For better, for worse?

Well, we now have water again!  It seems such a luxury to be able to turn on a tap & do the washing up, as well as other things.  The lack of water & bathroom facilities was quite a lesson to me! 

Obviously not only the drains but also the maintenance of the orphanage & school is yet another headache for Sandhya & her colleagues.  Sadly, the place looks in need of a facelift but then so is most of the India that I’ve seen.  Buildings are mostly cracked & in various stages of dilapidation, affected adversely by the climate, I’m sure.  Here at Aarti Home what goes on within the      

buildings seems far more important than the physical environment.  However, the children have had a purge on the place this week & have worked hard to clean & tidy their home & school.  Even the teachers came & joined in, carrying away bowls of dried cement, left over from building work, to clear up the little courtyard garden.  This was a strategy of teaching by example & all the adults did their bit to make a difference.  Even the piles of rubbish outside the gate were burned!

 

Headteacher helps to clear up

 

Burning the rubbish

As we all know, marriage as conducted in India, is a controversial subject for us in the West.   Marriages are still arranged by parents but young people often have far more say these days in their parents’ choice of their partner.  One of the young teachers here at the school has told me that her mother is currently seeking a suitable husband for her & the hope is that she will be married this year.  She will be able to meet & get to know the possible candidates before a final choice is made & she is quite happy with that. 



First Aarti Wedding



When it comes to marriage for the older girls in the orphanage, Aarti Home will firstly encourage any existing family members to carry out the process but will do their best to give financial help to families for the wedding, if they are struggling.  They steadfastly refuse to get involved in dowries, which, in fact, are now illegal but are still prevalent throughout India.  For the girls, who have no known relatives, it falls to Sandhya & the other ladies to try to find suitable partners of similar values for them & to finance the wedding.  They have had two marriages so far & the couples are apparently very happy. They are both pursuing careers and the first Aarti grandchildren have arrived!

 




First Aarti grandchildren



The emphasis here is on the Aarti family & all the children know that they will be welcomed back here for the rest of their lives.  This is their family home & as one 17 year old told me, “This home has given me so much! I want to get qualified & then come back & work here – I want to give back.”