Dear Friends
It is always good to be back on this page to bring and share the latest news from New Light. Hope the last few months have been just as eventful and exciting as it has been here for all of us.
The year began with a sense of hope and expectation as many things that were being planned for a long time were close to fruition. In the very first week of January New Light was visited by two energetic and committed young women from Sydney, Australia, Phoebe Faulkner and Shara Sundell. This was Phoebe`s third visit to Kolkata as a supporter of New Light. In November 2007 she and a few of her friends had organized a benefit event in Sydney in association with the Rotary Club of North Rocks , that was a huge success. On the 2nd of January, Phoebe and Shara invited all the girls from Soma Home to the Oberoi Grand Hotel in Kolkata and hosted a wonderful afternoon of entertainment for the girls. For all of them this was a unique experience where the girls did not fail to impress us with their perfect sense of place and action. Thanks ladies for the great effort and all the love that you have showered the girls with.
The next few days of January saw the inexhaustible energy of our friend and supporter returning documentary film maker Alexia Prichard and award winning film maker Nandini Shrikand. A special mention has to be made of Nandini`s effort as she was shooting the documentary on Soma Home while her 9 month old child Arman was being looked after either by the staff of New light or the older girls themselves. It shows that nothing can keep a good woman away from her work!! The documentary is still under process while we eagerly await the final result which should be available soon
It was also during those days in the middle of January that we had the unfortunate incidence of a deathly fire accident suffered by one of the mothers of Dalit shelter at Keoratala. Thanks to the relentless effort and support of our angels from Santiago de Compostela, Berta and Marie Luz Villar and the dedication of our nurse Mita Mondal , that we managed to save the life of Deepa Sardar, the mother of Jamuna (6 years) and Babusona Sardar (4 years). Deepa was admitted to the burn and orthopedic department of the Bangur Government Hospital by her neighbors. Sadly when some of us from New Light visited her there the possibility of her survival and recovery appeared to be so bleak that we immediately decided to shift her to a private clinic. Today she is well enough to go back to her work albeit with some difficulty of course. Thankfully she didn’t need any reconstructive surgery and the credit for that should go to Dr Shukanto Sarkar. This effort has been possible only because of the support of Berta and Luchy.
The month of January saw the return of our guide and crusader Juthica Stangl, the President of Shadhika Foundation, California.( www.shadhika.org ). She has been our guiding light from the beginning and after six years her interest and involvement in New Light has shown no sign of diminishing. This time instead of being accompanied by the Treasurer / Secretary Mr Peter Stangl, Juthica brought along her friend and neighbour Ms Carol Mimran who devotes time to HIV positive immigrant women from Africa living in and around Montpellier, France. For Carol this was the first visit to India and I personally thank her for her deep sensitivity to and acceptance of everything that she saw and experienced during her short stay in Kolkata.
Their visit was followed by that of the Board members of Bono- Direkthilfe , Cologne , Germany. The Board was represented by Andreas Nordoff, Michael Muller-Offerman, Bettina Limbach and Gereon Wagener. Bono-Direkthilfe has been supporting the New Light Shelter at Kalighat from 2006.This visit was aimed mainly at meeting the beneficiaries in person and spending time with the members and staff of New Light at length. (www.Bono-Direkthilfe.org ). Stephan Weber, the other Board member could not visit Kolkata but has been working on the KKK(www.kinderkulturekarawane.de ) event for the last eight months. In August of 2008 ten children from New Light are expected to travel to Germany and take part in a children cultural caravan organized by the German Ministry of Culture and Social Cooperation. (www.utube.com/watch?v=LDXLq8Ii868) Utsav (www.utube.com/watch?v=W0kJBwQKYz8&feature=related )
The group from Germany was also joined by Corrine Burri, a founder member and Board member of Chance Suisse. Chance Suisse has been assisting new light in the education program from 2006. This year they have been joined by a group of teachers who wish to assist New Light in making the education support program more organized and sustainable.(www.chanceswiss.ch )
After a long wait of eight months Simran Iqbal, one of the beneficiaries of New Light was admitted to the Rabindranath Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences for a surgery. The wait has been worthwhile as when the surgery was finally conducted Simran`s recovery has been miraculous. A special mention has to be made of Dr Bandopadhaya and Mrs Johri at the medical center who have been a great support.
On the 22nd of January after a wait of six long years New Light finally managed to have enough funds to purchase the plot of land where the HIV / AIDS care center would be built. This has been possible only because of the singular effort of our Spanish partners Mundo Cooperante.(www.mundocooperante.org) (www.utube.com/watch?v=W0kJBwQKYz8&feature=related). The funds for the same had been contributed by the Xunta de Galicia, Spain. Since that day a lot has happened.
Our architect volunteer from Barcelona, Javier Pinto Sanz began his work on the design lay out immediately the result of which he shared with a group of experts when he arrived in Kolkata on the 12th of March 2008.
It was only last week when we completed the initiation ceremony for building the structure. For all of us at New Light and many people around the world it was a very important day marked with a feeling of solemn resolve to bring the best of care and support to many people affected by the deadly HIV virus.
On behalf of the trustees of New Light I wish to extend our deep gratitude and thanks to the family of volunteer Dalmau Oliveras Julia of Barcelona for sending us the first private contribution towards the hospital project. Dear Dalmau please be sure that your brick would be the first one to go in when we begin the foundation work. Muchas gracias!
The end of January saw the departure of our web manager Rabia Khatoon. Rabia has been with New light, designing and managing the website from the very beginning. It is wonderful to see her taking on the responsibility of Uddami Computer Training Center as the senior teacher. We are sad to let her go but at the same time understand how important her time and work is at UCTC. Here s wishing her a very successful year ahead.
New Light website from now on will be designed and maintained by Euphoria Infotech (I) Pvt Ltd.
(www.euprohriainfotech.com)
For those of you who have been following the development of the case of Sheikh Malek Vs State, we are happy to share the information of his release from Juvenile Protective Home on bail after six months on the 14th of February. We are happy to have been able to help Malek and his family. Thanks to Advocate Bivash Chatterjee for his effort on this case.
New Light has been receiving support from Amistad International, California
(www.amistadinternational.org) and its enigmatic Director Karen Kotoske since July 2005. Dr Kotoske has been a champion for the cause of saving the girl child and bringing education to the remotest parts of the world. After 17 years of existence Amistad International today supports 12 projects around the world ranging from Ulan Bator in Mongolia..to Varanasi in India !! Like many other individuals Dr Kotoske came to know about New Light from Juthica and Peter Stangl and immediately offered the seed money for setting up Soma Memorial Girls Home, a safe shelter for young girls from the red light districts of Kolkata at risk of being sold into sex trade. Over the last three years our partnership with Amistad International has only become stronger and deeper. After many months of planning and exchanging many e mails we were finally more than happy to receive Dr Kotoske along with an Amistad Board member Melanie Boyd at Kolkata on the 19th of February. During their short visit Dr Kotoske and Ms Boyd were able to visit and interact with the beneficiaries of all the three programs run by New Light.
Our architect volunteer Javier Pinto Sanz arrived in Kolkata on the 12th of March with his laptop loaded with innumerable working drawings of the hospital project and most energetically shared his vision with all the local associates on the 17th of April. The first meeting of all the associates involved in the hospital project was held at Solace Spa, Sunny Park, Kolkata. We extend our sincere thanks to Mrs Yashodhara Khaitan for making the space available to New Light on that day.
After a three month stay at Hogar Meridional and complete recovery Simran Iqbal went back to her home and family on the 23rd of March. The girls of Hogar Meridional-SMGH said goodbye to Simran with a beautiful Speedy Recovery party. The evening was special as we all knew that Simran had been blessed by a special light that would keep her well and ensure a long life for this lovely child.
For the kids of New Light April seems to be the cruelest month as this is the time for their annual examination. The teachers at New Light as expected always have a hard time getting all the kids to concentrate on their regular course work and think less about field trips and carnivals. However like in the past years we are extremely happy and proud to share the wonderful grades most of the kids have obtained and their successful passage on to the next level of schooling. We most sincerely remember and thank our donors and supporters for making this minor miracle possible. Our existence attains the highest justification at moments when we see successful kids entering the New Light premises with thousand watts smiles and eyes bright with expectation. Congratulations girls and boys…!!
As a reward for their good academic performance the older boys were taken on a trek to the Sandak Phu- Phalut route on the 26th of April. The images would explain their experience better than my words!!
On the 16th of April New Light was visited by Mrs Anuradha Koirala , the Founder Trustee and Mr Bishwa Khadak , the Executive Director of Maiti Nepal. Anudidi, as she is popularly known has been a pioneer in the fight against human trafficking and the organization has received many international awards in this field. Maiti Nepal has chosen New Light to be its working partner in the field of anti trafficking in Kolkata. We are happy to be a part of this partnership.
We all said a tearful goodbye to the house mother Shubhashree Roy of Hogar Meridional-Soma Memorial Girls Home on the 19th of April. She had to return to her family home due to personal reasons. We wish her luck and good health.
On the 29th of April the girls of Soma Home participated in a dance performance named Dance in Outreach held at Goethe Institut, Max Mueller Bhavan Kolkata , organized by Kolkata Sanved and West Bengal Chapter of World Dance Alliance. Our special thanks to Sudeshna and other trainers of Kolkata Sanved for spending much time and energy in preparing the girls for this performance.
Every time I return after being away for a while I insist on a window seat. Of all the images that crowd my consciousness about this land and this city the image of endless acres of palm fringed rice fields are the most enduring. The morning light shimmering over the small water bodies of rural Bengal make me feel a woman of this part of the earth. It was a long and hectic travel for more than two months this summer and in spite of my best intentions I couldn't bring you a newsletter in the meantime. Consequently a lot waits to be said and shared.
The good news is that my months of travel has been hugely productive and has given us renewed energy and zeal to carry the work of New Light forward. It is to receive this energy that I long for the first sight of my beautiful bountiful land from the window of the airplane. Sadly the same rains that keep this part of the world lush and green often leaves scenes of total destruction and untold human suffering. This year the flood situation has been far worse than in others leaving millions of people in the subcontinent devastated both economically and emotionally. The most recent suffering of lakhs of people in Bangladesh occurred as a tropical storm unleashed its fury on this region almost at the beginning of the dry winter season. Experts say these are the effects of global warming and while those who know expound theories many get busy putting their lives back together again.
After the storm- Bangladesh ( File Photo )
Returning at the end of July I found myself pulled right into the vortex of one exercise to make people aware of what awaits us in terms of the effects of global warming. Our old friend and mentor Hernan Zin was in Kolkata with the President of Mundo Cooperante, Sergio Carmona. They have been on a rain-chasing mission recording the impact of global warming, climate change and the shift in rainfall pattern from Africa to Asia . Simultaneously they are compiling material on how climate change has affected the lives of nomadic communities and the displaced people. You could find the result of their work on the 2008 Calendar, www.calendariosolidario.com ss
This duo was followed by our big group of volunteers who arrived on the 1 st of August to organize the annual Carnival. The theme this time was Water world ( www.mundodeagua.org ). Children from all three programs of New Light enjoyed the extraordinary experience of creating an audiovisual presentation that was conceived by the volunteer team leader Marco Mendes. Marco, a musician-composer and a special educator had been preparing this for the last one year. This year there were also many returning volunteers whose commitment to the children of New Light needs special mention. We thank Carlos, Julio, Maria, Carmen, David, Olga, Ross, Justin and all the others for their effort and love.
I need to make a special mention of our returning volunteer Alberto Lizaralde who did a 24 hour photo documentary for two our the kids at New Light Rakesh Singh and Puja Sardar. His energy and love for the children leave me mesmerized. Thankyou Alby !!! You can see his work at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lasfotosdealberto/sets/72157603270846157/
At the beginning of July our much treasured volunteers from the US , Rachel Davis, returned to New Light with a team from Amnesty , the students group from Walla Walla College in Washington State . Rachel and her friends had conducted a campaign against child prostitution and almost created a movement within their student fraternity. During her stay Rachel joined hands with Reuters contributing photographer Parth Sanyal http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/parthsanyal/waterworld and created a photo essay/documentary on Hogar Meridional/Soma Memorial Girls Home.
The project was supported by Karen Kotoske of Amistad International based in California who had provided New Light with the seed money to set up Soma Home. Karen and the members of Amistad must feel proud to know that the little seed that they planted has now grown into a huge tree giving shade and protection to thirty girls whose lives have been altered in irrevocable manner.
Sabita the day she arrived
While Rachel was volunteering at the Home for the dying Destitute of the Missionaries of Charity she came across a young girl (14 years) named Sabita Indu Das who was a resident there. Sabita has no family as far as she can remember she has always begged on the streets and handed over her money to a Mashi (an older woman like an aunt). She also remembers being sick most of the time. There came a time when she became so sick that she couldn't even move. The mashi suggested that she should go to the Sisters of Mother House and request them to take her in as she was too close to the end of her life. Sabita having no other option did just that. Rachel followed the light within her and asked me if New Light could accommodate her at Soma Home. After much debate and discussion we agreed and Sabita was shifted to Soma Home on the 1 st of August
At that time she weighed only 34 kgs and needed insulin shots three times a day. While shifting Sabita our biggest fear was of losing her because of our ignorance of her health status. No record of her medical history or treatment strategy was available to us. Upon consulting Dr Shukanto Sarkar, she was admitted to a private clinic for a week and kept under observation. The series of tests and investigation revealed that she was suffering from juvenile diabetes. Today after five months Sabita weighs 44 kgs, attends the evening classes at Soma Home with other young girls and is getting ready to begin her primary education from April 2008. She goes for a walk every morning in the park and her health is getting better steadily. A few days ago she also went back to meet Sister Glenda at the Missionaries of Charity who couldn't even recognize her. We are sure that somewhere along the line Sabita had crossed the threshold of Soma Home with a guardian angel and we thank her.
Sabita as she looks today
It was also in August that we had volunteers Aristrides Barmejo, a friend of New Light volunteer Maria Parias from Sevilla who brought a special gift for the older boys of New Light. Ari, along with Henrique, Maru, Justin , Raja, Abhishek and Inaki accompanied 12 adolescent boys of Saturday Club – the adolescent forum run by New Light, to Puri and Chilka for a short trip between the 18 th and the 23 rd of August 2007.
Besides taking them on the tour of the coasts of Orissa, the trip was utilized to motivate the youth to take up leadership for conducting and arranging the tour. Though the staff were there, the children were allowed to manage independently. It was a learning experience for them as some of the young people had gone outside of their birthplace for the first time in their life. During those days they experienced the sea, the community life along the coastal areas, the rich heritage of Jagannath Temple in Puri and the exotic Chilka Lake . The over night journey from Kolkata to Puri was no less exciting. It was a great experience to observe the children at their best in executing the duties they were entrusted with and they did the job with great enthusiasm and discipline. It was a learning experience for us too. We witnessed how a different and congenial environment can play a vital role in the changing of behaviour of the children. The children who sometimes behave in a rebellious manner in Kalighat, turned completely different when they were away from the unpleasant atmosphere where they stay. The innocent smiles on their faces remind us that childhood is the best part of our lives and it should be properly protected and nurtured, so that each one of them can grow up as responsible citizen of the country and become a future leader.
Newlight - Sanlaap merger
In the month of September Sudhangshu Dutta joined the organization as a social worker. His understanding of developmental endeavour and his flexibility to work within the constraint of limited resources deserves mention. We consider ourselves lucky to have him amongst us.
The other significant incident of this period was the voluntary take over of the child development project of SANLAAP - a national level NGO with a working experience of 15 years in the field of child protection and development in the state of West Bengal . SANLAAP handed over their child education programme at Kalighat to New Light with effect from 1 st September 2007 with 54 children and 6 staff members associated with this programme. The new children who joined New Light after the takeover have accepted the other children, care givers and the system without any hesitation and are happily participating in all the activities of our programme. A sudden arrival of 54 new children initially made us nervous but within a couple of weeks, sheer effort and dedication of the staff made it possible to cope with the changed situation.
We also welcome Niladri Dutta, Pintu Roy, Shila Chatterjee, Maya Roy and Geeta Mashi to New Light and thank them for their patience and cooperation.
At the end of September Debanjan Das, a professional photographer, conducted a photo session for all the ongoing programmes at New Light. It is a valued addition to the New Light's photo archive. This material was sponsored by Bono-Direkthilfe of Cologne , Germany , one of our donor agencies.
We specially thank Stephan Weber of Bono-Direkthilfe for his effort and guidence in making this project a success.
The girls of Soma Home and two elder boys from New Light were taken on a trip to the northwestern state of Himachal Pradesh between the 10 th and the 24 th of October 2007. This trip had two definitive issues. One – to give them more exposure of the world they have seen on television and in the movies, two – to keep them away from Kalighat. This is necessary as during the festival there is an additional influx of customers for the sex workers in this area and therefore also arrival of many procurers. Our past experience has taught us lessons in pre-empting a dangerous situation where young girls fall prey to the methods of trafficking. On this trip the girls visited the hill stations of Shimla, Manali, Naggar, Kulu and the majestic hill station of Chail. All these places are famous for their scenic beauty. The lush green valleys, the wooden huts on the hills, the exotic varieties of flora and the evergreen trees of the Himalayas revealed before them a totally different kind of ambience which was far beyond their imagination. The most exciting moment for the children was the snowing at Rohtang pass. The children played in the snow and with the snow and a few of them went on for skiing .Their journey concluded by visiting the national capital, New Delhi . There they visited the Lotus temple, the Qutab Minar, the India Gate, Humayun's Tomb, The President's House, The Parliament and the diplomatic enclave in the city`s most beautiful part. The girls also did some shopping for themselves and their families in the Sarojini Nagar Market.
The month long festive season of Bengal starts with Durga Puja. Like in other years this time too the children were taken out for puja hopping on the 17 th of October. They went to visit different Puja Pandals in and around the city. They started from the Kalighat centre at 10:30 a.m. and returned in the evening. Unfortunately this trip was not as enjoyable as it is usually. The raingod played foul and the children came back tired and unhappy. We apologise to the children for not having a better plan and hope we can make up for this day in future.
Our thanks to volunteers Berta and Luchy Villar from Santiago for suffering this day with the children.
After Durga Puja, Diwali - the festival of light is celebrated in a big way in the Eastern and Northern part of our country. Diwali 2007 was very special for the children of New Light. Unlike in other years this time we were able to give each child a gift for this occasion and treat all of them to a great meal. The children at Newlight celebrated the festival by lighting innumerable fireworks like morning glory, fountain, glitter, cone, bottle rocket, beehive effect, sparkle, barrage etc. This evening was made possible by a very generous support of Ms Michelle Bonn-Paul and Mr Angad Paul. We convey our most sincere gratitude to this special couple for remembering the grandest festival of India and sharing the joys of it with the children of New Light who also convey their thanks and best regards to Michelle and Angad.
A day after Diwali, Myriam Noor, the founder members of Les Enfants De personne from Sion, Switzerland came to Kolkata for three weeks. For Myrium this was a very emotional journey as she was returning to Kolkata after nine years with the purpose of meeting the children of New Light. She visited all our projects, interacted with the beneficiaries and the staff. She expressed her satisfaction with the way the project is running and assured us of future collaboration and support. Her visit was very inspiring and motivating for us.
For the last seven years i have been personally nurturing the dream of setting up a care center for HIV/ AIDS affected people in Kolkata.The idea is to have a mutidiciplinary care center for PLWA who have no other place to go to for treatment. After many years of waiting and talking to many people about this idea today we can see the beginning of this dream taking shape in reality. During my travel this summer i was fortunate enough to meet the representatives of Xunta de Galicia , Spain who have promised to help New Light procure the land for the proposed care center. The purchase procedure would be complee in the next few days and all of you can look at the location through Wikipidia earhserach if you wish to.
I also had the great opportunity of meeting the HIV specialist Dr Manolo Leal at the Hopsital Virgen del Rocio in Sevilla who has offered us the possibility of sending our doctors for special training there. In this regard i wish to go back a couple of years and recall my meeting with Dr Trevor Hawkins, Mr David Barret , Ms Winoeah Veikly and Dr Rajan Gupta who are all great crusaders of this casue at South West Care Center , Santa Fe, New Mexico( SWCC ). We thank all of you for your encouragemnt and look forward to your support in making New Light - Sanjivani Welfare Care Center (SWCC-Kolkata) a model for HIV/ AIDS Treatment and research in this country. Friends this is a huge task and i feel overwhelmed just thinking about it. So your e mails and messeges need to keep on coming constantly !!
We thank Mr. Anindo Tarafdar, an alumnus of St. Xavier's College, Kolkata for sponsoring the dinner for children on 19 th of November. This initiative was talken by a select group of alumni members who wanted to celebrate the birthday of a special friend among them hosting this dinner. We deeply appreciate their gesture.
1st December is observed as WORLD AIDS DAY through out the world. To commemorate the occasion New Light participated in a HIV / AIDS awareness rally. It was a gathering of about 200 people with posters and banners and the rally covered one of the busiest parts of our city where it was possible to draw the attention of a huge number of people.
AIDS DAY Rally
AIDS DAY Rally
The organization also conducted a week long awareness drive against HIV / AIDS in four different colleges in the city to sensitize the college students about the dangers of HIV / AIDS exposure. The programme was a huge success as the students actively participated in the session and this could be easily understood in the anonymous question answer session held at the end of each programme.
HIV/AIDS awareness campaign at a Kolkata College
1st of December is also a very special day for us. New Light celebrated its 7 th birthday this year. The celebration started in the evening. The place was beautifully decorated and we specially thank Bertha, Luchy, Marie Carmen and Inigo who took the leading part. Snacks and cakes were arranged and distributed among the children, the staff and the guests. The children enjoyed the whole evening with great music and dance.
On the 13 th of December ,Alban Del Pino from Mundo Cooperante, arrived at Kolkata This is his third visit. The main purpose for this visit is to monitor the smooth operation fo Hogar Meridional / Soma Home and also oversee the purchase procedure of the plot of land to set up the AIDS Care Center at Amtala.
Hogar Meridional / Soma Home girls
The younger girls of Hogar Meridional / Soma Home
Mrs Harrinder K Dhillon and Diljyot Dhillon Grewal, mother and sister of Mr Gaurav Dhillon representing Monuah Janah Memorial Foundation visited New Light for the first time. We always remember that the first big support to New Light was brought by this foundation through Shadhika Foundation , California . We feel honoured by their visit and deeply appreciate their interest in New Light.
We also take this opportunity to express our deepest gratitude to the President Mrs Juthica Stangl, the Secretary Mr Peter Stangl and all the Board members of Shadhika Foundation,California for their continued support and encouragement. Year after year we remember how imprtant was their singular support at the beginning of New Light as a project.
On the 16 th of December 2007, New Light was invited to be a part of ‘Save the girl child' campaign organized by YFLO (Young FICCI Ladies Organization) at Pat Williamson Ground, at the centre of the race course, Kolkata. The programme started with a documentary made by CRY (Child Rights and You) on female foeticide followed by a panel discussion. The girls from Hogar Meridional / Soma Memorial Girls' Home were also present at the programme. The incidents of cruelty on girl child deeply moved them. At the end of the programme the dignitaries, the participants and the audience got the opportunity to watch the YFLO Invitation Stewart`s Cup Polo Match. It was a rare and unique experience for our girls and they thoroughly enjoyed the electrifying atmosphere of the polo ground. The girls also had the opportunity to talk to Bollywood filmmaker Mr Manish Jha whose documentary,` Matrubhoomi—a land with no women` has received international acclaim. He is a fellow crusader of women`s rights and child protection issues.
Finally it was just last night that we had a big celebration for Christmas at New Light. While the halls were decked with much color and beauty we managed to get a real tree to make it special. We also hear that last night Parth Sanyal`s photo from New Light creche cum night shelter was shown at New York Times Square giant screen !!! We dont know who bought it off Reuters but we are thankful and happy !! Such is the magic of Christmas. You can see some of those images: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/parthsanyal/TodaySPixChristmasPartyForChildrenOfSexWorkers
Friends as i sign off for the next couple of weeks i thank each one of you who all through the year has somehow touched the lives of the children of New Light.
The Childern and the staff of New Light join me in wishing you a Merry Christmas and a very happy and healthy 2008.
Dear Friends,
Greetings from all of us at New Light. It has been a while since we shared some news about our lives and work with all of you who make it possible.
For many of you who are still enjoying the burst of life in the trees and the fields around you as Spring makes way for summer we wish hours of sunshine, color and happiness. And for those who are in the tropics or in other parts of the Indian sub-continent we send wishes of many cloud bursts to bring relief from the long hot days and the still nights that seem to go on forever.
Of all the seasons Spring is truly shortest lived in Kolkata. Even before we can begin to enjoy the sun and the surge of life in everything around us we have to deal with the hard realities of water shortage and long hours of powercuts along with the diseases associated with summer. It is not always easy to remember that we need to forget about everything else and keep our energy focused on the mission of New Light but surprisingly everyone does !!
Every few months i am faced with the challenge of finishing the newsletter when i dont know how much information is enough. Life and action at New Light is ever evolving and changing so it becomes that much harded to choose a specific point in time to say what is enough. The task seems to be getting harder for me with every passing month so i have to ask for much greater level of patience from all of you. The past few months have been filled with so much action that feel i need go on for quite a while.
Like in the other years our first visitors of the year were Mrs Juthica Stangl and Mr Peter Stangl of Shadhika Foundation, California . For the Stangls the new year does not seem to kick in fully till they visit all the projects they support and help all of us renew our energy. For those of you who dont know about Shadhika Foundation please visit www.shadhika.org. for more information. We are always pleased to receive them at New Light. This time the Stangls were accompanied by three very accomplished women, Ms. Alexandra Prichard, an independnt video producer, doing a coverage for AOL-Netscape, musician-photographer Molly Zenobia and Ms Maninder Saini a cinematographer from Los Angeles. Ms Stones and Ms Singh were assisting Ms Prichard in her work. For all of them Kolkata proved to be a creative challenge and opportunity that they seemed to have enjoyed thoroughly. We thank all of them for spending many hours with the girls fo SOMA Home and the kids at New Light shelter.
January 07 also saw the appointment of Mrs Shubhashree Roy as the new house mother for Soma MemorialGirls Home. We wish Shubhashree good luck and great success ih helping the girls achieve their goals.
On the 20th of January 07 New Light kids took part in the annual Sports day. We thank the Inspector General of Prisons, West Bengal Correctional Services for allowing us to use the grounds of Alipore Correctional Home for the event. It was a wonderful winter afternoon in the mellow sun where the mothers and the children were seen enjoying together. Thanks to all the staff of New Light for their hard work in making it a successful event.
On the 21st of January 07, Guru Chitresh Das conducted an initiation ceremony for the girls of Soma Home who are training in kathak( an Indian classical dance form) and gifted them with special dancing bells that signify acceptance of an individual as a future disciple. It makes us incredibly proud to see the level of commitment and discipline that the girls have demonstrated in learning this difficult dance form. Republic Day was celebrated on the 26th of January with a short cultural event in the evening.
On the 2nd of February 07, we received Mr Alban Del Pino Pardo of Mundo Cooperante, Madrid, Spain and Mr Javier Pinto Sanz, our volunteer from Madrid who came to assist us in finalising the purchase procedure of Soma Memorial Girls Home. It was during their stay that New Light celebrated the Annual day on the 12th of February 07. The excitement and energy that the kids showed in practicing and participating in the event left us overwhelmed. Thanks to all the volunteers who helped us organize the evening perfectly. It was during this visit that Alban and Javier started to search for a plot of land for seetting up the HIV/AIDS care center with us which currently is our biggest challenge. We need the land, the money and the experts to help us set it up.
On the 22nd of February 07 after a long and difficult search we found our trained nurse Mita Mondal to help us at the clinic. Mita has a certificate in nursing and shows a remarkable quality of calm and peace about her in the midst of the chaos that is the clinic at times. We welcome Mita to our group.
28th of February 07 was a very special day for New Light. On that day we completed the purchase procedure of Soma Memorial Girls Home property located at 35/1 Moore Avenue, Kolkata 700040. This is a property that New Light has been renting for the past two years to house the safe shelter for young girls at risk of being trafficked and sold into prostistution. We thank each and every individual who came together to make it possible. We feel very safe and secure with the idea that this program has long term support and commitment from many people to sustain it.
From the 1st of March 07 Spanish volunteer Pablo Rodriguez started to give yoga training to the children of New Light. Pablo uses totally unorthodox method of teaching and has managed to accomplish a huge deal in brining about greater concentration among the children. Currently he is taking a short break and renewing his own energy to continue doing this workshop with the kids all through the summer.
The month of March is the beginning of real Spring time in the subcontinent and it usually begins with the clelebration of Holi ( the Indian festival of color ) which this year was on the 3rd of March. It was also the day when Dr Loren Seidbold, a Pastor from The Seventh day Adventist Church and a member of the Board of Amistad International arrived at New Light with fifteen other group members. Dr Seidbold and the team expressed their deep appreciation for the project and a great deal of understandning of the conditions under which the children and the mothers live in Kalighat. He also brought us good wishes from Karen Kotoske of Amistad International, California who has been instrumental in helping New Light start Soma Home in July 2005.We thank all the members and donors of Amistad International. In this regard we also thank Mr Gaurav Dhillion representing Monua Janah Memorial Foundation for helping us sustain the programme in the initial phase.
Soon after this we started the construction of the nursing room with the assistance of our friends and volunteers Laura Martinez Olivares, Elena Alcantara from Jaen and Luiz. Their untiring effort and commitment could not be appreciated better. Laura , Elena and Luiz thank you for your time and energy and know that you are always welcome back at New Light. We wish a great success for Project ASHA in Jaen, our partners in Andalucia.We also thank Jose Angel Ballesteros our drug inventory manager for his incredible support in getting the basics in order. The nursing room is complete and fully functional now. However we are yet to deal with the problem of a leaking roof at that location.
The kids started with their training in wind and percussion instruments with an idea of setting up a marching band from the 21st of March 07 under instructor Chandon Moitra. We are hopeful that by the beginning of the next year New Light kids would be able to send a marching band to the Republic Day Parade in the Maidan.
The end of March also saw the kids taking their final exams and now that the results are out we are very happy to share the exceptional performance of the kids. For those of you who know the kids personally it would mean a great deal to know their results and here are some listings of their performances:-------
Amar Gupta Class IX ...............1st
Anirban Chowdhury Class X.... .5th
Sukumar Roy Class VIII........... 3rd
Abhijit Gayen Class IX ............. 4th
Sushmita Sarkar Class IV.......... 4th
Bikas Das Class VII ..................5th
Babai Adhikari Class IX .............5th
Subir Adhikari Class VII ...........10th
Barsha Sarkar...........................1st
Anjali Saha.................................3rd
Rukshana Khatoon......................1st
Laxmi Karmakar..........................2nd
Sahana Khatoon .........................2nd
Monisha Das ...............................1st
On an average a class comprises of 50 to 55 students. The rest of the students have all moved to the next level successfully.
In the last few days we have been able to arrange for a multiple valve replacement surgery for a 5 year old child named Simran Iqbal . Simran is admitted at the Rabindra Nath Tagore Memorial Cardiac Research Institute in Kolkata under the care of some fo the best specialists in the country. We thank our sponsor Infancia Solidarida of Madrid for the total sponsorship of this surgery. We are very hopeful that Simran would get home smiling very soon.
Amidst all these moments of joy we had to stop for a while and remember Jamuna Das , our creche worker who gave her unconditional support and care to the kids of New Light from the very first day.
Jamuna mashi as popularly known by the children passed away at the end of February. She was 65 years old. Jamunadi is fondly remembered and respected by all the staff members of New Light.
Our work in the field of HIV /AIDS has taken on a completely new dimension.
New Light has been offering health care services for the sex workers community located at Ward 83 , in Kalighat for the last five years. What began as a small creche cum night shelter has evolved into a comprehensive community development project with its main thrust at HIV / AIDS intervention. New Light has emerged as a well recognized and effective community health care program due to the presence of its doctors, peer educators, community outreach workers and the STD/HIV clinic that operates bang in the middle of the red light area. Over the past years the work has expanded from only a primary focus on awareness campaign about HIV / AIDS to a full fledged treatment center for people living with AIDS. Not only the sex workers living within the area but couples and families from outside the area are getting referred for care and support at New Light. New Light prides itself over its effective management , care and support of men, women and young children living with full blown AIDS. Many of the patients have been assisted in accessing ART and for those who can not do so from govenrment resoursces New Light raises money from various sources to support the treatment regime.
This would never have been posslibe without the financial support and technical assistance of Dr Trevor Hawkins , Medical Director South West Care Center , Santa Fe, California , Ms Wenoah Veikly and a special friend of New Light Dr Rajan Gupta. It is Rajan`s singular effort in raising awareness about the need for HIV / AiDS intervention in India among the Indian community in the west that we appreciate the most.
Polar Pharma Industries with its brand product of Adam condoms has recently agreed upon a partnership along with the association of Service Civil International in providing free condoms to the sex workers in the project area of New Light. They are also setting up a condom vending machine in the area which would be manned and monitored by one of the beneficiaries of New Light who is HIV positive.
Future plan
The next big challenge for New Light is to set up a HIV/ AIDS care center not only for the sex workers but also for all women men and children who are not able to access treatment to the right extent. New Light is also hopeful of setting up a residential care center for children affected and infected with HIV/AIDS. The need for this was felt from the repeated appeals made by many women who attend the clinic at The School of Tropical Medicine for their treatment and are hopeless about the future of their children.
Over the past few months we have continued with and established partnerships with many foundations and corporations. Among those we need to thank Bono-Direkthilfe, Chance Swisse , Les Enfants de personne , Fundacion Meridional , Diamond Beverages Pvt Ltd. Xunta de Galicia , Inditex, Conseillos de Olleiros and many others.
I deeply appreciate and acknowledge the support of all of you and am always open to receiving new ideas to better this project. Thanks and best regards
Urmi Basu
For New Light
Dear friends
Once again we are at that time of the year when the sun has turned mellow and the air a little cold .The last of the monsoon showers have said goodbye to this part of the country leaving behind fields of gold ready to be reaped in the next few weeks. It is also the time when i feel i have been trying too hard.. Now i feel one must try but not too hard as then the essence of effortlessness is gone. Honestly it took me three drafts to get to this point and there is so much to share with you all that i have to essentially depend on my random thoughts here on.
The year 2006 began with a visit by the Board members of Shadhika Foundation , California Ms. Juthica Stangl, Mr. Peter Stangl, Ms. Kim Burnett and Dr. Anando Stangl, without whose support New light could never have reached where it is today. While they were in Kolkata we were fortunate to receive two more very special guests who have become champions for the cause of trafficked girls and women . The voice of Nicholas Kristoff and the photographs of Naka Nathaniel ring loud and clear against modern day slavery linked with sex trade and sex industry. Nicholas` article in the summer of 2006 brought us volunteers who would remain friends of New Light for the rest of their lives., Thanks Max, Bryan , Sydnee and Helen.
This year also allowed us to make major expansions to our existing structure ..both physical and administrative. We included the open terrace which by now is a familiar image with all those who have visited us into our integrated workspace. Instead of operating under an open sky we now have a covered area that can be used as a multifunctional space. This gives the teachers and the children a feeling of belonging to a more structured space thereby fostering a semi-formal learning atmosphere.
The summer month of May was reserved for a field trip to Sikkim . A total of thirty including children and staff had gone for a week long visit to the mountains. On their return they created wonderful artwork based on their first ever long trip outside Kolkata. I take this opportunity to thank all the accompanying staff members of New Light for providing such good care to the children.
As i write this there are one hundred and forty seven (147) children and young girls registered under the care of New Light making it one of the big operators in any given red light area of the city as well as the country. In six years the number of beneficiaries has increased by fifteen times and the dropout rate has remained at five percent.
In August the children celebrated the Annual carnival with the help of Spanish volunteers on a magical mystery tour of Around the World in Eighty days . The volunteers worked under the guidance and coordination of our dreamer architect friend Xavier Pinto Sanz , the very able associates of Mundo Cooperante Alban and Eva and funny men Carolo and Julio. The event was designed to introduce the children to different cultures and different ethnic groups that come together to make our beautiful world. Thanks to all those who made this experience possible for the kids. In August we also formed a new partnership with Fundacion Meridional , a foundation based in Madrid that has been working in Columbia , Ecuador and other Latin American countries. Among our other new partners are BONO-Direkthilfe, Chance Suisse, FAWCO, Provence Chapter, Xunta De Galicia and Amistad International.
The same month the children also took part in a photographic exhibition organised jointly by the Oxford Bookstore Gallery and the Daywalka Foundation , named Antare-Bahire(Inside-Outside) depicting their worlds within and without the boundaries that they live in.
The following months of September , October and November saw the celebration of many festivals and events that were thoroughly enjoyed by the children. ( Please refer to our photo gallery).
New Light continues to provide health care to the children, the women and the larger community at Kalighat on a regular basis. A new clinic was started at the Dalit shelter in Keoratala in September. We thank our volunteers Berta, Luchi, Elena, Jose and Laura for making this possible. So far more than 400 patients have been attended to at the new clinic. Thank you all for this incredible support.
The legal aid cell run by New Light with technical support from the Daywalka Foundation
achieved a landmark legal operation by way of registering a will for appointing a guardian by a HIV+ father for his children. This has been the first step towards making a succession plan possible for the children of PLWHA. We thank our legal advisor Moitreyi Dasgupta Trivedi for her time and energy.
This note can never end without me extending a special thanks to my friend and partner in vision Hernan Zin. From the beginning of the year he has been traveling extensively in the war torn countries of Sudan , Palestine , Ghana , Lebanon and many others. His blog has inspired many to help associations located in such places to provide support to the child soldiers and other unfortunate young people of those places. His images have contributed in creating Calendario Solidaridad. More power to you Hernan!! Wherever he is we know New Light will always be with him. Thank you Hernan for your faith in New Light.
And finally as we move closer to the last few days of 2006 after having celebrated our 6th Birthday, a Christmas party and an annual feast for all the members of New Light i need to pause and say how fortunate i feel. I know i have many friends and some of them believe in me. It is with this knowledge that i move forward with renewed energy and motivation to continue to dream.
Thank you and wish you a Merry Christmas and a wonderful 2007 ahead of you
After the storm- Bangladesh ( File Photo )
Sabita the day she arrived.jpg)
Hogar Meridional / Soma Home girls 
