From The President’s Desk

Well-wishers Are Our Backbone

Like any other NGO, at Navkshitij too, well-wishers are our backbone. Thanks to our well-wishers, we have been able to fulfill our mission of giving a meaningful life to our Friends. A place was provided free of cost to us from 2003 to 2006, for a Day Workshop, by a well-wisher. Others gave us in cash and kind, and we are moving towards our thirteenth Foundation Day. It is very rare that a well-wisher has left an undesirable mark on us. Recently, there was a lady who wanted to bring cooked food from home, as a donation in memory of her husband. I told her that we do not accept cooked food and that she could she could bring fruits. I could sense the irritation in her voice when I said this. After some persuasion, she finally agreed. On the appointed day, the lady arrived late, when our Friends were having lunch. My colleague told her to leave the fruits at the office and collect the receipt, and that the staff would give our Friends the fruits in the evening. At this, she said she would wait till evening and spend the afternoon at Navkshitij. My colleague explained to her that it would not be possible since being a Sunday our Friends needed to rest in the afternoon, and that she needed to take prior permission for that. However, she insisted she wanted to stay back and when she could not get her way through, she went to the dining hall and began distributing the fruits. When one of the staff members pointed out to her that she was breaking rules, she started using foul language. She even questioned our integrity. When my colleague raised his voice, she walked out taking the fruits with her, leaving everyone shocked. This is the first time that we have had such an encounter. I believe her intentions were good; the problem was that she could not trust anyone. Her idea of “donation” was peculiar. I think when a well-wisher makes food donation, he or she should trust the staff working with the beneficiaries. Also, every organisation’s needs are different. Donors should try to understand that. We are fortunate that all our well-wishers understand our needs, trust us, and do their best to help us help our Friends

First outing for our Autism unit and Day school friends

Our Friends from the Autism section had their first monsoon outing this month. They were thrilled to go under a waterfall for the first time and enjoy playing around in the area. For us too, it was a first-time experience to organize a trip for the Friends from the autistic unit. We had to first convince the parents that they are capable of coming out on a picnic with us and enjoying the beauty of the monsoon. We told them not to worry about their safety or the possibility of their catching a cold, and that such outings are important to their betterment. It will help improve their emotional and social quotient. Luckily, the parents understood and gave us the go-ahead. We planned every minute detail. We were not sure how our autistic Friends would react. We were pleasantly surprised to see that most of them enjoyed playing in the water. They also conducted themselves very well, behaving well with the people around. They had hot bhajjis and chai and partook of lunch at a temple. Without exception, all of them enjoyed their day out. The following week, we took Friends attending the Day School for a Monsoon trip. They also came back beaming and happy.

Upcoming Happenings

• September 5: Teacher’s Day, Ganesh Chaturthi
• September 7: Monthly Traffic Awareness Program
• September 9: Ganesh Visarjan
• September 24: Trek to Shivtharghal

Month’s events

• August 6: Mehendi Program
• August 7: Nagpanchami
• August 13: Monsoon Trip to Tamhini Ghat for Autistic Friends
• August 15: Independence Day Celebrations; Get-together at Aswali
• August 18: Rakshabandhan
• August 20: Monsoon Trip to Tamhini Ghat for Day School Friends
• August 25: Dahihandi
• August 29: Workshop on Making Ganpati Idols by Sangeeta Banginwar

Navkshitij now needs:

• One Vegetable Cutting Machine-Approximate cost Rs. 19,500
• 2 Cricket Nets – Approximate cost Rs. 6,000
• 1 Garden Bench – Approximate cost – Rs. 9,000
• 2 Seater Park Swings – Approximate cost Rs. 20,000
• 2 LED TVs (29 inches) – Approximate cost Rs.60000
• 2 Table Tennis sets – Approximate cost Rs. 20,000
• Biometric machine – Approximate cost Rs. 15,000

Thank you from Navkshitij to:

• Mr. Abhay Khanapure
• Mr. Gaurav Agarwal
• Mr. Sumangal Vinayak Kanade
• Mr. Pradeep Bhawalkar
• Mr. Bhushan Velis
• Ms. Manjari Shah
• The Stepping Stone School
• Mr. Ravindra Shriniwas Kulkarni
• Mr. Vilas Dhamale
• Mr. Makarand Date
• Rosary School, Batch of 1975
• Ms. Varsha Sudhir Shingane
• M/S Flextronics Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
• Mr. Satish Kapsikar
• Mr. Nitin Patel
• Mr. Nitin Joshi
• Ms. Shobha Shetty
• Mr. Amit Tamase

(A monthly newsletter published by Dr. Neelima Desai and edited by Kanaka Cadambi on behalf of Navkshitij)