What our visitors say

Aniqah, Laura and Camila's Account of their Experience in Chaparda

"Arriving at the airport in Ahmedabad in the early hours of the morning we were completely oblivious to what was waiting for us at our destination’s end. This was our first introduction to India. The taxi made its way through the slums and out of the city until we were speeding along into rural Gujarat. As the sun gradually rose it revealed to us lush fields in which brightly clothed women worked, small villages with shops and stalls, spilling out onto the often dusty street. We stared in delight as we hurried on passed all manner of modes of transport – the cattle and camels being the most novel. Large numbers of people piled into small vans, motorbikes and rickshaws – all smiling. This was the India we had seen in photographs and heard about from friends, and it was, as we had anticipated it to be, breathtaking.

Yet reaching our destination in Charpardra we were met with a place so completely unimaginable. We had envisaged a small collection of ramshackle buildings and evidence of extreme poverty and hardship – we were going to an orphanage after all. But we found a beautifully laid out community. Communal kitchens serving delicious wholesome food, happy smiling people busily working, a home for the elderly, a school for the blind, a school and accommodation for boys and a separate one for the girls. We were amazed by the order and the harmony of the place. An atmosphere of true contentment was palpable.

Meeting the girls for the first time was very special. They all appeared, smiling their welcome and leading us into the hall where they were practising dancing for the approaching Navratri festival. They took our hands and immediately we were included, as they patiently and with great humour began to teach us the steps. They referred to us as “sister, sister!”. We were immediately intrigued by their energy and zest for life. These were children who had started life with so very little, in abject poverty and difficult circumstances where illness and hardship were never unknown to their families, if they had them. And even at such a young age, they possessed a great maturity underneath their effervescent childlike exuberance.

We were impressed by the sense of community and care so evident in their relations with each other. The older girls looked out for the younger ones and a sense of belonging and family which we had not anticipated was very apparent. This was certainly helped by the wonderful presence of Dada and Meena, who orchestrate the successful running of the orphanage, attending to the girls needs; educational, emotional and physical. The emphasis was on learning skills which would enable them to be self-reliant, equipping them in a very forward thinking way for life after the Mukti Trust.

We were given an hour per day to teach the girls, hoping to impart some practical skills as well as some English. This presented itself as a slightly overwhelming challenge at first. With no other English speakers present, we had to plan our lessons and source the materials we required in a very creative way. We were helped by the ever patient and willing Meena and we began lessons making greeting cards.

The girls were very creative and seemed to have great enthusiasm for the task at hand. We commented to each other that this was quite a contrast to the lessons we had attended in our school-days when it couldn’t be said that the students (including ourselves) were always willing and interested. Reluctance was something the girls never displayed – they were eager to engage with all of the opportunities that came their way. That is why it is such a blessing that the Mukti Trust has such dedicated staff and trustees to provide for these young women and help them to achieve their potential and enjoy life.

Soon we had become a part of the daily life of the place teaching and playing with the girls. Dancing, chatting and even dressing up to attend the Navratri festival with them. They invited us into their rooms and set about making sure our saris were arranged correctly, our hair presentable and always insisted on us wearing jewellery, offering us the loan of their own things.

The girls had very busy schedules and so while they were at lessons, we helped out at the school for blind children and in the Spoken English classes.

We were fortunate to be accommodated at the Ashram, where we were able to experience first-hand the reasons for the great respect Bapu commanded in the area. He is an inspirational leader and is making real positive impacts on the lives of all of those in the area with his insightful action and vision. It became clear why everybody so happily and diligently fulfilled their roles. This wasn’t a community motivated by money, self-service or materialism but love, goodwill and respect for life.

We feel very privileged to have been able to be part of it for a while. To be able to make a contribution and also to learn so much and experience a different and inspirational way of life was a unique and rewarding experience".