 AM tmrw. The train is via Bangalore so i will be going to meet them at the train station and will also handover some light breakfast to them.
So you can send me all the messages that you like today so that i can hand them over tmrw.
They are in this tip of India today -

UPDATE AT 5.15 PM : They are back in Madurai after the trip to rameshwaram. Brilliant timing by any standards! they have 2 and a half hours between now and the train. The dinner will be served at 6 PM and after that they will hop across to the station. The challenge - the train stops for only 5 minutes and they have all their bags with them this time! They will be in Coaches B1 and B2 in Mysore Express departing Madurai at 19.45 hours.

The "Indian Railways" Experience

2007-12-26T19:05:00.000Z

A huge big thank you goes out to Vikashbhai for his beautiful account of the experience on the Pandyan Express - overnight train between Pondicherry and Madurai.

Written by Vikashbhai Patel – morning of Wednesday 26th December

Namste to all, I must begin with telling you that I am responsible for giving out messages to the childern. if a message has been left for your dear pinkys, ladoos or bambino's they are publicly read to all the baalko. This may happen over dinner or when meeting in a hotel lobby. We do not like to keep anything from the children. To all the parents who have been using the Bharat Darshan blog as a social gathering site, all messages left are read to the children..... please do not stop!!! It is very enjoyable for us.

So after an enjoyable christmas day in pondicherey, as we were all going to dinner the alarm in the hotel sounded. It was Surajbhai stuck in the lift! The power had cut-out. He forced the doors open and found the lift stuck and lift had stopped between floors. Luckily for him, the lift started to work after about 10 mins. He was slightly purple and bemused when he came out. The evening concluded with a nice change from south indian to CHINESE cusine....After some nice spring rolls and vegetable fried noodles we took some time out to reflect on the trip so far. This trip has been jam packed with life changing experiences so we thought it was time to share these thoughts. Hopefully when your children return they will be thinking twice before asking for a playstation 3 and be a lot more appreciative of things around them.
After this we began our journey to the train station which was an hour away from pondicherry. We arrived at Villapuram station around 10.45pm. Everyone was very apprehensive about the journey as myself and Surajbhai convinced everyone that they will have diorreha from eating the kachi keri from a stall earlier in the day. Luckily we only had our hand luggage as our suitcases were on the coach to meet us in madhurai.Generally the baalko werent sure what to expect as i had told them it is like what you see in bollywood films of chickens and goats mixed in with all the people....So we made our way up in to the station and onto the platform. At this time the station was fairly quiet and preparing only for the night trains.

Our tour agent Prajwal informed all of us to make our way to Plaform 2. But in India this is subject to change at the last minute as we later found out.We sat down around 11.15pm and got a round of tea's and coffee to keep ourselves attentive. At this point a lot of question's were being asked...are there English toilets?? do we get food? What are those puddles on the tracks in the station??? We left it all to the baalko's imagination and said nothing. So around 11.45pm we begin to ask the train staff where is the train coming and the platform its on? The reply is.. "please listen for announcement, but its coming". So we see the train guard and ask him....he points us to roughly where the compartements are but no further information.The train guard at this time was buying his evening dinner. We had one assurance from him was that he will not send the train off until we were on board which was quite reassuring. So 11.55pm came and the 2637 did not show up... So the baalko began to ask what is going on?? We all knew that in India the trains do not arrive on time but it was fun telling the baalko that we may have to sleep on the platform...

The guard had poited out where out compartments where likely to be so we headed in that direction. At this point we had the message that it was on platform 1 know. There was a lot of other announcements going on at the time for a train on platform 2 so there was some slight confusion. The train arrived on platform 2 and then suddenly like a shining bright star and NO announcements!!!

a train arrived on Platform 1...now the excitement began.. One group went to the B1 compartment and the other to the B2 compartment. This station was a passing station so it had passengers already. As soon as we borded we were pleasantly greeted with beautiful Indian snoring and belching...We al made our way to our beds...most of us had people already sleeping on the lower bunks so we had to jump up on to the middle and top bunks.

Intially the baalko were told to prepare there beds which was a bed sheet, blanket and pillow. This was an AC compartment but it can get very cold..So we all made up our beds and began preparing for the night...

Know the biggest fear for all the children where are the toilets. The ones in our compartment were Indian toilets but the ones ahead were English. This vital information was going to stay an undiscovered secret so they mostly used the Indian one. PS.. indian toilets are holes straight onto the track.. So after the initial excitement people began to turn into bed around 1am for the night. most people slept well during the night, me personally being quite big and on a top bunk just even getting up and down is difficult...but i managed to get some sleep with not much disturbance.

The odd Indian burp or fart added to the experience. I was woken about about 6am by Surajbhai trying to thief my blanket for fun. We nearly getting to Madhurai in 10 mins. it was a mad dash to get all the children up and ready...Just as there eyes opened the train pulled into Madhurai..Luckily it was the final stop so the children could get off in there own time. We arrived in Madhurai all a bit dazed from our night of sleep and felt good that the firt train experience was over. We then made our way out of the station to wait for our fleet of taxis. It was a short journey to the hotel and we were welcomed each by flower garlands. Luckily even though it was an early check in, we managed to get all our rooms straight away.....

Wednesday, 26th December 2007

2007-12-26T05:39:00.000Z

Good morning everyone! thanks for so many messages, sending them to Madurai now. I am sure you will be making most of them very happy with the messages from you.

This is a quick line here to let you know that they have all arrived in Madurai safely. The train was almost on time ( 10 minutes late - which is NOTHING in India, right?) and they arrived Madurai in the morning. Most of the rooms were ready for them and when i spoke to them at 9 Am, they were having breakfast. The coaches had followed them by road and they have also joined up with them now with all the bags.Once the drivers have rested a bit, they will do local sightseeing in Madurai with a guide.

I will keep you posted on how the day progresses.

Tuesday,25th December 2007 - Merry Xmas

2007-12-25T13:26:00.000Z

Merry Xmas everyone! And please keep the messages coming. We will be faxing all the messages to Madurai tmrw so make sure there are no disappointed faces!

When it rains, it pours...here are some more pictures for you - The children had a realxing day at Pondicherry today and they will shortly be taking the Pandian Express to Madurai.They arrive Madurai at 6.30 AM tmrw morning and check into Germanus Hotel.

Written by Puneetbhai Sengani – afternoon of Tuesday 25th December
Yesterday at Mahabalipuram we had some free time in the morning to ourselves. Some went to the beach and others to the hotel swimming pool. Late morning we went to a museum were which was called open –air museum and then to 2 other two places of interest. Lunch was at the hotel. We left Mahablipuram late afternoon and arrived in Pondicherry in the evening then we settled in our hotel.

Then we had dinner we had dinner in like a hall. Then after dinner we were aloud to go out if we wanted to but as we had a hall for dinner we changed the plan and instead we had a compaction so we played antrakshri. So we played that for about an hour also then as we were having so much fun unfortunately we had to end it as t was time to go to sleep for everyone.
Today in the morning we had breakfast then we loaded the coach to go to place called Auroville when we got there we learnt about a bit of history of the place. Then we went to see the gold golf ball.

Then after seeing the golf ball we had lunch. Then we went to see the Aurobindo ashram. Near there were statues of Gandhi and Nehru. Then when we were walking back there was a beach and on the beach we had ice cream, kachi kari and mapera.

Then we came back to the hotel. when we got back to the hotel we could have free time until 6:30pm. This evening dinner is at the hotel and then we’re leaving to get an overnight train from villupuram to go Maduri.

Long awaited pictures and logs!

2007-12-24T19:44:00.000Z

Finally...thanks to Surajbhai who is probably sitting up doing this for for all of you at 1 AM in the morning here are some pictures and writings from the children -

Written by Alishaben Amin & Jankiben Shah & Trushnaben Khatri – morning of Saturday 22nd December
[Thursday] After a ten hour coach journey, we finally arrived at Rishi valley school – most of us tired and frustrated. We were promised a four to five hour journey but, as our drivers did not have permits to cross the border between two states so we were taken on a tour of India instead.

At Rishi valley we were greeted by Tanujbhai, a karyaker at Shishukunj. We ate a very late, quick lunch and then settled into our cottages. We watched some very interest when it was ready, dinner was served and following that we went to meet some of the residential students.

We had so much fun because there were was not any language barrier between us and they were just like us – apart from the fact that they live in India. After that we had a well-earned good night sleep.
[Friday] We woke up early enough to meet the rest of the group at quarter to seven. We then had a guided tour of the school and the surrounding areas. We saw many beautiful views which included mountains, sugar cane, ambli trees, chickens and a small mango grove.

When we got back, we all got a chance to eat breakfast which tasted very nice. There was poori and shak, and/or bread and butter. We had some free time for about 15 minutes and then went to the assembly hall, and did some bhajan and dhoons with the Rishi Valley school.

We then went out to our rooms to freshen up and then went out to the satellite schools. They were really nice, just like the children. They really liked communicating with us and wanted to interact using books and chalk-boards.

They did a short performance of two dances and songs and it was lovely. When we left, we went to visit a house in the village. It was tiny! We all fitted ourselves into the jeep and made our way back to the school. After lunch, we all got back into the coaches and set off Puttaparthi. When we arrived, we were showed to our rooms and, after dinner, we all went to bed.

Written by Hemaliben Manek & Sajni Shah - morning of Sunday 23rd December

When we woke up yesterday morning, we all dressed in the white kurtas and Punjabis that we had all spent so long worrying about, and made our way up to breakfast. Despite taking hours the chef still messed up breakfast, we were told we were getting bread and butter or poori and shak instead we got bread and butter. After breakfast we all met outside of hotel and made our way to the sai baba ashram. The first thing we visited when we got there was the sai baba museum. We saw 2 short videos and many displays about the concept of God and Sai baba’s life and projects. After we saw the museum we went for lunch, in the Western canteen, partly due to shorter queues. We had pasta and ice cream. After lunch, we got time to relax under the sun, on a field. At 2o’clock, we went to do darshan. After waiting for 2 hours for Sai baba to arrive, we got a slight glimpse of him. The darshan lasted until 6.30, after which we were all very tired, as most of us didn’t understand it. Some of us went to the hotel to freshen up, while others explored the ashram. For dinner, we were allowed to eat anywhere within the ashram, though most of us went to the Western canteen, where we had pizza and chocolate cake, which was delicious. We went shopping on the way back to the hotel. At the hotel, we had a group photo in our whites, and got our laundry back.

Everyone went to sleep.
We woke up very early this morning with our bags packed, at 4.00! We left the hotel at 4.30 and boarded the coach, to Kanchipuram. Not surprisingly, we all slept for most of the journey.

Written by Aarathbhai Shah – evening of Sunday 23rd December
During the coach journey we stopped at 10.00 to have breakfast. There was juice, cake, ganthiya and south Indian favourite, Dosa. After a long 8 hour journey we finally reached Kanchipuram. In Kanchipuram, we had lunch at GRT Regency at 2:00. After a very delicious lunch we went sightseeing. First we went to an ancient Shiva temple. There we saw many sculptures of Shiva and other Hindu Gods and Goddesses.

After seeing the temple we went to a silk factory. We saw how they turned raw silk to a saree. Some of us bought silk items. So don’t worry we bought some fantastic gifts for you.

After visiting Kanchipuram, we spent 2 hours of the coach to go to Mamallapuram. We reached our hotel – at last!! At 8.00 we watched a fantastic performance by a local dance school. They did a variety of many dances; mainly kathak. After that wonderful performance we ate another delicious meal. Atishbhai told me that he liked the jambu the most! Mmm… jambu!! We all had fun in the coach and in Kanchipuram and Mamallapuram.

Monday, 24th December 2007

2007-12-24T18:55:00.000Z

Xmas Eve, one week in India gone by and alls going well! But yet another day we have to do without pictures!

The group had a relaxed morning and got ready at 9, had breakfast and went for some sightseeing to the shore temples of Mahabalipuram with the guide. It was blazing hot and i am sure there must have been some uncomfortable moments there! They returned to mamalla Heritage for lunch and had some free time for souvenir shopping etc before they started at 4 PM for Pondicherry.

By 7 they had arrived in Pondicherry and checked into Hotel Mass. As i write this, they have had dinner and settled down for the night.

Tmrw they go to auroville for sightseeing and have lunch at a french cafe inside the ashram. Later in the night some of them will experience Indian railways for the first time!

Sunday,23rd December 2007

2007-12-23T15:35:00.000Z

Mr Narendra Modi has won the elections in Gujrat and that was a hot topic of discussion in the coaches today! after all a lot of time was spent in coaches.

The group set off at 5 AM from Puttaparthy and stopped at Chittoor for breakfast at 10 AM. They arrived later at Kanchipuram at 2 PM and had lunch at the GRT hotel. The guide took them for a visit of the Kailasnath Temple which was more a historical site than a religious and the kids appreciated it. They stopped briefly at a silk weaving factory to see what goes behind this beautiful art.

At 7 PM they reach the Mammalla Heritage Hotel in Mahablaipuram. It is just across from the beach with a very tidy swimming pool. This has put all of them in a good mood and they are looking forward to tomorrow. As i write this, they are all outside in the open, with a buffet laid out and the Bharat Natyam Dancer explaining the finer points of the dance to them.

We are trying hard to get some pictures to you this evening, Suraj and my colleague Prajwal who is travelling with the group are on the look out for an internet connection to get the pix to us.

Saturday,22nd December 2007

2007-12-22T18:11:00.000Z

Please accept many apologies that i could not leave a note on the blog in the morning. I actually got inspired and hopped on to a car and went to see the group at Puttaparthy! I am just back after a full day ride up and down from Bangalore.

They are all doing just great! the weather is getting a tad too warm for them and there was an odd mosquito bite here and there but they were superbly sporting about the whole thing! Oh! must mention this experience here, - enroute from Bangalore to RishiValley when there weren't any good toilet breaks to be found on the roadside, they actually stopped the coaches and went into fields/bushes to do what they had to do! There ! now arent you just so proud of them !! :)

They all had reached Puttaparthy yesterday evening at about 8.30 PM and settled into the smallish hotel conveniently located opposite the ashram. They had dinner at the rooftop cafeteria that the hotel had.

In the morning the cafeteria people gave them a bit of a heartache when they forgot to cook the Bhaji in the Poori Bhaji combo :D...well..anyways, they managed to cook up something and then the kids went to the Sai Museum. I am told they were really well received there and got VIP treatment. Later they had a good pasta etc for lunch at the Ashram outlets.

I met them at 2.30 PM just before we all went in for Baba's Darshan. They all looked wonderful in their pristine while kurta pajamas. We all queued up ( ladies and the guys in separate sections)before they allowed us in at about 3.45 PM. Then there was a long wait until Baba came in at about 4.45 PM. The hall looked lovely with all the xmas decorations that were put up. Baba was with the audience for a good hour and left at the dot of 6. There were a huge number of devotees ( my estimate would be about 6000 people) and the energy was absolutely moving.

The group decided to have their dinner again at the ashram outlets and wouldnt come back to the hotel for the pictures even though i begged!! ( so dont blame me!!)

Well i just managed one -

Tomorrow they make an early start at 5 AM ( hopefully) and arrive into the Temple town of Kanchipuram at 2 PM for lunch. After a visit to the Meenakshi temple and a peep into a silk weaving factory, they will drive another two hours to the beach town of Mahabalipuram.

We havent told the group but we have a surprise for them at the Mahabalipuram Hotel. We have a BharatNatyam Dance performance exclusively for them. This is going to be the interactive sort where the dancer will explain all the mudras and also all about the costume etc. I am sure they will love this.

Will report as soon i can tmrw!
( some more pictures are expected to come over email tmrw...pls pls bear!)

Friday,21st December 2007

2007-12-21T10:14:00.000Z

The sun is shining again and its lovely weather here in Bangalore as well as in Rishi Valley where the children are doing fine.
I spoke with them last night as well as today morning and they have sure been busy leaving their magic behind at the Rishi valley school just as they did at BGMS.

They had a tour of the school after breakfast. Later they were to visit the Rural health Centres after which Tanuj Bhai would take them to visit some of teh school supported under the Rural education schemes.

The phone, mobile and hence, also the internet connectiviity is really bad at Rishi valley so Suraj Bhai sends his apologies that he is unable to mail us any pictures. Hopefully we shall have a better scenario at Puttaparthy.

The group leaves Rishi valley at 4 PM, drives via madanapally, Kadiri and onto Chitoor before connecting to Puttaparthy at approximately 9 PM here.Dipak Bhai is waiting for them eagerly with dinner arranged at the Sai Heritage Hotel.

We hope to get you some pictures tmrw to brighten up your weekend, meanwhile have a great one!

Thursday, 20th December 2007

2007-12-20T13:53:00.000Z

It has been a long and adventurous day on Indian Roads for the children today. They all checked out at about 7.30 PM and after a little delay they left at approx 8.30 AM towards Rishi Valley School in Madanapally.
They made a small stop at about 10 AM for a toilet break and then set off again. Under normal circumstances they should have reached Rishi Valley by 2.30 PM but the coaches had to take a large detour due to the state permits which are granted only at certain check-posts. This delayed them terribly as also the weather was bad.

They reached at 5 PM and i am sure they must have been glad to reach. I spoke to them just now and they were all settled in, had had their dinner and getting ready for an evening cultural programme with the Rishi Valley school children.

I will be speaking to them again at 9.30 PM and will make a further update tmrw morning. They will be leaving for Puttaparthy after lunch tmrw.

To brighten up the day - here is a entry by Shivaniben Shah and Shivaniben Patel – evening of Wednesday 19th December

The weather stayed miserable and grey and the sky continued to leak, as did unfortunately one of the youngest baalako at BGMS, as she ‘relieved’ herself on an unsuspecting Kashmiraben. After the hukamo session, we were given sometime to chill out and interact with the baalako. Even though the communication barrier was still there, this did not stop the Shishukunj baalako using the time wisely, and tending to the baalako’s every need, to maximise the little time left. We broke off for lunch – which was yummy! The baalako split into smaller groups for asano which was a welcoming break from the jam packed schedule. Then, there was a sports day for the youngest children at BGMS, whilst the older students benefited from one-on-one English classes from some of our Shishukunj members and by the end of this, we had perfected our Indian accents. The next activity was an energetic and lively bhajan and dhoon session. The last event at BGMS was a star studded manoranjan which included many dances and songs as the BGMS baalako showed off their talents. The last and most painful event of the day was saying good bye to the baalako at BGMS. Emotions were running high and there were many tears from the Shishukunj and BGMS baalako alike. After a heart felt good bye, we reluctantly left the site to make our way back to the hotel to spend our last night in Bangalore and tomorrow morning we set off for Rishi Valley school at 7am.

Wednesday,19th December 2007

2007-12-19T09:24:00.000Z

A very big Thank you goes out from me to Suraj Bhai. ( parents, please thank him as well!) He has been instrumental in getting the children to write their bits and dutifully sends it to me on email with the pictures which i can then get to you.

The weather is playing a bit of a spoilsport today! it has been drizzling since last night. But the spirits are up and the children are enjoying their last day in Bangalore.

Here is what they say -

Written by Priyaben – evening of Tuesday 18th December

Today was our second day at BGMS and personally I think it was better than yesterday, as we got to know the children there a lot more, where as yesterday we were shy. I personally made some really good friends, which I have lot a lot from them and they have learn a lot form me. We have done lots of activities to help us get to know the children a lot better.

Today was a real eye opener; especially those who got shocked when the rat fell form a branch at the top of a bunion tree, where we were all sitting underneath for prathna.

Except for that everyone had good fun with the other activities, including this night’s entertaining manoranjan. I am really looking forward to the days coming ahead.

Written by Prinaben – morning of Wednesday 19th December

Today was going to be our final day at BGMS, and it seemed that we were not the only ones sad to be leaving. The baaloko themselves didn’t want us to leave, and so we all decided that this final day was going to be one to remember, and that we all are going to give 100% effort in making this day incredible. The day started as it had done on the previous days, the only problem was that the weather was miserable and the rain was just pouring as though it had never rained before. This however didn’t dampen our spirits although it did mean that a lot of the events that we had planned for the day would have to be adjusted and compromised with the weather. So, first of all we had a very loud and energetic prathna session filled with lots of clapping and singing, and after that we had indoor samuh ramat where we played lots of games such as ketla ne ketla, and Gandhi ke esa, which the baaloko absolutely loved.

After this, the rain was still pouring and so we had a hukamo session, going over the hukamo that we taught the BGMS baaloko on Monday and learning new ones as well. (This picture below was taken on tuesday when the sun was still shining)

They all seemed to pick it up really well, and it sure did keep everyone quiet! So far, the day has been very energetic and although it seems likely that there will still be rain, I am certain that the day will continue to be as great as ever.

In their own words....

2007-12-18T11:41:00.000Z

In this post - find some expressions from the children themselves as they tell you in their own words about their experiences.

Written by Kishanbhai - evening of Monday 17th December

BGMS was a real eye opener for all of us today. The realisation that so little can bring so much joy made the day so much fun. All the BGMS folk were extremely warm-hearted; sure some couldn’t speak English but who cared. The jam-packed day was phenomenal, from cultivating in the morning to manoranjan at night, everything was great.

As we were able to play games with the children, communication became easier by the second. This is just the first of three exiting days ahead and I am sure that we are all looking forward to it.

Written by Atishbhai & Nishmaben - morning of Tuesday 18th December

Another fun day at BGMS, we were all ready for action. we arrived and the weather was a bit cloudy. The children were all very happy to have us again for a second action-packed day. We started with prarthna under the bunion tree, were a mouse fell from the tree on Rikeshbhai's tabla!

After that we started to cultivate another patch of land. We had a little competition to see who could collect the most amount of rubish. The BGMS children were overjoyed that they had won. We then let them have a rest so they could play, but they wanted to help so much! It took a lot of persuation for them to go and play. We are all digging away and having fun.

Blessing ceremony of the new building

Dipak Bhai at BGMS

2007-12-18T10:46:00.000Z

A picture of a man hard at work!

A picture of a content, happy man!

Tuesday, 18th December 2007

2007-12-18T06:34:00.001Z

I must say i am overwhelmed with all the lovely comments you all have been leaving here ! So though i had planned to be in the office today and let the kids do their work at BGMS, i am now taking a print of all your messages for them and going to see them.
I shall bring back news.

Update at 3 PM:

If you had seen your children at work today, you would have been very very proud parents! They have been getting their hands dirty ( literally! )and clearing up a patch of waste land for a garden. Yesterday they helped clear another patch and together moved a whole big mound of dirt to clear the area.

CLICK ON THE PICTURES FOR A LARGER VIEW

They are helped by some of the children from BGMS and it is nice to see the coming together of hearts even though there is a strong language barrier.

They are eating in the meager kitchen of the ashram - the same food that is made for all the BGMS children.

They loved all your messages. Surajbhai, Vikashbhai and Chiragbhai read them out to all. There were quite a few loving awwwwws going around to hear how much they are being missed back home!
Since they may not have internet access all the time, we will keep getting your messages to them wherever they are, so keep them coming!

Demonstrating a unique way of packing up the sack!

and i keep my promises...here is one of the boys!

Monday, 17th December 2007

2007-12-17T06:36:00.000Z

Yesterday at the airport, Dipakbhai told me that the kids at the BGMS Bangalore are barely able to control their excitement at the thought that so many people were coming to see them all the way from London! That excitement was more than evident today!

The group left Mapple hotel at 9.30 after breakfast dressed in their smart Shishukunj outfits and half an hour later they were at Ramesh nagar where Dipak Bhai welcomed them into "his world". Since the coach couldnt reach the ashram gate, they walked the last 100 metres or so thru a typical indian "gali".

CLICK ON THE PICTURES FOR A LARGER VIEW

A warm welcome awaited them at the Ashram. All the students were dressed neatly and stood in equally neat rows. There was a party of 8 girls with a welcoming Tikka ready for all of them. There were nervous smiles from both sides.

After the Namaskar, they were welcomed "back to their home" in Anna's words. Dipakbhai gave all of them their identity cards to be worn for the rest of the three days stay.

Then came the moments of the first interaction. There were many emotions on display. tenderness, awe, love, surprise, shyness and smiles all rolled into one and split into many hues when the group spread themselves up to ask the little kids their names and ages.

When i left, they had already warmed up and the students were taking the group for a walk around to show all the facilities of the Ashram.

The group will be spending the day there and going back to the hotel only by 9 PM after dinner.

( just realised - No pictures of the boys!!? next time more of them!)

Sunday, 16th December 2007

2007-12-16T03:23:00.000Z

The BA Flight 119 touched down dot on time at 4.45 AM. Everyone and their baggage arrived all in order. By the time everyone cleared their immigration and collected their bags and came out the sun was up and it was 6.30 AM.

All packed up in the coaches and were brought to Mapple Hotel where hot breakfast awaited them. Most were already full from eating in the flight and the rest were just too excited to eat!By 8 AM everyone was settled in their rooms.

The plan is to set out by 12 Noon, drive past the International Tech Park closeby the hotel and see Sai Baba's Multi speciality Hospital without getting off the coach and drive to Hotel Grand Magrath in town. All of us at Panache - the travel company are hosting a lunch for the children here.
Grand Magrath adjoins the Garuda mall where all will be given free time to shop for their kurta Pyajamas etc, thereafter a panoramoc tour of Bangalore City before heading back to the hotel ( reaching by 5/6 PM)

( will keep you posted here on how the plan went!)

Update at 3.30 PM local time.

The group drove thru the city and arrived at the Grand Magrath Hotel at 1.30 PM where the lunch was ready and waiting for them. Its a lovely sunny day here in Bangalore! We had a crooner playing the keyboards and humming songs like "i just called to say i love you" :), The food was good going by the comments from Ajay Bhai and Suraj Bhai.
Everyone surely did justice to the Gajar ka Halwa!

Later, everyone made small clusters of 5 each - chaperoned by one adult and walked to the Garuda Mall next door.

They will be there until 4.30 PM, after which they drive thru some scenic points of the city ( Bangalore doesnt have too many of them, i must add!) before they are dropped back to the Hotel.

The plan for the 17th is to be at the Ashram from morning to late evening.

Itinerary

2007-12-14T09:48:00.000Z

15th Dec London

Depart from London Heathrow T4 (13:40) by British Airways flight BA119 to Bangalore Hindustan (next day 04:45).

16th Dec Bangalore

Hotel check-in. Morning will be free time to relax and acclimatise to the surroundings. Afternoon sightseeing/visiting places of interest.

17th to 19th Bharatiya Grameen Mahila Sangh (BGMS), Bangalore

This is home for about 160 orphans and destitute children. The centre provides welfare care for blind children. SIP (Shishukunj International Projects) has provided various support for the past few years in re-creating a homely environment. Our involvement at the centre will be to engage with the children in as many activities as possible. This will provide an opportunity to learn and understand how these under privileged children live. Some of these activities will be organised by us based on Shishukunj activities.

20th Rishi Valley School (RVS), Chittoor

Depart from BGMS in the morning to travel to Rishi Valley. There is a state school in Rishi Valley that we will be visiting. Tanujbhai (Karyakar from Shishukunj London) is a full time teacher at this school and been involved in developing a better education system. Tanujbhai has also been involved in many projects to develop an education programme for rural schools in villages near Rishi Valley. This will be a chance for all of us to engage with Tanujbhai and appreciate the lifestyle of children living in this area.

21st and 22nd Putta Parthi

Depart from Rishi Valley in the afternoon to travel to Putta Parthi. We will visit Prasanthi Nilayam, the ashram of Sri Sathya Sai Baba. There are many interesting places to visit within this ashram which includes educational exhibitions, etc. The ashram itself is a very spiritual environment and should provide a fascinating opportunity.

23rd to 28th Kanchipuram - Mahabalipuram - Pondicherry - Madurari (via Villupuram) - Rameswaram - Mysore (via Madurari) - Bangalore

Depart from Putta Parthi to start tour of Southern India.

29th Dec Mumbai

Depart from Mysore in the morning to travel to Bangalore. Depart from Bangalore early afternoon by IndiGo flight 6E 275 to Mumbai. Arrive Mumbai and hotel check-in. Rest of day will be free time.

30th Dec Mumbai

Early morning start. Travel by coach to visit various charity (sewa) projects (schools, orphanages, etc.) that SIP has contributed funds.

31st Dec Mumbai

Sightseeing/visiting places of interest such as Gateway of India, Hanging Gardens, Chowpatty, Juhu, etc.

1st Jan Mumbai
Free time to relax and go shopping. Late night transfer to airport.

2nd Jan Mumbai - London

Depart from Mumbai Chattrapathi Shivaji (02:40) by British Airways flight BA138 to London Heathrow T4 (07:05).

Hotel Adresses and Telephone Numbers

2007-12-12T07:45:00.000Z

Bangalore
16-20 Dec
Hotel Mapple
7E DDK Industrial Area,
1st Phase ITPL Road,
Mahadevapura, Bangalore

Telephone : 080 -4115 7527

Mahabalipuram

23-24 Dec
Hotel Mamallaa Heritage
No. 104, East Raja Street,
Mamallapuram – 603 104
Telephone 044 -2744 2060

Pondicherry
24-25 Dec
Mass Hotel
Maraimalai Adigal Salai,
Puducherry – 605 001

Telephone 0413 -4207 001

Madurai
26-27 Dec
Hotel Germanus
28, Bypass Road,
Madurai – 625 010

Telephone 0452 -4356 999

Mysore
28-29 Dec
Hotel Sandesh The Prince
#3, Nethra Nivas,
Nazarbad Road, Mysore – 570 010

Telephone 0821 -2436 777

Mumbai
29 Dec-1 Jan
Hotel Karl Residency
36 Lallubhai Park Road
Andheri (w) Mumbai 400058

Telephone 022- 2625 3809

Organising Travel Company and Contacts

2007-12-12T07:44:00.000Z

You can feel free to contact us anytime if you have any queries regarding the progress of the group. (Since some of the travel is in the interior parts and many ours on the road the cell phones may be not accessible at times)

Contact:
Loveleen Arun

Panache - Leisure Services
201,202 Prestige Eureka
47, Church Street ( above Java City)
Bangalore 560001

Tel : 91-80-41233000 - 04 , Additional Nos: 4127 5700,5800,5900

Fax 91- 80- 41233005

email : info@panacheworld.com
loveleen@panacheworld.com
web: www.panacheworld.com
www.panacheindia.in