As I prepare to head to Japan, to do some exchange projects and presentations on the topic of Children in Kolkata, I have to review just exactly what we have been doing lately. It is always good to review the work at the beginning of the year, and this has given me the impetus to put it down in writing once again.
In Japan, I will be doing some mini-exhibitions of my students artwork on the theme, "Who am I?" as well as making dal and chappati with Japanese children, and of course, selling handicrafts! A big thank you to all my friends in Japan who have helped arrange venues for me to share my experiences and the products from Kolkata!
Mustard Seeds •••
Small efforts for Big Results in Kolkata, India
The mustard seed is an important part of Bengali cooking. Although it is very tiny, it packs a potent and powerful taste!
Mustard Seeds is a small-scale family project that runs a community library and does fundraising projects for several social development and environmental organizations in Kolkata. It is our hope that, just like the mustard seed, through our small efforts and limited time, we can participate in some of the important projects to alleviate poverty and strengthen education opportunities in Kolkata and outlying rural areas - by creating cultural exchanges, giving financial support, networking and distributing information whenever possible.
Some of our major projects include:
MUSTARD SEEDS COMMMUNITY LIBRARY/ACTIVITY ROOM
We run a small lending library in our apartment in Kolkata for neighbor children. We organize various projects for kids to take part in and keep a blog called MANGO SMILES, a newsletter the children help put together. Children can access books on the environment and other world issues at the library (see http://mango-smiles.blogspot.com).
HANIDICRAFTS SALES / CALCUTTA 100 CLUB
MSeeds believes that income generation is the best way to support marginalized people, so we continue to purchase high-quality craft items made in vocational skills programs, and continue to sell them as a means of telling the lifestories of the people who produce them. We are always looking for volunteers to help us give these groups more exposure by offering to sell handicrafts at small shops, fairs, cafes, etc. Please be in touch if you have ideas!
Jeevika Development Society provides rural women from very low-income backgrounds with embroidery and tailoring skill training and a fair wage for their work. Through the help of well-wishers, we sell their unique kantha stitched handicrafts at small venues and fairs in Japan, the UK, and the US. We also sell some of the colorful handicrafts made by street children and young adults who take part in the schooling and vocational skills program at Calcutta Rescue (founded by Dr. Jack Preger). Mustard Seeds also designs silk-screen greeting cards with a group called Silence, which gives handicraft training and employment opportunities to deaf and 'otherly abled' workers.
A few of the other groups we work to support through financial contributions (thanks to members of our Calcutta 100 Club, who give a small donation for specific projects every once in a while) inclue :
• Balia Bio-Agro Mission, is an organic farming initiative offering free education to migrant workers; Empower the Children, which also provides education opportunities to some of Kolkata's poorest children.
• Suchana, is a rural school that has been running for over three years and is ready to move into its own building. Suchana serves three villages in Khanjanpur in West Bengal by offering study-support to children in government education programs, and to pre-school learners. We are collecting funds now to help them build a proper school building so if you have a fundraising idea, be in touch!
• Shikshamitra, an alternative education model school working to address complex issues related to education in India - and show positive examples! Maura works as the arts and crafts teacher here, and helps manage the Learn & Earn Project. Several visitors have come to share their time and talents with our students. This creates meaningful exchanges that last a lifetime.
SUPPORTING TRADITIONAL ARTISTS OF W. BENGAL
To the Local Bazaar (¥500) is a children's book we published using illustrations by our friend, a village pata story scroll artist Karuna Chitrakar. It is written in English with Bengali subtitles. We have also made a postcard sets using artwork by artists from the pata tradition. We hope by making these we can bring this traditional art form to the attention of more people and help support Karuna and others like her through its sales. Last year, Mustard Seeds raised enough money to significantly support the building of a house for Karuna and her family. Thanks to everyone who put their efforts into this project.
Please be in touch if you have ideas.
If you would like to make a donation in Japan, send by postal transfer to:
mustard seed, japan
00980-9-30045
Please contact me if you would like to send support from other places and I will let you know how.
Thanks for your interest and support.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Friday, January 18, 2008
Garden sketching
On Thursday, my students from Shikshamitra finally, finally, finally came to visit Mustard Seeds Library and the garden spot, Malancha. They came by bus with three teachers from our school and a teacher from the Swanirvar school in the village. It was so wonderful to host such important people in my life. After the initial settling down, kids looking at books, building train tracks, cuddling stuffed animals, we went down to the garden, and I showed them how I feed the compost heap. I showed them how we reuse the overflow of water from the tanks on the roof of our neighboring apartment building to water the garden each day and I introduced some of my favorite plants. I tried to explain how every leaf that falls, and every dead flower is recycled back into the soil. Tried to tell them why the little garden space gives me such hope.
Then each of the children found a space in the garden and concentrated on one of the plants and did their sketching activity. I also sat down to try a little sketch but my mind wandered with so much activity and the excitement of having all the kids over. I sadly had to set it down.
Right then – I remembered it. More important than the actual finished picture, the act of sketching like this, of plopping yourself down to look at something carefully and place it upon your page in some pleasing way, is such a very nice activity for learning patience, concentration and problem solving. I hope to go down and do a little myself while the garden is still in bloom and smiling with all the admiration being showered upon it lately.
We hung all the finished sketches up as an exhibition at Mustard Seeds Library for the children at Vidyasagar to add to when Sunday rolls around!
Then each of the children found a space in the garden and concentrated on one of the plants and did their sketching activity. I also sat down to try a little sketch but my mind wandered with so much activity and the excitement of having all the kids over. I sadly had to set it down.
Right then – I remembered it. More important than the actual finished picture, the act of sketching like this, of plopping yourself down to look at something carefully and place it upon your page in some pleasing way, is such a very nice activity for learning patience, concentration and problem solving. I hope to go down and do a little myself while the garden is still in bloom and smiling with all the admiration being showered upon it lately.
We hung all the finished sketches up as an exhibition at Mustard Seeds Library for the children at Vidyasagar to add to when Sunday rolls around!
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
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