Me and the dogs sorting out the children’s section of the library.
Fact is Lucie has scarpered. Nowhere to be seen, but frankly , it’s no loss as she can’t read anyway.
Billet-Doux is present, after a fashion.
Books are slowly finding their way to the shelves.
Manjula’s Sari’s protect the books from the get-everywhere dust.
Thank you to Judith Gilliland of the USA for the donation of the books you authored which started our library years ago.
I’ve now sorted over 150 young children’s books but I don’t agree with that classification as they’re for ALL ages. There’s many others: novels, india, management, thinking, politics, history, philosophy, uncategorisable for another day.
Lucie appears at the precise moment the work is over.
Meanwhile, it’s catching, Sowbaghya doing her own thing.
Manjula’s Mysore organised a creativity day for the 100 children of Kaliyuvamane school.
Our main team was Anjali leading on painting/drawing, preparation and overall coordination, Shubhash origami and Rena, sculpture.
Thanks to Faizan for videos and still photography.
Aryaa assisted with with the preparation. Ali, Miai, Ina and Sowbaghya together with the whole school team, helped out.
At the end, I explained why we’d organised the day.
The children and staff met Manjula (I cycled her images), we thanked everyone and then we were rewarded by the wonderful ice cream donated and served by Polar Bear.
Deliciousness from Polar Bear
Footnote
Stephen’s thanks.
“Today is because being creative is fun and good for us.
Did you enjoy it?
The day was Organised by Manjulas Mysore, to remember my beautiful wife who lived to give love to everyone. Today that beautiful woman is still with us in spirit and would have been 50 today.
Our new logo
Thank you to everyone for taking part and making it good. that is … Everyone at Kaliyuvamane: children and team who run it, to the artists and helpers.
Polar Bear’s fantastic treats are the tops, thank you for the ice cream.
Well done everyone
Let’s now enjoy our ice cream and look at the art.”
Our official T Shirt. Ina from Australia.
Message from Ina —Thomasina Sng — who has visited most years since we opened Mysore Bed and Breakfast. She became a great friend to MAnjula, is here now and helped us celebrate Manjula’s Birthday.
“Manjula was and still is an inspiration, from a background that would have made most people selfish and angry, she chose to be caring and giving,her happiness was in making and seeing other people happy and this is the love that she continues to teach.” Ina
We’re out again this evening to celebrate Manjula’s birthday.
We piloted an idea to introduce young dynamic artists to children at Kaliyuvamane who remained at school during the summer holiday.
Young people doing fab things.
In August 2023 on what would have been Manjula’s 50th birthday, the artists will return to the school with all the young people there for a full day of creativity.
Who knows where it might lead
Footnote
Kaveri is now attending Kaliyuvamane and living there most of the year.
Almost thirteen years ago — shortly after I’d moved to Mysore — a group of us cycled to visit local community projects.
I wrote about it in the local paper ‘The Star of Mysore’
Organised by Sham Sunder from the National institute of Engineering here in Mysore we met activists to learn about their strong social and environmental conscience and the active projects they’d created.
One of the places we visited was Kaliyuva Mane — a school FOR children. A free residential alternative to traditional schools.
This was going to come back into my life in a very satisfying way.
Manjula’s Mysore is now the name of the new business. and we’ve already done a few things…
A fun day of activities for forty young visually impaired women on what would have been Manjula’s 49th birthday. Please Check the video created by Faizan.
Reopened mysore bed and breakfast and mycycle tours. This month the MCC : Mysore City Corporation issued a business licence and so we’ve officially welcomed our first guests.
The new business has allowed Stephen to get a business visa, to continue to stay in India. So far he’s not been able to get an OCI (overseas citizen of india) and most importantly it’s another way to celebrate MAnjula
Manjula’s Mysore is a three year project to do good as MAnjula would have wanted
The opportunities are not only in the library itself, but every space in and around our house offers a place for quiet reflection or when it’s not so quiet, meeting old and making new friends.
Join our family, including the birds attracted to the greenery bursting from our house, our pets… Lucie, billet-doux and
…. our garden.
Originally in pots on our roof, it’s now shifted to the park opposite with granite benches or hammocks available from the house.
Please come and enjoy.
Have we got it right? As in this article on how to nurture a personal library, “according to Cicero, if you have a library and a garden, you have everything you need.”
Our local Karnataka media showed interest in young visually impaired women cycling on the fun day organised by Manjula’s Mysore.
Prajavani
Prajavani on the left, Kannada Prabha on the right.
Kannada Prabha
This is important recognition for our young team who gave a great opportunity to the young women and returned two weeks later to give rides to the young women who missed out.
Me and MYCycle 