End of Season

It's been a month since I found time to write a post and here are some of the reasons why...

During the March Essence of India event we played Holi (the Indian festival of colours) with all our event participants, staff and some of our local friends.  The party was at Sangam and organised with our friends from eCoexist.  Manisha is the founder of this social enterprise that sells environmentally friendly products and festival 'stuff' including this awesome Holi colour.  No words can explain the craziness of this festival - come and experience it for yourself next year I say!!!  

During the last event of the season - Young Women Leading for a Greener Future - we had a full house - 70 + people from 39 countries.  The focus of the event was leadership and environmental sustainability.  The event was run by a planning team from across the globe and as the Sangam team we supported their work logistically and in whatever way we could!  Not much sleep was had by all.  

It was the last welcome ceremony of the season so we went a bit crazy in our welcome ceremony sari pic's...

On the last day of the event we did a uniform pool jump just for good measure...

The season officially finished on the 23rd of March and all the volunteers and Tare (community programme participants) started heading home/traveling.  I was feeling like a break so I took myself off to this yoga and massage place at Mulshi.  It was quiet and the change of pace that I needed.  Here's how the days went...

Wake Up - Yoga - Breakfast - Massage - Lunch - Yoga - Massage - Walk to the Lake - Dinner - Bed

...came back physically wiped out but mentally ready for the summer and planning days at Sangam.  Budget for the next three years to write, standard operation procedures to update, office redesign plans to confirm and put into motion - all that fun stuff and of course mangoes! :)

Goa

I was desperate for the beach!  Kamini and a bunch of her teacher friends from school were going to Goa to go to a family temple to say some prayers and make an offering because one of the teachers sons had done well in his exams - this is an Indian thing to do for sure!  The temple was located more than an hour from the beach but I knew I could escape to the sand if I went with them.  It took a 12 hour train journey from Pune...

...but it was worth it!  Too long between beaches is not good for the soul and even though there were plenty of people around I loved the experience of being in the water and having my toes on the hot sand!

We hired some beach chairs at a beach hut -as you do in Goa...

There were lots of cows on the beach so I made Kamini pretend to be one too...

 

We joined everyone else on the beach for sunset - once they had finished their prayers at the temple.  It was warm and beautiful!

 
We were there long enough for the moon to come out to play with Kirti...

The next day we visited four temples in the morning and I saw cashew nuts growing for the first time in my life...

The train journey back through the beautiful Konkan Coast forest with water falls and monkeys was awesome!  We arrived back into Pune station at 4am in plenty of time to get organised and head to work a little weary and sun burnt but it was so worth it!

 

World Thinking Day@Sangam

World Thinking Day - the birthday of our founders Lord and Lady Baden-Powell - is celebrate by Girl Guides and Girls Scouts all around the world.  We think of friends and raise money to support projects across the globe.  

 The 22nd of February is always a special day at Sangam and this year was no exception.  Participants were up bright and early getting the final resources together for their upcoming activities with the guides and scouts, staff were making sure all was in place for the ceremony and I was draping myself with my WAGGGS sari for the very first time.

By 9am 450 Scouts and Guides for the local Pune area were on the campsite in formation ready for flag break.  After the short ceremony that focused on the World Thinking Day theme for 2012: environmental sustainability, the Guides and Scouts broke up into groups and shared activities with our participants.  Some were in full costume and danced traditional dances, others did yoga and some played games.  It was a very colourful site.  Our participants shared activities from their home countries and the cultural sharing element of the day had participants excited as the saw the reality of the international family that we belong to in action.

After sharing some Indian snacks and a short awards ceremony the Guides and Scouts headed to school for the rest of the day and our participants chatted excitedly about their experiences.

In the evening members of our local guide unit the Nevedita guides, local friends and some day visitors joined us for a candlelit ceremony around the swimming pool based on friendship and the World Thinking Day theme.  We moved to the Thinking Day courtyard where the almond tree was decorated with cards and World Thinking Day messages from across the globe.  We renewed our Guide/Girl Scout promise in our own language and sang ‘We Change the World’. We streamed both parts of the ceremony live on the internet and Girl Scouts and Guides joined us from across the world. A fitting end to day that encapsulated the true spirit of Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting across the globe.

 If you would like to join us at Sangam for World Thinking Day 2013 we still have space available in our Thinking Day event between February 18^th and 27^th.  The World Thinking Day theme for 2013 is based on two of the WAGGGS global action themes ‘girls worldwide say: together we can save children’s lives and every mothers life is precious’.  The event is open to all ages and the cost is 550 GBP.  Come and have the experience of a life time as you share with local Guides and Scouts and live with your global family at Sangam.