Experiences: Aradhana

Hooman Tabarsi from Canada spent 2 weeks at Aradhana Project, from 1st to 14th of May 2008. He writes of his time below:

For a large portion of my life I had been volunteering my time with teens and youth. But it had been a few years that I had not pursued such an activity hence there was a mix of excitement as well as uncertainty. It was a lengthy flight to Banglore, India. Many thoughts went through my mind with regards to the trip ahead of Faraz (the other volunteer) and I. I honestly did not know what to expect. We were to meet Uncle Daniel Edwin and Auntie Bettie upon arrival. But it had been such a busy day with people scrambling to connect with their loved ones that Faraz and I had walked straight passed uncle and auntie and headed to the outside of the airport. We had missed each other.

After sometime at the airport we decided to take a taxi to Uncle Daniels home. Uncle Daniel and Auntie Bettie had finally been contacted by phone and told of our arrival and so headed back. We were greeted with the utmost kindness and great hospitality. Over time uncle and auntie had become like our family members.

After one night of rest we headed to one of several villages. This small village was located about 6 hours away from Banglore city. On the way to our destination we were treated to delicious fruits and traditional Indian coffee. The people of the village were extremely warm and welcoming. The children were so sweet, cheerful and loving.

It was extremely emotional seeing the children without adequate medical treatment and lack of proper nutrition. Vitamin A deficiently was so prevalent and rampant; evidence was readily visible by looking into the children’s eyes. Faraz and I held workshops for the people on proper hygiene and infection control. We had also brought many medications and multivitamins which we distributed to the families.

One of the great memories I take away from that particular village is the good-bye ceremony they had performed for us. It was truly moving!

The following day, we travelled about 8 hours away to the village of Thiruvannamalai, in Tamil Nadu where we stayed for about 5 days. Along the way Uncle Danny had taken us site seeing of the great temples of India. Uncle Daniel also treated us the various exotic Indian dishes. It was truly remarkable absorbing the beautiful culture of India. Upon arrival at the village, we were welcomed by so many loving children.

We held workshops on education and health for the adults and children. We also played games and taught the children songs. The lack of education was a significant problem in Tami Nadu. It was disheartening to see these children so eager to learn but not having the means to simply purchase books. Some were living on earnings of 1 dollar a day, just enough to put bread on the table… We had become so attached to the children and bridged such strong bonds with them and their families that it made it very difficult to leave. They will always be remembered in our hearts. But we had to head to the city of Ooty located at high elevation with some of the most beautiful sceneries ever witnessed. There, we visited some more communities including Kotagiri and Mysoor, where we held more workshops for the poor and needy

Overall, the trip was such a beautiful and memorable experience. Uncle Daniel and Auntie Bettie and the people of India had touched our hearts so deeply that it had become difficult for us to say goodbye. The people in the communities we visited are in such dire need of support. The children have tremendous potentials but no means of reaching that potential. Being able to provide health care services for some of the poor and needy certainly proved to be one of the most gratifying and memorable life experiences I’ve ever had. But a valuable life lesson I learned was that when you give purely for the sake of giving and expect nothing in return, that is when you receive the most. I never expected to come away with so much. I returned feeling so enriched, empowered and loved. I encourage all individuals to join our teams and experience this great life lesson.