"A leader...is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realising that all along they are being directed from behind." —Nelson MandelaREMEMBERING DR. NEELIMA DESAILOOK back to 15 years ago... Two petite, iron ladies. And two i...

About NavkshitijNavkshitij was established by Dr. Neelima Desai in 2003, with the objective of creating a home for mentally challenged adults. At present, 67 adult IDs are staying at our residential facilities in Marunji (Pune District) and Asawali (Satara District). Besides, 26 IDs are benefitting ...

Aditi was eight years old. We were driving home after a weekend at Aditi’s grandparents’ in Wada, a village about 70 kilometers from Pune. The girls loved to spend time with Aaji and Ajoba in the rustic surroundings of Wada. We were talking about the lovely time we had, all talking at the same time ...

Whichever way you look at it, parenting is a demanding task, what with a nuclear family, fierce competition, and no training whatsoever. Add to that a mentally challenged child, Aditi, and a multi-talented girl, Noopur. Neelima and I were young doctors trying to set up new practices to carve out a l...

Aditi is our younger daughter. Both Neelima and I wanted daughters and we had been blessed with one more, Noopur being the first. As she was growing, we noticed dark clouds gathering on the horizon. By the time she was seven months old, we realised that Aditi is Intellectually Disabled (ID). We did ...

Today, Navkshitij organised a Prayer Meeting in memory of our beloved Dr. Neelima Desai, at our Marunji campus. Dr. Chandrashekhar Desai, Trustees, special friends, staff members, parents, siblings, and a few well-wishers were present at the meeting. ...

On December 22, a group of volunteers from Aarete Technosoft Pvt Ltd visited Navkshitij and interacted with our Friends. The group had a look around the campus and spent time at the workshop. We are thankful to Aarete for supporting us by donating groceries. ...

We celebrated the birthdays of December-born Friends at our Marunji Unit on December 16, without a doubt with cake cutting. There was bhel for snacks. For dinner, there was pav bhaji, sponsored by the parents. ...

From The President’s Desk (A monthly newsletter published since April 2012 by Dr. Neelima Desai and edited by Kanaka Cadambi on behalf of Navkshitij) ...

After a long gap, we resumed our monthly trekking activity. On Saturday, November 27, our Friends from Marunji and Asawali went on a trek to Ghoravadeshwar, Pune, and Bhondawe Farms, Kawathe, Satara, respectively. When we announced the plan to resume trekking, just a befo...