Humane Touch, Bangalore

Dear Readers,

I happened to visit a school run entirely on the initiative of Humane Touch Trust, Bangalore. The story began in 1999, where a group of women decided to make a real difference in the life of those less fortunate.

HumaneTouch was set up as a registered trust in 1999. Its members predominately work in Padarayanapura and Goripalya urban slum areas - located off Mysore Road.

They initally took their first baby steps in the field of social welfare by helping children in this community (largely a poor Muslim dominated area) to get access to surgical procedures or provind them with calipers.

Since then, Humane Touch has striven to meet the needs of this community and today they are actively involved in:

1) Primary education - Al-Azhar school up to seventh grade, against nominal fees

2) Vocational training - free one year course in tailoring and allied activities

3) Scholarships to deserving girl students to continue further studies

4) Medical camps and individual medical aid

5) Mass weddings to eradicate the menace of dowry

6) Adult hygiene education for women

I visited the Al-Azhar school and was impressed. Tucked away in the middle of the slum area, the first thing that struck me was a clean compound. Not a speck of litter was found on the ground. A white washed building stood modestly and the voices of students reciting English, Urdu and Kannada were heard outside. I visited a few classrooms, each and every student wanted to learn, to do something with his or her life. The teachers were diligent and they ruled, not with a stick (such punishment is strictly prohibited in this school) but with a smile and lots of encouragement.

The students belong to this area and most of them have not stepped outside this area, not even to the Nehru Planetarium.

This school needs your support. By way of donations in cash or kind - story books/toys in good condition would be welcome. Volunteers can also help in myraid ways. Those in Bangalore who are interested could please write to humanetouch99 at gmail.com

(Please note that the '@' sign is not iused n this post to prevent spamming).

Please do not get upset if you do not receive a prompt reply to your email, Tazaiyun Omer who checks this email really has her hands full.

However, she and the other members of the Humane Touch Trust really appreciate each and every kind gesture, whether big or small. So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and lend a helping hand.

Thank you,

Lubna

Being that one drop

Po Bronson, in the introduction to his book: What should I do with my life? states: "I learned that it was in hard times that people usually changed the course of their life; in good times, they frequently only talked about change. Hard times forced them to overcome the doubts that normally gave them pause. It surprised me how often we hold ourselves back until we have no choice. So the people herein suffered layoffs, bankruptcies, divorces, evictions, illness, and the death of loved ones, and as a result they were as likely to stumble into a better life as they were to arrive there by reasoned planning. They made mistakes before summoning the courage to get it right. Their path called into question the notion that a calling is something you inherently know when you’re young. Far from it. These people discovered in themselves gifts they rarely realized they had."

Well, dear readers, I have taken the first baby step today, by applying for a part time post at my current organisation. To begin with, this will be for three months, from April 2009, till I feel braver and seek an extension or a change of contract altogether.

This will give me ample free time to volunteer at various NGO's, to give back to society. Po Bronson is right. My mother's illness (She is back on her feet now, and it was nothing short of a mircale) has changed my life. I learnt there is more to life than sitting in a cubicle and suffering an inevitable burn out sooner or later.

So here is to a better me! Perhaps every drop in the ocean counts, at least I hope so, it will be nice to be that one drop.

So now I leave you with this song from Pay It Forward.

Bring that doggie home...

Killing of stray dogs had become a big issue in Bangalore. Newspapers were rife with stories of rabid dogs attacking children, especially in some localities. On the other hand, Animal Welfare associations were crying themselves hoarse in a bid to speak up for the stray dogs. I have kept a stray dog as a pet and was thinking that the only solution is for each member of such Animal Welfare association to adopt a stray dog, if they could. Yes, there does appear to be a stigma attached, we were regarded by a few as being quite nutty for having adopted Poochie. Yet others are slightly better and feed the strays but do not take them home. This does not really resolve the problem. Fortunately, others do give them a home.

Owner of Lalee and Bandra (the dog, not the suburb of Mumbai), Rajashree, runs a Pariah Dog Club. So if you have adopted a stray or know of someone who has, please write about your adorable pet or pass on the details of this blog.

Snowy and Poochie have both featured here in the article: Bring that doggie home...

Three cheers for Rajashree and others who have adopted the stray doggies and given them not a house, but a home.