From The President’s Desk

(A monthly newsletter published since April 2012by Dr. Neelima Desai and edited by Kanaka Cadambi on behalf of Navkshitij)

After tests and trials, together again

ONNovember 18, Navkshitij Marunji unit reopened after Diwali break. One by one, our Friends and staff are returning to Marunji. Diwali was celebrated with the usual enthusiasm with four Friends and six staff members at Marunji while it was the usual gala at Asawali. Our Friends, staff and their families enjoyed delicious Diwali Faral, had a Laxmi Poojan and celebrated Bhau beejtoo. The girls were so happy to get gift from their dadas. They went about sharing this happiness with whoever they met. I felt so nice that they were so comfortable and happy at Navkshitij. I grab this opportunity to thank our staff who are aligning with our principles and beliefs and creating a homely and comfortable atmosphere for our Friends, and giving them a sense of belonging.

The Workshop staff members were busy completing orders. This time, we got many online orders. Multiversity and Riddhi Siddhi Developers, our regular supporters, placed orders this year also and we are grateful to them. For the first time, we put up a stall at our gate and received good response from the local residents of Marunji. We almost ran out of stock. Scented agarbattis, compost from flowers, candles and chocolates sold like hot cakes.

With the campus slowly returning to normalcy, we have started the daily routine starting with exercise in the morning and followed by the activities planned for the day. Our Friends seem to be very happy to be back with their friends and peers and to return to their normal routine.

We have decided to start one more unit for males, at Marunji. The admission process has started. Now we are able to help seven more families by offering lifelong rehabilitation for their son/sibling.

Work on erecting a compound wall has been completed. There were many hurdles on the way, such as workers not being available. But the work needed to be completed to ensure safety for our Friends. We express our sincere thanks to Volkswagen Group, which lent support to this project. We are grateful to many supporters who continued to support us in these trying times.

We have created a cozycorner at Marunji by filling the reservoir with stones and crash sand, and putting tiles on it. The place is looking good. When there is more greenery, this area will become everybody’s favourite. We have completed many tasks that were pending. Until next month, take care, stay safe.*

A salute to Neelima Ma’am who took bold decisions

BEINGa residential school for mentally challenged adults, handling the lockdown was tough. It would have been easy to send everyone home and close the school until further notice. But how will the parents handle their ward for an unlimited period at home? Should we close down only the workshop activity? What would the government’s stand be inour case? All these questions were stressing us. Finally, we approached our pillar of strength, Dr. Neelima Desai. She promptly called for a meeting of all the staff members.A wide range of issues was discussed: Should we send our Friends home, what to do if Corona hit us, how to sanitize vegetables and grocery and milk packets, how to teach Friends to use masks and maintain social distancing, should we stop all staff members living outside the premises from attending office...?

Being the mother of a mentally challenged girl, Desai Madam knows that if Friends are kept cloistered at home for long, their behavioural problems will increase. She took the bold decision of keeping all our Friends at Navkshitij. We got the consent of all the parents and decided to run the institute with the limited staff members living in the premises. There were a lot of problems. We had to run the daily programs. Our Friends had to be kept busy, fed well, and well-looked after. We did it successfully. Our Friends showed a lot ofcourage and understanding.After seven months, afew special friends and staff members tested positive. Even in this phase, all the staff members showed tremendous resolve and courage. Desai Madam was constantly on the phone, directing everyone. Rameshwarsir, Wayal sir, Ashatai, Mahendra sir, Anuradha, Gajanan, Sainath, Sakhutai, Dinkar, Manjula, Tirupati and I stayed back, working round the clock. Eknath sir, Madhav sir and Prashant sir ensured that we got all the supplies regularly from outside, took the Friends for testing, and to Covid centres when required. We appreciate the bold decisions taken by Desai Madam. We are grateful to the parents for the trust they showed in us. And abig hug and salute to each of our special friends.

Written in Marathi By Santosh Munde, Workshop Manager, Navkshitij; Translated into English by Dr C.R. Desai, Vice President, Navkshitij

Upcoming Happenings

• December 31: New Year’s Eve party

Month’s events

• November 6 to 22: Diwali vacations
• November 26: Ekadashi