As part of this year’s illuminations.
Our house is also full of plants.
The next night in its stormy rain glory.
Manjula’s Garden Glows
Category: Manjula’s Kind
My Indian sister.
It’s a special day (Raksha Bandhan) when sisters give a bracelet known as a Rakhi
It symbolises brotherly love and a promise of protection, bringing good fortune.
Radhika is Kaveri’s auntie but they’re really like sisters.
I’ve got to know Radhika quite well over the past year, especially during the school holiday when she came with Kaveri and I for swimming, skating and often stayed at the BnB.
We’ve all been on holiday together to Kerala. Twelve of us, the first time and we’ll return in October with Kaveri, her mum Chandrika and Radhika. .
Radhika passed her exam this year, got a high-scorer award and is now at PUC- Pre-University College.
Bringing MAnjula home
Manjula appeared behind my cycle as well as in our hearts on what would have been her 50th birthday.
We celebrated with 100 children at Kaliyuvamane
Today I brought her home.
We cycled through the countryside, along the national highway, through the suburbs and on my cycle route around Chamundi Hill.
Stopping to chat as people wondered what it was all about.
It’s about our love and her kindness
… and now we’re back home at Manjula’s Garden
Meet a friend — Ina
Ina was already at our house as I returned from the U.K.
Ina was an early guest who returned to visit every year bar the coronavirus blot on our landscape. She quickly became a close friend of Manjula helping us celebrate our engagement in 2015. They would mostly hang out together and she’s the guest who’s stayed the most and longest.
We’ve also become good friends. She’s also lost her loving partner and been a great support to me.
Ina has seen Kaveri two years running and appreciates how she’s progressed.
Ina has a strong Scottish accent even though she’s lived in Australia for almost seventy years, having escaped Britain, on a ship, to settle there as a young girl with her family.
Ina, is most definitely one of Manjula’s kind. Thoughtfully helping, all around her, emanating a positive energy, appearing to be decades younger than she is but we don’t mention age.
Her initial visit was to meet a Tibetan monk, for the very first time, that she’d sponsored since he was a child.
She regales with stories of her family and her great times looking after her grand kids.
As she says herself
I couldn’t agree more. I’m still learning
Ina leaves at some ungodly hour for the flybus to Bangalore airport for a week in Singapore en route to home in Australia after our last meal together at Olive Garden
She’s supposed to have gone but I thought I heard her calling out downstairs. Now that’s worrying.
I look forward to her return next year
wonderful images from Manjula’s Birthday event
on what would have been Manjula’s 50th birthday we held a creativity day for the 100 students at Kaliyuva Mane School
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Why do we do it?
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To remember and celebrate Manjula by continuing her good kindness.
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Please check the wonderful photographs of our latest event
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Faizan is the official photographer and film maker of Manjula’s Mysore. A great friend of both Manjula and Stephen
He often presents us with a problem. His still shots are too good — we want to see them all.
So here they are — of the day we worked with the team at Kaliyuva Mane on the 21st August, on what would have been Manjula’s 50th birthday — to help support their work with these wonderful children.
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More info and links below.
More information about this day can be found here:
Faizan’s videos for Manjula’s Mysore are:
Introducing Manjula on a previous birthday
Our event on Manjula’s Birthday in 2022 for visually impaired young women
Our web sites
Manjulas’s Mysore for details of what we do (our services)
MeandMycycle for more about us and who we are (the blog)
For more information about Faizan
Our thanks to our supporters: The school itself Kaliyuvamane and its great team, Polar Bear Ice Creams their fab team, Faizan and our wonderful volunteers: the artist/teachers Anjali, Rena and Shubhash with help from Australia: Ina, Ali and Miai and Mysore Bed and Breakfast: Sowbaghya.
We all had fun and it made a difference in the children’s lives
Thank you, from Manjula and Stephen
Remembering Manjula
Manjula once told me that she wished to be reincarnated as a tree
This book reminded me of that
So if you ever see me talking to a tree….
You know.
How lucky am I?
That was immensely satisfying as …..
One, Manjula continues to give. We celebrate and continue to share her loving kindness.
Two, we’ve made a great difference for 100 young children
Three, enhanced our reputation at Manjula’s Mysore of making things happen.
Flying Cycles
Forty young visually impaired women took to the streets of Mysore in celebration of the life of Manjula on her 49th birth anniversary.
On Manjula’s Fun Day, sighted guides acted as ‘pilots’ steering and pedalling a tandem (cycle made for two) with the visually impaired young women acting as ‘stokers’ pedalling behind, enjoying the wind in their faces, the passing sounds and the sense of movement, like flying.
It was the highlight of the day of activities, that included games, music, storytelling, singing, food, drinks, cakes and cookies.
Tushar of MyCycle Tours said: “We could tell from their oohs and aahs that the young women, without sight, were having great fun. It reminded me of when I first rode a bicycle – they felt a great sense of freedom.”
Yamunavva said: “I was scared in the beginning, but the fear left. I felt very happy.” Gowri added: “The cycling experience was so good and I felt so happy that I asked for another ride.”
It wasn’t just the young women who benefited from the fun-filled day. “I began to understand the strength and courage that these young women need to be able to face life’s challenges,” said Meghana from Manjula’s Mysore “They taught us the value of a positive can-do attitude.”
Stephen, Manjula’s husband added: “That was just like Manjula. Together we remembered and celebrated Manjula’s life, her strength and kindness. With her radiant presence and infectious smile, like the sun, she magically brought life and warmth to all she met.”
Check out our video of the day.
“What a day. We all left feeling that warmth,” said Sarvesh who organised the day on behalf of Manjula’s Mysore.
The day demonstrated how organisations can come together to make a difference. Businesses such as SAPA, Aroma and Mysore Bed and Breakfast providing the cookies, cakes and meals as responsible businesses. Local community and art organisations of Mysore Storyteller’s Network, Vishnu Sharma Company, Divya Jyothi Charitable Trust, Faizan Baksh and MyCycle Tours gave their services.
Manjula and Stephen were partners for nine years after setting up their business, fell in love and got married. Unlike these young women, Manjula could see but she had difficult times throughout her life. She had to believe in herself and seize opportunities to create the life she wanted. She shared her home and is now known throughout the world for welcoming international tourists to Mysore until her untimely death three years ago.
What shall we do next to do good in Manjula’s Memory, in the year she would have been fifty?
Next in August 2023 will be artists providing a day of creativity for 100 school children.
Guests are helping fund and making suggestions making contributions for future activities, for Manjula’s Mysore.
What do you think we should do?
An education for ……. Kaveri?
Kaveri is a real star. You might have noticed — from my regular postings — that I’m impressed with her. She’s personable, a smart cookie and a wonderful help for me in the new challenging situation without Manjula by my side.
Manjula’s Mysore and I are committed to supporting Kaveri where we can and sponsoring her education. We hope some of our community of guests help out a bit too. But what options are the best?
So I had to do some research. I read up about it,
I have two adult sons and a granddaughter, my first career was as a social worker with children and families, then a manager of welfare services in government, worked on developing partnerships in the UK and India but you can never know too much, obviously. This is very challenging for all concerned.
So I’ve got a bit of experience at all sorts of different levels, communities and cultures.
But I know you can never have enough knowledge, insights, awareness, empathy and understanding. Even more challenging, I’m not part of the family and need to be completely in tune with their needs and wishes.
I’ve discussed the situation with a network I’ve created of educationalists, social workers, psychologists
But most importantly fully involved (including visits to schools) her mum, and madam herself.
so what’s to do?
There is a clear preference, from the family, for Kaliyuva Mane — A school FOR children and home for learning founded by M R Ananth Kumar.
It’s a free residential school for children in Kenchalagudu on the outskirts of Mysore.
I first visited the school on a cycle yatra over ten years ago. It was featured in my article
It’s child centred
It focuses on the needs of the child and so it is outside the mainstream system. It’s similar to the alternative schools found around the world.
But it’s residential.
I wonder if that’s best for an eight year old maybe in the circumstances its exactly what’s required.
You might be wondering, how did it get to this? who is Kaveri and why am I proposing that we support her?
Me and MYCycle 