Frishta Newsletters

• Issue 19 Spring 2010
• Issue 18 Autumn/Winter 2009
• Issue 17 Summer 2009
• Issue 16 Spring 2009
• Issue 15 Winter 2008
• Issue 14 Autumn 2008
• Issue 13 Summer 2008
• Issue 12 Spring 2008
• Issue 11 Winter 2007/8
• Issue 10 Summer 2007
• Issue 9 March 2007
• Issue 8 December 2006
• Issue 7 August 2006
• Issue 6 May 2006
• Issue 5 January 2006
• Issue 4 November 2005
• Issue 3 August 2005
• Issue 2 June 2005
• Issue 1 January 2005

If you would like to receive a copy of Frishta News each quarter, please send an email to info@frishta.org.uk

Frishta News - Issue 19 - Spring 2010

Welcome to our Spring 2010 edition of Frishta News. There's news of our new web site and you have a chance to choose the design of an important part of the Frishta village. Hope you enjoy the read!

Nigel Studley writes:

Frishta's a Winner!

It's always nice to win something. After winning the last www.Optimist.com charity of the week award of 2009 with the help of your votes, Frishta was entitled to enter the Optimist Charity of the year competition.

We submitted three mini projects describing what we would do with £1,000, £5000 and £10,000. And we won again! The result was close, however, and the judges couldn't separate the top five entries (but Frishta got top billing though! – see http://optimistworld.com/Charities.aspx) and Frishta also receives a cash prize.

Frishta's New Face to the World (Wide Web)

We are thrilled that a new Frishta web site (see opposite) expertly developed in India by the team from Net Solutions of Chandigarh, is nearing completion.

Following an introduction by Frishta Friend Taj Chahal, Net Solutions CEO, Sameer Jain, offered his company's services to Frishta for free! As well as a great look and feel, there is more information, and signing up for newsletters is now automated.

The new web site should be live by mid-2010 and we will want you to let us know what you think of it and give us your suggestions so that we can serve you better.

Right to Education Act

A historic piece of legislation comes into effect on 1st April 2010 in India - the 'Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act' (RTE) for children 6-14yrs. I attended a consultation on the RTE on 17-18th March where we were privileged to meet Vinod Raina who initiated and drafted the Act and discuss it with him. It sets out ambitious standards for schools that have to be met in the next three years. Children from disadvantaged groups (includes all girls) will also receive free uniforms and books. How ambitious the RTE is, is underlined by data from recent surveys:

• 78 million children have no access to education
• In 2009, half of 5 yr olds are not enrolled in school
• 72% of Teachers in Govt schools received no pre-service training
• 20% of Teachers were absent on date of survey visit
• 48% of all schools had no teaching activity at the time of the unannounced visit!
• 40% of primary schools did not have a girls Toilet.

Beautiful World supports Frishta

Beautiful World International is a newly formed charity and on February 6th 2010 had its first major fundraiser, 2DANCE4; a 12 hour sponsored dance event. The event was the first of several events which aim to raise enough money to support the work of Frishta as Luke Evans, BWI Director, explains:

'The event took place from 12pm – 12am and was an excellent day, raising around £600; half goes towards Haiti Relief, and half towards the Frishta children's village. There were eight people which danced for the twelve hours,during which time video footage was taken in order to produce a promotional DVD.There was also a room where people could goand write their thoughts and dreams, or just doodle away to their hearts content.We also had pictures and information up about the Frishta Project.

BWI owe a massive thank you to Sunshine Studios Bolton, 4th Wall Media, Gemstar Productions and Square Pear Design, all who have donated their time and skill in order to make the event possible. We also owe a huge thank you to all the dancers, dance teachers and to all the people who came along and supported us throughout the day.

We now look forward to our next event on Saturday 15th-16th May 2010 when we will be holding an art exhibition named 'Something Beautiful' in the city of Leeds. Please follow us on www.beautifulworldinternational.com and for more information do not hesitate to contact me on luke@beautifulworldinternational.com.'

Project News

• On 10th March, one of the final hurdles was cleared allowing construction to start on the children's homes. The drawings of the site and all building floor plans have passed 'scrutiny' by the Punjab Town & Country Planning office and now we are obtaining the final approvals from the Pollution Control Board and Forestry Commission. In the next issue of Frishta News I hope to bring you news of our official ground breaking ceremony!

• We have appointed a new building contractor in readiness for the main construction work. Most of the construction labour are migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar who return to their villages in late Feb/March for harvesting and so we had to wait (impatiently!) for their return.

• We are always bargaining hard when we purchase materials for Frishta, but it was great to be offered exterior tiles free of cost for our Learning Centre by Gorpal Singh Bajwa of Pioneer Bricks, Dera Bassi, Punjab.

• Front Gate Design

We have been considering what design of gate to have at the front entrance to the Frishta Village and thought we would give you the chance to have your say. We have whittled it down to three designs and below you will find the three design of steel gate to choose from.

To give your vote, all you need do is send an email to info@frishta.org.uk with Gate 1, Gate 2 or Gate 3 in the subject line by 30 May. We will collate your votes and let you know the winning design in the next edition of Frishta News.

• Building Designs

Please see the design of the children's home and the learning centre that we will build in the first phase of construction. Click on the pictures to reveal a bigger version.

Poem from India – 'Bare Feet'

I saw a child with bare feet
Whose desires it seems will never meet
I felt sorry for his chaos, a life full of woes
He was too young to understand
His brother's command of "stand to beg"
or "beg to stand"
His runny nose showed a grim picture
But his smile was blissful
Which also told a story so sorrowful
I looked deep in his eyes
Here dreams were just a pack of lies
The sun's shine couldn't hide the darkness behind his life
And the nightmare of struggle and strife
I couldn't see a sight so gory, so I gave him chips and he jumped with glory.

Will he ever hold a book, a good house to live in and look?

By Arshiya Dhir, Class XI, age 14
D.A.V. Sr. Sec. School, Kotkapura, Faridkot, Punjab.

Ten Parent Qualities You Can Model For Your Children Every Day

(From http://artofbehaviorchange.com Copyright Ellen Mossman-Glazer 2006. All rights reserved.)

1. Humour is a strategy. It is often quite OK to joke in a serious situation. Laughter and stress have a hard time co-existing. My father had a knack of diffusing tension at just the right time with just a few words that shifted the mood and had us all laughing despite how important the problem was or more often, was not.
2. The truth is fixed. My dad used to say to us "The truth does not move around." Be completely honest in your interactions with others. It shows great character. And you can't hide your own weaknesses from your children, so you might as well show you are human and model honesty with respect to your faults.
3. Listen to your child, uninterrupted. You will be saying, "I value what you think." My dad did not always agree but he always listened. When you let your child say all she needs to, you give her the message that her feelings are important to you. Just listening, without judgment, is a priceless gift to a child and adolescent. And the gift is even bigger when your next words reflect what your child feels instead of what you want her to hear.
4. Giving is the best way to receive. Be attentive to what your child wants from you in time, understanding, and support, especially those things that can come only from a parent. Your child will feel gratitude and love, though he is not likely to say so.
5. Be respectful, despite what you may be thinking. Show tolerance to all people, even those for whom you do not feel much respect. I never saw my dad be unkind, even when he was not happy with someone. Your child needs to see how you rise above the foolish or trivial ways others can behave.
6. Wonder frequently, and aloud. My dad used to say, "I wonder why --" Or "I want to learn more about ---." When we talk about our curiosities and what we think and feel about the world around us, we teach our children it is good and safe to do the same.
7. Crying is OK. Tears are cleansing when we are sad. Tears feel great when they spring from joy or passion about something important to us.
8. Find the smallest positives. My dad noticed and commented on the littlest good deeds. Watch for opportunities in daily life to say, "Good thinking, my daughter" and "Proud of you, my son."
9. Say, "Please" and "Thank you." and "May I --?" You will be demonstrating good manners, behaviours that help to open important doors into the world. A great first impression will never stop being a great thing to do.
10. As your child grows, be open to his ideas that might be challenging or unconventional to you. Respond first with words that convey you understand. In return, your child will listen more attentively to what you want to say. If your child is moving into young adulthood and wants to choose a life path different from what you envisaged, get out of the way and let it happen. Support and trust her choices and your child will continue to be in your life in many joyful ways.

NEWS FROM INDIA
Press Cuttings

"Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work."
Vince Lombardi (Former NFL Coach)

Here are a few more Indian words that have crept into the English language, perhaps without your knowledge:

Bangle: The word is derived from Hindi bungri (glass) and denotes traditional ornaments worn after marriage. They are circular and made of numerous precious as well as non-precious materials.

Chutney: from chatni, "to crush" (Hindi: चटनी caṭnī) - a term for sweet and spicy condiments, usually involving a fresh, chopped vegetable or fruit with added seasonings.

Doolally: from Deolali, a place in Maharashtra, meaning having an unbalanced state of mind. "Gone Doolally", phrase derived from the boredom felt by soldiers at the Deolali British Army transit camp.

Gymkhana: derived from the Hindi for "racket court", an Indian term which originally referred to a place where sporting events take place. In English-speaking countries, a gymkhana refers to an equestrian event.

Thug: A thug in Modern English means a violent and/or anti-social person, from the term for the murder and robbery of travellers in India. Thug (from Hindi ṭhag), a member of the former Indian cult Thuggee.

Loot: from Lūta and usually refers to treasure or wealth that is found or stolen.

Courtesy of Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangle, etc...

A Curry Night to remember

Recently, Southfield Church in Nailsea, near Bristol, held a Curry Night in aid of Frishta. Organised by Frishta Trustee Martin Harris and his wife Angie, the night included a Passport to India quiz and clips from the hit film Slumdog Millionaire. Besides being great fun, the night raised the terrific sum of £1,190! If you would like help with organising something similar please let us know.

The Best Signature

I recently received an email from Jasbir Dosanjh and he had added to his signature line "I support www.frishta.org " What a great idea! So simple, yet effective in letting people know that he stands with the disadvantaged children of India. Why not copy this into your email signature line too?

Help us spread the word about Frishta's vision of giving children a home, an education, a hope and a future. If you have found this newsletter interesting, please forward it to a friend.

If you have any comments, questions, suggetions or offers of help, please contact us – we would love to hear from you. You'll find our details opposite.

Please email info@frishta.org.uk...

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