One of the greatest trips of my life happened this past year when I went to Maharashtra in India. My friend, Dev Raj, and our families traveled with us as we learned about Mumbai and the surrounding areas. Throughout the year, I work extensively with the HELP Foundation, who fundraises for nonprofits in India. SAMPARC (Sustainable Approach for Multi-faceted Progress Aimed at Reclaimed Childhood) is one of the organizations that receives funds from the HELP Foundation, and we took the time to tour their facilities and speak with workers and residents at several of their ashrams. We learned so much about how SAMPARC helps orphaned and impoverished children with everything from housing to education to medical attention throughout their adolescence to become successful citizens.

We also visited the Bhaja Caves and Lohagad Fort and learned about SAMPARC’s annual Heritage Walk, where they strive to create awareness and appreciation of Maharashtra’s historical monuments. We ended the trip with a day in the Dharavi Slums, where the the movie, SlumDog Millionaire was set. Here is a full itinerary of our amazing trip!

ITINERARY

On December 13^th my friend, Dev Raj, and I flew to Mumbai from Newark Airport via Lufthansa Airlines with Dev Raj’s mom, Upasna Dhupar. My mom met us at Mumbai, as she had taken an earlier flight. I was prepared for a long flight, but it was still difficult to spend such a long time on a plane. We had 8.5 hours to Frankfurt Airport, and then had about 1.5 hrs to get to our next flight from Frankfurt to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. After another 8.5 hour flight, we finally reached Mumbai. The whole journey was over 24 hours, most of the time spent trying to sleep and watch movies on the plane. All we wanted when we landed in Mumbai was to get our bags and get to our hotel to rest, but unfortunately, our luggage was misplaced and didn’t make it to Mumbai with us, so our first stop in Mumbai was to buy clothes and accessories. I had been working with a travel agent to help plan and book our trip. She hired a reliable taxi service for us. The taxi driver picked us up at the airport and kindly brought us to an open air market near our hotel where street vendors sold us some essentials for our trip until our luggage could be located. Between the extensive travel and the 12-hour time difference, we were all pretty jet lagged. Fortunately, I had anticipated needing an adjustment period and had built an extra two days into our schedule with the travel agent so we could relax before really getting started on the trip.

Day 1:  December 17, 2022 (Saturday)

9:00AM: Dev Raj, our mothers and I all meet for breakfast at the hotel. The food in Mumbai is delicious! It was a buffet with everything from freshly made idlis and masala dosas to an array of fresh fruits and sweets. While I was familiar with the types of foods offered at the hotel, I typically only eat them at home, or at an Indian restaurant. It was a comforting feeling to see the same foods served all around me in India, as opposed to only being available in certain settings.

10:00AM: We left Mumbai for the SAMPARC Balgram in Bhaje. SAMPARC stands for a Sustainable Approach for Multi-faceted Progress Aimed at Reclaimed Childhood, and has the motto, Social Action for Manpower Creation. This nonprofit organization works with the local government to provide balgrams (orphanages) to children who are either disadvantaged due to their rural living environment, or abandoned because their parents are sex workers or in prison. SAMPARC’s ashrams (refuges) provide not only food, clothes and shelter to their residents, but also education, job training, and cultural development. My family has a nonprofit called The HELP Foundation that donates to SAMPARC. Seeing the good work they do with The HELP Foundation’s donations made me want to learn more about them, and ultimately led me to traveling to Mumbai to see all that they do for children first-hand.

Our travel agent had arranged for a driver for the week for us. That morning we went from Mumbai to the rural village of Bhaje, in Mawal taluka of the Pune district, in the state of Maharashtra. On the map, the drive from Mumbai to Bhaje would only take 2.5 hours, but we were prepared for it to take closer to seven hours. We knew from our travel agent that traffic would be terrible due to single-lane roads and a lot of weekend traffic, as people like to leave Mumbai on the weekends to visit the shrines and caves of nearby Lonavala. It was a scenic drive, and we stopped at two service stations along the way for lunch and to buy snacks.  I noticed multiple stores named Chikki and the driver explained Chikki is the name of a famous snack in that part of the state that is made with nuts.

5:00PM: We arrive at the SAMPARC Balgram in Bhaje!  Immediately we are welcomed by SAMPARC’s Founder and Director, Mr.Amitkumar Banerjee, SAMPARC’s Management Team Leader, Mrs.Vindhya Bapat, and the rest of the SAMPARC Balgram Bhaje team.

Mr. Banerjee gave us a brief introduction to SAMPARC and explained how the organization started in 1990, with its first Balgram in Bhaje. Back then, they had seven children living in a mud house at the footsteps of Bhaje caves. Slowly the organization grew, due to like-minded philanthropists and individuals who saw the great work SAMPARC did for orphan children and started supporting SAMPARC whole-heartedly. Mr. Banerjee summarized the 32-year journey of SAMPARC as an organization and how it went from one rural village to working Pan India, in the states of not only Maharashtra, but also Rajasthan, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. He explained how SAMPARC aspires to ignite new hopes in the lives of orphaned, poor and needy children, while preserving their happiness, innocence and goodness. Mr. Banerjee related that SAMPARC’s focus is on imparting good education to their residents, serving them healthy and nutritious food, arranging for sporting and recreational activities for them, and ensuring social and cultural interactions. It is the hope of the organization that by providing children in SAMPARC’s care with all of these things, disadvantaged children have an opportunity to lead normal lives and join mainstream society to become responsible citizens.

7:30PM: We met Project Incharge Ms. Jyothi and Housemother Mrs.Bharati, who help run The Children’s Home, housing about 130 girls. We were then escorted to a sadan (home) of some of the children at the ashram. Each sadan houses 10-13 girls. Ms. Jyothi and Mrs. Bharati explained in detail how a child gets recommended to SAMPARC by Pune’s Child Welfare Committee and how they come to be admitted into SAMPARC for their care. We were given a very informative tour inside a sadan, where we saw the childrens’ cupboards, living area, playground, kitchen, dining hall and classrooms. The children live as a family under the care of their Housemother, who is their first point-of-contact, along with social workers, tutors and caretakers.

We had a delicious dinner in the Dinning Hall and met briefly with some of the girls. We gave snacks and sweets, including Chikki, that we bought on the road from Mumbai, to Ms. Jyothi, to be distributed to all the children.

8:00PM: We attended a welcome presentation by the children. We were led to the Community Hall, where all 130 girls, aged 5-18, were gathered. We were introduced to all the children and they extended a warm welcome to us. The  children presented a cultural program, performing songs in Hindi and Telugu. They also did a group dance to a Hindi and Bengali song. After the presentation, Dev Raj and I joined the smaller children, as we danced to the song, “Bum Bum Bhole,” from the movie, Taare Zameen Par. The children were very happy and we had a great time dancing with them. At one point in the evening the children requested Dev Raj and I sing a song, so we sang them a pop song from back home. One senior child then sang “Let Me Love You” by Justin Bieber and surprised everyone by singing the correct lyrics, rhythm and notes of the song. After the performances, Dev Raj and I played sports with the children. They showed us two games we hadn’t heard of before: kabaddi and kho-kho. It was so exciting to see the childrens’ interest and to learn so much about sports that are similar, but different to what I know from back home.

10:30PM: After the amazing interactions with the children at SAMPARC, our driver took us to our hotel in Lonavala, about 20 minutes away from the ashram. We left a bit later than anticipated, but we had such a good time, no one minded the late hour.

Day 2:  December 18, 2022 (Sunday)

9:00AM: After breakfast at the hotel in Lonavala, we went to the SAMPARC Centre in Malavli, about 20 minutes away. The campus in Malavli is home to the Senior Boys Hostel. After children complete their upper primary education from one of SAMPARC’s children’s homes, they come to this center in Malavli for higher education and job training. Every child that is admitted to SAMPARC is supported by the organization until they are employed, according to their aptitude and interests, and are financially independent.

We were welcomed in The Community Hall by all the senior boys and had a chance to speak with them. We asked various questions about the education system in Malavli, their hobbies and their interests. We learned that SAMPARC is an extended family and that the residents at the Children’s Homes enjoy planning and making arrangements for all of the celebrations there. The senior boys explained how they enjoy their stay in the hostel and told us how they spend their free time playing outdoor games like kho-kho, kabaddi, cricket, and volleyball, as well as doing morning yoga to stay fit and healthy. The senior boys showed us their various talents in drawing, dance, taekwondo and singing. They also told us about their future career plans in various fields. They explained in detail how they celebrate Diwali (the Indian festival of light) in SAMPARC by helping their Housemother clean the Children’s Home, making various sweets and snacks, and building a fort with mud. They described how much they enjoy buying new clothes, eating crackers, and how they decorate and light the entire Children’s Home with  diyas (lamps).

The boys asked about our life in the US, and we told them about our school and interests. I talked about all the classes I’m taking and my time playing soccer and golf back home. We told them about the fundraising we do back home to help the children at SAMPARC through bake sales and tutoring. When the senior boys heard about the things we did to help support them, they gave us a round of applause. I felt very proud of the work I did for them, but more than anything, I felt grateful for their appreciation.

12:00PM: We had lunch with all the Senior Boys and afterwards, we shared with them snacks and sweets we had bought in Lonavala. The food was scrumptious, and all the vegetables were organic and grown at the ashram. 

After our rugby match we shared with the senior boys watches we had bought for them in New York and the boys loved them.

4:30PM: We visited the Senior Boys Hostel and were very impressed with the accommodations there. The study area was spacious and well-lit. We talked with one of the senior boys about his studies and learned how our fundraising helped him receive support for his higher education. It was such a great feeling to know my work and the work of my family made a difference in that man’s life.

5:30PM:  We left Malavli to have dinner and an early rest at the hotel in Lonavala.

Day 3:  December 19, 2022 (Monday)

9:30AM: After breakfast at the hotel in Lonavala, we returned to SAMPARC Centre in Malavali. There we visited SAMPARC’s Industrial Training Institute (ITI), where rural youths who dropped out of school develop the skills they need to get industrial jobs. The Institute offers training for professions like: electrician, wireman, fitter and welder. Some professions involve one year of coursework, and others involve two years of coursework. All the courses at The Institute are recognized by the Central Government of India. The principal of The Institute explained in detail some of the technical aspects of ITI’s training and told us how students, once trained, are placed for employment in nearby towns. 

1:00PM: We ate lunch with the founder’s family, including Mr. Baneerje’s son, who lives in  Thailand and works as pilot for Thai Airlines. We felt honored to get such personal attention from SAMPARC’s founder.

5:00PM: Our driver took us from Malavli to our hotel in Lonavala, where we had a quiet dinner and went to bed.

Day 4:  December 20, 2022 (Tuesday) 

9:00AM: After breakfast, our next visit was to SAMPARC’s Lily English Medium School & Junior College, also in Malavli. It houses and teaches students from grades 6-12.  We toured the school, and it was gratifying to see how well SAMPARC provides for its students, especially in their science lab, where they had everything the students could need.

11:00AM: We met SAMPARC’s Chief Operating Officer and he told us about various projects SAMPARC was working on, including expanding to different rural areas around India.

12:00PM: We had a delicious lunch with the students in the Dining Hall, consisting of fresh produce and lots of high quality protein.   

1:00PM: We visited SAMPARC’s Medical Centre, which provides health services to the rural poor people of Malavli. We learned the Medical Centre supplies needy people in this area of the Pune district with both out-patient and in-patient care, dental work, vision care, dermatological care, and even serves those who cannot get to town to see a doctor with two mobile medical clinics. Thanks to these vital clinics, people living in Pune’s remote villages are provided with health support right at their doorsteps.  

5:30PM: We went back to our hotel in Lonavala, where we had dinner and went to bed.

Through our travel agent, I had made sure we had a guide to tell us about the monuments and lead us through this special place. As we climbed the steps to reach the caves, we were informed by our guide that during the rainy season, the area is surrounded by waterfalls and attracts a lot of tourists. I was really happy to see how much greenery surrounded us and enjoyed the early morning cool breeze.

On the walk, we learned the Bhaja Caves are a group of 22 rock-cut caves, dating back to the 2nd century BC, and that they originally belonged to the early Buddhist schools in Maharashtra. One of the significant features of the Bhaja Caves is the stupas (dirt burial mounds), in honor of monks who lived and died there. The most prominent excavation we saw was the chaitya hall (or  chaityagrha) in Cave XII. Inside this prayer hall, we saw an excellent example of early wooden architecture, with a huge vaulted horseshoe ceiling. I was absolutely mesmerized with the beauty of the architectural design and the peace I felt in that place.

11:30AM: We went from the Bhaja Caves to Lohagad Fort, where we met up with another guide. As we walked towards the hilly fort, our guide told us about its historical importance. Lohagad has a long history, with many different dynasties occupying it at different periods of time, including the Lohtamia,  Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Yadavas, Bahamanis, Nizams, Mughals and Marathas. Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj captured Lohagad Fort in 1648 AD, but he was forced to surrender it to the Mughals in 1665 AD by the Treaty of Purandar. Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj recaptured the fort in 1670 AD and used it for keeping his treasury. This fort was used to keep the winnings from Surat. Later, in Peshwa time, Nana Phadnavis lived in Lohagad Fort for some time and built several structures inside the fort, such as a big tank and a stepwell. Throughout our tour of Lohagad Fort, we learned from our guide about Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj: his greatness, his dream of swaraj (self governance), his war techniques, his intelligence, etc. I really enjoyed our climb to Lohagad Fort and was amazed to see the view from the top. I also admired the fort’s huge walls and gates.

4:30PM: By the end of the day, we were really exhausted but were going back with beautiful memories. We concluded the trip by conducting an interview with Mr. Amitkumar Banerjee, the founder of SAMPARC. He gave us information about how the ashram started, its current modes of funding and how the organization is run. I had arranged for this interview with Mr. Banerjee before leaving for this trip, so I had a list of questions prepared and had shared them with him in advance of our interview so it could be as informative as possible. I was grateful Mr. Banerjee took the time to speak with me and found our conversation to be easy and informative. It was inspiring to see how passionate Mr. Banerjee is about his work with SAMPARC and it was enlightening to learn more about how this organization works behind-the-scenes.