THE CROAK is a weekly environmental newsletter put out by the eCoexist team. It is the voice of the environment on its last legs, the final croak that can either be a plea for attention or a call of triumph as the frogs jump out of the well of ignorance and denial.

Happy Valentines Day!

Every child deserves to experience love, celebration and joy. Often, when we reach out to children who are less privileged than us, we offer help in the way of finance, food or clothing. Beyond these three basic necessities, there is something without which a child cannot survive - occasions to be cheerful and celebrate. Moments of grief and joy, when shared with another, create bonds that are forever imprinted on the child's heart. 

In 2004, we lost a dear friend, Madhulika Goyal to a tragic road accident. Madhulika had worked for several years , with special needs children, and had recently started helping with the Safe Holi campaign and loved playing Holi.

After eCoexist was set up, a few years later, in memory of Madhulika, we decided to go and play Holi with visually impaired girls at the Home and School for Blind Girls, Pune. What might a blind girl care for colours, you might think. But our experience was unforgettable! The girls who had failing vision were still able to see the colour somewhat, and those who could not, asked us which colour was which.

Once they had become familiar with us they started to play, initially with hesitation, then with confidence and eventually with impudence, sneaking up on us with buckets of water and fistfuls of colour. 

Most of all, they loved being touched and touching us. The event was filled with laughter and shrieks of joy, and our eyes were moist at end of it !

This led to a beautiful tradition at eCoexist, of organising parties for and playing with all kinds of childrens groups - constructions workers kids, sex workers kids, mentally and physically challenged children and orphans and abandoned children. Each Holi we collect requests from various NGOs who would like their children to experience Holi. We then look for corporates or individuals who would be willing to sponsor the party. We also encourage these companies to send their employees to volunteer and play with the children, and this leads to memorable experiences for all. The Holi Hearts, as we call the parties, spread the joy and colours of spring with the use of our natural Holi colours that are safe for all to use. 

Each time, we have played with various special children, we have come home with hearts that are slightly more open and minds that are willing to change our perspective. Not all of us have a special needs child in our life, or know one intimately in our network of friends and family. We carry prejudices and concerns about these kids that we may not be aware of until we actually interact with them. Sometimes, the most sensitive volunteer, is stunned by the challenge a special needs child is facing, and this may paralyse them momentarily - not knowing how to behave or how to engage with them respectfully and lovingly.

Through these events, we have seen volunteers open up, often with the help of the special needs person, who gets into a conversation with them, until both find a common ground to connect with. 

The impression that this leaves on people is evident in the fact that we get calls from people years later, remembering how they played Holi with us and saying how much it moved them. 

For corporate teams, such an experience allows for a shift of understanding, into empathy and compassion for others, and this slowly unfolds in the team over time. 

Over the years, we have developed a network of schools and organisations that we play Holi with in the cities of Pune and Mumbai... Some of these include:

This Holi, step out of your world to go and play for a few hours with children, whose capacity for joy will uplift your heart! 

Contact us for:

1. Donating Natural Holi colours for an NGO event

2. Organising a Natural Holi party for your children

3. Volunteering to play with the kids and help organise these events:

Call Lolita at 9049146644 or email her at [email protected]

Take a look at the range of colours and products that emerged out of our Safe Holi campaign. These have been made by the women of Ahwalwadi village this year and help them to earn a supplemental income. 

The Croak is a weekly environmental newsletter put out by the eCoexist team. It is the voice of the environment on its last legs, the final croak that can either be a plea for attention or a call of triumph as the frogs jump out of the well of ignorance and denial. Satirical, urgent and wise the newsletter brings to your attention, topics of global environmental relevance as well as emerging encouraging alternatives. Put together by a team of passionate Nature lovers, The Croak hopes to look at the environmental crisis in its face. It is a tool to reconnect readers to Nature, through questioning and self reflection. To understand the outer environment as a reflection of our own inner state, individually and as a species. And to take responsibility for enabling change.
If you would like to contribute articles on ecology consciousness and sustainability please get in touch with us.

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