Tag: Ipshita

Shuktara Documentary Interview video - Belinda, Ashok and Lali

Belinda speaks about shuktara

Belinda Carlisle has been a longtime supporter of shuktara and she is a frequent visitor to both homes in Kolkata. While in Atlanta she kindly gave some of her time to Yep! Films International and talked about her experiences with shuktara.

To help support the new shuktara documentary click here:

www.gofundme.com/shuktarafilm

19 years of shuktara homes for young people with disabilities

19 years of shuktara!

On 1 July 1999 shuktara started with just two boys, Anna and Sunil. Our story began in a rented flat on Southern Avenue and then moved to rented houses in Jubilee Park and then Kudghat.

Today there are two homes in Behala, owned by shuktara, where 23 young people live. Ages range from teenagers to young men in their 30s. Coming from institutions or lonely lives without family, shuktara provides everything needed for a healthy, happy and perhaps most important, safe life.

Join with all of us in celebrating 19 years of shuktara - founder David Earp, Pappu (chairman of shuktara in India, guardian, advocate and friend), carers and maashis, and of course all of the young people who have a home for life filled with love and laughter. Thank you for your support, all of this is possible because of you!

shuktara homes for young people with disability

A documentary on shuktara

Filmmakers Phoebe Brown and Elizabeth Strickler were in Kolkata working on a video training programme for girls called The Cross Stitch Project when they first came across shuktara and began to think about making a documentary.

In August last year cinematographer Raegan Hodge came here to shoot some footage for this documentary. What she shot has been edited and is here for you to see. Phoebe and Raegan would like to come back and continue filming this Spring. Please take a look and see if you can be part of it by supporting their journey in the making of this documentary.

Please take a look - this is what Phoebe said about shuktara:

"We want to make this film because shuktara is home to an amazing group of young people - wonderful, glowing and complex young people - who have rich, full lives - because they have love, attention and care in their lives."

This is their story:

https://www.gofundme.com/shuktarafilm

Day of the Dead at Lula Bari

Our friend Sunnie Nicklaus came back to Kolkata this weekend and she decided that celebrating the Day of the Dead at Lula Bari with the girls would be great fun. First she started off with a couple of hundred photos that she has taken over her previous visits and the girls pasted them all in photo albums and are able to keep their own copies.

Sunnie also brought Day of the Dead masks that everyone decorated. They all decorated each other with paper flowers and the day ended up with some of the biggest balloons we have ever seen.

Thank you Sunnie for coming back to Kolkata!

Please click here to see Sunnie's page supporting shuktara:
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sunnie-niklaus
shuktara homes - videos at Lula Bari - 2017

Life at Lula Bari

shuktara girls

The girls of Lula Bari

These polaroids seem to capture the individual spirit of each of the girls and young women who live at Lula Bari.

Thank You Caroline De Penning for spending so much of your time at Lula Bari and for taking these wonderful photos for the girls to treasure.

Caroline comes regularly to our girls home to do fun activities which have included hair and make-up and often other beauty parlour things.

We also appreciate the involvement of Kolkata International Womens Club and their support of our girls. This year they are paying school fees for all of the girls who attend REACH.

Emma and Simon’s visit to Lula Bari

Our friend Emma Christmas has visited us at shuktara a couple of times. On both her visits she has made sure that her priority is to spend time with the girls. On Wednesday 22nd March she came with Simon her partner.

They brought lots of things from London and had a great afternoon on this short stopover visit. Emma did a makeup session with the girls. They also brought balloons and cut and paste people to play with. It was a wonderful afternoon and we were all happy to see Emma again. The girls especially love her.