This photo of Tamina, Muniya and Lali was taken during Saraswati Puja in February of 2015, on the roof of shuktara.

Every year in August the 'sisters' of shuktara come to the boys home and tie rakhi on the wrists of their 'brothers' to show their affection. Across most of India the same thing happens - with brothers and sisters who are related by blood but also when that strong family bond is felt between unrelated people. It is a celebration that everyone at shuktara can participate in, and everyone enjoys this festival immensely.
[from Wikipedia] Raksha Bandhan in Sanskrit literally means "the tie or knot of protection". The word Raksha means protection, whilst Bandhan is the verb to tie. It is an ancient Hindu festival that ritually celebrates the love and duty between brothers and their sisters. The sister performs a Rakhi ceremony, then prays to express her love and her wish for the well being of her brother; in return, the brother ritually pledges to protect and take care of his sister under all circumstances.
The festival is also an occasion to celebrate brother-sister like family ties between cousins or distant family members, sometimes between biologically unrelated men and women. To many, the festival transcends biological family, brings together men and women across religions, diverse ethnic groups and ritually emphasizes harmony and love. It is observed in the Hindu calendar month of Śrāvaṇa, and typically falls in August every year.
Thanks to everyone at Sanderstead United Reformed Church in the UK, who have been supporting us for such a long time - http://www.surc.org.uk/
This tapestry by Ipshita who lives at Lula Bari, our girls home here, was done especially by her for Audrey Earp, (David's mum) who has donated it to the church in thanks for their support of shuktara.
Thank you to everyone involved, especially Ipshita for the beautiful hand work.
Read more about Ipshita...
Pappu Mishra (chairman of shuktara) and Sunil are accompanying all the girls and staff of Lula Bari. They take the overnight train to Puri together and stay in a small hotel near the beach. Since it's the hottest time of the year everyone takes a "bath" in the sea.
Lali came to shuktara in 2008 after she and her sister were abandoned by their parents. Since then her sister has been in a missionary home here in Kolkata and yesterday they were reunited.
Read about Lali here:
http://shuktara.org/the-shuktara-family/lali-khatoon/
Read more about Prity: http://shuktara.org/the-shuktara-family/prity-kundun/
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