Rounding the Curve

Namaste Folks ---from the Know-the-Ledge Program Extraordinaire between the Avadh School and the Hotchkiss School-where East meets West and cultures fuse, confuse, shake, wake, rock, roll and interface. It has been great---truly great.
Today we realized that the end was coming and our stomachs started to feel those slight tremors, no, not Delhi belly, but emotional twinges of both happiness and sadness that comes when you have made a soulful connection. It has been that way.
The sheer joy of being with these children, playing sports, painting, drawing, beading, creating, working on computers and simply being with them has touched all of us. They are hungry---hungry to see, hungry to learn, hungry to live, hungry to give. It has been a rich experience for all of us; full of rewards for the heart and soul.

Our program has also attracted a lot of attention in the community. Today we were interviewed by the reporters from the
i Next newspaper and the article should appear tomorrow. The Times of India also did an interview and will be photographing tomorrow, and the TV station is coming to do a spot, as well. Our PR agent, Anjula Bedi, has been hard at work! Thank you, Anju Behan. Actually, people are extremely interested in what we are doing and are hoping that we will continue to develop this program to include other areas of India. We have promised to dedicate our efforts to fundraising, so we can make this pilot successful in order to launch more educational programs in the future.These children have big hopes and dreams for their future. We want to be a building block for the pursuit and attainment of that dream.

Today we continued with the mural painting, drew portraits of their families, played sports and prepared for the final interviews that we will be doing tomorrow. We are also planning a big farewell party and a celebration of Holi, which involves throwing bright colors on each other in celebration of the end of the winter harvest and the coming of spring.

In the meantime, most of us have remained healthy, with occasional bouts of the "usual", when adjusting to a new diet, environment, and the assorted "cootie factor " that that entails. We are enjoying the food, the variety of spices, colors and textures, and have only caved in to Pizza Hut once!

Thank you to all of you who have made this trip possible--- for supporting this vision, providing this opportunity, and for understanding how important it is to make these connections to one another.

More news coming tomorrow and hopefully photos, too. The electric power and internet connections have been very sporadic, so if there is a lag in this process, know that we are simply experiencing technical difficulties-a minor bump in the grand scheme of things.

Warm regards,

Pamela (Morin-Sharma)

P.S. I am totally impressed with this group of kids-their flexibility, their willingness to stretch, their ability to accomodate and respond. They are expanding and genuinely enjoying themselves and this experience. It has been a real pleasure. Kaja, has done a splendid job with the kids.. Her beauty and that of the kids has drawn more attention than we care to have....Nina Otterson is the best on all levels-solid,intelligent, caring.And finally, the Sharmas-my husband, Navin, my mother-in-law, Nirmala Sharma, my sister in law, Anjula, my sister in law, Manjula...thank you for making this all possible and for all the great work you have done for us and for humanity. We love you!