Asha for Education – Silicon Valley

From Brick kiln child laborer to Indian Cop

nithin — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 06:29:32 +0000

Sonu Kumar(name changed) was a child laborer at the age of 10 working in the brick kilns of Kanpur with his migrant parents at the tender age of 10. With no access or opportunity for schooling, he had no hope for a future other than joining his parent’s profession.

That was before he was taken in by the Apna Ghar Family at Ek Kadam Project for migrant children, Kanpur in 2006. Now Sonu is a proud officer working for the UP police.

Apna Ghar is a home for children of migrant laborers in Kanpur. The parents hail from neighboring Bihar and Jharkhand and work in nearby brick kilns. Currently numbering 42, most of these children have a story to tell-how they were resigned to a life of drudgery, breathing in the fumes of the bricks and doing back-breaking manual labor, before joining the home/school. Their parents usually migrate from other states or districts to Kanpur for 6-7 months in a year with their children and then go back to their respective villages. To help these children get an education, the Apna Ghar residential hostel was founded.

The success of the center can be attributed to its small but dedicated staff and the children themselves who help with the functioning of the hostel. Living in dorm-room style rooms, they follow a democratic system of dividing up all the chores of the home, with the elder children mentoring the younger ones. All the children are encouraged to learn and speak in English in addition to their local languages.

Asha Fellowship

The Apna Ghar center is managed by Mr. Mahesh Pandey, an Asha Silicon Valley fellow who has been close to the project for more than 15 years.

As an Asha fellow, Mr. Mahesh’s focus is on the development of Kanpur city as a whole on a variety of broad issues such as education of Migrant Children, RTI, RTE MNREGA, Women Empowerment, Women Domestic Workers, Human rights, Labour rights, Environment, Peace, Communal harmony. Mr Mahesh works full-time as an Asha fellow and functions effectively as our eyes and ears on the ground

He has been instrumental in the implementation of both the RTI(Right to Information Act) and RTE(Right to Education Act) in Kanpur city. Through his awareness campaigns, more than 4000 children from disadvantaged sections were encouraged to apply and later gained admission to private schools(as mandated by the RTE act). He also functions as a resource person for filing applications through RTI and is an expert on the domain.

Image: Mr. Mahesh conducting an information campaign on air pollution in Kanpur city.(Kanpur is one of the world’s most polluted cities).

We are fortunate to have dedicated and professional people on the ground working to affect change in society, whether it is through helping migrant children get an education or help the under privileged use government schemes to better themselves. Asha SV thanks Mr. Mahesh Kumar and the Apna Ghar staff for their hard work.

You can contribute too!

If you would like to donate and help out the Apna Ghar kids and transform their lives, there are several ways to do so.

Donate any amount of your choice towards food and education for these children – LINK
Support a child initiative – you can pay for food and education of 1 child enrolled in Apna Ghar. You and your family could get reports on the child’s progress if you desire. It costs $365 a year ($1 a day). LINK

Supporting Special needs children in Ahmedabad, Gujarat

nithin — Fri, 23 Oct 2020 03:51:09 +0000

The road to Samerth Talim Kendra is paved with stones and mud. Located in Juhapura, an impoverished minority district that bore the brunt of the Gujarat earthquakes in 2001, Samerth Talim Kendra is a school cum day-care center for special needs children in the area.

Their parents, largely daily-wage workers and auto-rickshaw drivers, were largely ignorant of their children’s needs before Samerth Talim Kendra opened its gates. The usual practice for special needs’ children was to be tied up or locked at home, while their parents go to work to put bread on the table.

Walking through the “kutcha” roads, one reaches the center, a clean 3-story rented house that functions as the school. THe project coordinator is Mrs. Rajul, a phenomenal lady who is the supervisor of the project and responsible for its day-to-day functioning. She is assisted by Mrs. Afroz(the school principal) and a host of dedicated staff including teachers, care-givers , speech and physical therapists. Many members of the staff have been working with special needs children for over 30 years.

The children are grouped into 3 classes according to their development levels-STK1,STK2, STK3. The children with the severe disability are grouped in STK3 and as they are promoted to the next level as they improve . The classrooms are all bright and airy and decorated with the children’s crafts and drawings.

A separate section houses kindergarteners, a group fortunate enough to be taken under the school’s wings at an early age. According to the school teachers and experts in the area of special needs, the earlier the children’s handicap is identified and provided care, the better their chances of improving and living normal lives later on.

Perhaps the biggest accomplishment of the school has been its outreach programs and the level of trust built up with the children’s parents. Parents taking a positive attitude towards their wards’ special needs are crucial in aiding their development and avoiding stress in their lives. Through outreach programs in the district and parent’s education classes, the school has managed to change attitudes. A special needs child’s parent has become much more receptive towards sending their children to the school or seeking help rather than keeping them hidden away.

Another success of the school has been in the area of vocational training classes. With support from Asha for education, the school has been running a 2-year long vocation training course for children advanced and interested enough to learn skills that can help them integrate in society. These involve knitting, sewing, creating and selling handicrafts. In a stunning success of the program, a couple of the school’s children have been able to put their skills to use in the real world and are earning livelihoods on their own.

Despite the apparent successes of the school and the program, there still exists dire challenges that need to be overcome. The school needs more funds to upgrade infrastructure and provide better medical care to its wards.The school currently being housed in a rental building periodically faces threat of eviction from landlords. Purchasing a property to build its own school would provide much more stability but requires funds upto Rs 1 crore.

The 2020 year of COVID-19 has also dealt multiple harsh blows with the school forced to be locked down and send most of its children home, leaving them unable to receive care.

Through the dedication of the school staff and its generous well-wishers, one hopes that the school will continue to lift up the lives of the special needs children and their parents in the Juhapura community.

You can help too!

If you would like to donate and assist these kids, there are several ways to do so.

Donate any amount of your choice towards food and education for these children – LINK
Support a child initiative – you can pay for food and education of 1 child enrolled in Samerth. You and your family could get reports on the child’s progress if you desire. It costs $365 a year ($1 a day). LINK
Provide funds for upgrading infrastructure, additional medical and physiological care to kids or purchasing new property for the school to relocate. building.

Here are some additional images from the project-

Image: The hall/office that also functions as a physical therapy room.

Image: Handicrafts produced by the school and its children that are offered for sale.

Image: A child’s meticulously prepared medical records and physical therapy program

Helping special needs children succeed: Advice from expert Dr. Vasudha Prakash

deepaksekar — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 05:26:02 +0000

by Dr. Deepak Sekar

At Asha Silicon Valley, we support a number of projects helping special needs children. We were recently fortunate to have Dr. Vasudha Prakash, an expert in the space, give a talk at our chapter. Dr. Vasudha is Founder and Director of V-Excel Educational Trust, a non-profit in India which supports ~5000 special needs children in 13 centers across Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. V-Excel actively partners with government agencies, educational institutions, companies and non-profits for its mission. Dr. Vasudha holds a doctorate in special needs education from Rutgers University. She has received numerous awards for her social entrepreneurship, including from the Hindu newspaper, the UAE Government, Raj TV and ICICI.

The three main ways to help special needs children, according to Dr. Vasudha

If parents have any doubts on their child’s development, it is crucial to go seek professional guidance as early as possible, according to Dr. Vasudha. If nothing shows up on a professional diagnosis, that’s good, but if there is any development help needed, it gives huge advantages by knowing early. When kids are young, the neuroplasticity of the brain is very high. The brain is capable of evolving if trained well. As much as 50% of special needs children can be included in regular schools if they are helped early on in life, she said.

Organizations which work with special needs need support in every way, with administrative matters, with education, with teaching, with medical help. The task is herculean and is often expensive, says Dr. Vasudha.

Integrating special needs children into mainstream society needs us to open our hearts and doors to them, says Dr. Vasudha. She gave an example of how when a special needs child is put in a regular school, everyone in the school – the principal, school teachers, other kids, even the bus driver – needs to be aligned with the inclusion and needs to treat the child with respect, dignity and kindness.

The impact of helping special needs children

When special needs children are taken care of, they can often live normal lives where they support themselves, says Dr. Vasudha. Learning skills like making tea, samosas, chapattis and manufacturing are things special needs people often do well. Lots of V-Excel’s old students are now in various service jobs. But there are career paths beyond just service jobs. Dr. Vasudha talked about one of her old students who had Autism and Asperger’s syndrome, who took up a job at an IT company and did quite well. Another student who had disabilities all his life is now a receptionist at one of Chennai’s leading luxury hotels, answering calls and helping customers.

It was inspiring for us at Asha to hear from someone who had dedicated their life to helping special needs children. In 2020, in a world where chaos, disease, falsehoods and social distancing are prevalent, the talk reminded us that helping others in need like this really is man’s highest calling and needs our most attention.

Helping Children Orphaned by the Kashmir Conflict

deepaksekar — Tue, 04 Aug 2020 14:28:51 +0000

by Dr. Deepak Sekar

Since 1947, the beautiful region of Kashmir has been marred by war, chaos and militancy. This has unfortunately destroyed many innocent bystanders’ lives.

Ulfat Nazir was three when her father was killed. She was one of four children. Her mother, who had only studied to sixth grade, was unable to provide for the family on her own. Ulfat and her siblings often went hungry. In Kashmir’s patriarchal and conservative society, it is almost impossible for a woman alone to provide for her children. So a child who has lost her father is considered an orphan.

In some cases, when a father is killed, the mother remarries and gets out of poverty. That comes with its own complications for the child, however. If a widowed mother remarries, the children from the first marriage are often shunned by the new family. Razia Malik was 14 when her father was killed. “After my mother remarried, I would be sent from one relative to another,” she says. “I could not concentrate on my studies. It was a difficult time in my life.”

Many such stories abound. According to media reports, more than 215,000 children in Kashmir have been orphaned in the conflict.

Providing support for these children

Adhik Kadam, a social worker, saw this problem when he visited Kashmir 20 years back. He started the Borderless World Foundation to care for these orphaned children. Today, he runs 4 homes which house more than 200 kids in Kupwara, Jammu, Anantnag and Badgam. He and his team provide a home and schooling for the kids and help them develop careers. Since girls find it harder to get support and work in Kashmir’s patriarchal society, the Borderless World Foundation specializes in providing for them. Asha, our non-profit organization, has been proud to partner with Adhik Kadam and the Borderless World Foundation for the past 15 years to support these kids as well.

The results have been astounding. Kids have graduated with degrees, formed businesses and done well in examinations. At Asha, we regularly get reports of the children’s academic records. They have been quite impressive. Not just that, the education provided to the children is well-rounded, with art, social work and life skills taught in good measure. Chitra Mandyam, an Asha Silicon Valley volunteer, works with Adhik and his team to provide support for their projects. She says, “I visited the Borderless World Foundation facilities in Kashmir sometime back. It is amazing how these kids’ lives have been transformed by Adhik and his team, using donations made by well-wishers in India and America.” Check out the below video for feedback on the Borderless World Foundation from a General in the Indian army. You can hear from some of the kids at the homes.

You can help too

If you would like to donate and assist these kids impacted by the Kashmir conflict, there are several ways to do so.

Donate any amount of your choice towards food and education for these children – LINK
Support a child initiative – you can pay for food and education of 1 child in a Borderless World Foundation home. You and your family could get reports on the child’s progress if you desire. It costs $365 a year ($1 a day). LINK
Provide funds for building and maintaining a new hostel for the kids – The Borderless World Foundation is constructing a hostel, which includes classroom facilities, for kids in the Jammu area. You can find architectural plans here. Construction has already started. The Borderless World Foundation would like to acknowledge sponsors who contribute more than $100 by mentioning their names on a donor board placed in the building. LINK You could even choose to fund construction of a classroom or a hostel room in your name if you choose to.

Expressions of Hope – Rohini Bulusu

vidhya — Sat, 10 Feb 2018 08:39:23 +0000

Rohini is a junior at Dougherty Valley High School in San Ramon, CA. She was born in Dearborn, Michigan and spent two years growing up in India when she was 5 years old. The experience of growing up in India with grandparents and extended family has helped Rohini develop a strong connection with Indian culture and heritage. She had many opportunities to visit an orphanage for children and be part of providing some meaningful support to underprivileged kids. That experience had an indelible impression on Rohini and made her realize how fortunate some of us are compared to many and she was determined to raise awareness to help the needy children.

In 2015, she started teaming up with Asha for Education to raise awareness and funds for underprivileged children’s education in India. She trained with Team Asha and completed two Half Marathons (Two Cities and Berkeley) in 2016 and San Francisco Half Marathon in July 2017 to raise awareness and funds to support children’s education.

In 2017, Rohini founded Little Taare , a non-profit organization with a focus to provide advancements in children’s education, protect their basic human rights, and enrich their human experience with lasting changes in their lives. Rohini is partnering with other established non-profit organizations to advance Little Taare’s mission.

Rohini first showed her interest in Indian classical dance and Carnatic music at age 5. Her formal training in Bollywood and folk dance started at age 6. Fascinated by the grace and poise of Bharatanatyam, she decided to focus on this art form at age 8, and continued her training in Bharatanatyam with Guru Smt. Radhika Adhikari at TaalSur Dance Academy. Guru Smt. Radhika Adhikari has truly inspired Rohini to develop a passion for Bharatanatyam. In June 2016, at the age of 14, Rohini had completed her Bharatanatyam Arangetram.

Rohini wants to put her dance art to good use by teaching the Indian traditional dance art to young kids and adults. In summer 2017, she started offering Bharatanatyam classes, holding dance productions and organizing fundraisers for Little Taare. She was able to raise $950 from teaching dance classes to support Little Taare and Asha for Education.

In November 2017, Rohini spearheaded a major fundraising event ‘Expressions of Art’ – featuring dance, art, and music – by teaming up with TaalSur Dance Academy and Sai Art Studios. The goal was to raise awareness and funds to support underprivileged children’s education in India through Asha for Education and support American Red Cross in their effort to help victims of Northern California wildfires. The event had an overwhelming response and support from local community, many friends and families. Honorable Consulate General of India in San Francisco, Mr. Venkatesan Ashok had graced the occasion as guest of honor and helped inspire many young children to participate and support community events. Collectively, Little Taare had raised over $9,000 to support Asha for Education and American Red Cross.

Rohini has participated in many performances at various cultural and fundraising events in the San Francisco Bay Area. Apart from dancing, Rohini is a part of the Dougherty Valley Choir, plays golf, enjoys singing Carnatic music, and likes to spend time with family and friends. Rohini wants to continue her passion for social causes along with her studies. Little Taare and its initiatives are very dear to her.

Key Highlights

During her Bharatanatyam Arangetram in 2016, Rohini requested friends and family to contribute to Asha for Education in lieu of bringing any gifts for her. A total of $3,158 was raised to support 14 underprivileged children’s education in India for a year.
In 2017, she raised $950 for kids’ education through her efforts by teaching Bharatanatyam and semi-classical dance to young kids, and adults.
In November 2017, raised over $9,000 for Little Taare’s fundraising event to support Asha for Education and American Red Cross.
Joined hands with her father’s organization, Brown & Toland Physicians and American Heart Association (AHA) and participated in AHA Heart Walk for the last two years and helped raised awareness for the better management of health.
Since 2016, she has been part of American Red Cross (ARC) Leadership Development Program and involved in volunteer work to help promote the ARC mission to help people in distress and need.

Neha’s First Triathlon

vidhya — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 06:05:22 +0000

This is going to be a long race report. It is a long story. Lets handle it step by step. But this is what I rememeber from the race: “Both hare and tortoise FINISHED the race”

Swim (part 1):

When Sumit and I went to Hawaii in 2009, I figured I was super scared of water. So much so, that I did not want to walk on the beach with water touching my ankles. After Sumit spent an afternoon snorkeling in Hanauma Bay and describing all the pretty fish he saw, I came back to bay area and straight away enrolled myself in a swim class. My first class was spent by my instructor in convincing me that I won’t drown in that 4 ft deep pool and that she had a lifeguard certification to save me. That was 2009. By the summer of 2012, I was able to swim laps. But I stuck to the shallow end of the pool.
In November of 2015, exactly two years ago, Sumit Jain had convinced me to go for an open water swim or at least stand at the shallow end. I was promised I won’t drown with a wetsuit on. So, we rented one at Sports Basement and Rajeev Char was kind enough to accompany us to Pleasanton on a freezing morning. You know it is really cold when the dew drops on grass are frozen. I was dead silent for entire 40 minutes of our car ride to the park. That is when I was christened “Shantiben” and I too learnt that I go silent when I am nervous. Anyhow, I stood in water for a few minutes. Tried floating and splashing a bit in the shallow end and I was done.
But good thing was that I joined Asha Tri team for open water swims in the summer of 2016. I was so envious of the ease at which triathletes used to swim. Chakri Gulipalli helped with giving me short goals and holding a boogie board next to me for support. Karthik, Surya and Shashi (none of whom are on FB!), were constantly encouraging me. I would have gone for 4-5 open water swims, but I still didn’t have the guts to swim on my own, stay upright in water or even go to the deep end of the pool. But that was still some progress, I was feeling less nervous each time. The most comforting words were “You don’t have to hurry into anything. Take your time. Take weeks, months or years to feel comfortable. No one is going to rush you into swimming in open water.” And when triathletes used to ask me if I was signing up for a race, I used to say, “No, even if I get comfy with the swim part, I don’t know how to ride a bike!”

Bike:

Lets get to the biking part now and get back to swim again. As most of you know, I learnt how to ride a bike beginning from the very basics of balancing a bike this year, in 2017. I had never ridden a bike before and I had a whole post on how Arun Rao helped me with learning how to ride a bike. Signing up with the TeamAsha biking program is the best thing I did this year (No, I wasn’t paid to write this!). Thank you coaches Mani Harihara and Venkatesh Iyengar. But well, the bottom line was, I had learnt how to ride a bike now and by summer of 2017, I realised I just need to nail down the open water swims.

Swim (part 2):

So, I joined Tean Asha tri group for open water swims in 2017 again. This time, I felt more confident. As others observed, I was talking before the swims now. On my second open water swim, I could just stay upright in the deep water and not panic. That was the step function I was waiting for. Then, it was more about swimming farther each time, stopping less, and trying not to panic and just relaxing. But, I had not signed up for any race!

Picking a race:

No, I didn’t have a choice, I was born this way! Jokes apart, the first race for most of the Asha triathletes, is the Oakland triathlon, end of August. But, due to my committment to Naatak’s new Improv group, I had to miss quite a few swim sessions in July and then, due to the travel bug that bit me, I was out in August. So, Oakland was clearly not what I would have been ready for. While talking to Mittal Patel about this, she told me she had been travelling too and had managed to convince Coach Char to keep the training going for Marin Triathlon in end of October. That was it. I was signing up for Marin triathlon, but not just yet.
Sprint or Olympic:

After I got back from our trip in August, I looked at the race distances, and except for swimming, I was more excited for Olympic. Sprint was 500m swim, 14 mile bike and 5k run. Olympic was 1500m swim, 22 mile bike and 10k run. So, I started following the Olympic schedule and decided to pick one a little closer to the actual event date. Even though I was able to do the distance in pool, I was still not 100% comfortable in open water. 3 weeks before the race, on a bright sunny morning, at Gull Park, I just felt super comfrtable in water and was able to swim not up to the bridge, but to the canal opening and back which is about 1000m. Next week, at Aquatic Park, I was able to do 2.5 loops (1850 yds) and was pretty okay being on my own. But still, I hadn’t signed up. In a nail biting decision, I finally signed up for the Olympic race thinking that 500 m swim is too less, plus, everyone else was doing Olympic, so I would miss out doing the race with fellow Asha athletes and after all, I had trained for Olympic distance. Yes, Sumit Jain found my confusion quite amusing each time I brought it up, that why would I do Sprint. So, there you go, I was signed up and ready(?)!

Day before the race:

It was a Saturday. My Shantiben mode was on. I was not even interested in checking my WhatsApp messages, so much that I even quit a group made for athletes and supporters doing the Marin Tri. Thats so not right! But I slept well on Friday night and on Saturday afternoon. But I kept asking Sumit to check if I had fever. He just told me, “yeh race ka bukhaar hai. You are fine”. So we went for a social dinner, but left early. I had packed and checked and rechecked my stuff and already kept everything in the car trunk. But I just couldn’t sleep. Every 30 minutes, I would think of something that would go wrong. For instance, what if the water is tooo cold and I get hypothermia. What if my knees are frozen on bike as I will be in wet trishorts. What if I had to pee during the bike ride, who will take care of my bike? etc etc. But I got 3-4 hours of sleep.

Race morning:

I was up 15 minutes before the alarm. I got ready, and sat in the car. Coach and Renuka were ride sharing with us. They were on time. We were on time. We reached the venue earlier than expected. Everything was as expected, but I was still anxious. I picked up my packet, got body marked (felt so cool!) and I set up my transitions. I had everything I needed. Arranged everything as I wanted. I had six fellow Asha triathletes with me. It was so comforting to know that I will see familiar faces on the course. By now everybody knew I was absolutely freaked out. Then I saw the buoys being set up, and they were so far away, I kept thinking if it was more than 1.5 km distance. It was now time to suit up. Got into my wetsuits, put on my swim caps, ear plugs. But I just couldn’t smile even if I tried. I am not at all happy with those pre swim pictures. A few tears rolled down and I felt a little relaxed. It was almost time.

Race (Swim):

We were asked to warm up before the race started. Good thing was, there was a carpet to get into the water, so we avoided the tiny rocks, I think it was super helpful. I swam a few yards, may be 25-50 yards, floated a bit, splashed around. Water wasn’t as cold as I had thought. In fact it was warmer than aquatic park. My hands or ears were not frozen. I got out of water waiting for my wave to start at 8:05. Even though I was shivering, I was happy that water temperature was bearable and it felt exactly like Aquatic Park and I felt absolutley confident. I even gave a thumbs up to Sumit Jain as I know my anxiety was trickling on to him.

8:05. Horn blows. I stood a little behind in my group so as to not get kicked by other swimmers. Good call. I had swum only 20-30 yds, when I relaised I had to switch on the watch, I did that while swimming, and realised I did it without having to stop. Swam for a few minutes, realised I was swimming fast. So stopped to take a break. Saw another swimmer had stopped next to me. Smiled at her, asked if she was okay. She smiled and I started swimming again. There were 4 buoys lined up. I had thought to myself, one buoy at a time. I was finally at the first buoy. I saw the next wave was about to start. So, I started swimming to the second buoy. I took breaks when I felt I needed one, but not long ones. After second buoy, I started feeling side stitches. Means I was swimming faster than I do. I didn’t look at the watch. I just stopped, got my breathing in control and swam again. Between third and fourth buoy was some current, but nothing that I wasn’t prepared for (Coyote Point nightmares!). I felt super acoomplished after reaching the fourth buoy. Looked at my watch: 900 yds and 22 minutes. I thought my watch messed up something. Didn’t think too much and started swimming back to the swim start. Tried my best to swim in a straight line. Now, I was relaxed, enjoying my swim, feeling hungry and thinking what will I eat after the race. After sometime, when I took a break, I saw coach Char on the shore. I waved frantically, but he didn’t notice, so I was like, forget it, I wouldn’t want a paddleboard guy to think I was asking for help, so I kept swimming. When I reached the swim start, I heard Renuka Char say “Good job Neha”. I was so happy to have finished my swim. I didn’t look at the time, but I made sure to stop my watch. This swim, is by far, the most important accomplishment for me. I owe it all to Char, Chakri, Shashi, Sumit, Karthik, Surya, Prasad and all the mentors who were there at open water swims. Also, my fellow triathletes, the super encouraging, Akila, Pramoda, Surekha and Mittal. Such a motivated bunch to train with.

Race (Transition 1):

I spent, what felt like eons here. I couldn’t feel my feet. They were numb. First I tried wearing socks standing up. But that wasn’t working out. So, I sat down, wiped my feet again, and wore sock and shoes peacefully. I couldn’t move or feel my toes. Anyway, I got everything I needed and I left T1 in about 10 minutes. I could have clearly saved 5 minutes here I feel. Nevermind. Next time.

Race (Bike):

It was a short climb to get out of the park, followed by three 7-mile loops. The climb outside the park was the toughest, but it was all rolling hills, which is the most annoying type of bike course IMO. But since I had biked the course the previous weekend, I was mentally prepared. Loop1 was good. Feet were still numb. Saw fellow Asha bikers on the course. Some were already ahead and the rest passed by me. Loop2 was better I felt. But mentally taxing to think that I have to do it one more time. It was super nice of the cheering squad (Rajeev, Renuka, Ranjiy, Sumit, Keya, DJ’s father, Keya’s mom) to cheer for us each time we crossed them. This is when I heard Rajeev shout out his classic “Look at you” and I burst out laughing. When I was on to my third loop, the climb outside the park felt super tough. I stopped. Sumit and Rajeev chatted with me. Rajeev suggested I walk the bike a little. But my feet were still numb, so I told him I wont be able to walk. Then I complained about not having any water stops on the course and he said, “Only 22 miles no, you don’t need a water stop”. Only was the key word here. I rolled my eyes and I carried on to the final loop. It felt easier this time. Course was mostly empty now. I was still keeping my just over 10 mph avergae. I almost rammed into a turkey on a downhill. There were a lot of turkeys and deer at blind turns on this course. They would panic on seeing the bikers and try crossing the road. Really scary. Luckily I didn’t fall and restarted. Now when I was left with only a mile to go, my chain came off. I stopped, got off, but my brain was not able to process how to fix it. A lady by the roadside came to help and fixed it in less than a minute, I’d say. Thank You! I could have also walked my bike for the last mile. But it was all downhill and I wouldnt wan’t to walk my bike on such a steep slope I thought. Well, at last I was done. Feet were still numb.

Thank you Purple Pansy

Race (Transition 2):

Sumit was already in T2 waiting for me. I kept Purple Pansy on the rack. Took off my gloves, wore my fuel belt. And got my watch. I was ready in 3 minutes. Good. I took my jacket with me and told Sumit I will give it to him later. I still had to warm up.

Race (Run):

Something I had not been worried about till now. But I have always been unhappy with my brick runs. My pace with fresh legs has improved somewhat and is between 11:30- 12 minute a mile. But on brick runs, it is easily around 14 minute a mile. I knew it will take me about 90 minutes for this 10k, but I wasn’t worried about the time. After about a mile, my feet had warmed up, but I felt my hands were swollen. This is something that never happens to me during training, but always on race days. I was either dehydrated or over hydrated. Since I had been peeing regularly I figured it was probably overhydration. So I decided to sip water slowly and only at the water stops, which were approximately at every mile. I spotted Sumit, Rajeev and Ranjit cheering for us at the loop turn around. I gave my jacket to them. Sumit offered to join me, but I was not too sure. He insisted and joined. It was a good call. It took my mind off the entire thing. My pace improved and I didn’t even realize it. By now I had figured I would be the last one to finish the race. Like Shashi says, it will be a full paisa vasool race it means. When I had only a mile to go, I felt totally drained. I was taking e-gels like clockwork, but I guess I was not having enough water. I have not been able to figure out my water intake till now. And it is only on the race days that I mess it up.

Look who is always there for me!
Anyhow, I entered the park and had only a quarter mile to go. Sumit said, “It is all downhill from here”, I replied, “Its been downhill for me for sometime now”. haha! Sumit told me he was going ahead to take pictures. I ran that steep downhill section, with the finish line celebrations almost wrapping up, I would be the last person to finish, or as I say, I was the showstopper! I crossed the finish line running, smiling and feeling accomplished.

Post Race:

We spent some time taking pictures at the finish line. I didn’t feel sore or super tired. I just felt happy. But I still don’t have an answer to the question “why, why did I do this?” But I have an answer to another question, “Will I do this again?” and the answer is yes.
Like I told Sumit yesterday after the race, I am retiring now….. for a week.

Thank you Team Asha

– Neha Goyal, Team Asha Biking/Triathlon 2017

Children Supporting Children – Play an hour or more

vinuthaba14 — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 22:05:10 +0000

Yes – you read it right..

If you are reading this blog, you know that Asha is all about supporting the children, their education and socio economic needs. On a lazy Monday afternoon, I received a message from a friend who had just returned from Camping trip with her VPA (Vokkaliga Parishat Association) group. This was family event with close to 20+ families. For parents reading the blog, you know how important and necessary it is to entertain the children during these kind of outing for everyone’s sanity :). To entertain the children, VPA group had organized activities and games with prize money to make it more interesting. At the end of all the games, the children who won the games voted to donate the prize money to a Non Profit Organization. The children age between 3years to 13years.

Kuddos to the children who are thinking so selflessly at this age. 3 cheers to the parents who are doing a tremendous job in raising their kids.

To make the donation more meaningful to kids with data to look at, Asha team proposed the donation to be made to our annual work an hour (WAH) program to use the plan an hour (or more) donation. An anonymous friend matched the amount donated by the children to meet the WAH program needs. The child’s story and report that will be supported with this donation will be shared with our little heroes. Bookmark this page to read how this donation story continues….

(WAH is an annual program initiated by Asha to sponsor a child education for 1 year. With just 80$, a sponsor can support the education of a child for an entire year. The children from Jagriti Bal Vikas Samiti – Apna SKool, Kanpur, UP. Project is sponsored by Asha Silicon Valley chapter.)

Meet the children who made the donation

~ASHA Silicon Valley

In Pursuit of Running Nirvana – by Shalu Attri

vinuthaba14 — Sun, 06 Aug 2017 06:18:58 +0000

….Continued from 2016.

Quoting Dr. Seuss:

“Oh, the Places You’ll go!
Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away! “

I joined Team Asha in Season 2 in 2016. I ran San Jose Rock n Roll 1/2 in October, and the season pretty much ended. I had no benchmark on whether I did good, or bad in that race, and more importantly, whether I was capable of doing better.

Last race report here for additional context: Click here

I ran Berkeley 1/2 in November, 2016.

Vartika, Kiran, and Gauri came all the way to Berkeley to cheer me in the rain, along with my husband and our little girl. Kiran even loaned* me his car, so I could drive to Berkeley early morning, which I thought was a big deal. Although, he texted me several times to inquire whether – “his car had reached safe and sound”.

*Our other car is a Nissan Leaf, which can give people a range-anxiety. Our 4-year old also likes to show up, and cross the finish lines with me, no matter what time my races are. Therefore, my husband, our daughter, and the 3-musketeers caught a ride in our other car.

I wanted to keep running throughout the winter, because I had started to enjoy running. Abhishek – one of our Baylands AM mentors, Vineeta, and myself signed-up for Kaiser Permanenete 1/2 in February, 2017 since Coach Char had mentioned several times that it is a very well organized race, and a great course.

Abhishek and I ran throughout the winter at Baylands. I have to commend Abhishek on his very high reliability index (term coined by Abhishek himself) – he showed up rain, shine, or 55 degrees cold even after the season ended. This is a person, who has been with Asha since 2012, or even before, and really does not need to run in Winters, or run at all. I bet at some point, he regretted the fact that a lunatic like myself had joined Baylands AM in season 2, and had influenced him to sign-up for Kaiser 1/2!

Chethan also joined Abhishek and myself for a few runs prior to his half in February, or early March.

If you have ever run with these two, you know they run like the “Wind”, and “Cheetah”. Thanks to these two crazies, I got very used to running the last 1/2 to 1 miler at a super unrealistic pace, which actually, helps you a lot on the actual race day.

Break down of my first 3 races:

San Jose Rock and Roll 1/2 (very well organized race; can get hot): PR = 2:34
Berkeley 1/2 (A bit of a strange course; last 4 miles were super rainy): PR = 2:24
Kaiser 1/2 (Excellent course; well organized): PR = 2:15:22

This is where I would like to emphasize the importance of discipline, training, and consistency in whatever you sign-up for in life. My mother used to tell me when I was young – “When you show up for something, show up with full enthusiasm; do not do anything with a half-hearted attempt.”

My commitment to running is aptly described by Dr, Seuss:

“You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
Any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go”

“OH!
THE PLACES YOU’LL GO!”

Ever since, I started running last year on July 25th, 2016, I have diligently followed foam-rolling, stretching, and running instructors from the Baylands AM mentors. I showed up for all runs consistently. I do believe all these things helped me improve my time with every race. I also worked hard to fix my gait this year.

Fast forwarding to Team Asha’s 2017 season.

A few things stayed the same from last season:
I still dislike bananas! I really do, but I ate more this year. I think I ate 10 this season vs. 5-6 last year. I know which Coach is rolling their eyes at me right about now. Ha ha.
I still miss wearing high-heels. I am looking forward to October 23rd, when I get done with MCM, and can wear heels fearlessly. I haven’t worn high-heels, or heels at all in the last one-year!
While I was not on Paleo this year, I still did not eat Carbs as liberally as I should have.
I am still an extremely distracted runner. My eyes go everywhere during the race.
This season is a crazy season for me (it is self-inflicted though). I have a major personality defect. My average interest in anything lasts for ~2 years. To sustain my interest in Team Asha in 2018, I decided to give Triathlon program a shot this year.

In April 2017, I expressed to my husband that I wanted to do a half-marathon, a triathlon, and a full-marathon this year. This is how our conversation went:
Shalu: “Are you sure you can pick-up my SERIOUS parenting slack this year? It will be a super-tough season.”
Hitesh: “Yep, of course”

(He is a man of few words!).

I asked him 10 times after that, mostly, because I was indecisive. Checking in with Coach Char about whether this Tri + Run schedule was doable at all helped me out immensely.

“You’ll get mixed up, of course,
As you already know.
You’ll get mixed up
With many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
And remember that Life’s
A Great Balancing Act.”

This season, indeed, is a balancing act for me – I swim, I run, and I bike.
I have zero time for friends. I make time for family. I am constantly apologizing to people for my lack of availability. I am trying to find time for simple pleasures such as reading a book for 10-minutes before going to bed. Still, I am happy with my training, and a diversified race portfolio for this year.

My time-management, as well as communication skills with my husband are nothing less than stellar this season! I think I have an excellent answer for that interview question – “Tell me about a time you managed your time well.”

Swimming and biking help me recover super quickly. Fortunately, I am not having any shin splints issues this year, because of quick recovery. I would encourage everyone to consider Team Asha’s excellent Triathlon program for next year.

San Francisco First-Half Marathon, July 23rd, 2017

I really-really like my sleep. We decided to stay in San Francisco the night before, so I could be well-rested, and our daughter could wake up at a reasonable time to come cheer me at the finish line. Good plan in theory. In practice, I woke up at 1:00am, 2:00am, 3:00am (damn it! sleep woman), and 4:00am.

I ate 2 bananas (surprise! surprise! – not out of choice though), left the hotel at 5:00am, and stood in my wave at exactly 5:30am. No time to use porta potty either (those things are gross anyways!). My wave started at 5:42am.

Race Preparation: San Francisco First-Half is a tough race – the hills, the fog, the terrain, the Golden Gate; nothing is easy. Over Memorial Day, I ran a very windy 7-miler in SF, and knew what to expect from this race. In addition, I pinged Coach Reshu and Coach Dennis earlier in the week to provide me with some perspective on how to run this race to achieve my realistic goal of 2:05-2:10, and stretch goal of 1:59.

Both the Coaches gave me exceptionally analytical analysis on how, and at what pace I need to run at for the first 9 miles. Coach Reshu also mentioned last 2 miles are tough. The coaches also advised that I run with a pacer group, which unfortunately, I did not see at all during the race.

Essentially, I decided to do positive splits in this race, and assumed that no matter how I run the first 11 miles, I should not rely on picking up my pace in the last 2 miles (which on a flat course, I am pretty good at).

Race Day:
I ran my first 3 miles fast.
I actually ran first 1/2 mile at a crazy pace – 8’16”. Well, actually, way too fast. I told myself – “Slow down, woman, you have 12+ miles to go!”
I ran up all the hills. I thought FitBit’s BillBoard – “Show the hills, whose the boss!” was very appropriately placed – just before the Golden Gate climb. It gave me inspiration.
I slowed down on Golden Gate Bridge a bit, because it was slippery. This cost me a couple of minutes.
I actually stopped at 3-4 water stops, and timed my Gu intake during those stops (something I learned from Abhishek). This definitely cost me some time.
I ran tangents whenever it was flat (something I learned from running Kaiser 1/2 with Vineeta).
Last 2 miles were tough, not because of the rolling hills, but because as expected, and cautioned by Coach Reshu, I could not pick my pace. Those 2 miles definitely cost me 4-5 minutes.
San Francisco First-Half is the right mix of romance, challenge, and beauty. By far, it was my most comfortable, enjoyable, and gorgeous run! I have to say I fell in love with this course, and will run this race again in a heart-beat.

Most memorable moment from the race: Just prior to getting on Fort Funston, watching a photographer take photos of runners from the beach. In addition to admiring the photographer’s shooting location, I could not help, but think – “Thank God! our open water sessions in the Tri program are not held at this hour.” And, “I need to come back to San Francisco at this hour for a shoot.”

Seeing familiar faces during the race:
Coach Dennis at Mile 3 (in his very NZ accent :)) “How are you doing, Shalu?”
Jigesh on Golden Gate bridge at Mile 7.5 – ‘Let’s do this!” – I could recognize that curly hair and warm smile from anywhere.
Coach Reshu and Coach Balu at Mile 10 – Warm smiles, high-fives, and words of encouragement.
Adwait at Mile 13 – “Go, Shalu” – Although he looks different this season, he still has a warmth to himself (You still look good, Adwait:))
Venkat + his lens at Mile 13 – I could recognize that lens, and Venkat’s focus from anywhere.
Mile 13.1: My husband – Hitesh, our 4-year old daughter – Vian, and Amalia (a friend) cheering me on. Another friend – Navdeep couldn’t find parking, but decided to drive around until the race ended. Hitesh puts Vian in the running area. She holds my hand, and runs at my pace, and crosses the finish line with me (along with her fuzzy bear!). She is super sleepy, yet super determined, and pleased with herself for running the last 30-40 feet with her mom in her beach slippers

PR = 2:09:19

“And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)”

While I do believe my stretch goal was not impossible, San Francisco is a technical race, which requires running all miles accurately to achieve that stretch goal. Overall, I am super-pleased with my run.

Vian’s sign-off comment made my heart melt.
She said – “Mamiz, maybe, when I grow up and run half-marathons, you can wait for me, and cross the finish lines with me.”

“KID, YOU’LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So…
Be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
Or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O’Shea,
You’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!”

To be continued…

#TeamAsha – Thank you for instilling the joy of running in me. Thank you for all you do to make the program successful, and our experience positive.

In Gratitude,
A Runner, and a Triathlete in Training.

My training journey with team Asha – By Olivia

vinuthaba14 — Tue, 01 Aug 2017 05:43:13 +0000

There is always the first time for everything…

March 19, 2017 became one of the very important events in my life, the one that makes me physically stronger, mentally sharper, and above all, a better person!

I came to Asha totally by coincidence! Admittedly, I am addicted to using Facebook And there it was, team Asha page inviting people to join their 10K and 5K run. As I read thru the page, I was thinking if this was the right one for me to join: i had never ran a mile in my life and Asha seemed to be a closed community and I was not sure if I would be welcomed there. Regardless, I paid a registration fee and showed up at the event. That 5K was brutal. Somehow, I finished it but with a lot of effort and pain. I hung around a bit to see what happened next and there I met Kiran. He chatted with me briefly about Asha and what was next. For some reasons, he convinced me to sign up for season 1 training and while I felt so good completing my first ever 5K, I agreed to register right there right then. After the registration, I asked Kiran “what is the goal for the training season?” He said “half and full marathon”. I asked “when is that going to happen”, “July”. “July 2018?” I asked. “Nope, 2017” – It was too late. Some lesson learnt here

At first, I thought I would train by myself as I could not fit into any training group schedule. I asked to be in 3 different groups but I could not make it to any. One Saturday morning run, Bipul, who became my mentor later, approached me and introduced himself. At that time, I did not know he was THE legendary Bipul! He welcomed me to the San Jose AM and asked me about my schedule. He and the entire SJAM team was kind enough to agree to meet at 5:45am to accommodate my tight schedule. I had no reason not to show up and train with them.

Waking up really early 2 mornings a week (4:50am for me in order to reach the park at 5:45) has not been easy at all. Every time, I try to come up with so many excuses not to go (sick, flat tire, early morning meetings, etc.) but my integrity is so high I could not do it Also, Bipul read our minds and made sure that we showed up by sending us texts every step of the way to encourage us to come. We joked about this very often (Megha, Sonal, Pratik and Mehul – you know what I meant). However, every time I could not convince myself to go, I remember one of the coaches’ words: all you need is to show up, we will help you cross the finish line. So up I put on my clothes and shoes…and joined the team when the city was still asleep.

During all 15 weeks of training, there was pain (i had to take a 2 week break), doubts, questions. But at the same time, there was a lot of encouragement from colleagues, from my kids, from Asha coaches, from Asha new friends that I made along the way, and above all, a lot of progress. I got bonded with my training group and was so honored to have Bipul as my mentor. He is like a live dictionary to me when it comes to running (and he has great sense of humor, too).

Fast forward, the taper week came and I got very very nervous and excited at the same time. I got most worried about the logistics and what to wear for the race (very silly of me, of course). However, coach Reshu made it very clear to me that I would have to wear Asha shirt, otherwise she would not cheer for me. Problem solved!

A very good friend of mine agreed to drive me to SF on the race day. This friend was also the one who witnessed my first 5K. I could not sleep that night, waking up multiple times and decided to get out of bed at 1am. We arrived at SF around 4:50am and waited a bit before I walked to the start line at 5:30am. The excitement was so overwhelming that I did not feel sleepy or tired. I was very ready.

One of the members in my training group, Pratik (he did not register for SF marathon) was very kind to be my pacer. He could not enter the start line without the bib so he met me at mile 2 and ran with me to the Golden Gate Bridge. It was nice running with another team member. The first mile I was so determined to run the first best race that I forgot to take in the beauty of SF city. The voice on the speaker reminded all runners to look to their right to witness the sun rise. And it was breathtakingly beautiful! I was so thankful to have an opportunity to take part in such an amazing event. I was looking for every Asha shirt I could find and shouted out “go Asha” with all my heart. I was so touched when i saw coach Reshu shouting my name so loud “go Olivia! You are doing so great”! I love seeing her along the race, every single time. She was there again cheering for me close to the finish line. I was so glad and so proud to wear Asha shirt that day!

I am not sure at what mile I met Guru, who seemed to run my pace. We chatted and decided to run with each other for the rest of the race. I never did 6 minute run and 1 minute walk before but I decided to join him.

We crossed the bridge together. It was a difficult run because of the elevation and the slippery road and it was foggy and cold. I had never known that GG bridge was that long until I had to run cross it on foot. Guru and I felt very good keeping each other at consistent pace. During one of the walks, we stopped to refresh our legs. We saw so many Asha faces on the opposite direction and we even stopped for pictures When we saw mile 9, we felt so excited and happy and thought that it was the best 9 miles we had ever run. Finishing the bridge, I felt pretty good and thought I could finish this strong. I was aiming to complete it within 2 hours 30 minutes.

I met Pratik, my pacer, right when i finished the GG bridge. He was waiting there for me with such big smile. The last 3 miles was brutal because my legs were getting really tired and i kept seeing all the hills, one after another. The last 0.5 mile seemed longest and hardest. Pratik was trying to drag me to finish strong, i had to take a few breaks walking before I could put all my effort to cross the finish line. And we did it, together! My PR: 2:37:41. I had to admit that i was so happy to see many familiar faces near the finish line and I was busy smiling and posing for pictures that I slowed down quite a bit here.

I am so thankful for the experience to train with team Asha, with Bipul and my running group. At first, it was all about me getting fit, about me doing something for myself. However, as the weeks passed by, I learnt that this whole thing was not only about me, it was bigger than me. I was running for great cause and I was doing it alongside so many amazing individuals (all volunteers, coaches, mentors and all participants). There is no boundary when it comes to love: I am Vietnamese and I have been so warmly welcome to Asha community with open arms and legs and hearts. I don’t consider myself raising funds to benefits children in India, I am raising funds to benefits children. We are under the same roof and we share the same responsibility to make the world better.

The race was over and when i was thinking of quitting running altogether, Gauri was able to convince me to continue. I will continue, I promise.

My special thanks to all coaches, to my mentor Bipul, to my training members Pratik, Megha (you are my inspiration to run at strong and consistent pace), Sonal, and Mehul, to all volunteers, to Sandhya who made me feel so included, and to Kavita and Latha, who shows me that friendship can still last beyond the race.

I am forever thankful!
Olivia

Apna Skool – Success Story

vinuthaba14 — Fri, 07 Jul 2017 04:57:20 +0000

MUKESH- My journey from Apna Skool to Azim Premji University

I, like my fellow villagers from Ranchi, used to migrate seasonally along with his parents to brick kilns of Kanpur, UP for livelihood. My family used to engage in the process of taking out the baked bricks from the kilns and transporting them. While our stay in Kalra 1 brick kiln in Tatiyaganj area of Kanpur, I was enrolled in Apna Skool, a network of education centers for the children of migrant workers in brick kilns in Kanpur. Charmed by their innovative methods of learning, I attended the Apna skool education centre there when I got free from assisting my parents in their work. Completing my studies in Apna Skool till Class 4, I got selected in the first batch of kids in Apna Ghar, a residential hostel where the kids stay year-long so that their studies go on un-interrupted while their parents migrate back to their native place. Along with studies, I used to participate in dramatics and writing poems.

I completed my education till Class 12 while staying in Apna Ghar from 2006 to 2014, and then enrolled myself for graduation. I was taken by Apna Kendra- supported by RV Foundation- to allow me to focus on my studies along with preparation for Azim Premji University. I also worked as a teacher in Apna Skool during my graduation, teaching kids like myself for whom education was the only tool to break away from the vicious cycle of brick-kilns.

I applied for MA (Education) program at Azim Premji University and cleared the written exam held on January 22, 2017. Then I appeared for the interview at Patna on March 03 and got selected in that too. Now, I will be joining the Bengaluru campus this month for a new journey.