Dear friends,

What an incredible time to be alive! 

This year, we have seen unprecedented shifts in the economy and society.  And Shanti Bhavan is no different.  But because of you, our story remains hopeful.

• We have experienced budget cuts, but also an overwhelming response from you, our supporters!
  
  
• Socially and economically deprived families continue to face untold obstacles, but our students who entered 12 years ago are breaking national records and preparing to score in the top percentile of the ISC examinations - thanks to you!
  
  
• Your donations have helped us buy books for all grades, clothes, and science lab equipment, along with many more things! But our needs are ongoing, so we ask for your continued support.

Shanti Bhavan continues to be a beacon of hope and success for the poorest children and their families.  Help us transform the future of their families and the nation by supporting these children again this year. Their journey is yours too and we are delighted to share their stories with you. In this newsletter, we are featuring one of our students, Shilpa, and offering two stories written by her on her experiences at Shanti Bhavan.

In this newsletter:

• Microsoft Employees Face Fierce Student Competition
• A Turn in the Road – by Shilpa, 11th grade
• Students Take First Steps into their Future
• Diwali Lights Up Shanti Bhavan
• Special Thanks from the Children

See images from all these events online: 

In Debate, Microsoft Employees face Fierce Student Competition

The Shanti Bhavan children were in for a treat when Kentaro Toyoma, Assistant Managing Director of Microsoft Research Bangalore, invited 29 of them on an exciting trip to Microsoft. The day was full of presentations and activities and concluded in a heated formal debate between the students and the Microsoft employees. Rajni, one of our 12th graders, writes his account of the event, and our other debaters reflect on their performance:

The 11th and 12th Graders took the role of responsible and good ambassadors for our school on our recent trip to Microsoft. The highlight of our MSR visit was the debate between four SB 12th Graders and four MSR representatives.

The auditorium was bustling with MSR employees. The debate attracted so many of them that the two entrances were completely blocked by employees ducking and peering over shoulders.

The debate concluded with loud whispers of “Amazing speakers!” and “What confident children!” among the MSR employees and “What nice people!” from the SB students.

When Sheeba, a 12th Grader and the moderator for the debate, professionally cleared her throat, a silence fell upon the audience. She proceeded to announce the topic, “The World Will Be a Safe and Secure Place in the Next 25 Years.” The SB students took the opposition while the MSR representatives took the proposition.

While the four MSR debaters made arguments with proofs, the SB debaters busily jotted notes to rebut every argument and proof! The SB debaters presented their arguments with well-crafted humor. Applauses and cheers for every argument kept the fire of the debate alive.

Both the MSR employees and SB students charged at the debate with questions. The common MSR debating strategy was to use SB as their evidence to prove that the world will indeed be a safe and secure place in the next quarter century.

Ending on a lively note, the two teams shook hands and exchanged hugs while photographers took pictures.

• Rajni, 12th grade:
  
  "I was the first speaker of the SB representatives. I spoke about political and religious reason for why the world will not be a safe place in the next quarter of a century. It was the first time I was speaking in front of such a large audience outside of school. I was extremely nervous in the beginning. But as the debate progressed I became more and more confident. In the end, I truly enjoyed the debate. "
  
  
• Viji, 11th grade
  
  " Being one of the debaters was an exciting role to play during our visit to Microsoft. I was really nervous at first, seeing many eyes staring at me. I was the last speaker on our team.  I spoke about the environmental aspect of why I believed the world will not be a safe and secure place in the next 25 years. I loved debating with the employees because they had really good points which made for a great discussion. It was a friendly debate which made us more comfortable. Overall I really enjoyed debating with these important people. It made me feel good and confident in myself."
  
  
• Pushpa, 11th grade
  
  " In the beginning it was really scary and very cold, partially because of the AC and mostly because I was nervous. When Kentaro started speaking, I was even more nervous. He spoke very well. And then we debated. It was good to see surprise on the audience’s face. I knew they were impressed. I felt good and proud of my classmates. At first, I knew we could do it, then I knew we did it and very soon I knew we had done it—well. My happiest moments were when my classmates and I made the audience think and laugh louder than the opposition had made them laugh. I made them laugh really loud once…The experience made me feel good, ultimately. "
  
  
• Mala, 12th grade
  
  "The trip included a presentation by Mr. Toyoma about IT research in general and what MSR is doing in particular. Ashwani Sharma, Programme Manager, made a presentation with Photo Synth. This astounding technology involves thousands of photos that Photo synth combines to make the three-dimensional film seem so real. It won the children’s attention hands down!" 

Dmitri Kogan, an MSR Intern who also volunteered in Shanti Bhavan, spoke to the children about careers. One of the interns, Julie Webber, did a Bollywood dance and Shanti Bhavan students Beena, Chaitra and Amrita joined her.

Shweta Mohanty, Business Partner in HR, was a great inspiration to our Shanti Bhavan girls as a role model of an Indian woman who can balance family, work, and a passion for dancing. She hopes one day to make her kathak dancing a second career. 

The Turn in the Road: My Story

By Shilpa, 11th Grade

One of our most talented writers, Shilpa, reflects on how, coming from poverty, Shanti Bhavan changed her life. Shilpa hopes to one day become a journalist and use her profession to fight for social justice at home and abroad.

On our way back from the Microsoft Research Center in Bangalore we found ourselves stranded in a traffic jam. All around us trucks, autos and cars were turning off their engines, with no hope that the jam would end soon.

The air inside the vehicle was heavy with frustration and impatience. Suddenly one of the girls cried, “Hey! Look at that boy!” Startled, everybody pressed against the windows and stared into the face of reality.

Moving through the sea of vehicles was a little boy, dressed in a faded brown shirt and tan colored pants which were torn in places. His hair looked like it had not been washed in a very long time. His right hand held a small steel plate which was almost empty except for two or three coins lying in it.

People on motorcycles shouted at the boy to move out of their way and others in cars rolled up their windows as he continued to plead, “Please give me something.” A few had the kindness to drop a coin into the steel plate, wanting to keep their conscience clear. Desperation filled his hungry eyes as his voice was drowned in the roaring of the engines. The red light had flashed.

Slowly, the vehicles started moving. Life had returned to its normal pace and it was time to move on. The boy maneuvered his way through the menacing crowd. Just as we took a turn, we caught a last glimpse of the boy standing alone on the pavement, counting the coins some kind-hearted souls had donated. And then he was gone.

Rearranging ourselves in our seats, the sadness of what we’d witnessed replayed through our minds. Some of us continued to stare out the window, in spite of having lost sight of the boy; others looked at one another as if to say, “That could have been us.” The rest sat conversing in low tones with their peers.

One of the girls said to her classmate, “If I hadn’t been able to study at Shanti Bhavan, I would be…” The rest was drowned in the deafening roar of a truck that passed by.

No one in the van needed to hear the rest because the lost words were already known to one and all. Everyone had their own words to end the statement. We are the lucky, among the small group of children of India from our background who go to bed every night with no greater worry than the thought of incomplete homework in our minds. We are the lucky who have been given the chance to receive an education in Shanti Bhavan, an institution founded on the goal of providing equal opportunities to the underprivileged.

There would be no difference between the boy begging in Bangalore and the thirty children returning from Microsoft if Shanti Bhavan hadn’t reached out to us. But Shanti Bhavan has made all the difference. Today, instead of leading a life stained with poverty, we are embarking on the first step to success. Our answers, “I want to become a human rights activist or a forensic archaeologist,” startle visitors.

For many of us, there would have been only one definition of life -- poverty -- if Shanti Bhavan hadn’t crossed our paths. Prakash of 12th grade feels blessed to be a student at Shanti Bhavan. He says, “My life would have been very different and difficult if I hadn’t been selected to receive an education at Shanti Bhavan. I’ve almost forgotten the taste of poverty or being hungry or feeling cold at night.”

Prakash and his fourteen classmates will be graduating next June. His peer, Sheeba, adds, “I have grown to love the beauty of Shanti Bhavan’s cause, the unity that binds us together, to treasure the love and care showered upon us by Dr. George, Mrs. Law, and all our dedicated housemothers and teachers.” For her, Shanti Bhavan is her only family after having lost her own at a tender age.

Coming to Shanti Bhavan has been like a turn in the road. Generation to generation in their families had never gone to school or held a high paying job. The men had always worked as laborers and the women had either been married off at puberty or made to work in fields.

An 11th grader, Triveni, reflects on how different her life is from her mother’s. She says, “My mother was married off at the age of sixteen. My father was an alcoholic and mistreated my mother a lot.” Today, Triveni, apart from her academics, participates in the school choir, is a great shooter in basketball and practices the cello every day.

Many of these children are the first ones in their families to have gone to school, study English, to pass the ICSE 10th grade examinations or get to meet foreigners who come from different parts of the world as volunteers.

We are so grateful to have a home to return to at the end of the journey.

Students Take First Steps into their Future

With our first graduation quickly approaching, Professor Joseph Chacko, President of Xaviers Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship and Professor Ravindranathan, former Ambassador of India and long time supporter of Dr. George and Shanti Bhavan, invited the 11th and 12th graders to visit this college of excellence. 

This was their first time visiting an educational institution of higher learning and the Shanti Bhavan children learned many valuable lessons from the trip.

Professor Chacko spoke encouragingly to the students. He told them to be responsible in their actions because every action has a consequence, and urged them to study hard, and to do well in their studies. He spoke about humility, explaining that those who had succeeded the most should also be the most humble. The Dean, Professor Tyagarj, opened the session with an hour of witty, engaging conversation on achievement and personal success. 

XIME students took turns applauding and appreciating the children.  One girl emotionally exclaimed that the children were the best and that God will always be with them. The students of XIME generously offered to the first graduating class a collection of clothes, accessories and college notebooks. 

Beena, a 12th grader, came dressed for a fantastic dance of bharathnatyam, which she choreographed with Mrs. Nirmala.  After the dance Gisha and Jyotsna, students of XIME, gave her a change of dress, a gesture that touched everybody's hearts.

When it was time for the college students to entertain the children, a student, Arpita, the college's best singer, sang a song.  Kafeel Jaffri, another student, performed a dance which the students admired.

Manish, a final-year MBA student, served as the MC and kept the children on their toes.  The children would also like to thank Hussain, Arpita Chakravarthy, Jyotsana Maru, Shalom, Kafeel Jafri, Nitin Mittal, Anush Adharan, Hariharan S, Sateesh Kumar, Sridhar, Jai Patel, Ramya and Richa for all their work.  


Diwali Celebrations Light Up Shanti Bhavan

By Shilpa, 11th grade  

Like any other year, Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, shook Shanti Bhavan with an uproar. This most awaited celebration finally arrived on the 14th of October, bringing with it splendor and excitement.

The student body stood back and watched their nervous teachers, aunties and volunteers ignite the fire-crackers laid on the ground. Innocence shone along with the colors of the fireworks, reflected in seven year old Megala's eyes as she asked, "Will God get burnt?"

The entire staff and children of Shanti Bhavan had united as a family to celebrate this festival, with the guidance of their seniors and housemothers. The younger children cried with joy as their little nervous hands lit the flower pots and rockets.  

The usual peace in Shanti Bhavan was disrupted by the sounds of crackers being lit and sent into air. The dense dark night was illuminated by the green, red and golden colors of the fireworks. The 12th graders for whom this would be their last Diwali as students of Shanti Bhavan, tried to be a part of the festival, careful not to miss out on the fun.  

"A night to remember," says Sindhu of grade 12 who has no idea of how future Diwali celebrations will be like once she's left the gates of Shanti Bhavan. 

Please assist our work for the children by making a contribution now.

Best regards,

The Shanti Bhavan Team
http://www.shantibhavanonline.org

Follow Shanti Bhavan on: