A special place...

asha_medroom
Originally uploaded by dalbhat.

I hold a very special place in my heart for an organization called Asha Niketan, introduced to me by Shyamali a long while back. This is the meditation room on Pottery Road in Tangra, one of two homes for learning disabled individuals that is run under L'Arche, an international federation of communities for people with learning disabilities and assistants.

At the Open House for Asha Niketan last night we got a tour of the second house which I had never seen before. When I asked if there is a meditation room in this home too, we were brought here. The batik hanging on the wall was done by members of Asha Niketan and symbolizes the inter-faith beliefs of this organization and all those involved. No matter who or what your God is, you're sure to be able to communicate here. Meditation is held two times a day and all attend. The beautifully decorated pages in the book on the stand has prayers from various holy books to inspire love, harmony and courage.

"Whatever their gifts or limitations, people are all bound together in a common humanity. Everyone is of unique and sacred value and everyone has the same dignity and the same rights. The fundamental rights of each person include the rights to life, to care, to a home, to education and to work. Since the deepest need of a human being is to love and to be loved, each person has a right to friendship, to communion and to a spiritual life".

Asha Niketan strives to make this all possible for some very wonderfully creative individuals.