From The President’s Desk:

Mesmerizing Kashmir

It had been a long-time dream of mine to take our Friends to the heaven on Earth.It was fulfilled in June, when we took 21 Friends to the Kashmir Valley.  The journey to Jammu was long and tiring, but when we reached there was a visual treat waiting for us. There were so many mesmerizing pictures that we have stored in our memory and captured in our cameras – mini Switzerland, Sonamarg, Gulmarg, Srinagar’s famous Nishat Gardens… We trekked for three days. We reached glaciers, played in the snow and clicked many photos. We stayed in a houseboat for a day. It was such a memorable experience – the festoons, tasty meals served with a smile at all times, a shikara (boat) ride, visit to the floating garden and shopping while in the shikara were unique experiences.  

Another special experience was a gondola (cable car) ride. It was a delight to watch the snow-capped mountains from the gondola. It truly felt like we were inheaven as we took the cable car ride. On the way to Gulmarg by bus, we could see a thick growth of pine, deodar and chinar trees, as well as cherry and apricot laden trees. Roses were in full bloom. The river was a constant companion.

Our Friends came back with loads of sweet memories of Kahwa tea, snow, flowers in full bloom, gondola and shikara rides and so much more. More than anything else, the excitement in their eyes and their voices, when they were sharing their experiences with their families, was unimaginable. These memories, and the happiness and good feelings attached to these memories, will stay with our Friends for a long time to come.

Resourceful Lamture brings us so much Santosh

Caregiver,driver, workshop and purchase assistant, stall attendant, photographer, computer operator… all rolled into one is Santosh Lamture. Santosh came to Navkshitij at the age of 18. A school dropout, he has studied up to Class VII. His sister-in-law, then a special educator at Navkshitij, brought him here in the hope that the atmosphere at Marunji would have a good influence on him.

It took Santosh a while to settle down. During the early days, he used to threaten to leave whenever I scolded him. Gradually, that stopped. At Navkshitij, we began to see the immense potential in him.

Santosh is one more reminder that intelligence and formal education are not related to one another. A very intelligent boy, Santosh has a solution for everything; in the event of any problem we automatically think of Santosh. Without knowing English and written Marathi, he can easily perform many tasks on the computer. He is a good salesman and knows exactly how to pitch when handling sales. He has mastered the art of making chocolates. To get things done quickly, Santosh has a tendency to take shortcuts; over time, I am sure he will get over this.

Although 23-years-old now, he is still a child in many ways. He loves to sleep a lot. If I haul him, he will first whine and say, “Madam, I can’t get up. What to do! I woke up very early… I take our Friends to the gym.” He will then flash a winning smile, making it very difficult for me to scold him.

Upcoming happenings

• July 3: Traffic Awareness Drive at Deccan Gymkhana chowk
• July 6: Friends from Sadhana Village will be coming to Navkshitij for a 2-day stay under an Exchange Programme.
• July 13: Get-together of Kashmir trip participants
• July 18: Visit to Sadhana Village and Sanskar Pratishthan, under the SETU initiative
• July 27: Jungle Walk in the rains to Taljai
• July 31: Natya Mahotsav workshop for teachers from participating schools, by Mr. Prakash Parakhi

Thankyou from Navkshitij to:

Miss Ruchira Upadyay

Mrs.Meenakshi Shankar

Mrs. F. B.Solanki

Akkalkot Swami Math, Mandai, Pune

Dabur India Limited

Hari Om Kaka

Mrs. Lakshmi Ramamurthy

Puja Hirakant Wadkar

Navkshitij Now Needs:

· 12Doormats. Approximate Cost Rs. 1,200

· 1Generator – Approximate cost Rs. 50,000.

Voice of Navkshitij is a monthly newsletter published by Dr. Neelima Desai and edited by KanakaCadambi on behalf of Navkshitij