From The President’s Desk

At one of Pune’s prestigious Ganpatis

Themonth of September was made very special thanks to Ganpati fever. Like any ofus, our Friends too look forward to this festival. At Marunji, we had planned afive-day Ganesh festival. We invited five supporters from Marunji – the Deputy Sarpanchof the village, a doctor, a grocery shop owner, a vegetable vendor and ourwater supplier – to perform the aration the five days.

Thisyear, there was a special invitation from Dr. Sayali Kulkarni, the FounderPresident of Dnyaneshwar Pratisthan. She invited our Friends to participate inthe arati at one of the fiveprestigious Ganpati mandals in the city, namely Mandai Ganpati. She planned itvery well. Our Friends were thrilled to participate in the event and performthe arati. I was personally touched by the invitation from a young person likeDr. Sayali who not only remembered to invite our Friends, but also ensured thatthat they were given due respect and honour at the event. Ganpati Bappa Moraya!       

Mr. Santosh Mundhe: AnIdeal Teacher Indeed

Thismonth, we dedicate this column to our special educator, Mr. Santosh Mundhe, whowas felicitated by the Rotary Club of Gandhi Bhavan and honoured with the IdealTeacher, in connection with Teacher’s Day.

MundheSir, as he is fondly called by all of us, is an excellent example of what onecan do even when everything is going against us. He was raised by a singlemother in a remote Adivasi area near the Andhra border. To support his family,he started working at the tender age of 12, as a roadside labourer. Aftercompleting school, he joined Baba Amte and worked in Anandvan. He soon realizedthat he needed to be financially independent, if he hoped to realise his desireof helping others. He enrolled himself for a Special Educator’s course. It wasvery difficult for him to pay the fees for the course and survive in Pune city.He started doing part-time jobs. After completing his course, which he passedwith flying colours, he joined Navkshitij. We are very happy that we have gotsuch a sincere and hardworking special educator, with innovative ideas.

MundheSir is ever ready to explore new paths. When it comes to implementing new ideasat Navkshitij, we rely on him; he has never let us down.

Threecheers to Mundhe Sir. 

Upcoming Happenings

• October 2: Street Play on “Corruption”, on Fergusson College Road
• October 6: Entertainment Programme for well-wishers at Amanora Park Town
• October 9: Natya Mahotsav 2013
• October 13: Dasshera celebrations
• October 18: Kojagiri poornima celebrations
• October 23: Traffic Awareness Programme at Deccan chowk
• October 26: Trek to Tikona, near Mulshi
• October 29: Diwali Party
• October 30: Parent’s meeting from 11.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. Diwali holiday begins for our Friends
• October31: Diwali begins for the staff of Navkshitij

Important events in the lastfew weeks

• September 3: Navkshitij Special Educator felicitated by the Rotary Club of Gandhi Bhavan and honoured with the Ideal Teacher award.
• September 4: Group singing competition conducted by Lions Club of Pune West.
• September 5: Teacher’s Day celebrations
• September 6: Poetry recitation competition conducted by Prism Foundation.
• September 9: Ganpati installation and the beginning of a five-day celebration
• September 11: Traffic Awareness Program at Kalyani Nagar
• September 13: Ganpati immersion
• September 20: Monthly visit by KPIT interns
• September 26: Satsang program in Navkshitij
• September 28: Trek to Duke’s Nose Point, Lonavala

Navkshitij Now Needs

• Solar Cooker for 60 people – Approximate cost Rs. 50000
• Motor cycle – Approximate cost Rs. 60000
• Steel Glasses 50 – Approximate cost Rs. Rs. 2500                                               

Thank you from Navkshitij to:

·       PrajFoundation

·       Mr.Sharad  Bhaskar Sathe

·       FiservIndia Pvt. Ltd., Delhi

·       RajalaxmiVenkatachatam Iyer

·       Mr.Kulkarni Ravindra Shreeniwas

·       Mr.Acharya P.Chintada

·       Membersof Clover Acropolis

·       Mr.V. Rethinam

·       Mr.Subhash Ramachandra Randive

·       RajMasale Co. Ltd.

·       Mr.Nawin Dhamanmal Gandhi

·       Mr.A. V Manolar

·       Mr.Phalen H.C.

·       JaksonLimited, Delhi

·       Mrs.Meenakshi Shankar

·       EmcurePharmaceuticals Ltd

·       Mr.Suryaprabha Mudaliar

·       Mr.P. R. Ramachander

·       Mr.V Ananthanarayan

·       Ms.Sudha Sharma

·       Mrs.Shamala Kulkarni

·       VinitaSachin Chavan

·       Mr.S.H. Puranik

·       Mr.Padmakar Khare

·       Mr.Suresh KharpudiKar

·       SpansFilter Mist India Pvt. Ltd.

·       Mr.Kishor Garewal

(A monthly newsletterpublished by Dr. Neelima Desai and edited by Kanaka Cadambi on behalf ofNavkshitij)