Today I have visited Fr. Josen of IMS congregation in sector,19,Noida who is running a programme calledMary's Meal for the slum children. Through the programme he and his team members provides free education to the street children reaching to them into their own slum area. Here they provide mid-day meal to the children to attract them to come for education.
The aim of the programme is to "EMPOWER THROUGH EDUCATION" to the poorest of the poor dwelling in slums. They want to provide the taste of education who never had any education in their life. Through informal education which they provide, they are trying to develop the future of our country to go to formal school. It is a process to inculcate values of life in them.
As we know children are the future of our country, and a small step taken by him is praise worthy. I am also impressed by his team members who goes to the slums takes the trouble to teach them. Its easy to teach within the four walls of school but to teach in the streat or in the road is really a challing task.
I hope the initiative taken by them will be a great success in forming the future generation of our country.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Saturday, November 14, 2009
PARADISE ON EARTH
‘Dipawali- a festival of light’ truly filled me with light of love and joy when I first set foot in Nainital on the festive day of diwali this year. It was early in the morning when we reached Nainital. As I stepped out from the bus the chilled breeze touched me, as though it’s asking me to wake up from my sleep and see the beauty of mesmerizing Nainital. I was amazed to see a vast lake in the heart of Nainital, it seems to be stretching out her hands and welcoming all the tourists. Forgetting all the tensions and turmoil of life I enjoyed the panoramic view of the place for some time as I stood by near the beautiful lake.
As we were proceeding towards the hotel I noticed the beautiful Maple trees standing in rows separating the two- way road. This made the walk interesting and filmy. As the sun was rising up in the sky, people started to open the doors and windows of their houses to welcome the beautiful day. The shop keepers were very keen to open their shops with the hope that it would be a profitable day for them. Finally we reached our hotel on top of a small hill. We rested for two hours and at around ten we kick- start our sight seeing program.
We excitedly hop into our hired Tata Sumo and glide along the curvy road that led us to our first destination, Sathtal-Lake, which is 5 km away from Nainital. The vast mountains covered with Pine trees, surrounded the Lake. The atmosphere around was quite and serene, we could also hear the sound of the birds chirping and this added more beauty to the Lake. I managed to capture some of the beauty of the enchanted lake into my camera.
Our next destination was the famous Bhimtal-Lake, a vast deep- blue lake with historical importance. It is considered to be one of the biggest lakes in Nainital. It is said that Bhim, one of the Pandava footprint is found there and is now turned into an island where the local people have built a temple.
As the day passed, I was thoroughly filled with joy and happiness but at the same time I could hear my stomach growling as it was time for lunch. So we decided to go back to the hotel. After we had lunch, we took little rest and in the evening we headed to see the town. As I was walking along with my friends to the market place I was taken aback by the beauty of Nainital. She was covered with lights and the reflection of her beauty was seen in the lake. The entire town was glittering with lights and diyas. All the shops were packed with different kinds of crackers and sweets. We were delighted to see the splendid glow of Nainital as we sat by near the lake almost the whole evening.
On October 17, 2009 we started our day by attending the prayer service at St. Thomas church. After the service was over, we decided to do some thing adventurous and nothing was better than horse-riding. The horses were almost 2 km away from the town, so a broker was assigned to arrange for the vehicle in order to reach the place. We were asked to climb on the horse, and for the first few minutes it was really frightening to sit on the back of the horse as it gallop high into the mountains. I was nervous and I could feel my heart beating faster and faster like the Rajdhani Express. However as the journey on the mountain reached mid way I begin to gained my confidence.
As our group of 12 was going up on the mountain with our strong horses, it seems to me as though it was Ali Baba and forty thieves going out to rob a village. The dark forest where we were traveling on our horse back was very adventurous and exciting. The houses and scenery seen from the mountain top was very pleasing to the eye. While coming down from the high top mountain, I was leading the whole group with my horse Romeo. He was very cooperative and clever. We all reached the town back safe and sound.
It was almost evening when we reached the hotel, the sun has started to set and the thought of leaving the place, I called Paradise on Earth filled my heart with sadness. I however made a resolution to myself to re-visit Nainital. Thus I could say with confidence that this year’s Dipawali has truly enlightened me with the spirit of joy to be cherished through out my life.
As we were proceeding towards the hotel I noticed the beautiful Maple trees standing in rows separating the two- way road. This made the walk interesting and filmy. As the sun was rising up in the sky, people started to open the doors and windows of their houses to welcome the beautiful day. The shop keepers were very keen to open their shops with the hope that it would be a profitable day for them. Finally we reached our hotel on top of a small hill. We rested for two hours and at around ten we kick- start our sight seeing program.
We excitedly hop into our hired Tata Sumo and glide along the curvy road that led us to our first destination, Sathtal-Lake, which is 5 km away from Nainital. The vast mountains covered with Pine trees, surrounded the Lake. The atmosphere around was quite and serene, we could also hear the sound of the birds chirping and this added more beauty to the Lake. I managed to capture some of the beauty of the enchanted lake into my camera.
Our next destination was the famous Bhimtal-Lake, a vast deep- blue lake with historical importance. It is considered to be one of the biggest lakes in Nainital. It is said that Bhim, one of the Pandava footprint is found there and is now turned into an island where the local people have built a temple.
As the day passed, I was thoroughly filled with joy and happiness but at the same time I could hear my stomach growling as it was time for lunch. So we decided to go back to the hotel. After we had lunch, we took little rest and in the evening we headed to see the town. As I was walking along with my friends to the market place I was taken aback by the beauty of Nainital. She was covered with lights and the reflection of her beauty was seen in the lake. The entire town was glittering with lights and diyas. All the shops were packed with different kinds of crackers and sweets. We were delighted to see the splendid glow of Nainital as we sat by near the lake almost the whole evening.
On October 17, 2009 we started our day by attending the prayer service at St. Thomas church. After the service was over, we decided to do some thing adventurous and nothing was better than horse-riding. The horses were almost 2 km away from the town, so a broker was assigned to arrange for the vehicle in order to reach the place. We were asked to climb on the horse, and for the first few minutes it was really frightening to sit on the back of the horse as it gallop high into the mountains. I was nervous and I could feel my heart beating faster and faster like the Rajdhani Express. However as the journey on the mountain reached mid way I begin to gained my confidence.
As our group of 12 was going up on the mountain with our strong horses, it seems to me as though it was Ali Baba and forty thieves going out to rob a village. The dark forest where we were traveling on our horse back was very adventurous and exciting. The houses and scenery seen from the mountain top was very pleasing to the eye. While coming down from the high top mountain, I was leading the whole group with my horse Romeo. He was very cooperative and clever. We all reached the town back safe and sound.
It was almost evening when we reached the hotel, the sun has started to set and the thought of leaving the place, I called Paradise on Earth filled my heart with sadness. I however made a resolution to myself to re-visit Nainital. Thus I could say with confidence that this year’s Dipawali has truly enlightened me with the spirit of joy to be cherished through out my life.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
I visited the Akshardham temple in Delhi. It was an wonderful experience to go there with some of my friends. I liked the beauty of the place and its fountain show atracted the most. When I was leaving for Akshardham I just thought of enjoying the place with my friends but as soon as I entered the gate the panaromic view captured me and my soul.
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