Tag Archives: NGO

Contributed 300 books to a library

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I have a friend in the US named Mr. Lane Rasberry, who is a social worker and data scientist by profession. I met him for the first time in 2007 when he was living in Varanasi to learn Hindi. We’ve been in touch ever since and have collaborated on many different projects. His dream was to establish a library in Varanasi for students. He contacted the Seattle Public Library to donate books for Varanasi students, and they generously provided almost 350 books covering a wide range of subjects, including science, math, geography, culture, and religion.

Books provided by Lane

He sent me a large consignment containing all the books and some other materials. The consignment arrived at the Kolkata port but promptly became entangled in a corrupt bureaucratic process. I received a call from someone at the Kolkata port office who informed me that my consignment could not be released because they had found offensive materials within it, violating Indian law. I inquired about the nature of these “offensive materials” and was told that they were materials related to sex education.

Books at the library of Lok Samiti

I laughed incredulously when I heard this. The irony was palpable: a country that gave the world the Kama Sutra and boasts erotic art in its sacred Hindu temples was now being told that sex education materials were prohibited. It was clear that this was just a pretext; there was something more sinister at play. He requested that I visit his office in Kolkata, but being preoccupied, I enlisted the help of my friends Babu and Marc.

They traveled to Kolkata the following day and met with the officer. The officer offered numerous excuses for withholding the consignment, primarily focusing on a few sex education chapters within a couple of books. It was astonishing to witness his meticulous examination of every page in those hundreds of books. If government officials consistently displayed such vigilance and integrity, India’s landscape would undoubtedly be transformed.

They excelled at their jobs when corruption and bribery were involved, but their competence vanished when it came to fulfilling their duties honestly. Babu and Marc contacted another officer who revealed that the “offensive material” was merely a pretext for a bribe. Seeking guidance on how to approach the officer, they were advised that a direct bribe request was unlikely and that they should instead contact the officer’s assistant.

Ultimately, they contacted the assistant who explicitly stated that the consignment would not be released without a bribe of Rs. 10,000. Despite Babu’s explanation that the books were destined for non-profit work, the assistant remained unyielding. Faced with no other recourse, they reluctantly paid the bribe, securing the release of the consignment. A subsequent courier service was engaged to transport the consignment to Varanasi, which arrived approximately a week later.

The next challenge was determining the library’s location. My home, with ample space and a ready demand, was a viable option. At that time, I was involved in an educational program for underprivileged children called “Chance India,” led by my Hungarian friend, Mr. Attila Csapo. As the program coordinator, I oversaw the education of 70 children—28 from the city and 42 from a village. These children were enrolled in the nearest English-medium schools to their homes.

Our village children were selected from an NGO called Lok Samiti, which operates a school named Asha Samajik Vidyalay. While the school has made significant progress, it still lacked many resources. Previously, it was merely a better alternative to no education at all. Despite having proper classes and teachers, the school required substantial improvements. We selected forty-two students from Asha Samajik Vidyalay and enrolled them in a proper English-medium school. Initially, I considered establishing the library at my home, but something held me back.

I realized that establishing a library at my home would limit the number of beneficiaries to perhaps the twenty-eight city children. Another potential location, Asha Samajik Vidyalay, lacked both a library and the necessary space. After discussing this with Nandlal Master, the coordinator of Lok Samiti, I learned that they were planning to open a library soon. Therefore, I decided to wait and donate the books to Lok Samiti once their library was operational.

Years passed without Lok Samiti realizing their library plans. Then came the Covid-19 pandemic, which brought everything to a standstill. My own health deteriorated, making for a challenging year. As normalcy gradually returned in 2023, Lok Samiti finally opened its library. The library was a collaborative effort, supported by individuals and organizations alike. Many former students of Lok Samiti contributed to its establishment.

I finally organized all the books and donated them to the library of Asha Samajik Vidyalay in Nagepur village, Varanasi, which is run by Lok Samiti. The school children had never seen such a diverse collection of books. Their enthusiasm for the new library was evident. Lane, Nandlal Master, and I were immensely gratified to see the books finally benefiting the community. Marc tragically passed away a few years ago from sudden liver failure. His joy at seeing these books become part of a proper library is undoubtedly immense, even in his absence. The library serves as a humble tribute to his invaluable contributions.

My next goal is to assist in establishing another library at an education center run by my friend, Mr. Amit Rajbhar. He operates special classes for children of kiln workers and also runs a school for children aged 5 to 15. I am hopeful about being able to contribute to this project as well.

Local newspaper also reported the story

Assistance for Children of Kiln Workers

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I have a friend who is a social worker by profession and works with the children of kiln workers in Varanasi. The laborers who operate the kilns primarily come from rural or tribal areas of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand. They migrate with their entire families to work sites in Uttar Pradesh and other regions. They reside at the construction sites in makeshift brick houses lacking cement plaster or a permanent roof. These homes are constructed by stacking bricks and using a tin sheet as a makeshift roof.

Mr. Amit Rajbhar with his wife

This is a seasonal job that begins in October after the monsoon ends and concludes in late June with the monsoon’s arrival. The work hours are demanding, with shifts starting at 10 PM and lasting until 4 PM the following day – an 18-hour workday. Workers typically take a short break, no longer than two hours, for meals during this period. Everyone in the family contributes, including young children as young as six or seven. While adults handle the primary tasks, children assist in various ways. With both parents working long hours, childcare and cooking fall primarily on the children.

Children of Kiln workers

Imagine enduring such grueling work hours under the open sky. The conditions are extreme. During March, April, May, and June, temperatures soar between 38 and 52 degrees Celsius (102 and 125 Fahrenheit). In contrast, December, January, and February bring frigid temperatures ranging from 35 to 5 degrees Celsius (95 to 40 Fahrenheit). The scorching heat, particularly in May, June, and July, is often accompanied by intense, deadly winds. Yet, these laborers are forced to toil under these inhumane conditions.

Look at their house in the background

My friend, Amit Rajbhar, has dedicated himself to working with the children of kiln workers. He strives to keep them engaged in productive activities. He runs a non-formal education center offering daily classes in basic subjects like math, Hindi, science, general knowledge, and hygiene. Amit’s goal is to create a brighter future for the next generation. He acknowledges that the immediate benefits for these children might be limited, but he believes his efforts will positively impact their children.

Brick making

Amit believes that educating these children will break the cycle of child labor. He shared a heartwarming story about a family he worked with in 2022. The following year, their children refused to return to work, expressing a desire to attend school instead. They asked their parents to continue working in Varanasi while they stayed with grandparents in their village to pursue education. This remarkable outcome exemplifies the positive impact of Amit’s work on breaking the cycle of child labor within a family.

Children of the kiln workers

I was familiar with Amit’s work but had never visited his site. When a guest expressed interest in helping underprivileged children, I decided to take her there. I was deeply shocked by the conditions and the children’s stories. It was late December, with temperatures around 10 degrees and cloudy skies. None of the children wore warm clothes or shoes, playing barefoot in the open.

Sweet distribution

I was heartbroken and struggled to hold back tears. Their stories haunted me, and I desperately wanted to help. Providing warm clothes and shoes seemed like an immediate need. I explored ways to raise funds for these essentials, including reaching out to my contacts. Unfortunately, despite promises from a few, I couldn’t secure the necessary funds. My efforts were met with constant setbacks.

I stayed in constant contact with Amit about the children. Their stories were constantly on my mind. I was determined to help them in 2023. The monsoon of 2023 finally arrived, and the families returned to their villages in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand. Amit informed me about the start of kiln operations in Varanasi and the families’ expected return in late September. I visited them in late October and began planning a cloth supply for them.

I was thinking about whom to ask for help and suddenly a name clicked in my mind Mr. Amit Marathe whom I met in Varanasi in September 2023. He was an IT professional from Pune but was living in the US. I met with him when he was touring Varanasi and I worked with him as his guide in Varanasi and Ayodhya. I get to meet new people from all over the world but his name clicked in my mind first because of the kind of experience I had with him.

He came from a lower-middle-class family in Pune. His father drove a tuk-tuk. After attending a regular government school and overcoming challenges, he eventually achieved success. His humble background gave him a deep understanding of poverty. He often discussed India’s problems, such as poverty and corruption. Despite living in the US, he actively participated in Indian cultural activities. He was a very proud Indian with a strong desire to help others.

I thought I should ask him if he knew anyone involved in charity work in India. I explained the situation of those kids to him. I didn’t expect him to fund the kids, but after hearing their stories, he asked how much money was needed. He asked me to wait a few minutes and then sent me a receipt for the money transferred into my account. Mr. Amit told me he often does charity work in India and that I should have mentioned the kids when he was touring with me.

It was incredibly kind of him to immediately provide funds for the children’s clothes and other necessities. Finding such a supporter made me incredibly happy and brought tears to my eyes. I imagined the children’s faces when they received the clothes and shoes. I called Amit, my social worker friend, to determine the age group and number of children. The next day, I went to the market to buy warm clothes and shoes, including jackets, warm innerwear, gloves, socks, shoes, and woolen caps.

Bag of supplies

Now I had enough money for all those kids; in fact, the money given by Mr. Amit from the US was sufficient to support even more children. I went to the work site with all the supplies. As soon as the kids heard I had lots of gifts for them, they jumped with joy. Their happiness was indescribable. I distributed everything among them and had also brought sweets and samosas that we enjoyed together. It was a truly wonderful experience that will stay with me forever.

Mr. Amit, his wife and kids

I had some money left from the fund, which I used to buy woolen caps for the children at Asha Samajik Vidyalay, another non-profit run by my friend Mr. Nandlal Master. The kids there were equally delighted to receive the caps. I hope to continue doing this every year or whenever needed. A heartfelt thank you to Mr. Amit Marathe from the US for his generous support and to Mr. Amit Rajbhar for his care for the children.

Kids at Asha Samajik Vidyalay

Interview with Arun Pathak

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Mr. Pathak addressing a public meeting

Arun Pathakis a politician and a social worker from Varanasi. He is famous all over the world for his style of protest by committing suicide. His protest against the movie water in the year 2000 made him popular all over the world. I had been hearing about him ever since I started hearing, had seen him several times in my neighborhood and had read his name in the newspapers and magazines several times but I got to meet with him last year when I was working with Irene, a researcher from Italy. When Irene asked me to arrange a meeting with Mr. Pathak, I was not really if I would be able to arrange it because Arun Pathak has become a very powerful politician now.

Mr. Pathak on the stage

I was thinking about Arun Pathak like any other Indian politician who do not have time for people after the elections are over but my impression about him completely wrong. I was able to arrange the meeting with Arun Pathak and I was seriously surprised to see how helping nature person he was. I went to interview him with Irene at least 20 times in 2 months and he was always so welcoming. He treated us very well and answered all of our questions. I got to learn about him a lot by interviewing him.

I was seriously surprised to listen his stories about his politics, style of protest and his struggles. Mr. Pathak’s family was very poor. His father worked at Jain Dharamshala in Varanasi as a store keeper. Pathak said that often times they did not have enough money to buy both meals everyday and they slept empty stomachs several times. He had to stop his studies and he was sent to his uncle’s house in the village only because the family could not afford to send him to the school.

Mr. Pathak at a meeting

He returned to Varanasi only after a few months because his uncle also not nice to him. Finally Pathak joined municipality school (free schools but just waste of time) in Varanasi. During his schooling when he was only 14 years old, he went to a shop in his neighborhood asking for a job because he wanted to make some money to help his family. The shopkeeper laughed at him and said that he could employ a 14 year old student. Arun Pathak said that he wanted a part time job for evenings.

Mr. Pathak in 2002

After so much request by Pathak, the shopkeeper agreed to have him as a part time employee. Pathak worked at his shop for one month and when he got his first salary, which was only Rs. 30, he was so happy to share it with his family. But when he was going back to his home with his salary, a few bullies stopped him and took his money. They asked him to buy them alcohol using the same money. After drinking alcohol they all went together and beat his family. Mr. Pathak says that his family was beaten up only because they were not able to pay the rent of their apartment on time.

Arrest

Those days a political party called Shiv Sena was very popular in India for working with youth. Shiv Sena has always been known for being a radical Hindu party. There was a rumor those days that Shiv Sena was providing a pistol to all of their new members and after hearing this Mr. Pathak also thought to join the Shiv Sena so that he could get a pistol to kill the people who had beaten his family. Since it was only a rumor, Mr. Pathak was never provided any pistol by Shiv Sena but Mr. Pathak proudly says he found nuclear bombs instead of pistols in Shiv Sena.

Distributing books in Mumbai

When talking about nuclear bombs he talks about the radical people of Shiv Sena. He says he had always led the life of a leader even during his school times and after joining Shiv Sena he again became popular because of leadership quality and so many people in his party became his fans who were ready to die or kill anyone for himself. He did so many programs organized under the banner of Shiv Sena and became so popular very soon. After 11 years of hard work he became district chief of Shiv Sena in the year 2000.

Honored by Sankaracharya

His protests were always huge and always became matter of conversation in the society. His protests against the movie Water, Girlfriend and Chori-Chori Chupke-Chupke was talked about all over the world. Shiv Sena has always been protesting against the Valentines Day celebration in India and he also organized huge protests against the festival in Varanasi. His protest against the liquor stores, corruption and several other things also got huge popularity. Very soon Mr. Pathak had became a very big name all over India.

Hunger strike

Mr. Pathak has always been known for his extreme way of protesting. He has consumed poison five times in order to protest. Once he cut veins of his right hand when he stopped from entering in a temple. When I asked Mr. Pathak about why he did such things, he laughs and says that nobody listens to the poor people. If you are poor and powerless then this is what you do to make people listen to you. He proudly says that he is the inventor of staging suicide as a form of protest.

Attack

I had read so many articles about him and some of them said that the thing Mr. Pathak consumed was not basically poison and when I asked Mr. Pathak about it he showed me his palm which sweats all the time and he says that his body developed this problem ever since he consumed poison first time.  He showed me his medical prescription which says that he can not eat any heavy or spicy food, he has to drink filtered water and it all happened because of the affect of the poison he consumed several times.

offering food to poor

He says that it was not only himself who consumed poison but there were other people as well who consumed poison or tried to burn themselves only because he asked them to do so in order to protest. After saying this he called one of his workers named Bulli. Bulli is 29 years old and had consumed poison when he was only 14. He did it in order to protest against the movie Chor-Chori Chupke-Chupke. I asked Bulli several times when I met him alone about why did he consume poison and ever time his answer was same that he did not know.

offering food to blinds

He always says that Mr. Pathak had asked him to consume poison so he did it. I asked him if he ever regret about it and says- why would I regret? It was Bhaiya’s order. He knows what is best for me. I was shocked to hear it. How come someone can have this big control over someone else? The bigger shock is people’s belief in Mr. Pathak. Anyways, he worked with Shiv Sena till 2003 and then left because he was not happy with the way Shiv Sena was discriminating against certain communities.

at a school

Actually Shiv Sena was beating the North Indians living in Maharastra and was kicking them out and Mr. Pathak was seriously hurt with the situation that he decided to leave the party. He formed his own political party and run it for four years. Finally in the year 2007 he realized that he needed a bigger platform to raise his voice and fight against big evils. Finally he joined Bahujan Samaj Party which is known for working with lower caste community and fighting against Mafias.

offering food to lepers

Again because of leadership quality he was appointed as co-coordinator for two state assembly seats in Varanasi. During his work period he made Bahujan Samaj Party very popular in Varanasi where there was no existence of Bahujan Samaj Party before. He has been kind of away from politics for the past one year and has been devoting his complete time in social service and religion. He says that he has been doing a research on the outcome of religious practices. To do it he has hired 11 priests who perform vedic yagyas everyday.

Mr. Pathak’s priests

These yagayas including other rituals have been going on continuously since October 2010.  He says that he wants bring the truth in the society. If there is no outcome of such practices then people should not waste their time and if performing rituals really work then they should do it in right way. He believes that rituals do not really seem helpful nowadays because they were made thousands of years ago and now when the time has changed they also need to changed. And he wants to know this change.

distributing books to poor students

I have been to Mr. Pathak’s place several times and every time I go there I see people coming to him asking for help. He makes some kind of donation almost everyday. I have seen him offering food to the lepers, blind or physically challenged people. I have seen him paying poor students fee or buying them books. I have seen him paying for poor people weddings. I think he does all kind of donation possible. He never any new cloth until he donates the same to a few poor people. I still remember that once he bought 12 tracksuits. 11 were donated to the beggars on the street first and only then he wore one.

performing aarti at Assi ghat

I have seen people running behind him, I am sure he thousands of fans only in Varanasi. He is like a star in Varanasi who is always surrounded by minimum of 6 security guards. He says that there is threat of life for him because there are so many people who do not like his popularity hence he needs security guards all the time with himself. After saying this he stops for a while and then said that can you imagine that I started working at the age of 14 because of my poor family background. He proudly says that his first salary was only Rs. 30 and now he has to spend good amount of money only on his security.

Mr. Pathak with his security guards

It is definitely a huge change for anyone and Mr. Pathak definitely deserves it. Now I have met Mr. Pathak several times and I like him a lot. I love his style of working, his devotion for his work, his understanding of the society and his super helpful nature. I am sure that I have also become his fan and would love to see him progressing in his life because I personally believe that he is a thousand time better leader and politician than anyone I have ever met. My society definitely needs people like him.

Josh Massad’s World Through Music

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I’m working with a musician named Josh Massad on a project called “World Through Music,” which focuses on teaching music and other subjects through music. Josh travels globally, teaching music to children in various regions. In the U.S., he introduces American kids to African and Indian music. In Africa, he teaches Indian and American music to African kids, and currently, in India, he’s teaching African, American, and Asian music to children in Varanasi. About a month ago, Josh contacted me to see if I would be interested in collaborating on this project.

Josh with village kids

The project intrigued me, so I agreed to assist him. My role involves organizing his performances at schools throughout Varanasi. To give Josh and his project broad exposure, I arranged for him to perform at a variety of schools, including city schools, village schools, private schools, government schools, play schools, and schools run by NGOs. In total, we planned around 50 performances over 25 days, with 25 performances at village schools where children come from very poor families, 10 at NGO-run training centers for girls, 10 at city schools, and about 5 at schools run by NGOs.

Josh teaching Kanjira

One of the performances is scheduled at a school for children of sex workers in Varanasi. These children often face difficulties gaining admission to traditional schools due to a lack of residential proof and documentation about their parents. An NGO in Varanasi has started a school specifically for these children, and we will be working with them as well. Additionally, we’ve organized performances with children from my educational program and with daytime child laborers in Mehdiganj, where Lok Samiti runs evening classes for them.

Dancing with a kid

Josh carries a map and various instruments from around the world. He starts by discussing geography, teaching about the seven continents and the countries within them. He then shows these locations on a map and introduces the instruments, explaining where each one originates. It was surprising to see that many village kids had little knowledge of geography; some didn’t even know which continent India is on or could name its states. I hope Josh’s lessons will spark their curiosity and expand their knowledge.

Josh teaching map

After introducing his instruments, Josh plays them for the kids and teaches them African songs. One song, in particular, is a favorite: “Fanga Alafia, Ashe Ashe,” a welcome song from Africa. The kids love singing it and joining in with Josh. He also teaches various clapping styles and occasionally introduces basic yoga techniques. The project is progressing well, and seeing the children’s enjoyment makes me happy. However, a few teachers have questioned the relevance of teaching African songs, expressing doubt about their impact.

showing an Indonesian instrument

I don’t expect the children to master all of Josh’s instruments or geography in a single day, but I am confident that his performances will ignite an interest in world geography and music. If they glance at a map even once at home, I’ll consider the project a success. Josh is planning to make a documentary about his work next year and wants me to organize the details. He is also considering starting a mobile school in India and again hopes I can help with the arrangements. He envisions bringing musicians from various places to travel with him and teach music and geography. It sounds incredibly exciting, and I’m looking forward to being part of it.

Kids also love to play the instruments

25 new HIV patients everyday

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Today, Claire and I visited the NACO (National AIDS Control Organization) center at BHU to obtain data on HIV patients in Varanasi for our upcoming school workshop. Initially, the counselor refused to provide any data and directed us to seek permission from the head of the department first. Despite informing her that we were from an NGO, she remained unwilling to share any information. We then went to the head of the department’s office but were unable to meet him as he was occupied with another matter.

We spent two hours waiting in the counselor’s room, where we observed many people coming in for testing. I met a girl who is HIV-positive and now volunteers at the NACO center. After spending some time with Claire, the counselor warmed up to us and eventually provided the information we needed. I suspect her change of heart was influenced by Claire’s presence. She mentioned that NACO has testing centers in many districts across Uttar Pradesh, but the BHU center is the only one in Poorvanchal with an ELISA testing facility.

Poorvanchal is a region in Uttar Pradesh comprising seventeen districts. I was surprised to learn that people seeking HIV tests from across the region ultimately come to the Varanasi center. Although testing is available in their own districts, those results are not considered final. The ELISA test, which is the most reliable, is only available at the BHU center in Poorvanchal. The counselor noted a significant increase in HIV cases over the past few years. When she started her job nine years ago, they saw around five to six hundred people seeking tests each month. Today, that number has risen to between one hundred fifty and two hundred.

She also reported that a few years ago, they had fifty to a hundred positive results each month, but now they have at least twenty-five positive results every day. This increase was staggering and hard to believe. Interestingly, these figures only reflect those who have been referred by doctors; it doesn’t account for individuals who may be unaware of their HIV status. The counselor expressed concern that the number of positive cases will likely continue to rise due to inadequate government action.

She was dissatisfied with her job, citing a low salary. According to her, while WHO provides substantial funding to the Indian government, and then the Indian government allocates money to the Uttar Pradesh government and NACO, much of the funding is consumed by politicians and others involved in the project. One positive aspect of their work is that they now provide free ARVs (antiretrovirals) to HIV-positive patients, but only to those with a CD4 count below a critical level. Although I inquired about the specific CD4 threshold, she did not disclose it.