Back to School - Part 2

If you are like me, you realize it's the end of February and you have not made a new year's resolution, and you are unsure if one is or ever was necessary. :)


Feel like paddling along with someone who is in the same boat as you? Welcome then! Let's ripple on back to Feb 2017...


Wedding bells for my cousin's daughter beckoned. I was on my way to India for both the wedding and something just as special. My flight had just landed in Hyderabad. It was a grueling haul, yet I felt fresh, my mind set on a thought I had nurtured for over 30 years. I knew I was going to check at least one item off my bucket list during this visit. I had made my mind up and you know how stubborn girls like us in their mid forties can be!


You see, new years' resolutions never really worked for me because I always had way too many things that I wanted to do, improve upon, do away with, or take on. Juggling those self-imposed demands was a challenge, but never the commitment to give it my all and savor the ends. The glutton in me always bites off more than she can chew, but hasn't learned to spit. She is crazy for believing in giving herself practice in handling what seems unhandleable, but who's to tell her?! Surely, I've fallen short many times, but even then, I excelled in learning from my shortcomings and staying inspired for the next good thing.
I digress. Back to why I started this post. Whether we wrap our desires in New years' resolutions year after fleeting year or not, I believe that we all have a need that is satisfied only by raw, teeming commitment to improve a thing of our affection or uproot an object of our disdain, from its roots. We often doubt if we are capable or have the wherewithal to succeed, but the need exists and the desire to make it real refuses to die. My desire may find its fulfillment in one corner, while yours in another, but the spirit behind it resonates in unison. It's what becomes the power that propels us forward - makes us do things we doubted we could even attempt.


Growing up in a family where there was plenty to go around for us and all who sought mom and dad's assistance from time to time, taught me the power of two concepts - gratitude and giving. In their own way, they taught us that the best way to ever imagine saying thanks for our blessings was to pay forward - make each blessing count through actions that are meaningful to someone in need. Those two words, gratitude and giving, could not have rung more true than they did an year ago. As I planned my trip to India, I felt a certain suppleness take over me. I knew the time had come for me to make good on at least one of my desires. I shared what was on my mind with a few friends and they were just as excited! It took them only a few minutes to jump right in and sign-up for whatever project I was raving to embark on.
No sooner did I finish attending the wedding festivities, I went back to Keyes a second time with a resolve to make my walking in the hallways and running my hands on those balding desks a bit more meaningful. Only this time, my focus was on the girls. Girls just like my friends and I were back in the late 70s. They wore purple tunics, two braids neatly tied up in black ribbons, broad smiles, were hardworking and funny, and carried grades that were commensurate with their big, little girl dreams. The only difference from what I gathered was that unlike us, some of these girls were unsure where their next month's tuition would come from, or come at all.


During my first visit a few days before this one, (Back to School - Part 1, A Good Sit #GiveBackToMySchool) I had alluded to my desire to make a small difference in the lives of girls who were financially challenged. I went back to chalk out the details of what the current situation was and what if, I'd be able to do to establish a support system for them for the long-term. The Principal and staff were elated at the idea and scurried to give me all the help they could....I was besides myself with joy at what was to come at the end of that exercise. The suppleness I had felt before my trip had returned. My mind was starting to feel at ease. My restless energy, its home.
In the days that followed, I worked with the wonderful administrative staff of Keyes to lay down the intent of sponsorship, the criteria for choosing who would receive support, end of year grades/performance expectations, etc. I brought my trusted group of friends who were in 5 states in India and the 3 in the US, up to speed on the prospect of sponsoring education for over a dozen deserving girls and opened a bank account exclusively for the purpose, so we could keep our contributions and payouts in order.
A month after my return to the US, all formalities were completed by friends in Hyderabad who continued to work with the school, and we as a group were able to sponsor education for 14 girls for an entire year! :)
It is a modest start, but a start nevertheless.


By itself, my bucket list item may have created an unnoticeable dent in the dire need that holds promise to empower our young girls with the education they deserve, but together, a handful of us from the 1986 batch of 10D have managed to leave a mark for ourselves - a mark to remind us that gratitude finds its best expression when it reflects in the eyes of those whose success we facilitate.
Our hope is that these girls will feel better equipped to be bolder and better no matter where they are and what they are doing simply because they got a second chance at rediscovering possibilities and redefining success.
Phew!! If you have paddled along this deep with me, you have won my vote of gratitude.
Before you bid good bye, just smile a little smile for my friends who made this dream project a reality.
Aparna Sishtla, Anitha Suraj, Premalatha, Padmaja Ratnaker, Swaroopa Kamraj, Dhanalakshmi Mosoor, Jyoti Madhavi, and Kanya Nagalaxmi Chinni.

Thanks for humoring me by reading my memory and yes, please message if you wish to lean more about the process of trying something like this. I would love to share.
#GiveBackToMySchool
#ChoseToEmpower