Tattapani Clean Up

june 5 : world environment day
Originally uploaded by dalbhat

On the morning of June 5th, World Environment Day, we were trying to leave Shimla to drive to a small hot spring valley village called Tattapani. The rain just kept coming down in buckets and we were not prepared for it. Just walking to the car which was parked below The Mall (only for pedestrians) would have had us completely drenched so although we set out once, we headed back to "waterproof" ourselves for that day, and the rest of our trip.

Many of the mountain towns we passed through had strict bans on plastic bags which, unlike in Kolkata, are actually enforced. So, finding plastic to line our bags was going to be a bit of a mindbender. I headed down into town from the YMCA and was accosted by a mob of young school children on their World Environment Day parade. They had faced the rain too, but it didn't stop them. I gave them a hearty thumbs up in support of their efforts and headed down behind them to find my "silver lining," all the while making a mental note that it was World Environment Day and wondering what could I do to mark it. I found my plastic supply in a bin in the back of a suitcase shop, big bags that were once suitcase wrap!

Anyhow, after putting all of our stuff in bags inside of our packs, we were ready to head to Tattapani. We arrived after coming down about 3 hours from a 2000 ft. elevation in Shimla to a 600 ft one -- to a warm climate and a beautiful rocky river that begged to have us while the afternoon away. I found my Environment Day task awaiting me here: small packets of chips, shampoos and conditioners, underpants were strewn about. I will never understand why people in India seem to take no responsibility for keeping their sacred areas clean. This was a perfect case, take a bath in a holy hot spring and throw your shampoo and underpants over the side into the spring itself, all the while feeling very religiously pure of heart.

While the kids made long canals and riverways in the sand, I spent about two hours cleaning the area up and could really see a difference when I called it a day. After dinner, the kids and I made some signs and we asked the man who ran the guest house if he could please put the signs up, along with some bins so that customers had a place to throw their rubbish. He welcomed our efforts and our suggestions and took photos of us all for the local newspaper!

My Environment Day message to the world?
Please don't trash the Himalayas:
Bring your plastic bag to the cities!

Merit Awards at Suchana

Our friends who run Suchana sent us a report and photos on the awards ceremony that took place last week on 21 April. It was a nice little session with distribution of 43 very practical prizes: umbrellas were given to the youngest children so they can come to school in sun and rain; clipboards and pens to the middle groups; and English-Bengali dictionaries were presented to the older children. The prizes were awarded not only for effort, progress, and cooperation (rather than skill levels), but for student contributions to the annual show, good use of the library, and other areas. Needless to say, everybody was extremely happy.  

Mustard Seeds wishes to convey a special thanks to our friends, Etsuko and Michael Yamaguchi from the Chautary shop and NGO in Nara, Japan, who made a generous contribution toward the purchase of the merit prizes awarded at Suchana this time. We would also like to thank Siobhan Wilson, owner of the fair trade shop, Kolkata, in Brighton who has given a contribution to Suchana for the purchase of Bengali children's books for the library.

For those who don't know, Suchana is a community group working in rural West Bengal, focusing on education and health. The education project (the Early Learning Group) is a group of children and teachers which meets three times a week to participate in an activity-based learning curriculum aiming to support and encourage those children who attend regular school, and provides an introduction to literacy to those who don't. Currently, over 120 children participate. The health project now works in all six of the Suchana villages, delivering primary health information in a participatory format and linking villagers in with locally existing health services. Suchana has recently purchased land close to its current location, and is making preparations to erect a multi-purpose building (or two!).

If you would like more information, please contact Kirsty or Rahul at:
milwardbose@rediffmail.com

Earthinking happening!

emma: 6
Originally uploaded by dalbhat

Thanks to everyone who has submitted their eco-tote designs so far. Since Earth Day is every day we plan to allow another week or so before we announce any winners! Keep them coming, folks!

Ayonika's Earth Message:

Dear Earth,
I am so happy you give us all the things like water, oxygen, and so many other things. I say thank you. All the other animals and humans say the same thing. And we will all try to save animals and trees that you have given us.
Thank you, Earth!

A WEE Little Update

I just wanted to inform you that the women selected at Jeevika have started their course and are really enjoying it. I was told they were really impressed with the facilities there. Thanks to everyone who worked quickly to make this happen...especially the Batesville, Arkansas Calcutta 100 Club contingent and Shara Alexander!

Here is a note I received from Jeevika Development Society:

Dear Maura di,

Thanks for your help in organizing so many production orders and the fund for the tailoring training. The training will be conducted through the Bhowanipore Education Society.

The training will be of three months duration and will be held twice in a week. 10 girls will benefit from this training. We thank you once again for organizing 10 thousand rupees that enabled us to participate in the training. We also request you to convey our sincere thanks to our well wishers

Thanks for your sustained cooperation.

Regards,
Dalia
Jeevika Development Society

Join our 2008 Eco-Design Contest

2008 eco-design contest
Originally uploaded by dalbhat

We are getting ready for Earth Day on April 22nd at Mustard Seeds Library. Yesterday the kids who came had a great time helping me with the clay I had let sit a bit to long get moist again so that we can mold it. A few managed to make it soft enough to work with and form little people and fruits. We all enjoyed getting covered in Earth and it was a nice way to start the month of April which we decided will be dedicated to eco-awareness in many fun shapes and forms.

Two years back we had a great time desiging some excellent eco-Tshirts at Mustard Seeds Library and these were hung up in the library for a long time inspiring us and visitors to do more for the planet (or maybe...to do less). The winning shirt designs were presented with handcrafted, eco-friendly prizes. This year we are asking you to design your own cloth tote bag so that you can say, "No thanks!" to plastic bags when you are out marketing.

We invite anyone to enter -- from anywhere on the planet. Just email me at so I can send you the PDF file to print, design and mail to us -- as soon as possible!

We look forward to getting entries from all over -- so spread the word and ask your friends to join too!

Send your entry to:
Mustard Seeds Library
A5 Vidyasagar Niketan
Block EA / Sector One
Salt Lake, Kolkata 700 064 INDIA


Here are some links on this topic sent in by friends:

http://www.sew-green.org/
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/07/24/2741/

Make every day Earth day...

Calcutta 100 Club swings into action for JEEVIKA Development Society

Jeevika stitching
Originally uploaded by dalbhat

It has been a while since the Calcutta 100 Club jumped into action but I recently received an urgent request for help with raising some funds for an organization I have been working with for more than eight years here in Kolkata.

Women in the Jeevika Development Society tailoring and embroidery-based income-generation program in Joka have the opportunity to attend a 25-day fashion design course at the Bhawanipur Educational Institute here in Kolkata. It starts this month! A very reasonable rate (10 women for Rs. 10,000/approx. US$260) has been offered to the group to participate, but lack of funds is holding them back. Women will learn about colors & designing, how to make patterns, and running an electric sewing machine (they are only familiar with manual models): skills that could lead to further empowerment for these women who mainly come from rural backgrounds.

I am sending around information to all the members in our Calcutta 100 Club, a small effort by friends and family of Mustard Seeds to raise money when it is specifically needed for a certain project. The idea is simply that we gather just 100 friends who are willing to give at least $10.00 at a time. If we get 100 people involved, the amount will eventually come to $1000 each time, a significant amount to make a difference on a specific “mustard-size” project in Kolkata. We are not at 100 people yet but...some examples of what we have been able to do so far include buying school books for children participating in Dr. Jack Preger’s Calcutta Rescue street children education project; build a house for a village artist and her family; provide money to Sangeeta Mondal who had a very successful leg operation and is now walking.

If you would like to make a small financial contribution just this once, or want to join our tribe of 100...email me and I will tell you how. In the event that we go beyond our goal, I'd like to set the money aside as a fund for when courses such as this are available in the future. Please be in touch! Thanks always

mseeds.maura@gmail.com

Sharing Talents and Time

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Originally uploaded by dalbhat

A few classes back, I taught a short lesson on vibration, sound, rhythm and we made a glass xylophone at school. I thought to myself after the class, "I don't know how to teach music...I wish I knew how to teach the kids some basics about music...they really need that...."

Well, you know how the saying goes? Be careful what you wish for!

The next day I was talking to my friend Rosalie who organizes a lot of volunteers who come to Kolkata to work at various schools and NGOs. She said the volunteers working with her this month were both musicians and had been doing terrific music workshops with children at her schools. One thing led to another and a workshop was organized for my students at Shikshamitra last Friday as well.

Alice and Hannah, both from England, had a very well planned out two-hour program that taught the students all the basics of making music. At the end we all put on a short performance that was recorded. They went over concepts like tempo, rhythm, pitch, dynamic, and articulation -- and then put it altogether.

Thanks to both of them for bringing this unique experience to our school! Good luck on your endeavor to do more workshops like this designed to attract a variety of participants.

Fuuwa: Community Free Space

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Originally uploaded by dalbhat

After the workshop in Sasayama, we were all invited to stay the night at Free Space Fuuwa. When we arrived there were about 25 people around several tables that were fitted together and every person in the room brought a dish. We went around the table and each introduced both ourself and the dish we brought. Then we had a discussion about Kolkata NGOs and the fair trade movement.

I was so inspired by the sincerity at this space, which is the dreamchild of a woman named MUKAI Chihiro-san. She originally worked as a social worker but also wanted to live in a rural setting. She put it altogether to establish FUUWA, which caters to elderly and young people living in the community. If you take a look around, you can see that everyone who visits is allowed to share something and although Chihiro manages things, she is happiest when she can facilitate someone else's learning and achievements.

In the evening we all sat around, after a very long day, and drank the most delicious lemon sake drink...followed by a pot of hot tea. I didn't want the night to end, or the peace to stop flowing.

The four shoji screens behind Chihiro in this photo were done by children who live in the village. The photo doesn't do them justice, they are gorgeous.

Visiting the Rakutendo Home and Shop

rakutendo genkan
Originally uploaded by dalbhat

One of the reasons for my coming to Japan this time was that I was invited by my friend Chiaki-san and her husband, Muu-san to do a presentation together. The idea is that we would combine my experiences working with children in India with their movement to introduce bean cuisine to a wider and wider audience, as a means of reducing the amount of meat consumed in the world.

We created a workshop where I introduced a few simple ideas about living in India, by showing various things from India, and then Chiaki-san introduced the food that children in Kolkata eat each day: dal and chapati (rooti in Bengali). The workshop was held up in the mountains at the Sasayama Children's Museum, a creative facility established in an old primary school that allows children to explore the world around them on many levels. It was so much fun watching three - ten year olds trying so hard to make their chapati puff up perfectly in the final step!

Mustard Seeds is very proud of the project it has collaborated on with Rakutendo and Jeevika Development Society, a womens' handicraft training center in Kolkata. Rakutendo is a vegetarian bean cuisine club that studies recipes using beans from around the world and packs kits that give the exact beans and spices needed to make the recipes. A member receives the kit in the mail each month.

About three years ago, when I was leaving Japan to return to Kolkata, Rakutendo's Bean Cuisine Club members developed a
pot cover that not only keeps food warm but allows you to take beans
off the gas burner earlier and keep the cooking going for the last 15
minutes under the pot cover. Sooooo...if 100 people save 15 minutes of gas every time they cook, it really adds up. I had asked them to put on their thinking caps to see if we could create some sort of fair trade project within the group; and I like that this product is something that also protects the environment! The pot covers are made of handloom kesh made by the Tagore Society in Santiniketan: weaving old sarees together to create incredible and one-by-one unique patterns. Even each label, a little smiling bean (thegroup's motto is "All we are saying ... is give beans a chance..."), is hand-embroidered by Jeevika, along with all the sewing on the cover itself. They are just about half way through the third order of the pot covers. Each order was for 100 pieces. That's a lot of pot covers.

Ahhhh. I love this sort of thing! Now we are working on a spice holder pouch for members to keep their spices in. Wish us luck!

Thank you to Rakutendo for making doors open for me...and so many other people.

Taking Mustard Seeds to Japan

saraswati07_m&kids2
Originally uploaded by dalbhat

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.

Garden sketching

boloram's gadaphul
Originally uploaded by dalbhat

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!

Interesting on Education in India

Something we are working to aspire to at our school

Painting walls and learning

DSCF3949
Originally uploaded by dalbhat

This wall and a few of the others in this flat were part of an experiment to see if one possibility for our students might be painting murals as part of the Learn and Earn project!

The principal at the school found that her walls were getting dull and gray and she came up with the idea that the kids could go wild with their artwork like we did at school. Needless to say, it can take a bit of courage to let a group of 20 kids come into your flat with paint dripping from their brushes dying to get a panel!!

Of course, the children enjoyed themselves to no end and really brought the project together once they figured out the purpose of the mural and the technique that worked best. The designs were in their minds and came out with earnestness.

As adults, though, I think we learned the greater lesson in this process: the importance of letting go of our preconceived notions and limits and allowing the children (finally) to express themselves in a totally organic way. There were a few panic points -- but it all turned out so bright and meaningul. You know that when the teachers are also being challenged and learning...that real education is taking place!

NOW we are looking for a real wall outside to cover with our designs!! Spruce up a neighborhood and create some brightness on the streets of Kolkata!

Students Reach Out at the NGO Fair

DSCF3798
Originally uploaded by dalbhat

You see the two dancers on the poster hung on the back wall there? That's how I feel right now. I feel like doing a few leaps and spins.

Yesterday at the Calcutta International School, Class XI students welcomed as many as 12 non-government organizations (NGOs) to the music room, which we had always thought to be a very spacious room until now. Before people could even get their products on the table, the sales began -- with parents, teachers and students buying handicrafts from around 11:30 NON-STOP til about 4:00 pm when it finally slowed down.

This is what I call fair trade! I wanted to bring the idea of BUY HANDMADE to a population that is increasingly buying from big shopping malls, and bring the concept of FAIR TRADE to youngsters who may now understand that choosing to buy something (put their money into one pocket or the other) from an NGO actually means a contribution to a more just, more peaceful world.

People who work for NGOs are often working on very low budgets and long hours, although many understand how important it is to communicate with like-minded people and those groups working toward the same goals, it just doesn't happen because there is not a drop of spare time or resources. I was so happy to see the NGOs themselves doing a lot of networking and interacting and learning from each other. My students from Shikshamitra ran their own table selling handmade cards, bookmarks, gift tags, eco-tote bags, hand-stitched coasters and sweet basil plants. What can I say? They had a BLAST!

My heart goes out to everyone who participated in this event, and made it the success that it was: a cumulative total of Rs. 45,000 in just about 6 hours. One group, Ankur Kala, reported to me this morning that they had record sales, more than they'd ever sold at one fair! All the money ends up going toward dedicated efforts to support disadvantaged individuals who strive daily to learn skills and earn financial stability.

Everyone went home smiling and I am more than sure that several tiny mustard seeds got planted at this event -- let's see how they bloom???!!!

Lines of Communication

DSCF3594
Originally uploaded by dalbhat

This Thursday at Shikshamitra we had a guest named Yuuki Uehara visit us. Yuuki works as a freelance illustrator and is deeply interested and experienced in community development. He and the children got to know one another by asking questions in English and through simple line drawings.

The kids asked Yuuki where he lived and he drew a picture of his little country house back in Japan, with orange orchards in the back on terraced mountains.



He swiftly drew a razor and his own head in the bathroom mirror when they asked him why his head was completely bald.

After interacting, all the students did simple black line drawings to express something to Yuuki about their own lives. Communicating through pictures turned out to be the theme of the session, though we didn't know that until we ended.

And THAT, my friends, is the nice thing about alternative learning!

Holiday Cards 2007

xmas_array
Originally uploaded by dalbhat

Things moved a bit slowly (as they will in Kolkata) but this year's card designs are just hot off the press -- and I need to sell them.

All these designs are $1 each
(paid by check; postal transfer in japan; plus postage from India which is usually quite reasonable). Most of the cards featured are printed on handmade paper at Silence and hand-painted to provide further income generation opportunities. Silence is my favorite local fair trade organization, training and employing those who are deaf and 'specially abled' workers. They are the real McCoy when it comes to Fair Trade and I am proud to support them and acknowledge their efforts in my own small way! .

This year, I must say a huge thank you to two very creative and generous people in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Rick and Brenda Beerhorst, who volunteered their woodblock print artwork for the Nativity, the Flying Dove, the Ornament, and the Hope Bird.

There are also beautiful cards made by Calcutta Rescue (the embroidered elephant), Ankur Kala women's support organization (the red mandala and blue snowflake), and the students at Suchana, the school in rural West Bengal that I often visit and help out at sometimes (the set of 6 designs).

Please email me at mseeds.maura@gmail.com if you are interested in prices for the other designs, and getting cards sent out to you next week.

By the way, Rick and Brenda also shared designs for 'The Children's Series' featuring quotations by Rabindranath Tagore on the back side which I produced for sale at Alcha in Santiniketan




For other designs and some better photos: see http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/sets/72157594306594451/

Kolkata in Brighton

A good friend of mine from college days, and from my hometown too, opened her shop this past weekend in Brighton, UK. The shop is dear to me because the concept all started when I sent a hand-embroidered card to Siobhan several years back -- and she wrote back asking if there were other handicrafts as beautiful as the card to be found in Kolkata. I began introducing her to several NGOs with production units and Siobhan gradually started developing a plan to sell the items where she now lives in Brighton, strictly adhering to fair trade rules and regulations. Three trips to Kolkata later...the culmination of almost three years of collaboration is that the shop opened over the weekend. Congratulations to Kolkata Shop -- I am hoping that many, many people find out about the incredible fair trade handicrafts coming out of Kolkata by entering through your doors!

If anyone knows someone in the London-Brighton area, please be sure to invite them to stop in for a browse if in the neighborhood. They won't be disappointed at the variety and quality...and every purchase is full of hope for the hardworking artisans back here.

I'm so proud of you, Siobhan!


Kolkata
8 Grantham Road
Brighton BN1 6EE
United Kingdom

Tel. (01273) 565105

Break for the Holidays

Tagore by Noor
Originally uploaded by dalbhat

Yesterday was the last day of school before Shikshamitra begins its holiday break for Durga Puja and Eid, and all the other small pujas in between.

I brought in lots of paint brushes and paint, telling the children we needed to clean the school up before leaving. They were elated to know that I meant we were all going to paint the walls that have become very dingy and gray over the past three years. The results were colorful and uplifting! After we finished painting we all went for ice cream at the house of a teacher who lives close by. What a great way to end a long session of hard work. Enjoy the holidays everyone!

Puppets and Patas at RCFC

at RCFC function
Originally uploaded by dalbhat

On Sunday, we held a joint event for a group of 30 visitors from the Unity Church in the US. The event was held at RCFC and brought together several projects: Rosalie's Empower the Children brought school kids to welcome the guests, the children from RCFC well-rehearsed, perfectly presented puppet show of Hansel and Gretl, and I brought Karuna Chitrakar along from Mustard Seeds to demonstrate how patas picture scrolls are made. Finally, all the visitors made a little pata-style painting with a child, rolled it up and tied it to take home. It was a unique experience for everyone. The fact that it was held at RCFC was a wonderful coincidence as I have been wanting to visit there for a long time. I could feel Jane Webb smiling down at us all, proud of the good energy being put out in the world from the little campus in Behala. Coming home, Karuna told me that she also knew Jane Webb and used to go sing at her home before she moved to RCFC.

Jane's room is kept there just as she had left it.

Block printing at Shikshamitra

noor's prints
Originally uploaded by dalbhat

Yesterday Ratnabali came to "play" with my students doing the Learn and Earn program at Shikshamitra. She taught them how to do block printing onto rice paper in the hopes that we can make our own wrapping paper or make patches for our eco-bags. The kids also thought that they could make pretty gift bags from these.

Ratna works for the organization Anjali, which brings structured art therapy programs into three government-run mental institutions right here in Kolkata. She spoke to my students about the people she works with and helped the children to understand them a little better: they also need food, clothing, love, human rights and education...just like you and me.

After Ratna left, her message rang out in our class. Do your work with ENERGY! What a fun day we had. Every time a child finished their paper, Ratna boomed out with words of praise and happiness. I'm not sure who was having more fun, the kids or her!

Thanks for bringing your energy into our classroom. We are going to try to build a proper pressing table in our class on Tuesday, as suggested for doing proper printing.