Moving Closer to the 1000 T-shirts for Fukushima

We had invited children from the Salaam Bombay Foundation, to be a part of the T-shirt painting exercise for the children of Fukushima.

The exercise began with the presentation of the story of Sadako Sasaki and the 1000 Cranes, and a short explanation of the hazards of nuclear power. After the presentation, they all painted their own crane T-shirt to be sent to the children of Japan.

We had a little spare time while the other volunteers were preparing the dining hall of the hostel at TISS to convert it into a painting workshop, so, we got our 10 Crane Project children, to become teachers of small groups, and teach them how to make the origami paper crane.

So, it was a complete exercise towards understanding the story of Sadako Sasaki, as well as sensitizing themselves with the understanding of nuclear power.

We had to remove the fabric canopy made by the kids yesterday from the common area, and bring it in to the boys hostel foyer, as it was being attacked by the monkeys in the open campus, but, hanging it in an enclosure actually made the crane woven into it more clearly.

We then did an exercise of Quick Painting! This is an exercise to test the visualization skills of a child as well as challenge the child to work with limitations – in this exercise it was time and tools.

They were just given paper, and acrylic paints, no brushes, pencils, erasers. And we kept giving them different themes which they had to draw /paint using their fingers, in a limited time! There were a no of spontaneously creative work that emerged.

We then had a short team building session conducted by Victor, a fellowship student at TISS, working in the area of ABT (Art Based Therapy).

We ended the day with a movie – Chillar Party. As much as they enjoyed the film, in the feedback after the film, they all seemed to understand the meaning of team work and friendship.  And, I can see the bonding increase, as they have by themselves between yesterday and today, amongst all these multiple activities managed to make 260 paper cranes already !!!!

Learning Patience thru Recycling Art !

It was a little difficult to bring the kids back to a work mode after a day of fun yesterday, and it was equally important to make them start working as a team.

So, the day started by our volunteer, Laura Drese, teaming them a team exercise, where communication and co-ordination had to be used to cross a bridge. Quite interestingly the girls worked well, whereas the boys were happy to be out. ( this time, the girls have outnumbered the boys, so they are feeling a little left out, this has been my only regret uptill now, and shall be more careful in the future.)

We then got serious!

I presented the story of Sadako Sasaki and the 1000 Cranes, explained the mission of The 1000 Crane Project.

The story did hit a chord somewhere, cause when I asked them if they wanted to learn how to make the cranes, there was a unanimous YES! And also an ambition – That they will also collectively make a 1000 CRANES!

We then met Arun John Lakra and Nitya Amarnath, freelance textile designers who work with recycled fabrics, Pradipta Ray, an animation flim designer and a versatile artist, Anirban Haldara, Fashion Designer and Co-owner of ThreeSixtyDegrees, a design company here in Mumbai and Nisha Jacob, a freelance graphic designer.

They came together, to work with the children on an installation piece related to the story of the 1000 cranes.

At first, the kids did not really quite get what was happening, but, once they explained to them, that they were here to show them how many different ways are there to use old fabrics apart from using it as a stuffing, or to make doormats! They got the objective of the day.

When they were told that we were all collectively going to make a large piece, they were excited!

It was decided that we would make a canopy from which we could hang large cranes to illustrate the flying crane in 3D. 

When we opened the boxes of fabrics donated graciously by Mandhana Industries, Mumbai, everyone’s eyes lit up seeing the different colours and trims and fabrics. Special thanks to my friend Jagvir Matharoo, who organized it all from Mandhana Industries.

The fun began, when we had to ask them all to start with the mundane task of tearing the fabric into strips that can be woven or knotted together! I started noticing that each ones patience levels were different, and quite a few gave up after cutting a couple of strips, and for some it just became a mechanical task.  The work started turning out more interesting when after creating the basic structure they kids were called in to start filling and weaving the frame.

Again, here, we gauged the patience levels, and the genuine interest in a collective task such as this. I must add that some were really into it, almost like a meditative exercise, and then went on and on, while a few just could not make sense of the task because they could not visualize the end result, and were just not ready to give it time either.

The cranes were made beautifully creating fabric-paper, and then doing origami. This also helped the kids get more practice into making more cranes.

At the end of the day, the piece was given finishing touches by the experts that had come, and then they hung it in a common area of the campus where it shall be visible to everyone on campus.

The kids did lose their patience by early evening, and were distracted by the little play area in front of some residential building in the TISS, campus.

Post dinner, I conducted a feedback session, they loved the final product in the form of a canopy and were proud that it was hanging in a public place, but the negative of the day was that they all got bored with the task, as they could not see the end product, and wanted to make something that will be made quickly, rather instantly.

That’s when the lesson of Patience was taught.

If you want to build a building, can it be built in one day? No!

If you have to pass your school, can you go straight to the tenth grade because you are bored going up one class every years? No!

So, if you dream big, then you should have the patience to endure all the pain and boredom that may come with it.

The day ended leaving them all thinking about the need to be patient, and then we related it to the fact that if they were going to attempt making a 1000 Cranes by the end of the workshop days, then they need tremendous patience for the same.

We all dispersed post dinner, determined to change!

Thank you Arun John, Nitya, Pradipta, Anirban and Nisha, you guys really tested the patience of the children, but, brought out a brilliant product in a day’s time!

A Slice of Mumbai - A Lesson on Friendship

We started our day by learning Bollywood Dance from Rupal, a young, budding and extremely talented lady, who started the day for the children in a very positive and energetic way. The kids took to liking her right away, and managed to learn some of the steps they’ve seen their favorite actors dance too.

Post this high energy session, they met my group of friends who have been a part of my life and experiences of years now, and it was a day planned with them.

Our first stop was at the exhibition called At Home, presented by Dekha Undekha – Conversations in Art & Health, an initiative of a non-profit by the name of SNEHA, that works in the Dharavi slums of Mumbai.

Getting to the exhibition was an experience by itself, as it is situated in the heart of the commotion of Dharavi.

So, packed in four cars, we drove thru the by lanes of Dharavi to reach the school where the exhibition is placed. The children were not very happy with the streets and lanes of Dharavi, full of people, dirt and other litter. But, when they walked into the exhibition area, all their faces lit up !

The exhibition itself was like as if we had walked into Alice’s wonderland from a street of disaster.

At Home: Conversations, is an extremely creative exhibition of art pieces related to everyday life, hurdles, stories and experiences of the women who live in the Dharavi slums. Using textiles, ceramics, painting and photography as mediums, the pieces have been painlessly created by the women themselves, and believe me it cannot be said it is the work of novices.

The display, the workmanship, the concepts are very very professional and compete with any professional work out there in the market.

A must see for all in Mumbai.

Coming back to our children, they had walked into Alice in Wonderland, and the first question in all their minds was "Why is such a lovely exhibition in a filthy congested place like this? "

Their questions were very nicely answered by the women artists themselves who personally took them thru each display, explaining the concept. Then, Priya Agarwal, one of the SNEHA’s managers, conducted a short creative exercise with the kids, and added their tiny artworks as well to the exhibition as well.

After an hour of learning and seeing beautiful art, it was time for my friends to take over the day. They wanted to let the children let their hair down a little and see a little of the city life. So, the first stop was lunch at a food court, which is like the most common eating joint visited by most city dwellers, since it gives you a choice of food. The kids had their first MacDonald’s Burger! Excitement Galore!

The lunch went as long as a four course meal! Then, we were all invited to Neesha’s house for Tea, and so they got to also see a typical Mumbai household.

After Tea, they were taken to a dog show organized by the K9 Club of Mumbai, and surprisingly all of them are animal lovers, and if they were given a chance each of them would have all adopted a pup each which were out for adoption.

We then returned by early evening to the campus. I thought they would be all tierd and would want to relax, but somehow their energy levels were high, and did not want my friends to leave, as they had all picked their favorites based on the conversations of sports to movies and food that they had with them. Also, the group wanted to present the dance they learnt in the morning to the friends.

So, we had an impromptu dance session, followed by a name game, in which the friends also joined. Eddy, Neesha, Hersh, Sheena, Prarthana, Kartik and Prachi. It was interesting and fun for the kids to have the adults play this game with them.

We ended the day with a little feedback session, and a lot of positive points as well as negative points came out, like they wanted to see more of Mumbai, not knowing that there is another field tour planned for them, the boys who are outnumbered wanted to play at the gaming zone of the Mall, but all in all a good day for them.

At the end the objective was for them to realize the Power Of Friendship, which they understood by spending the day with a group of friends who practically live and support each other everyday !

Thank you Eddy, Neesha, Hersh, Sheena, Prarthana, Kartik and Prachi, I can guarantee you that the kids are going to remember atleast one of you for the rest of their lives, and you have made them feel very special today, and surely motivated to keep working towards their dreams.

Day 1 - Introduction to Care Compassion and a Voice at TISS, Mumbai

Finally, the second 1000 Crane Project, art camp started today, amidst a lot of excitement as well as curiosity amongst the children.

The children from Care N Compassion arrived with Nancy, my colleague, early morning. They go off at the famous Victoria Terminus Station, and experienced their first Mumbai taxi ride. It was amazing to watch them nearly falling out of the taxi staring at the sky scrapers and the city as a whole! It was almost like bringing them to Disneyworld.

The campus of TISS was also a surprise, its greenery, clean roads and the university feel had the kids asking many questions, like, “Can we come and study here too? “

The girls from VOICE, Mumbai, drove down from Borivali, north Mumbai to Chembur, East of Mumbai, and for them it was as good as travelling to a new city and see new people and new things. All dressed in their best finery, walked thru the old campus to the new campus, only lost in the greenery and the buildings on campus.

By the time we began the day, it was nearly noon, so we did a quick round of introductions. Then, we played a name game, so that all of us as a group get to know each other by our names.

We also then created the day buddies, and each of them painted a bag for their buddy, which is now their art bag full of materials required for their entire week of activities.

We also had them exchange noted about each other, and write them in their diaries, after which they had to come up and introduce their buddies to the rest of the group. 

It was really nice to watch kids, who were total strangers about an hour ago, sitting together having a little conversations about themselves.

Post Lunch, we had an interesting session with Surendra Singh ( Bunty ), he is the founder of his creative design company called BLueGod, has been an adman for a long time. So, I had invited him to work with the children on various creative writing skills.

Thru a series of presentations and games, Bunty, very nicely taught the children the art of using the right words at the right time. 

He conducted a session of Mad Ads to teach the children how to create their own commercial. It was fun, as we had our enthusiastic volunteers, Renuka from Care N Compassion, Laxmi from Voice, Victor from Khula Asaman, Nancy and Laura from Tara Trust, also participate as a team.

For this session, we also had a group of 7 children come from a nearby slum school, which is supported by one of Khula Asaman’s volunteer called Victor.

In all it was session, that made them CARE for their team/partner, solve every problem with COMPASSION, and give each of their ideas a VOICE !

Sadako Sasaki & The 1000 Cranes at Cathedral & John Canon School

I reached Mumbai at 6 am, got to the TISS campus, settled down, and met with Sarita Ganesh, who has worked tirelessly here on the university campus to organize everything for us here. We went to look at the accommodation facilities as it is a priority that the children live comfortably and in a safe place.

The new TISS campus, right behind the old campus, is a more modern facility, and the girls and boys hostel shall accommodate the children respectively. The dining halls will cater to the food needs of the children, and there is a recreation room which shall be used as our classroom, meeting room, and working room.

Laura Drese, one of our German volunteers, also arrived this morning from Germany, and will be staying to assist and help me for the entire week. This is her second visit to our organization as a volunteer, and brings in new and fresh energy as well.

Post Lunch, Laura and myself travelled to the Catherdral & John Canon School, in south Mumbai. It is one of the oldest schools in Mumbai, and Geeta Simoes, our supporter from Mumbai and an alumnus of the school, invited us to share the story of Sadako Sasaki and the 1000 paper cranes with the children of this private school. She believes that our work on the awareness of nuclear hazards is something that children of every section of society need to learn about.

We shared the story of Sadako Sasaki, and the children paid attention to the little flash presentation, and then showed eager participation in painting T-shirts and making their contribution to sending messages to the children of Fukushima.

As an acknowledgement for the workshop we conducted today and in to show their support towards the Tara Trust work, the Cathedral & John Canon School has sponsored a day trip for the children from Goa and Mumbai participating in The 1000 Crane Project on the 29^th of February- Wednsday.

It’s easy to change the world, if one privileged hand holds the hand of an underprivileged ! 

Why Mumbai ?

I shall board the train to Mumbai in the next 5 hours for the second 1000 Crane Project, at The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS).
Why Mumbai?

The first reason for me to think of Mumbai was since we started the art camps in New Delhi, the capital of our country, it only meant that if I really want to make this project into an all India camp, then I have to target the large cities first.
The second reason is because, the children we work with in Goa, have only heard about New Delhi, and Mumbai, and Bangalore, probably seen pictures of the same, but don't know when they would ever be able to travel and see these places themselves.
When, we talk about these big cities, their eyes light up, because they associate these cities to success, to progress, to prosperity, but always have some hidden feelings of it may just be a dream. So, thru The 1000 Crane Project, I want them to be able to live a little bit of their dream.

I am excited because its going to be a week long journey to discovering many new things for the children. Some of our children from Goa who are travelling will be experiencing their first Train journery of their lives !!! So, their stories for life shall start from the moment they board the train to Mumbai.
I am nervous because living in the small state of Goa, we are used to a easy, simple and quite routine, but, Mumbai is a box full of energy, movement, chaos and drama, so, I hope the energy is positive, the movement is exciting, and we don't see too much of chaos and drama. But, if there is chaos and drama, then it will be their learning towards adapting and adjusting to new environments and new people.
I am leaving a day earlier, so that, I can arrange for welcoming the children to a comfortable and organised environment. They are children and they will adjust, yes ! but, as the facilitator of this project, it is my endeavor to make them feel special, important and happy, so they are enthusiastic and eager to learn and participate in all the activities planned.

On a personal note, The 1000 Crane Project, is a huge personal achievement, as it has been a dream to me to share with children, the joys of travel and also the tremendous experience and learning one can get thru meeting new people, seeing new places, living in new environments.
Mumbai, is a special city for me, as I began my professional life here, and it also made me believe in my ideals and follow my dreams, so getting to conduct the second project in Mumbai, is great and encouraging.

The 1000 Crane Project - Mumbai

The preparation for workshop in Mumbai is nearly complete.

Today, the final invites have gone out to our supporters and well wishers in Mumbai and around.

The kids from Care n Compassion, Goa, the orphanage that we have been supporting for the last three years, are preparing for their journey on 24^th evening to Mumbai, and the children from VOICE, Mumbai an NGO for street children are eagerly waiting out arrival.

The Tata Institute of Social Sciences as a venue, is going to be huge motivator for all the children participating in The 1000 Crane Workshop, as it is the foremost and one of the best social sciences institute in India. The group has never seen anything beyond their government school or other school campuses, and to be able to live and learn for a week in the beautiful and green campus of TISS, will surely encourage them to build goals for their own future.

This is the second 1000 Crane Project being held in Mumbai, the next one which is already in the plan, should either be in Ahemdabad or Pondicherry,  around May or June of this year.

I am very excited about this project. The first one was a huge motivator for the children who had participated, with stories of some kids insisting on studying further especially amongst the girls, and building aspirations of travelling the world.

I am really looking forward to the stories that are going to be created this time.