Women's Day at Gandhi Ashram
Viren Joshi
8TH MARCH 2013 FRIDAY -WOMEN'S DAY AT MANAV SADHNA GANDH ASHRAM
After discussing with the folks who were interested, it was decided that our sisters and mothers in the slums deserve to have pure fun and relaxing evening. Now a days they get plenty of lectures and updates about how they need to learn more things work harder and empower themselves. But we felt they need pure, selfless love, respect and lots of fun also.
So, MS karyakartas along with GS and Jeevan Tirth started planning an event for the women's day. Several inputs and ideas were shared within the organizations. All karyakartas and volunteers were committed to this event that day. Even our older boys participated in serving and helping.
It felt like a big wedding event in Gandhi Ashram! The place was decorated and prepared for hosting of hundreds of mothers and sisters. The women started arriving from 2pm. That was an hour early than start time of 3pm! Our international women volunteers welcomed each women at the gate with big smile, kanku tilak and handmade flower. On their departure, they were given a packet of beautiful assorted bindi donated by one of the volunteer. 50 women from Leper Center vastral in special bus, 100 Muslim women from Jamalpur, from Shankar Bhuvan and many from Rama Pir Tekro came. Over 1200 mothers and sisters came to Gandhi Ashram that evening. Most of them were dressed so nicely like they came to a wedding. Kids and husbands were not allowed!
We had swings, drama ( with message), 2 mehdi booth, makeup, hair style, sari style, instant pictures, fun sports, good quality ice cream (diamond king!), pani puri, bhel, chana chor garam. It was just so beautiful to see all these 1200 plus sisters and mothers laughing, singing, swinging, dancing and eating.
Truly they were 1200 little girls for 3 hours! Over 100 men and women volunteers served with so much love, respect and gratitude. All the food was made in the MS kitchen with love. Every one participated and contributed to make this event so pure, loving and beautiful.
I saw one rag picking ben with makeup, telling her friend to push her swings because she had mahendi in her both hands! Then one of her friend came eating pani puri, so she opened her mouth wide telling her to feed her one! Some of the majis using small plastic spoon had ice-cream all over the face! It is a blessing and opportunity to serve, contribute and witness such a pure selfless love, fun and joy of caring and sharing.
A small break from waking up at 2every night and rag picking wondering in the streets of Ahmedabad for 5-6 hours to earn one dollor!
Lot more to be done, but they sure deserved this love, respect, space, feeling special and fun. The entire event cost was about $600 and about 1600 serving hours with love and gratitude to make it a blast! Look at the pictures attched in a pdf file.