Orphanage-Hindu Anath Ashram

9:15am 11/1/18

Hello/Morena Globetrotters and Hautapu Kura. Today we go to the orphanage to help feed and share your beautiful taonga with around 40 children. Last night Shivali and I organised the gifts into groups to make it easier to give out as some are individual and some group based for sharing.

We have one of the cars to Radar a little boy who lives in our complex (his mum helps in our home). This is his dad beside him 💖

3:50pm

After a very fun and rewarding morning came many questions from both Shivali and I. We wish we had more time to play show and share some games and just have a chat with everyone. They loved the gifts and on reflection I wish we had got them more games. Something to think about for the future. 

I hope they get to keep the bits and bobs as it took alot of persuasion to be able to hand them out personally. We were told that the children might miss use them so they wanted to keep them and hand them out as and when. But my Aunty warned me that it may end up else where, and reminded us that it wouldn’t be fair for our community back home and our children if they missed out on this. 

I was so busy getting to know them and talk to them (being in the moment), that my coverage of the experience wasn’t good.  PLUS we were racing with time as the kids had to catch the 11:00 bus to school!

Excuse my broken Gujrati, but I am trying!

Maheshmasa (my uncle/translator) and Shivali ready to enter the Ashram

Shivali serving lunch

Enjoying nerv ball

The children

The bedrooms

The library and heritage - my great, great grandfather Lallu dada was before the age of cameras. Ghandiji visited this place many times.

Arriving

GREAT NOTES FROM DAD

When you talk about "Gandhi' one should refer him  as " "Mahatma Gandhi" or "Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi" or "Gandhiji"

In one of the photos taken at the Ashram, the person next to Ganghiji is "Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel" the one after whom the Vallabh Vidyanagar is Named. Vidya means Education and Nagar means City nagar means - city of education. If you Google him, you will find how important he was. He was dubbed as the "IRON MAN OF INDIA He was a Patidar of our sect from anther village called "KARAMSAD"which now a town next to Vidyanagar. You will see his Statue in every City, Town and Village of "Charotar" a belt of Gujarat where most Patidar including us come from. 

There is a statue of him in Kanisa Village, you should take a photos some with you and Shivali besides it when you visit Kanisa again. 

There is a memorial Statue of his in Nadiad. Ask masa to take you there.  It not far from the station... waking distance from home,

Vallabhabhai was from Karamsad but was born in Nadiad, the town of his mother, like I am from Kanisa but was born in Sayama, the village of my mother. 

There if plack on the memorial in Nadiad, which you should read and also photograph. Likewise you should take photos of a memorial or two of Gandhiji if you come across them.e. Again you will see his statues in most places in India .

Pappa

(Thanks pappa for helping me learn, and being part of this journey xox)