Konkan Kanya

OSI-India (Pune)

18 January 2015

Reminiscent of our girl's favourite 2012 excursion to Chincholi Marachi, our children again enjoyed a fantastic day in the rural countryside.

In 2012, our friend Charlyne Yi, visiting from USA, accompanied us on our Chincholi Marachi excursion. The rural atmosphere and simple country lifestyle had a most profound effect on our urban children. So Charlyne has generously provided another such opportunity for our girls. We returned to the same farming region, this time visiting Konkan Kanya, an "agro tourism" working farm.

Our Day

We left our Janata Vasahat neighbourhood at 7:30 am, two busses packed with 65 singing and dancing girls and our few staff. Our busses slowly made their way out of polluted urban gridlock and into the fresh air of rural India. Cars and rikshaws were gradually outnumbered by oxcarts, as our road insensibly narrowed and evolved into a dusty farm path. We reached Konkan Kanya farm mid-morning, and were given a tour of the facilities, along with some interesting presentations and demonstrations. Academics out of the way, with mid-day temperature rising, we then enjoyed a "rain dance", -an outdoor dance floor showered by fountains, with our favourite pop tunes blaring. After a change into dry clothes we relaxed under the palm trees and enjoyed a very full lunch. After lunch we enjoyed plenty of leisure time, and long rides on the farm wagon. Poof, somehow the day was gone! -we boarded our busses at dusk and returned to our homes well after dark, exhausted, yet taking stock of all of our new memories! Thanks for these Charlyne!

Acknowledgements

Thanks again to the generosity and care of Charlyne Yi for providing today's trip, and a stock of positive childhood memories, -something these girls do not have nearly enough of (though your own visit continues to be prominent among these, Charlyne!). Thanks also to the girl's own sponsors for their contribution!

Thanks also to Dina Fesler and Andy Zweber of Children's Culture Connection for accompanying our children and creating some extra fun and laughs for them! CCC is here expanding their outstanding curriculum project. Dina is also an OSI sponsor, and in fact discovered Minal's effort and introduced her to OSI in 2008. Dina also provided all of the above photographs!

Finally, thanks to Mukta, Shrada, and Harshada, ASHA's incredible staff members, for once again coordinating a remarkable trip and grand experience for these girls, besides your tireless daily care for them! You are truly outstanding!

OSI-India Site Page

With more photos, maps, and information about OSI-Pune