CHRISTMAS 2012-DIDN'T THINK WE WOULD HAVE THIS CELEBRATIONS THIS YEAR!!

EARLIER THIS YEAR WHILE WE WERE BEING ATTACKED, MALIGNED, INTIMIDATED, THREATENED, FALSELY ACCUSED, HUMILIATED...WE NEVER THOUGHT WE WOULD HAVE CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS AT THE HOPE HOME CALCUTTA THIS YEAR. AS IT TURNED OUT, THIS WAS OUR BEST CELEBRATIONS IN 10 YEARS!!

 Aunty Rosy Rowe (75) has been a pillar of strength and encouragement to us. She turned up at the Hope Home on Christmas Eve to teach our girls how to make rose-cookies using moulds!

These are tasty, crispy cookies made with flour, rice-flour, coconut milk and sugar!

The staff came along with me for the candle-lit midnight service at St. Paul's Cathedral...thousands had line up for hours to enter the sanctuary! (we got in through a side-door as members!!)

The atmosphere inside St. Paul's Cathedral was solemn, serene and looked beautiful with a thousand candles!

 Our present Hope Home Calcutta family...Christmas morning at St. Paul's after the morning Service

Driving down brightly-lit Park Street at 2 a.m.

Arun with our guys...

Ruth and Grace with the girls...

Ruth and Leah...wonderfully bonded!

Leah is photogenic and knows it too...

The kids even made me wear a tie- the first time in 20 years in Calcutta!!

Our Christmas lunch in the open (it's 12  celcius - high 50's) in Calcutta...we enjoyed the 'works of our hands'...lamb cooked in curd/spices, friend rice (Chinese style), sweet dish (payesh)...what a way to end a Christmas morning before a well deserved afternoon siesta :-)

WISHING YOU ALL A VERY BLESSED CHRISTMAS AND A BRIGHT AND MEANINGFUL NEW YEAR 201! GOD BLESS YOU ALL!! 

Dev and the Hope Home Calcutta family

VISITING MARY COOPER'S (OLD AGE) HOME

WE WERE ABLE TO VISIT THE MARY COOPER'S HOME FOR THE 10th TIME IN AS MANY YEARS YESTERDAY (DECEMBER 20) AND SING AND PERFORM FOR THESE DEAR MOTHERS/GRANDMOTEHRS AND NOW EVEN GRANDFATHERS! OVER THE YEARS SOME OF THESE PRECIOUS PEOPLE HAVE GROWN MORE IN YEARS AND SOME CONFINED TO THEIR BEDS WHILE A FEW HAVE DEPARTED. BUT IT IS ALWAYS A JOY TO GO BACK THERE AND IT HAS BECOME ONE OF OUR 'MUST-DO-CHRISTMAS-ACTIVITIES'! 

Dev with some of the mothers/grandmothers

Muriel Martin-one of the most loved persons and very dear to the Hope Home family

Their new superintendent and his wife are very interactive and joyful...making all our kids dance once our performance was over

Grace teaching a few of them basic steps in salsa

It was a tough ball-game getting Ruth to dance!

Leah was more cooperative

THESE PRECIOUS PEOPLE EVEN POOLED IN THEIR MITE AND GAVE US A DONATION OF RS. 1000 ($20)!! ONE OF THEIR PATRONS HOWEVER GAVE US A CHECK FOR RS. 2000 ($40)-WHICH WAS TOTALLY UNEXPECTED AND MOST WELCOME!

WE WERE ABLE TO CARRY CHOCOLATES AND OUR OWN HOPE HOME PRODUCED FRUIT CAKE FOR THEM!

NOW THEY HAVE INVITED US TO GO OVER MORE OFTEN (AND NOT JUST DURING CHRISTMAS TIME)

AND NOW...ONTO PREPARATIONS FOR CHRISTMAS-EVE AND CHRISTMAS-DAY! LIKE OTHER YEARS, THIS YEAR TOO WE PLAN TO FEED GUESTS/VISITORS (MOST OF THEM POOR) ON CHRISTMAS-DAY OVER LUNCH!

HOPE HOME CALCUTTA CHRISTMAS CONCERT

EARLIER THIS YEAR IN MARCH-DURING THE INITIAL CONFLICTS WITH THE SOCIAL WELFARE PEOPLE- WE WERE NOT EVEN SURE IF WE WOULD HAVE OUR ANNUAL CHRISTMAS CONCERT IN DECEMBER...TURNED OUT THIS WAS OUR BEST CHRISTMAS CONCERT AT THE HOPE EDUCATION CENTRE GROUNDS! OUR HOME-GROWN LEADERSHIP OF RUTH, GRACE, PETER AND THOSE LIVING FULL TIME - SUPRIYO, ARUN AND OUR TWO COOKS - GAVE IN THEIR ALL TO MAKE THIS YEAR'S CONCERT A SUCCESS! AND THE CHILDREN AND STUDENTS OF OUR SCHOOL WERE ECSTATIC AND THEIR PARENTS/GUARDIANS VERY SUPPORTIVE AND COOPERATIVE!!

I WOULD EXPLAIN THE PHOTOGRAPHS WITH BRIEF CAPTIONS/DESCRIPTIONS!

Grace choreographed Silent Night/O Holy Night with lighted (real) candles!

Nepali students of our school singing Christmas carols in Nepali!

Dev and Darryn have a blast (after a long, long time) accompanying the Nepali children!!

Sufia, daughter of a rickshaw-puller, studying in Grade 6 played the character of an angel in our contemporary play - The Perfect Gift

Most of the characters in the play...

Ruth prepared the guitar and violin ensemble...Abraham Mazumder accompanied them on the piano!

Part of the crowd who attended our Concert under a shamiana!

Grace, Martha and Guria - Grace choreographed this fast-beat worship song

Unity in Diversity...our trademark skit on unity and bond...

Hope Home building lighted up with hand-made stars and the shamiana opposite

Dev introducing our staff to the audience

Some of the special guests from the Minorities Commission

Farid Khan, representing the minorities cell 

Maria Fernandez, Vice Chairperson of the Minorities Commission

Maria handing over a blanket to a poor lady. We distributed 20 blankets and 10 mosquito nets to the poor

Farid Khan handing over another blanket to Yamin Aktar, a riskshaw puller and Sufia's father

The special guests were given hand-made flowers by the children

Sabrina Jordon,, our Nursery teacher was the emcee for the eveing

We had a brief get-together after the concert in our hall

Nursery and Kindergarten children performed the opening Welcome song/dance sequence

Grades I, II and III sing Christmas carols

THANKS FOR YOUR VISIT. HAVE A BLESSED CHRISTMAS AND A WONDERFUL AND MEANINGFUL NEW YEAR 2013! 

THANKS FOR BEING WITH US THROUGHOUT THIS YEAR, ESPECIALLY IN THE INITIAL DIFFICULT DAYS. PRAY FOR THE REST OF THE CHILDREN WHO ARE YET TO BE RE-SETTLED IN CALCUTTA.

DEV AND THE HOPE HOME CALCUTTA FAMILY!!

THE CONCERT AT THE ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL WAS SUPER...OUR CHILDREN WERE IN FULL FORM AND GAVE THEIR BEST ENACTING THE NATIVITY SCENE! EVEN LEAH WAS 'MANAGEABLE' MOST OF THE TIME - THE JOKE OF THE PLAY HOWEVER WAS THAT LEAH HAD A CANDY IN HER MOUTH IN A SCENE WHERE MARTHA (WHO ACTED AS A MOTHER IN THE PLAY) WAS TELLING ANOTHER CHARACTER, 'SIR, WE DID NOT HAVE ANY FOOD FOR 2 DAYS...COULD YOU KINDLY GIVE US SOME FOOD' - I DON'T THINK MANY PEOPLE TOOK NOTICE OF THE MOVING JAWS (LEAH'S) BUT NONETHELESS, IT WAS A GREAT EVENING AND THE FIRST TIME HOPE HOME CHILDREN PERFORMING AT SUCH A BIG PLACE.

AND NOW, ALL OUR FOCUS, ENERGY AND SOUL TOWARDS OUR OWN CONCERT ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16th AT THE HOPE HOME GROUNDS!

Ranjit (Jonah) and Rohit (Noah) with Dr. Sam Massey providing background music

Rosni with our four musketeers - Joel, Sanjaya, Samuel and Anupam

Guria and Dolon (centre)

Dolon (as a shepherd boy)

The characters...

Back to 'normal' clothes after the play

The children's choir performing at the beginning of the play

The Classic - Martha with Leah and Anjali

Kezia

Guria and Kezia