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Newsletter - November 24, 2005

Newsletter From Ramana’s Garden
November 24 2005

Dusshera play
For thousands of years, it has been a sacred tradition for youth to represent the Ramayana on the celebration of Navrati, a festival honoring goddess Durga.
This year religious leaders through all India expressed concern that in our modern age this tradition of representing the story has been lost. They predicted that if the destruction of the demon by light was not being reenacted as it had been, the evil forces would again gain dominance in the world. Who knows????
On the eve of Dusshera the Ramana children’s presentation was received with tremendous appreciation by religious elders, all the village children, and villagers alike. As Ram’s whirling disk of light brought an end to the evil demon, Ravana, the crowd left the huge tent in the wee hours of the morning content that light had once again prevailed over darkness.
All children did a great job in rehearsing the play and a lot of traditional folk dances,..Ramana’s kids were simply the best and that’s why they won the first price!!

On the next night, called Dusshera evening, we all went to the Ganga beach, where they set an effigy of the demon Ravana on fire. Hidden inside were thousands of firecrackers and he was engulfed in an inferno of flame and exploding lights.

Leapnow
This month a group of twenty-seven American youths (from the Leapnow program) stayed a week sharing with us at Ramana’s Garden and a week in Ambiya Mountain Paradise. They had a fantastic week with us at Ramana’s Garden. The group helped us with the preparations for the Dusshera play and on the big night they were the backstage crew to assist the children during the performance. The rest of the week they did their own creative activities with the kids, such as making jewelry, crafts , and playing ballgames on the Ganga beach. Ramu made his début as Yoga Instructor for the group , a biggggg stretch for everyone.
We discovered they were fabulous cooks, so they prepared dinner together with the kids for us every night! In Satsang they taught the children new songs, it became one big Celebration... It was beautiful to see how our children gave the American youth so much positive energy. Both our children and the youth enjoyed their visit a lot.


The youth spent also a week in Ambiya Mountain Paradise. In the Himalayas they enjoyed nature’s silence and peace with meditation, Yoga and Reiki. They took long walks through the forest, visited our Primary school in Hoonkal delighting the children with creative gifts, and worked hard in the garden, planting our first crop in our new greenhouse .

Ambiya Paradise Healing Retreat
Sixteen friends from Israel came for a Reiki Retreat in the Mountain Center. Evenings found us singing round a roaring fire and dancing under the full moon in the middle of the forest.

Junior High
Currently our children study at Ramana’s Garden in Primary English medium NCERT standard, which is the highest standard of education offered in India. Ramana’s Garden is a unique school to offer this education free of charge to prospect less children. Other schools in India offer this quality of education, but these are expensive private schools, which makes it impossible for Ramana’s children to continue this standard of education outside.
Ramana’s Garden offers this high standard education only through the 5th class. The 5th class certificate is not enough to obtain a well-paid job. If the children have the chance to continue education through 8th class in Junior High at Ramana’s Garden, they will be better qualified for a well-paid job, or to continue studies in High school.
If we can provide the children with good prospects for the future, they will be the generation who break the vicious cycle of poverty and the caste system of oppression..
Right now we are building Junior High down over the existing Primary classrooms and the existing children’s dorms. The Junior high will consist of several classrooms, a library, a science lab and an art room.

Ramana’s Garden Gallery café
The hottest news from Ramana’s Garden: Our Hot-Cross Buns!!! We have a new oven!

The first Leapnow group donated the funds to build a wood burning brick oven. This means we have hot cross buns , fresh croissants, and brown bread every morning at breakfast! We are very happy with this gift and the only thing lacking now is a Gallery Café where we can share these delicacies with all our friends over a view of Ganga. The perfect place for our little artisans to showcase their fantastic creative arts. We are hoping for donations so we can realize this dream! And as usual Prabhavati has already started the construction on credit… We are planning for a fantastic Christmas Eve Party there round the fire.

Comings and Goings
Welcome! To our newest Special Friend Ram, born to proud parents Tyagan and Cara in Washington D.C.

Farewell to one of our oldest Special Friends Salvador Rivas from Madrid. He kept his little friend Rohit’s photo near his bed in the hospital and his last request was that all money for flowers be send instead to Ramana’s Kids.


Created by Kora, Roos and Renee volunteers from Holland

Gift Cards -- A Gift to Brighten a Child's Day

A Wonderful Gift for Everyone! Give a special charitable donation this year that will delight your friends and loved ones while at the same time helping a very special group of kids in India. You will receive a beautiful gift card with photos of and artwork by the kids to let your friends and loved ones know of your contribution that will brighten a special child’s life. Your donation will help these children continue their studies, thereby helping them to go on creating a positive future for themselves.

Gift cards are available at Willow Street Yoga Center, or by mail from Tyagan, who can be reached at scottattaway@yahoo.com or 202-285-9982. Please make checks out to: Friends of Ramana’s Garden, Inc. Sorry, no credit cards. $1 postage and handling charge for mail orders.

In addition to the photo above, the following four photos are available while supplies last. On the inside of the card is a drawing by the children and space for your own message, and the back of the card has a group photo of many of the children.

About Friends of Ramana's Garden, Inc.

Friends of Ramana's Garden is an IRS-approved 501(c)(3) charitable organization formed to assist homeless, destitute, and abused children in India.

The inspiration for this project is Dr. Prabhavati Dwabha, who formed Ramana’s Garden Home for Destitute Children (Ramana's Seva Samiti) in India approximately 10 years ago as a result of her spiritual practice on the banks of the River Ganga. Prabhavati's heart overflowed with compassion for the numerous homeless, destitute, and abused children she met there, and she decided to make those children her life’s work. On a shoestring budget, she has provided a growing number of children with education, nourishment, and a future where they had little or no hope. Prabhavati has also instituted programs to educate local villages in practices of proper sanitation, safe drinking water, and general health care. Prabhavati's website is www.sayyesnow.org, and see also www.bestkodiyahimalayanretreat.org/.

Hello from Ramana's kids!



We are very grateful for your help so we can have a good home with love, laughter, education, food and medical care.



The founders of Friends of Ramana's Garden, Inc. were introduced to Prabhavati in 2004, when she visited the United States and was hosted in the D.C. area by the Willow Street Yoga Center. Suzie Hurley, the owner and director of Willow Street, had met Prabhavati in India, where she visited Ramana's Garden Home for Destitute Children and experienced firsthand the remarkable changes Prabhavati has made in these children's lives. You can read more about that trip, including photos and reflections from Suzie and her husband, John Hurley, here: www.willowstreetyoga.com/workshops/danaAndSeva.html.

Inspired by Prabhavati's work, a group of us formed Friends of Ramana's Garden, Inc. in 2005 to support the continued care and education of these beautiful children, and to provide a tax-deductible means for contributing to this important cause. The directors of Friends of Ramana's Garden, Inc. are: John Hurley, Tyagan Scott Attaway, Prabhavati Dwabha, Kathy Carroll, and Jay Magenheim. We hope that you will help us to increase the visibility and effectiveness of this project.

If you wish to contribute, please send your tax deductible donation by check to:
Friends of Ramana's Garden, Inc.
6930 Carroll Ave., Suite 100
Takoma Park, MD 20912

You may also make a donation on behalf of your friends and loved ones (such as for their holiday or birthday gifts) to these special children who really need your support. We have gift cards created by the kids containing their photos and drawings, which you can give to your friends and loved ones to explain the donation given on their behalf. See the posting on Gift Cards for more details.

If you have any questions, you may send email to scottattaway@yahoo.com

Namaste!