
Readers of Daily (w)rite, if you’re here, please welcome Anouradha Bakshi, my friend, philosopher and touchstone for more than a decade.
She runs Project WHY, a little non-profit with a large heart, in New Delhi.
For this whole week, she’s taking over Daily (w)rite.
Please give her all the love and attention you usually give me, because she merits it far more than I ever will.
For the Write Tribe Festival of Words it is my absolute pleasure to blog for Damyanti Biswas.
For this week I’ll be blogging on word prompts posted at the Write Tribe.
Miracles happen every day: you just have to look for them, and see them.
A miracle is a surprising, unexpected event often thought to be caused by the supernatural. It is not always so. In the past twenty years since I set up Project Why, I have seen so many miracles that it has become impossible for me to not believe in them.
The biggest miracle came in the form of an angel who appeared in my life and conjured the biggest miracle, that of having me set up Project Why.
Manu did not have wings or a halo, far from that. He was a bedraggled beggar you would barely look at, and yet he was the one chosen to show me the way.
It was for him that I started Project Why. He taught me my greatest lesson: every life has a purpose. Manu’s was to see that I set up Project Why. Can there be a greater miracle?
And then there were two little kids, both suffered third degree burns in their babyhood and were destined to a life of misery but the one I call the God of lesser beings had other plans in mind.
Today Utpal , the baby who fell into a boiling wok and sustained third degree burns is a young, strapping, endearing teenager doing us proud in class XI in CSKM boarding school and can walk into your heart.
Meher, a toddler who sustained terrible burns when her bed caught fire and lost the use of her hands is now an impish 14-year-old who you cannot help but fall in love with.
Over the past 20 years now, whenever things have looked bad, someone out there has conjured a miracle.
When all our computers were stolen from the Okhla centre one Sunday night two years back, I was in shock. It had taken so long to be able to set this centre up, a centre that the children had asked and waited for as we did not have space, or the funds to create it.
With the theft of the computers, the dreams of over 300 kids came to a halt, as ours is the only computer centre in the area. We did not know what to do but a simple phone call was all that was needed to set matters right. Another angel; another miracle.
Also, thanks to this incident, more doors have opened for Project WHY, doors that we did not know how to open, not having the right ‘introduction’.
Our thief gave us that introduction. No wonder I am grateful to him.
Project Why is replete with miracles big and small.
A miracle is what happens when you get out of the way of yourself, wrote Brad Szollose.
I am reminded of a lesson learnt at my father’s knee when I was a child. He talked of the Big Picture we could not see, but which nevertheless existed. It was a beautiful picture with all shades and hues, but sometimes we got stuck on a dark spot. We sadly tend to forget this.
Miracles abound. They happen every day. It is for us to open our hearts and see them, embrace them. and be grateful to have been touched by them.
I am busy being grateful.
Do you believe in miracles? If not, why not? What miracle have you seen around you lately?
Anouradha Bakshi is the descendant of an indentured labour and a freedom fighter, and the daughter of a senior diplomat. She travelled the world before settling in India.
A professor in French, an interpreter and a conference organiser, she found her true calling when she set up Project WHY in the year 2000.
She is a wife, and a mother not only to her two girls, but also to the scores of children whose dreams she holds in custody.
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Wonderful
I absolutely believe in miracles. I am one. I was born at 25 weeks, and was given a 50/50 shot to live. I’m so grateful for my health and my family, and everyone who prayed for me when I was born.
Wow Laura, that is a true miracle. God bless you always. Love and hugs
Thank you!
What a beautiful read this morning. Thank you for sharing these miracles and affirming faith, Anouradha. Here’s to many more miracles for Project Why’s prosperous. 🙂
Thank you so much Vinitha. These little miracles do restore our faith in humanity something we do need in our times
I so believe in miracles! I see them everywhere….in all the things that work beautifully, as well as in all the things that go horribly wrong. Of course, I see the miracles in the latter only later, after it has sunk in that things have gone wrong. But, it’s only later that I see how wonderful it was that those things went wrong….I found solutions to so many problems, I found my guardian angels in people I didn’t even know, I found my strength when I felt I had none and I learned life lessons, all thanks to those things that went wrong. I am so grateful for all these miracles that have happened in my life!
You are so right Shilpa. The biggest miracles come out of things that apparently went wrong. They show us how strong we are, how many people around us are there to help and how blessed we are. One can only feel gratitude and unconditional love
Anou has been doing some amazing work and miracles have happened for these children
Thank you Shubra. Project Why is indeed full of miracles big and small.
Miracles abound for sure! I’m sure, for many, you are the miracle, Anou di!
You are too kind. I just do what my heart tells me to, and miracles happen. God bless
Thanks for sharing!.. 🙂
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel” Maya Angelou
Thank you so much. What a beautiful quote!
Now I know the face behind Project Why! This post is so inspiring. Yes, miracles do happen, one just needs to believe in them!
Thank you, D, for giving a platform for such beautiful real life stories. It feels nice to see some good in the world for a change.
Thank you Soumya now I hope you come and see us at Project Why!
Another strong post after forgiveness. Yes, miracles do happen. They r happening all the time but we just have to change our way of looking at them. To me any super natural event is not a miracle but a day today things like patch up with a dear friends when our friendship has had lost all the hopes is a miracle too#celebratewritetribe #writebravely
Thank you Alpana. Miracles abound, we have to learn to see them and as you rightly say they are not super natural but simple occurrences. We need to look at them with our heart
Indeed miracles happen. Reading these stories makes one definitely believe in miracles.
Thanks Aesha, Project Why has truly been a bag of miracles.
Grateful to a thief?!! Miracles happen to everyone but only a few experience them and feel a sense of gratitude.
Yes Madhavi, that thief opened so many doors that I can only be grateful. Thanks to that theft I was blessed with so many people coming my way and helping us. There was no looking back
Tiny miracles sprout all around us. But it is for us to see, acknowledge and accept them. Miracles are the Lord’s blessings
You are so right Kalpana. miracles are true blessings from the Universe and are all around us.
Hi Anouradha – what fantastic stories … and yes life always leads us on to learn new ways … love reading about these three – thanks for sharing … cheers Hilary
Yes these three are really amazing souls and such blessings. Thank you for your kind words
Wonderful examples of miracles. Every cloud has a silver lining and you depicted that so well.
Thank you so much Suzy, I am amazed at the miracles that Project Why has brought my way
It is an honour to hear from you. Damyanti introduced me and all her other readers to Project Why some years ago. The work you do and the love you spread, make the world a better place. I no longer blog, but drop in on old friends sometimes — so my miracle today was to chance upon your post.
Thank you so much Hilary for your very warm words that have touched me deeply. You are too kind, I feel blessed with Project Why and all the miracles it has brought into my life. Your message is one!
Life itself is nothing short of a miracle.
Miracles do happen. One needs to have heart to feel them and eyes to see them.
So true Abhijit. I have been blessed by so many since I began Project Why. When do we see you at Project Why?
Are you asking me to come and meet you? I shall surely do so.
So true that miracles are happening all the time but just waiting to be discovered.
Yes Vivek, miracles are waiting to be discovered, just open your heart.
This is the best post that I read today. This post is so inspiring. Anou the world is a better place only because of people like you, who work selflessly. I wish greater success to “project why”. I also applaud Damyanti for her initiatives in reaching out to people.
Thank you so much Balaka. You are too kind and I feel humbled. My gratitude to all who have reached out, and to Damyanti for opening her heart to Project Why. Love and hugs
Great post. Love your thoughts and your noble cause. Yes, miracles happen in our everyday life. We just have to open our eyes and heart.
Thank you so much Amarjeeet. We need to keep our hearts open to see all the miracles around us.
True
I have not met Anoudi, but have heard so much about her from you that sometimes I feel I know her. Such a beautiful soul she is and inspiration to many! May God bless her and give wings to all her projects.
Thank you Anshu for your kind and warm words. I feel humbled. Now that we have met virtually, I hope you come and see us at Project Why! Hugs.
How wonderful and inspiring it is to read these stories that instil faith and hope and encourage us to build positive power and the belief that some force out there always always conspires to make things happen for us! I wish ProjectWhy continues doing the good work and can overcome every obstacle in the way to help these and similar other children.
Yes Esha, it is amazing how these miracles happen and truly make us believe that someone somewhere is listening! Thank you for your kind words of support.
Reblogging this to my readers at sister site Timeless Wisdoms
Thank you so much Ana!
My pleasure!