Skip to main content
For the A to Z Blogging Challenge, I’m blogging 26 days in April based on the alphabet and bringing you stories from the nonprofit Project Why.

—-

At Project Why, founded by Anouradha Bakshi, a woman, women are naturally at the front and center. One such power-woman is Seema, though her smile would at first give you the impression that she’s just a softie, a large-hearted Momma. That’s what I thought on my last trip, because some of the Project Why creche’ kids called her Ma!

Seema never stops smiling. Being an only child, she was smothered in love by her doting parents. She still lives with her mom. But in spite of all the smiles, giggles and cheer, things were difficult at home. She had three children and her husband, a repairman, could not bring in enough so Seema had to leave her cocoon and find work. At that time in 2003,  Project Why needed a crèche teacher, and Seema was the perfect fit.

Damyanti Biswas covers the Nonprofit Project why based in New Delhi India, for her A to Z Blogging Challenge in April 2016Seema loves children and they love her too. Discipline is better left to others; she wants to spread joy and cheer. Completely and beautifully unselfconscious, she jumps and runs and dances with the children.

Damyanti Biswas covers the Nonprofit Project why based in New Delhi India, for her A to Z Blogging Challenge in April 2016This very warm disposition finds favor everywhere, and she’s in the good books of all the local authorities. This gives her the power to conjure the seemingly impossible: for the performance after my workshops at Project Why, she not only organized a hall for a show for free, but also the loudspeaker, along with her colleagues at Project Why. The show was a huge success, thanks in no small measure to her efforts.

And this is not the only time Seema has saved the day: she can smile her way into the bureaucracy and get anything done, from school admissions to arrangements for gatherings. Everyone at Project Why loves Seema, for her good cheer and her ability to get things done. When one of her initiatives is successful, the staff greets her with Jai Ho Seema!

To Donate to THE Project Why CreChe’, Click Here.
To Contact Project Why , Click Here

 Would you volunteer at Project Why, and work with teachers like Seema? Will you support Project Why in its drive to make a difference? Have you ever been to India? What was the experience like? What sort of schools do the underprivileged kids in your community go to? Do they have teachers like Seema? What would you like to say to her?

Please join Daily (w)rite on its Facebook Page if you’d like to be heard by this community. If you liked this post, you can have biweekly posts delivered to your inbox: click the SUBSCRIBE button in the sidebar. The daily posts are only for April: I’m doing 26 posts on the fab nonprofit Project Why for my A to Z Challenge.

Damyanti Biswas

Damyanti Biswas is the author of You Beneath Your Skin and numerous short stories that have been published in magazines and anthologies in the US, the UK, and Asia. She has been shortlisted for Best Small Fictions and Bath Novel Awards and is co-editor of the Forge Literary Magazine. Her literary crime thriller series, the Blue Mumbai, is represented by Lucienne Diver from The Knight Agency. Both The Blue Bar and The Blue Monsoon were published in 2023.

I appreciate comments, and I always visit back. If you're having trouble commenting, let me know via the contact form, or tweet me up @damyantig !

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

16 Comments