Leap Day in Agra

We spent Leap Day in Agra touring the Taj Mahal. A jewelry artist/sculptors dream, and there I was (pinching myself). It was truly inspirational! We met up with our friends Brett and Elise and enjoyed several roof top cafe’s with views of the Taj. It felt surreal to have this amazing temple in the background. Fantastic!

Here are some more photos:

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COLOR! Paper Wrapped Bead Workshop – Saharanpur, India

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Paper Wrapped Bead Workshop Saharanpur India

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Haridwar

We just arrived in Haridwar after a LONG night bus ride from Jaipur. We are taking a two day break here on our way to Saharanpur for the second bead workshop, which starts on Saturday. Haridwar is regarded as one of the seven holiest places to Hindus. Here we visited the holy Ganges River. Interesting Fact: The Ganges basin is the most heavily populated (also most heavily polluted) river basin in the world, with over 400 million people and a population density of about 1,000 inhabitants per square mile. We will see this river again soon when we visit Varanasi.

Here are some photos of our adventure here in Haridwar.

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THE BEADS! Sari Wrapped Bead Workshop – Anoothi

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HANDS! Sari Wrapped Bead Making – Anoothi

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The Women That Made it Happen…

The Saree Wrapped Bead Workshop went great. All of the women were so wonderful to work with. It has been a great experience. Thank you to the young women from Udayan for being part of the workshop and for being my translators! Thank you to all the Anoothi women for doing such a great job creating these beautiful new beads.

I love this photo because you get a sense of the space that the workshop was held in: on the porch of the Anoothi Building at Udayan in Achrol, India.

Geeta! You are a dear woman. I am grateful for our friendship. Thank you for all your help and support while at Udayan. Blessings

 

Day 2: Saree Wrapped Bead Workshop – Anoothi

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Day 1: Saree Wrapped Bead Workshop – Anoothi

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Udayan – Achrol, India

Udayan meaning “Rising Above” is Vatsalya’s residential care program. It aims at giving a safe and enabling environment to orphaned, abandoned and destitute children. We invest in transforming their negative and hostile mindsets into positive-thinking, happy young adults. This is facilitated by interventions focused on emotional, spiritual, intellectual and professional development. Udayan has assisted 393 orphaned, abandoned and destitute children during the past 9 years in finding a life for themselves. 56 are living at present under the care and protection of Vatsalya. One of the most unique aspects of this ‘magical’ place is the community that comprises of ‘Aunties’; displaced, widowed or abandoned women who are taken in to help care for the children.

VISION

To progress Indian society by enabling our disadvantaged children to achieve their true potential.

MISSION

By direct action and intervention, provide a caring environment where our disadvantaged and vulnerable children can develop their capabilities with dignity.

Our hope is to build the ‘Udayan’ community and offer a safe, nurturing environment to many more children in need. If you would like to help support this initiative please donate now.

Today we are taking it easy at Udayan. Enjoying the lively energy of the kids and the beautiful Spring weather. It is so wonderful here – everyone is so kind and welcoming. Here are a few photos of Udayan.