dalbhat
journal for friends and family of mustard seeds -- and beyond!! connecting people to people, sharing info, and supporting some valuable NGO projects in Kolkata...in the 'small is beautiful' fashion
Sunday, December 14, 2014
mustard seeds Calcutta 100 Club December 2014
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
CALCUTTA 100 CLUB: Please help us recondition a friend's home
This time I'd like to ask your help in reconditioning the home of one of our young library members. Bittu attends our Sunday library sessions. His father lives elsewhere to earn money. His mother lives in Bihar and his grandfather runs a business out of their home in the complex where I stay. "Dadu," the grandfather irons clothing for all the people in our complex and Bittu helps by delivering the clothes when they are ready. They live in a very small, temporary dwelling in the park. For quite some time, we have been talking about a few repairs and reconstructions we could help out with. The idea is to set a few rows of brick at the bottom, build up with bamboo, cover with plastic tarps and then add woven bamboo walls so that the structure is a bit more sturdy and warmer than it is now. We estimate this will cost about Rs. 8,000 - 10,000 (approximately $170)
If you would like to donate $10 or more to help make Dadu and Bittu's home more comfortable for the coming cold, the best way is through paypal. If you don't have paypal there are other ways -- Please email me for details if you'd like to participate: mseeds.maura@gmail.com
For me, small-scale is still beautiful and your continued support always means so much to me. I look forward to showing a photo of their home after the work is finished.
Thank you! Thank you!
Friday, October 04, 2013
A small income generation project with Paripurnata
Swapna picture on right block printing on a saree |
Even a small personal order will help us make this project work. |
Here are the latest colours and patterns. Let us know if you want an assortment or specific types:
dancers.mc |
indian elephant.by |
psychedelic.op |
small ellie.op |
small ellie.xmas |
square flower.ob |
square flower.xmas |
star flower.blk |
star flower. lb-r |
star flower.db.r |
star flower.xmas |
Monday, July 30, 2012
Calcutta 100 Club Project • August 2012
1) Every year we use funds from Mustard Seeds to cover the cost of rice for one year at Basha school. That time has rolled around again. With the rising cost of living, this time we need to raise about Rs. 8,000 ($144) to help Basha serve a nutritious meal to its students for the year ahead. We have been helping to support Basha in various ways since it began six years ago. On my recent visit to the school, I was happy to hear that the curriculum now also includes sports and dance! All the children are doing so well and some of the mothers now come twice a week to make products for sale. Basha is growing beautifully!
Saswati, who runs Basha, serves up the rice! |
Karuna Chitrakar |
Monday, January 30, 2012
Way to go, Sophie!
Be sure to have a look at the website and see the good work SUCHANA is doing to support education possibilities for the children in their village!
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
WRAP IT IN KINDNESS!
I recently visited Paripurnata Half-Way Home Centre for Psychosocial Rehabilitation for women after meeting some of the very dedicated people working there at a mela being organized by our friends at Ankur Kala. I was so happy to see the beautiful handicrafts being made through the rehab program here that I quickly placed an order for some of my favorite designs. I hope that we can have a lasting friendship with this organization.
As part of its effort to offer some support to organizations addressing the problem of mental health for underprivileged people in Kolkata, this holiday season Mustard Seeds is selling beautiful hand-printed wrapping paper made by the teacher and residents at Paripurnata Half-way Home.
Block printing is just one of the activities that make up Paripurnata's rehabilitation program, the women work alongside the teacher when they feel like doing this activity and try other handicrafts, etc. when they feel more inclined to do those.
If you are in the US or Japan, you can purchase 6 sheets of assorted paper at $5 plus postage. This not only helps to support Paripurnata, but all the seedlings we try to plant through Mustard Seed efforts. Please send an email to mseeds.maura@gmail.com if you are interested in making a donation and receiving some handcrafted brown wrapping paper for the holiday season.
Mustard Seeds would also like to thank FAIR shop in Brighton for placing a large order with this group. We hope everyone there likes the new designs!
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Calling our Calcutta 100 Club
Karuna Chitrakar |
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Last night we received a phone call from Karuna Chitrakar asking for some emergency help from those friends who helped her build her house in Medinipur some years back. Karuna is a patua, a story-scroll painter and singer who lives in the village of Nadia in Medinipur. Several years back, friends of Mustard Seeds helped to build a house for Karuna and her family. The house, however, is built of mostly natural materials which means that it is fairly impermanent.
Karuna told us that there have been heavy rains for the past two weeks and because her house is made of bamboo with a mud-straw covering for the walls, the water logging has caused the wall to collapse on one side of the house. They need to repair it right away.
We asked her what her plan would be to repair the house and she says that she needs to elevate the house with a cement foundation and she would like to build up the wall again but in bricks this time. She estimates this repair work to cost about Rs 12,000 - 15,000 (Approx. $320)
Karuna lives with her two sons, their wives and the grandchildren. The rainy season is always a difficult time.
If you would like to donate some money towards an emergency repair for Karuna's home, please email me at:
mseeds.maura@gmail.com
Remember, the idea for the Calcutta 100 Club is that we can do something for someone else by giving just a small amount – and that amount can add up to something that really makes a difference. In this case, if just 3.5 people can get 10 friends to give $10 - we have reached our goal.
If donations over the amount are received, I will keep them aside for the next such project that comes to us.
I will let you know when we have collected the money - I know that times are tough but if you can donate even $10 or ask a few people to donate $10 I know that we can help Karuna out in this time of need.
Please email me for more details on how to donate.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Mustard Seeds Joins Greenpeace in saying 'No More Fukushimas!'
We worked with Silence, a fair trade organization in Kolkata that provides training and employment to disabled artisans, to design special candles for the event.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Enacting the Mustard Seeds Storybook: To the Local Bazaar
We thank everyone involved. I look forward to showing the clip to Karuna when she comes to visit next! This is an excellent way to spread information on the patachitra culture and to study Bengali!