Tag: Bablu Lal

shuktara homes for young people with disabilities

Getting ready for Kali

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In West Bengal we are very lucky because we celebrate two festivals of light - first Kali Puja (dedicated to the goddess of Kolkata, Kali) and on the following night, Diwali (Hindu New Year).

On both nights pradeep (shallow clay vessels with oil) and candles are placed all around the house. The short videos and photos below show preparations for lighting up the house on Kali Puja.

shuktara homes for young people with disabilities

Durga Puja – visiting the pandals

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If you follow shuktara you know that Durga Puja is the biggest festival of the year in Kolkata. All over the city elaborate handmade pandals are created to house clay statues of the goddess Durga and her family who come down once a year from their heavenly abode for a five day holiday.

This year the young people of shuktara visited the pandals on the 1st day of Pujas which was Shashti and 3rd day which was Ashtami. Everyone dressed up in their new clothes, piled in the cars and went pandal-hopping.

(thank you Raegan Hodge for all the fabulous photos!)

shuktara homes for young people with disabilities

Raksha Bandan at shuktara

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Raksha Bandhan is a Hindu festival that celebrates the bond between brother and sister. Traditionally sisters tie a "rakhi" (thread or ornamental bracelet) around the right wrist of their brothers.

Every year a few women associated with shuktara go to the boys' home and tie rakhis on all of the boys and young men - as you can see they are absolutely delighted to participate in this celebration of the bond between siblings.

According to Wikipedia this "transformed tradition" also happens outside the shuktara homes:

"Among women and men who are not blood relatives, there is also a transformed tradition of voluntary kin relations, achieved through the tying of rakhi amulets, which have cut across caste and class lines, and Hindu and Muslim divisions."

shuktara homes for young people with disabilities

Shuktara holiday in Mandarmani

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Last weekend everyone at shuktara went on a seaside holiday to Mandarmani. Many thanks to Sanjib who made this wonderful event happen!

shuktara homes

Old friends visit shuktara

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In 1999, the very beginning of shuktara, Alison and Bryan stayed in an upstairs flat in the first shuktara home. Their door was almost always open to the first five boys - Anna, Sunil, Shantara, Bapi and Sanjay.

For the next few years they taught computer skills downstairs in David's flat, shared meals with everyone at shuktara, and even went on vacations to Goa and Puri with the boys. While they lived in Kolkata they were frequent visitors to the shuktara homes.

They recently returned to Kolkata for a visit and absolutely loved being back with the young people of shuktara. They took dozens of photos - here are a few of the best.

shuktara home for young people with disabilities - 2017 March - Ratan and Bablu Lal

Emma and Simon at the boys home

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Our friends Emma and Simon who visited Lula Bari last week, also spent an afternoon at our boys home. Emma was here on the day that Ratan came, so for her it was very emotional to see him again. The moment he was brought into the house in 2012 was a particularly poignant memory for her.

Emma brought her partner Simon with her this time and it's always interesting to see our homes and young people through someone else's eyes.

In Simon's stunning photos below you can see that he has a great eye and it's no coincidence that his name on Instagram is @polyperspective.

Subhash could not be happier than he is now and Simon captured him last week with rays of afternoon sunlight surrounding him.

Simon captures the spirit of Sunil with perfect evening light shining on him.

Sumon with the staircase and geometric wall of the boys home behind him.

shuktara home for disabled young adults - 2017 January - Bablu and the swan - setting up for Saraswati Puja

Setting up for Saraswati Puja

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Preparations are happening for Saraswati Puja which will be held here on the roof of our boys home on Wednesday 1st February.

Sunil is helping Jogen by placing old saris around the swan that we have made. A flat marble slab on the swan is ready for the goddess to be placed on. Now we are just waiting for Saraswati!

Saraswati (Sanskrit: सरस्वती, Sarasvatī) is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, arts, wisdom and learning (Wikipedia).

shuktara home for young adults with disability - Ashok and Sanjib

Sanjib’s birthday at shuktara

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September 23rd was Sanjib Shaw's birthday and he decided to share his day with the young people at shuktara.

He brought chicken, Indian sweets, chocolate and cakes as well as one sack of rice!

Pappu Mishra (chairman of shuktara) is really happy when local people develop an interest in shuktara.
Sanjib heard about us when he started visiting our locality.

So we say thank you and Janamdin Mubarek (Happy Birthday) to Sanjib!