We are building a new double house for Vikram on a steep slope, high above the river level. His house washed away in floods just ten months ago. Vikram, his wife Anita, and their two sons will live in one half while his parents and brother will live in the other half. It is common […]
A wedding is one of the top expressions of Garhwali culture, bringing together large extended families, with good food and festivities. As a cultural experience, the wedding of Harish and Pria was a fascinating day. Yes, the bride was beautiful. However, as I look through the hundreds of photos I took of this event, I […]
I have told you in the past about Shanti Devi, the recipient of our first house, but have said little about her son Harish who will also be living there. He too shares her pain, the loss of a father, brother, and the mules that were the source of his family’s income. Today Harish was […]
07 April 2014 I am here in Batawari, Uttarakhand for the last few days to document the work of the volunteers. today land slide happened right in front of us when me and sudheer were walking with village ladies. it was just 5 meter in front of us! 2 villagers fell down, but they were […]
“Hariyuva nadiya kalaravadalli kelutaliruvudu ammanaama!” I heard a brahmachari singing to himself the above lines as we some of us Amma children were trekking along the Mandakini River in deeper Himalayas. When Amma is available in Amritapuri, all would throng there; but Her children posted in Himalayas have to complete as much of Her work […]
The Himalayas are the youngest mountain range on earth. That is both a good and a bad thing. They are prone to dramatic earthquakes, landslides, and devastating floods like we saw last summer. But the mountains also thrust up fresh, nutrient rich soil that makes this an extremely productive place to farm. When I first […]
Warm weather is finally here in Chandrapuri, bringing with it a flurry of activity. The government seems to have realized that monsoon season is quickly approaching. Road construction is going on everywhere, finally with heavy equipment and an influx of new Indian workers. Our construction has picked up again too with the arrival of two […]
Out of all of Amma’s relief programs in Uttarakhand, the Vocational Training Centers have been the instant success story. Standardized curriculum from Amachi Labs, delivered by laptop made it possible to implement the classes so quickly. This week I attended the final session of the Fabric Painting Class in Guptakashi. This was the second batch […]
Chandrapuri where we have started Amma’s housing projects, is actually two villages on opposite sides of the Mandakini River that were once connected by a beautiful cable bridge. Batwadi Village, where we are building houses, is on the east side and Chandrapuri Village is on the west bank. This week, a family has shared rare […]