Frishta News - Issue 17 - Summer 2009

Welcome to our Summer 2009 edition of Frishta News. Here in India, summer is in full force with temperatures of up to 45C as we eagerly await the cooling Monsoon rains. A special welcome to all our new readers.

Nigel Studley writes:

Introducing Sid & Anant

We are so pleased to have found Siddartha Wig & Anant Mann, husband and wife partners in 'The Elements', as our Architects (see photo below). They have made invaluable contributions to the project and have made many useful introductions for us, so that besides becoming our good friends, they are important partners in the Frishta Children's Village project.

The Elements started in July 1995 in New Delhi and subsequently shifted to Chandigarh. They are interested in socially relevant, cost effective, energy efficient architecture. Their projects are design and detail intensive and reflect their belief in a total design philosophy. They have been exploring solar passive architecture and alternate appropriate materials for construction. Since the inception of the firm there has been a special interest in sustainability. This started with winning a 'Design Ideas Competition' for an ideal Rural Primary School. Since then the firm has been involved in a variety of initiatives in numerous 'green' projects in rural and urban areas.

Sid says... "The Frishta Children's Village is a dream project for us. It allows us to explore sustainability in a relevant context. Looking at the selfless work being done by Nigel and Rachel for the project is a great source of inspiration for us. We are trying to work with a committed team of consultants and professionals to ensure that the project is a 'model' campus in the region. We are consciously trying to explore alternate construction methodology, building materials and green features without compromising on cost, comfort, and maintenance. A number of innovative technologies are being explored to ensure optimum water usage, reduce energy requirement, control the carbon footprint and minimize the harmful impact on the surroundings. We are confident that the Frishta Children's Village will be an ideal home for these children and they will cherish the time that they spend on the campus there."

Frishta Facebook

We have created a Facebook Group for Frishta Children's Village. You'll find more photos than we can pack into the newsletters and also news on events. You can also leave messages and comments. To log on click...
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=21103507582&ref=mf

Press Cuttings

"Those you have sought to reach, whether they be in your family or elsewhere, are part of a chain of love that can extend through the generations. Your influence on their lives, whether or not you see results, is immeasurable. Your legacy of dedicated kindness and caring can transform lost and hopeless lives for years to come. You can never overestimate the power of your love. It is a fire that, once lit, may burn forever."
Helen Keller

Goodbye Jim & Janice

Frishta Trustee Jim Weiss, wife Janice and family returned to the USA on 30th June after 10 years in the UK. Jim has been a Trustee from the start of Frishta in 2003, and for the last 18 months was Treasurer. Jim has visited India a number of times and came to see the Frishta site in 2005.

His big heart, wisdom, enthusiasm and sense of fun will be greatly missed by us all./p>

However, we are not really losing Jim as he will remain a Trustee and we're delighted that he is taking the cause of Frishta with him to the USA and will be spreading the word and will be looking into setting up a Frishta office there.

See Jim (in Sari) and Janice opposite.

...and Hello Joe!

We are very pleased to introduce Joe Hammond as a new Frishta Trustee and Treasurer. Joe has been supporting Frishta for four yeas now and many of you will know him as our Frishta sponsored run organiser.

Joe is a natural encourager. Some of you will know that I sign off my emails with 'Till they all have homes...' and Joe always replies 'They will have homes...' which never fails to lift me.

You can read more about Joe on his profile page on our web site:
 http://www.frishta.org.uk/profile5.html

a Frishta Friend drops in!

It is always a pleasure to have Friends of Frishta come and visit us. Recently, Taj Chahal from California came to Punjab and spent the day with us. He writes:

"As my India trip started to come to an end, I had one more agenda item to cross out in Mukandpur. I wanted to see Frishta Children's Village site and meet with the founders Nigel and Rachel Studley. I first learned about Frishta last year, when I was doing some research about Non-profit organizations and wanted to get involved with an NGO that had similar goals of giving back to the community as mine. After "Googling" some charities that educated and helped underprivileged children break the cycle of poverty, I ran across Frishta.

I immediately read everything that was published on the web site, including all the newsletters to gain perspective and learn the progress of the project. I was very impressed with the vision and telephoned Nigel in India shortly afterwards. I told him that I would be visiting India in the summer and it would be great to meet him.

On June 15, 2009, I met Nigel, Rachel and their children in Chandigarh, and visited the Frishta site. I learned more about the project and he gave me an update on the progress and timeline. In addition, Nigel & Rachel shared some of the frustrations of running a NGO in India and some of obstacles that they were overcoming. I was most impressed with their determination and persistence to move forward regardless. Their passion and dedication to complete this project motivated me to get more involved with Frishta. I am glad that I can play a small role in helping with Frishta Children's Village and look forward to the completion of Phase 1."

If you are holidaying or visiting family in North India, then why not include a visit to Frishta in your itinerary? We are only 3½ hours from Delhi by express train and besides Frishta, the nearby city of Chandigarh (http://chandigarhtourism.gov.in/) is well worth a visit to chill for a few days. If you are planning a trip, please drop us a line at info@frishta.org.uk, it would be great to see you!

"We see the world, not the way it is, but the way we are."
Talmud

Project Progress

Construction

Work on our boundary wall has been progressing, although a little slower than we would like. We had to go to Court in May to contest an injunction that an adjacent farmer obtained against the building of the boundary wall adjoining his land. We explained that the farmer opposed our wall as it was stopping him from encroaching and farming our land. The Judge agreed and we are pressing on with the wall that runs for 2,000 feet around the perimeter of the residential campus.

Our electricity connection has now been completed by the Punjab State Electricity Board and we are now the proud owners of our own transformer. This powers our Bore Well submersible pump to supply water for the site.

Electricity supply in Punjab is frequently interrupted and so we are constructing an underground water tank to meet our emergency needs for four days. The water tank is 32ft x 16 ft with storage capacity of 86,400 litres, calculated using the National Building Code (published by the Indian Bureau of Standards) based on water usage for a boarding school of 135 litres per person/day. The tank is now complete except for the roof.

Photos

Planning Fee Exemption

The saga continues! After much to-ing and fro-ing between the two concerned departments about who would draft the Policy on exempting NGOs from paying planning and development, we learnt that it has to be approved in principle by the Punjab State Government first. This was then delayed by the recent month-long Indian elections when all government work stopped. We are now pursuing our cause in two directions, both in Punjab and via an introduction to the Cabinet Minister for Women and Child Welfare in Delhi, no less.

If you are planning for one year, plant rice.
If you are planning for ten years, plant trees.
If you are planning for a hundred years, educate!
Chinese proverb

Did you know?(2)

Further to the article in the last edition of Frishta News, here are a few more Indian words that have crept into the English language:

Bungalow: A bungalow (Gujarati: બંગલો baṅglo, Hindi: बंगला baṅglā) is a type of single-storey house that originated in India. In India owning a bungalow is a highly significant status symbol.
Veranda: A roofed, open gallery or porch. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word verandah originated in India where it is found in several native languages. The distinctive style of Indian architecture evolved from a hybrid of east and west.
Shampoo: The word shampoo is derived from Hindi chāmpo, meaning head massage, usually with some form of hair oil. The term was introduced in Britain by a Bengali entrepreneur Sake Dean Mahomed in 1814, who opened a shampooing bath in Brighton, England. He received the high accolade of being appointed 'Shampooing Surgeon' to both George IV and William IV. In the 1900s, the meaning of the word shifted from the sense of massage to that of applying soap to the hair.
Chit: or chitty (note), a small note such as a sick note, from Hindi meaning 'small piece'.
Pyjama: The word "pyjama" comes from Hindi, derived from the Persian word پايجامه Payjama meaning "leg garment." According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, "They were introduced in England as lounging attire in the 17th century but soon went out of fashion. About 1870 they reappeared in the Western world as sleeping attire for men, after returning British colonials brought (them) back ...".
Courtesy of Wikipedia... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bungalow, etc...

And finally...

"Just say a simple 'Yes, I will,' or 'No, I won't.' Your word is enough."
Matthew 5:37

We have just observed, or you might say endured, the month long Indian Lok Sabha Parliamentary Elections. In India, the world's largest democracy the election is taken very seriously and the country is gripped with the cut and thrust of the political opponents debate. In the book 'White Tiger', by Aravind Adiga, the narrator Balram says, 'These are the three main diseases of this country, typhoid, cholera and election fever'.

Politicians the world over are infamous for making grand pre-election promises that are never fulfilled. As Balram again says '... there are no hospitals in Laxmangarh, although there are three different foundation stones for a hospital, laid by three different politicians before three different elections' (!). We rightly criticise our public servants who don't keep their word, but are we any different? Talk is cheap! Our words and good intentions are worthless if they are not backed up by actions. Yes, we should speak words of compassion and love, but much better if those beliefs have hands and feet – ours – and we put our beliefs into action. If you would like to put your beliefs into action, why not partner with us and become a Frishta Friend?

How to become a Friend of Frishta
Nigel Studley

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