Monday 29 April 2013

Being a part of the solution, one solution at a time ......

If there is a problem it makes more sense if you are involved in the solution. You know you are trying no matter how complex the solution is ....... 

The list is endless if we sit down and jot our troubles, especially those with our city. When we so vociferously demand our rights I feel a key citizen responsibility is to vote in the right people. There may not be information on every single candidate of every single constituency but there is a lot more information out there than previous elections, choosing by eliminating all the crooks is a good point to start at. 

I shared my personal views on why I feel every individual matters in this write up - http://bangalore.citizenmatters.in/articles/view/5150-importance-of-voting-by-josephine-joseph 

Overall, the outcome may not be very different from earlier but it will be interesting to note if there were any close shaves or surprise victories ...... something that is a positive indication that a small change is beginning.

Thursday 28 March 2013

Running for IKSHA - This time it's for the parents


A chronic sniffle that my child has is enough cause for me to be worried. Many a time, during emergencies, even with all the conveniences I have I'm at a loss of sorts wondering what to do. 

The other day I was reading the health progress reports of our Iksha kids - it is a known fact that they all come from families living on a hand to mouth existence - what stood out most was, no matter what their circumstances  the parents ensured that the kids were in hospital as directed by the doctor for their treatment, many a time forgoing their daily wages for a couple of days and making arrangements for their other kids to be taken care of. In a condition like retinoblastoma, it is extremely critical that the kids come for treatment on time. 

I have had the chance to meet a couple of mothers with their kids at the hospital, they are aware that the cost of treatment is huge and their main responsibility is helping the child get better - you see it in their attitude, despite the unimaginable hardships they face, they are cheerful and treat the kids normally and encourage the kids to get better. 

I now understand more than before how every rupee I raise from donors like you is critical to these parents being "parents". I dedicate my run this year to THE PARENTS of the kids supported by Iksha foundation.