a special moment

Sunday 27th January 2008 will always be a special day for planet why as this is the day we paid the first installment for the land.
For us this was a momentous moment as it was not just a matter of giving a cheque, or acquiring a plot of land but the first step towards realising a huge dream.

It was little Utpal who handed over the cheque as for us he is blessed and also proof that nothing is impossible.

Planet why - a reality

Planet why is now a reality. Thanks to wonderful friends we have been able to secure an interest free loan to purchase the land! This was very important as land prices were escalating by the minute! We are not far from the land we once sought and even have an address: Khasra 373 Shyam Vihar, Phase I J block (village Deendarpur)!

Documents have been perused and a token amount paid. The first instalment will be paid in a couple of days and we hope to have Utpal hand over the cheque! There are two plots and the total surface is a little over 1100 square yards.

a rock pile

A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral wrote St Exupery. How right he was.

For me this piece of barren line ceased to be barren from the moment we decided that it was the one chosen to hold planet why. From that instant in time reason took leave of absence and the heart took over. Never mind if one did not know how or when; never mind how daunting the task at hand looked; never mind the obstacles that could come our way, planet why was a reality that just had to happen.

Another beautiful quote of the same author flashed in my mind: if you want to build a ship, don't drum up people together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea and I realised that this was what lay between today and the day when planet why would be a vibrant reality: my ability to get people to long for planet why as much as I did.

No mean task in a world where people have long forgotten the beauty of simple things and lost their ability to think beyond their own needs. And yet beautiful things live on and miracles happen. Just a few days back I would not have believed that I would be standing at the edge of a dusty road looking at a piece of barren land. Just a few days back I was simply trying to figure out how we would go through the next month and the next... the rock pile just remained a hope, a dream, a longing, a prayer... one that I had left to a higher being to fulfill.

The road to this dusty road has been a long one. For a long time I did try to get others to long for it just as I did, but at some point of time I surrendered the thought to the wind knowing within myself that it would ultimately land safely some day. It did, far sooner than I could have imagined and in the most unlikely way possible leaving us all speechless.

The journey is not over and much remains to be done. But it will all come together as long as we keep on longing for the essential, as long as we keep looking with our hearts and as long as we keep on taking one step after another in the right direction.

planet why - moving forward

Thanks to angels without wings we have been able to move from dream to reality. The planet why concept has changed slightly as it was felt that we should also include a foster care-cum-scholarship programme for deprived children that would enable some children to access a whole new world..

This is what the new vision is:


Planet Why will have three distinct modules

1. Residential facility for a maximum of 12 children and young adults with disabilities. These are the ones we have been caring for and who do not have any hope for the future. Planet why will also provide shelter to women in distress who will form part of the operating team. We will also run a wide range of activities for the community based on the existing pwhy model


2. A guest house run on the Ninos Hotel Model that will be open to tourists and will be run as a commercial activity to fund the on-going activities of project why


3. A residential foster care programme for a maximum of 20 children where children from deprived backgrounds will be given an enabling and nurturing environment to be able to excel in education and access to employment possibilities. The children ( a maximum of 20) will be kept at planet why for an incubating period of 4 to 5 years and then be sent to boarding school. Emphasis will be on creating an environment close to those found in educated homes, with stress on English and building self-confidence.



MODULE 1

Residential programme for special children and women in distress

Special children

This would be an extension of the approach adopted in our day care centre where each ward would be given an enabling environment to grow and live a dignified life. Based on each child’s competence useful activities would be found within planet why and the children trained accordingly. A resident special educator and 2 to 3 caretakers would be needed to ensure this.

We hope to be able to include them in the guesthouse activities where we plan to have a craft shop and a café, small beauty parlour etc

We would limit the facility to 12 residents.

Women in distress

Planet why would provide shelter to women who have heavy pasts and who want to rebuild their lives. At present there are 2 such women at the women centre. Though these women need some special care they would be part of the operating team. While looking for resident staff we will try and identify such persons as they are often not able to reintegrate society and lead a life with dignity.

Activities with the community

These would be worked after assessing local needs but would cover education support, environment, health, and empowerment as well as income generating skills. As in our earlier model we would find and train local people to fulfil this.



MODULE II

A guesthouse with a difference

This facility would be run for tourists from all over the world who may want to have a different experience, volunteers, guests, people looking for a different week end experience!

Planet Why’s guesthouse facilities would have 10 to 12 (the actual number could be worked out to ensure maximum profitability) double rooms with attached toilet and shower (space for an extra bed). These would be furnished with local craft and would be made comfortable and functional. A large patio cum lounge adjoining the kitchen would be the ideal meeting place and would double up as dining room for breakfast. In case any one wanted a meal, this could be arranged if given prior notice.

Guest would be welcome to spend time with the children.

A small tourist shop would be run by the inmates and would offer a range of products, books, maps as well as craft made by the children.

A regular shuttle service would run between Planet Why and the metro station.

Airport pick up would be provided if needed.

Special activities would be organised like meeting with villagers, Indian cooking classes dance, etc

This being totally uncharted territory fir pwhy we would need the help of professionals to set the facility and train staff for us. Here again we would like to give preference to planet why residents, and local talent but in no way compromise quality.

Over the past years we have come across a wide range of people from the world over who have shown interest in this kind of option.
The proximity of the airport, the new highways to Jaipur and Agra and the already existing metro make this an ideal place for tourists.

We could tie up with a local tourist agency to provide such services and even contemplate running our own at a later stage.

This would also provide an excellent training opportunity for young people who have been our ex students.

This approach would also open new possibilities that can be defined as we go along!

Many organisations do look for such places

We are already part of this volontourism organisation
http://www.handsupholidays.co.uk/Default.aspx?tabid=974
and are supported by many friends who have links with travel agencies the world over
Moreover our own wide network of supporters are potential clients!


MODULE III

Foster care cum scholarship programme - vision

Once again this in uncharted territory for project why though the concept resonates with the core spirit of our work as is reflected in little Utpal!

At the outset what is essential while formulating the scale of this module is to remember that what is at stake is the lives of children and that we cannot effort to make any mistake as the damage would be irreversible! It is thus felt that we should begin this programme with a smaller number of children to be able to give the extra care required in this learning phase and make the necessary course corrections before reaching our maximum capacity.

The children will be selected from economically deprived backgrounds. Efforts will be made to get children at as young an age as possible. Though it is difficult to assess the potential of a child at a young age, we will strive to make the best assessment as possible and draw them from existing programmes (Project WHY or other NGOs). This will also ensure an already existing comfort factor with the families as their total and long-term commitment is essential to the success of the programme.

Whereas one has strong evidence of an increasing awareness amongst deprived households of the need to educate children to aspire to better morrows, the existing government school system and the lack of resources both financial and intellectual of the families only enables them to aspire to basic employment opportunities and cannot help them break out of the vicious poverty circle to which they and their families would be doomed for yet another generation.

The foster care programme would ensure these children a fair chance at aspiring at quality higher education and thus access to career opportunities available to upper middle class children. We are aware of the fact that our task will not end with schooling along and our intention is to support, handhold and mentor them through college and professional education thereby making a real and tangible contribution to “Inclusive growth” to many amongst the most underprivileged children in Indian society.


The foster care programme of planet why would reach out to a maximum of 20 children.



Foster care cum scholarship programme – operation

It is proposed to run a full residential programme for an incubating period till the child can be moved to a boarding school (I to VI) . The length of the incubation period would depend on the entry point of the boarding school and the performance of the child and may vary from child to child. The children would come to planet why for their holidays where we hope to involve them in the day-to-day activities of planet why as we feel these would be a great learning experience.

During the incubation period our aim would be to give the child a caring and well-structured enabling environment where the child can grow and learn. Children will attend a day school and planet why will play the role of the family as well as teach the child the ways of the world we are preparing them for. This is essential to ensure that they are not lost when they are moved to boarding school. Efforts will be made to keep abreast with the ways of the upmarket kids and incorporate them gently into our programme. Thus planet why would a place of unlearning and learning!

We will ensure that the day school they attend is one that is not too overwhelming and one where are able to establish a good rapport and have some say!

The success of the programme also depends on our ability to teach the child to accept his origins and embrace a new world, as alienating him from her/his origins can jeopardize our efforts to make these children agents of change. Hence a careful contact programme with the families will have to worked out and spelt out to the families before they decide to hand us over their child.

Dormitories, study space, recreation room, computer access will have to be designed to ensure a happy and home like environment. A well-structured timetable where learning means not simply school curriculum but encompasses life skills and values will have to be worked out.

It is felt that the fact that the whole programme is linked with planet why will be a great asset as the children would have the rare opportunity to interact with the planet why kids as well as people from the world over as we feel that all 3 modules dovetail into a vibrant entity and will provide exceptional learning possibilities.

The success of this programme depends on the quality of the staff and here again our past experience has shown that commitment to the cause takes precedence on paper qualifications.

Some of our staff would be willing to relocate (provided we give them housing facility) and can provide the core staff needed. These have already proved their commitment and mettle and they are the ones who have been the backbone of project why for 8 years and ensured its success.

A house mother and an academic supervisor would be needed over and above staff needed for day-to-day running, We would however encourage the children to learn to do their own work.

As the success of the programme lies in our ability to give the children a comfort factor in English, we would have all the staff we propose to relocate follow an intensive spoken English course on the lines of the ones held for call centres.





MODULES I, II AND III
COMMON GROUNDS


All three modules are complementary and have to be viewed in this manner to make planet why a true success.

It is felt that meals need to be taken together that modules I and III have common recreational facilities. This would enable to celebrate difference and also teach children to care for each other ands would also compels us to keep our surroundings in pristine order

Laundry and other housekeeping facilities of I, II and III should also be shared.

Outings and other activities should also be planned together

Our efforts will be to build an eco friendly complex and try and use as much renewable energy as possible.

To hold on to their wings

Planet why is my most cherished dream but till two days back it was just that: a dream. True that I am used to dreaming and must confess that I have turned quite greedy as many of my dreams have turned into reality over the past 8 years, but planet why often seemed akin to the holy grail and I knew I was no Parsifal!

And yet, with a zeal close that of a knight with no armour I held on to that dream and pursued it as best I could because my holy grail was a cup full of lost smiles and hopes gone astray! I must confess that I rarely garnered the courage to actually spell out the astronomical figure needed to recover all these hopes and smiles but I persevered in my elusive search.

What I had forgotten along the way was that the quest was not mine alone; actually I was simply a channel, albeit a blessed one, who had to carry on what had been entrusted to me, and never give up, no matter what obstacles came my way.

Pwhy has been a journey interspersed with dreams and miracles and even the confirmed agnostic would be compelled to accept that this journey has been steered by an unknown hand who makes things happen!

A chance virtual encounter barely a few months back led to the the incredible: planet why moved from the realm of dream to that of reality as angels joined my quest and helped us secure an interest free loan to enable us to purchase the land where planet why will seed. They are now furiously at work so that we are able to repay back that loan and get the funds needed to build this blessed space where mislaid hopes and smiles will finally find a home and bright morrows will be crafted with love and care.

Angels look just like us; only you need to see with your heart to recognise them! And you do not thank Angels, you just carry in your work with renewed faith to hold on to their wings.