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India
Heart to Heart Project
Tiruvanamalai India
January 2010
We are already fundraising for funforlife's 2011 Project in Tiruvannamalai - donations and volunteers are very welcome!
It was that time of the year again; the children were expecting me to come for the third year in the row and teach them some more magic, and perhaps more to the point, to have some more hilarious fun with a crazy man from England.
I left England a little reluctantly - with the deep snow all around and a new venture baking bread with my wife, it was all sooo cozy! My main goal in India, however, was to find some Indian drama practitioners/teachers that will carry on the work with the orphan children from Terre des Hommes and the town children from Shanti Trust throughout the year. Once at the airport I was very much looking forward to meeting my little friends and preparing yet another show with them, perhaps for India's Republic Day celebrations on 26th January.
Landing in India I immediately felt I was back home, the warmth of the people, the reunion with my friends, and the joyful children's workshops at the foothills of the holy mountain Arunachalla made me feel as happy as I could be. Throw into the mix that I was also asked to teach the children in the orphanage how to make European bread and my cup was overflowing.
I only had 10 days and in this time everything that I needed to do happened, including a great children's show in front of the Chief Collector (Governor) of the Tiruvannamalai District and two shows of my own, one in my friend Alice's school and the other at Kumar's Shanti Trust. Please see the pictures below. The best thing of all, with help from my librarian friend, Uni, I found three Indian drama/music/dance/art/storyteller/puppeteer teachers who were very happy to take on the role of teaching the children the variety of performing Indian arts. Watch this space for the newsletters about the progress of that project.
I felt a little sad on the evening of my departure. I saw the children from the Terre des Hommes orphanage, talked with them, blew giant bubbles for them into the purple evening sky and said goodbyes. 'Careful journey uncle' they were saying, 'Thank you uncle', 'Come back and teach us more uncle...' Then suddenly, all 20 or so of them lifted their hands in the air and shouted at the top of their voices: 'HAPPPYYYYY!!!' This was something we used to do at the end of every workshop, shout ‘Happy!’ as loud as we could. But this was completely spontaneous on their part and I was taken by surprise. I quickly joined them and we all laughed.
Many thanks for the generous donations that made this trip possible go to:
Penny Williams
Philip Martin
Godolphin & Latymer School
Below are some of the comments (translations are verbatim!) from the children and their carers.
“I always have the school worries in the evening time but for this one week I feel very relaxed.”
“I saw you (Dragan) how confident you were in front of Chief Collector so it made it easy for me to perform in confident too.”
“Magic skill is very interesting to learn and this also helps us to learn our expression.”
“The teaching method you had was very happy and we liked it very much.”
“In the end of the magic class you conducted games for all the children and it is very joyful.”
“The children’s feel very proud to do the magic show in front of the collector of Tiruvannamalai District and with large group of children’s.”
“I wish to become a magician by taking you as a my teacher.”
“We wishes uncle Dragan to come every year for magic class and wish that all the children should learn magic.”
“ In the magic class most of the childrens were girls and in our country mostly men will be magician. So the girls feel proud to be in the magic class.”
Bahvani, orphanage teacher.
“It is fantastic what you are teaching the children, I mean, not just magic, but how to hold themselves with confidence, how to express and share their joy. I wish I had been taught those things in school when I was a boy. They really shone on stage. Thank you!”
Kumar, Director of Ananda Trust
“The children have advanced a lot in comparison with last year. They were more confident on stage. Ever since you left last year the children have been showing their magic on every public occasion we have had. They loved it! I am sure it will be so this coming year.”
Chezian, Director Terres des Hommes
Report prepared by Dragan Matijevic.
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