Inspiration

The mission of Shraddha is inspired by Anandwan (आनंदवन in Marathi), an ashram and community rehabilitation center for people with leprosy founded in 1948 by social activist Baba Amte (1918-2008). Influenced by Gandhi’s ideals of simplicity and truth and his fight against injustice, Amte was active in the Indian independence struggle and organized lawyers to defend the Indian freedom movement’s jailed leaders. He was arrested and imprisoned by British authorities in 1942. Baba Amte envisioned Anandwan, literally Forest of Joy, as a model of social and environmental justice. Using organic farming techniques and micro-water management, residents are self-sufficient in terms of basic subsistence through agriculture. Anandwan generates income to sustain the community through home-based, small-scale industry run by the residents. Anandwan today is spread over 200 hectares and has two hospitals, a university, an orphanage and schools for the blind and the deaf; more than 5,000 people are dependent on it for their livelihood.

Amitabh and Johnny coming to Karjat?

Bollywood rumor has it that Johnny Depp will be in India in June to continue shooting Mira Nair's Shantaram, inspired by Gregory David Roberts' amazing book. Near the end of 2009, Johnny and Amitabh Bachchan, the Bollywood legend, started shooting in secret at ND Studios on the outskirts of Karjat. Shooting stopped after 18 days because the team wasn't happy with how the movie was turning out. Now they've reworked the script and will start production in June. Maybe they'll be back in Karjat....  

Senate bills passed!

I got an email at 3:30 this morning from Olivia Seppi, a hard-working senator from the NMSU student senate. She wrote that she had pushed all 13 of her bills through tonight's final senate session of the semester. Of course, I'm especially excited about the passing of bills 226 and 227 which fund my work at Shraddha in Karjat, India. I'm very grateful to Olivia for the time and effort she put into getting my bills through the student senate. Grateful too for the support being offered by the Associated Students of NMSU.

The senate was still in session when Olivia wrote at 3:30 this morning. I hope she doesn't have a pressing academic deadline today. . . .

The journey begins

I got a ticket to India today, thanks to the efforts of Dr. Gary Lowe and Owen Cortner of Aggies Go Global, NMSU's initiative promoting international learning experience. Starting in June, I'll be volunteering at the Shraddha Rehabilitation Centre near Karjat in the state of Maharashtra. Shraddha is a unique farm that houses homeless men and women with schizophrenia and uses vegetable cultivation and dairy farming as part of the rehabilitative process. The farm, established in 2006 on 6 1/2 acres in the undulating grassy hills of Karjat, can house sixty men and women at any one time. Shraddha has helped more than 1200 men and women struggling with schizophrenia to get off of the roads and ultimately back with their families in far flung villages and towns throughout India.  You can check out their website here.

Oh, yeah, in Sanskrit, Shraddha (श्रद्धा) means faith.