Esha in Bal Ashram

I truly cannot believe that I'm back in my Jersey home and have completed my 15 days at Bal Ashram. I remember when I sat in the car for 2 hours, driving from the Jaipur airport to Bal Ashram, I was riddled with anxiety. Will the kids like me? How will the kids be? Will they be angry or will they ignore me? What is my purpose? Who am I and why am I even worthy of visiting the Ashram? Will the staff and faculty feel awkward about my arrival? So many questions and thoughts that were instantly hushed by the warm welcome of the staff, faculty, and most importantly, the children.  I went to bed that first day realizing that this had been a dream of mine since my childhood days. I've always wanted to help children in any way I can and protect them as well as I can. It took me more than a decade to live out my dream and now I am filled with so many different emotions as I reflect on my time at the Ashram. I want to take note of some things/moments I will forever hold in my heart: Sunr...

  coffee date #38 with  julia lopez ramos Paris native, Montreal grad, badass woman, a-large-cup-of-chai-lover, Bal Ashram volunteer & English teacher, a yoga-on-the-rooftop gal, a spontaneous friend maker me:  chai  | julia:  chai location:  Bal Ashram, Viratnagar, Rajasthan Many say that if you have the ability to travel around the world, you should do it because you meet people who will stun you in every which way possible. Julia Lopez Ramos is one of those people I met unexpectedly at the Bal Ashram. She lives in Paris and had been volunteering at the Ashram for about 2-3 months. When I first saw Julia, she was unloading something from her cab’s trunk. We both made prolonged eye contact because I hadn’t seen her at the Ashram since I’ve arrived and she hadn’t seen me. I then saw her again, minutes later, at my room. She had been staying at the room next door for the past 3 months. We introduced ourselves to each other and I recognized her name insta...

One of the things I've observed during my time at Bal Ashram is the power of music.  Music, sounds, and mantras are so heavily built into the daily routines of these boys. Every morning they start with a sun prayer, where they chant together while facing the sun. After breakfast, there's a 'pradhana,' where they do another chant to God followed by the singing of the Indian National Anthem. Hearing the boys sing the National Anthem gives me goosebumps every time. There's something magical and breathtaking about the Indian National Anthem and the combination of all the voices in the room singing for the same cause.  After the national anthem, they chant some slogans. One example of a slogan they say every day is something along the lines of 'Bal Majduri Bhan Kharo, Bal Shiksha Shuru Kharo' (Stop child labor, Start child education). These slogans are equally powerful. They have 2-3 kids stand at the front and say the first half, and the rest of the boys yell th...

Yesterday, I beat one of the older boys in a game of Badminton. He came up to me after the game and said 'It doesn't feel good to lose to a girl.' Another kid looked at my jeans and said, "Jeans are for boys, but now girls wear them too." It has been a minute since I've heard someone say things like that because I guess I've surrounded myself with people who are feminists back home in the U.S. Thus, I was taken aback every time one of the boys said something like that.  I then realized that this place is mainly run by men. There are currently a total of 3 girls, including me - 2 on-site counselors and me, a volunteer. The rest of the staff/faculty and children are boys and men. The higher management level consists of women. However, the people on-site are largely men. Thus, it is possible that many of the boys have internalized a sort of gender divide.  I admire the fact that the boys of Bal Ashram are taught that they are all equal and one through chants,...

It has been exactly a week since I arrived at Bal Ashram. The days are flying by and I've already cried once thinking about the fact that I'd have to leave these boys in a few days. This place has been incredibly healing and therapeutic. The boys are teaching me so much about life and how to lead life - lessons I could not have learned anywhere else.  I've been spending a lot of time observing the children and their mannerisms/behavior. Here are a few things that I've observed about the boys: They are very protective of each other.  As in any group or school setting, the children at Bal Ashram also have their own small cliques at times. They have their own best friends and core groups and they're very protective of those in that group and all children, in general. For example, as one of the kids was telling me something that his friend had done as a joke, I too jokingly said that his best friend is a 'bad boy.' The kid looked at me and said "No Didi, he...

The weather this morning was unbearably cold and foggy. Even with multiple layers, I was still freezing my ass off. And then you have the kids who essentially just wear a sweatshirt over their t-shirt and gloves - some don't even wear socks.  Because of the insane cold, the teachers decided to give the kids a holiday. This meant that they didn't have to do their morning prayer and were given permission to watch a movie on the TV. They ended up choosing 'Winner,' which is originally a Telugu Sundeep Kishan film (i.e. 'A1 Express') that the kids watched in Hindi.  The kids supposedly watched this film 4-5 times already. I was shook! They also were shocked when they learned that I watch Hindi and Telugu films because when they learned that I grew up in the U.S., they assumed that I only listen to and watch English songs and movies. This experience has taught me that I've taken a lot of things for granted. For example, watching a movie in a movie theatre with th...

Viratnagar is both cold and foggy in the early mornings. My limbs take some time to adjust to the cold as I hop out of bed every morning. My Dad and I woke up early and walked over to the Bal Ashram at around 7:00am. I then chatted with Lasya, the new on-site counselor, during our morning chai time. I must say that Bal Ashram is turning me into a chai person. The concept of sipping on chai and dipping your biscuit is relaxing and encourages me to bond with the people around me for some reason.   After chai, it was time to split up into groups and get warm in the fire. I was a part of the Bhagat Singh group. While chatting, one of the kids shrieked and instructed me to turn around and capture a picture of the sunrise 😅. It was so freaking bright and beautiful.  I met some new kids today, who essentially did not leave my side at all for the entirety of the day. My friend circle keeps growing and I am loving it. Learning and remembering all of their names is a bit of a stru...

My second day at Bal Ashram started bright and early at 6:00 am. I turned the geyser on, took a warm bath, and layered up for the cold. My Dad and I were not expecting it to be so cold in Rajasthan, so we packed a light jacket and called it a day. However, once we arrived we realized that that was a brutal mistake; the weather is equivalent to the weather back in NJ and NY, so layering up has been lifesaving for me.  My Dad and I joined the children for their morning activities. Every morning these kids wake up and drink some hot masala chai. They showered me with 'Namaste Didi's and 'Good Morning Didi's - again with the same bright smiles and eager eyes. After their morning chai, the boys split up into groups of 7-8; each group is named after a different Indian freedom fighter/leader. I was requested and taken by one of the boys to join his group - the Mahatma Gandhi group. We hovered over the fire and chatted for some time.  During their group time, the boys make fire...

The Squiggle Technique   is exactly what it sounds like (I'll definitely do further research). It’s an intriguing way to understand a child’s inner world by literally drawing squiggles. Dr. Harrison demonstrated this technique with 3 boys, who we will call ‘Joe,’ ‘George,’ and ‘Alex.’ Joe was up first. Because he was first, it was obvious that he was tense and hesitant because he had no idea what he was getting into. Dr. Harrison started by drawing a random squiggle on the piece of white paper. Joe was then instructed to draw whatever squiggle he wanted to. They proceeded to take turns and alternated with their squiggles until Dr. Harrison deemed it was appropriate to stop. After stopping, Dr. Harrison asked Joe to tell her what he sees in the image that they had both created. The boy hesitated because he had no idea what the ‘right’ answer was. Rashmi translated and informed the boy that there is no right or wrong answer – ‘it’s just a game.’ When it became evident that Joe was to...