Brighter Future India: February 2017

17 February 2017

The Prem NIvas and Thompson House Picnic 2017

The children had been asking for weeks when The Picnic was to be.

We like to keep them guessing but this year there were logistical reasons why we found it difficult to select a date for these annual events for all the Brighter Future Children. Victor Director was busy with visitors from Brighter Future UK so we decided that they might like to see what a Picnic was like. A bus was ordered for their trip on 4th February. I haven't heard back from the staff or children from DMC House or from the Rainbow boys, but I am sure it was much enjoyed.

Our Prem Nivas and Thompson House children were hoping to go on the 9th or 17th as the Director was free then, but with staff absences and sickness, it would have been very difficult for Swathi, who is the Thompson House house mother, to do all the cooking as well as get the children ready. Eventually a snap decision was made and the bus was ordered for 10th, as the children had one of their 'Saturday holidays' on that particular day.

The staff usually prepare two meals to eat at the picnic but this year to make things easier everyone had breakfast in their homes.The lunch and the preparation for the evening meal that would be taken when the children return at about 7.30pm, was quite enough to manage. Swathi told me that she went to bed at 9am and got up at 2am to start the cooking!

Best Christmas clothes were worn and old clothes were taken for playing in the sea. Boys strip off to trousers and girls wear dresses in the sea.

The Staff ,Laxmi Nurse, Gowrie teacher, Kalyani assistant and Kanchama assistant shared seats with the children who were packed three to a seat.
The oldest boys went separately in the Maxi, which is a cross between a van ad a taxi!

After we left the built up area the the bus drivers put songs and videos on the coach TV. the music set the children into dancing mode and they were literally dancing in the aisles.Later the children had a film to watch.

Swathi dancing.

Some girls bought trinkets and there were lots of places to buy ice-creams and lollies

Some older boys tried Bungee jumping

Little Thompson house boys wandered around in awe.

Teja, Yerrinaidu, Sai, Satish Sateesh and Manoj

VidyaSagar, Bangaru, Durga Rao, Nagaraju, Prabhas, Sandhya, Satyavarthi,Ashok, DMC warden and Jyothi.

Bangaru with Prabhas,Vidya, Raju, Nagaraju, Sandhya, Sunita, Jyothi, Ashok, and staff

Keerthi

Rajesh, Manoj, James, Govind, Somesh and Sunita

Somesh

James and Govind

Krishnaveni and Bhagya

Swathi with girls

Lunchtime in Vuda Park

Off the beach to go home.Durga shows me his green shell.

The children played in the water, flew the kites and hunted in rock pools.

They found creatures great and small

Time to go home!

15 February 2017

Republic Day 2017

India's Republic Day, January 26th, is celebrated all over the country as a bank holiday. Children may go to school just for a special flag hoisting ceremony and maybe a speech or two by a visiting dignitary. Indeed Our High School children dressed in their best white uniforms went along for their school ceremony but were soon back to join in our little event.

Here at Prem Nivas we are very fortunate in having a young lady teacher, Ramya, and her training college friends and sisters, who are pleased to make Republic day a special one for our children. They arranged a splendid event last year so I was relieved that they willingly agreed to again give the Prem Nivas children their time and energy, along with gifts,decorations and lots of love.

Ramya with her friends and relations

The evening before Ramya arrived and arranged games and drawing competitions, mostly in the dark.

We told her that Sampath had bought a new bamboo pole for us and that we would decorate it in the national colours and make some arrangement for its installation - a bucket of sand with a few rocks proved to be fine. Our existing flag was very small and Ramya insisted on buying a larger one for us.

The next morning our teacher, Mr Venkat, was given the job of connecting the flag and wrapping it in the traditional bundle, so that when the string is pulled, the flag unfurls and orange flower petals float down to the ground.

Ramya and her family and friends arrived at 9.30 and set about making a special chalk and flower decorations for the foot of the flagpole. Children helped gathering leaves and petals and each had a little Indian flag pinned to their chests.

Some children had practiced a song about the flag and everybody sang the national anthrm and a famous Indian song, Vande Mataram. I was honoured with the flag operation.

Afterwards we took to the shade in the old dining area and had a concert with children volunteering their songs and dances. prizes and snacks followed.

There was a pause for lunch and rest time and then the evening was enlivened by two special guests, One gentleman used the Telugu language in a comedic way, interacting with guests and children.