Hi all , this is my delayed entry for the blog for the Kullu Project, I went down for a very short visit in November 2009. As I was in India for only a week, I was offered a great opportunity by Ankit to go up and film the kids and volunteers at the orphanages. It was a long journey up the mountains, but I was warmly welcomed by 2 UWC volunteers Eloise and Kitty who had been staying up there for a few months.
I stayed with them in their small and cosy flat in Kullu where I had many warm cups of chai (tea) made by the girls. I was briefed on their efforts at the orphanage and was very impressed at the dedication and work they had achieved in the months they were living there. As young students on their gap year, they had a very responsible role in managing their own time and planning activities and programs for the children in various orphanages in Kullu and Manali. It was up to them to arrange their own time which completely differs to other organized gap year volunteer programs in India. The students here also only paid their rent and daily living .
On the first day I followed them to one of their regular visits to the Kaleyli Boys Orphanage. As it was my first visit to an orphanage, I did not know what to expect but on arrival I was greeted with a group of very happy and well looked after boys. The boys were alive with enthusiasm and excitement on seeing the volunteers arrive .A group of boys proudly brought out their medal for me to see as they had recently won the best skit in a nationwide competition. The boys were happy with their achievements and politely introduced themselves to me referring to me as ‘didi’ , which is sister in Hindi. It was heartwarming to see such a great home with children who have a lot of potential and also the most hospitable welcome. They very proudly presented their award winning skit and song and dance which the volunteers help them organize for the competition. It was great to see that the volunteer program was producing great results for the boys. It was obvious winning the skit was a great boost to their self esteem and morale. It was sad to say goodbye to them as it is one of the few places you can get such a warm welcome and actually have so much fun participating with them in their song and dance and listen to their stories, see their homework.
The next day I followed the volunteers to the Bashing Orphanage , where most of the volunteers work was centered on assisting the reconstruction of the management of the orphanage and looking for a new property for them in Kullu. There were fewer children in this orphanage and it was obvious these children needed a new property for the orphanage and were in dire need of funding for materials and sponsorship for their education and counselors. I was able to pass them some toys that I had collected in Singapore and take some great shots of them playing games with the volunteers. It was also good to see, that the volunteers time with them did make a difference for the children as it gives them something to look forward to in the day. The volunteers who have stayed there for a few months have established really good relationships with the children however it would be good to have someone permanent for them and hopefully funding can come in for this orphanage so they can at least experience some permanency in their lives.
The 2 days I had in the valley was truly a heartwarming and enriching experience, its was a good eye opener into volunteering, as it is something I have been wanting to do and the 2 days there have convinced me it is indeed a very rewarding experience. The Kullu and Manali region is also home to very beautiful landscapes and scenery. The mountain area has a completely different culture and atmosphere to the main Indian cities such as Delhi or Mumbai. It felt much safer especially for a young woman. I took a day bus up the mountain and a night bus back to Punjab, though a very long journey (10 hours) , it was safe and there were no problems.
I do hope more organizations/individuals would be interested in volunteering, the children look forward to the activities organized and one can learn so much from them as well.
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