"Sun is Day Light, Moon is Night Light, Education is Life Light"---Meeting with YGB SHE Scholarship Students

In the low income community of Chamarajanagara, outside of Mysore, Karnataka, YGB is now funding 60 students with SHE (Scholarship for Higher Education). Our NGO Partner Deenabandhu Trust hosted a gathering so that we could meet these students and hear their stories as well as future plans. Most students are in their two-year PUC (Pre-University Course) or already in three-year Diploma (science courses) or Degree (arts courses). Every one's eyes are so bright with their determination to complete their higher education to find a good job!  I am always touched to hear how every student wants to get a job and secure their income so that they can help their families and communities. Here, nobody says, "I want to become rich!" 

 Sandeep is a student featured in YGB FILM "Gold in Hand," who lost his education for seven years as a teenager due to forced labor. Now he is  getting very high grades in his engineering Diploma course. He has been offered a fantastic internship position at a big construction company.  All the SHE Scholarship students come from very poor families. Everyone expresses deep gratitude how this scholarship is helping to continue their education to reach their dreams.

 I also met 18 year old Mona who shared her hardship. Her father died three months ago and suddenly, there is no income in this family as her mother can not work. They are now living at her uncle's house but she was not sure how long this can continue. She is at her first year, studying commerce, but she was not certain if she could continue her education. While working with YGB programs in India, we often face this kind of challenging situation. I have discussed her case with Professor Jayadev, Director of YGB's NGO Partner Deenabandhu Trust, who will look into her situation to try to support her continuing education. YGB has been trying to be as flexible as possible with a situation like Mona's and will extend our support so that she can get through this tough period. I will keep you posted how we can support her.

Hearing her story was so difficult, but I was comforted by her long time friends who all have serious financial and social challenges at home, but as a group, they help and support each other. They told me, "Mom, please do not cry. This is our best day in our lives. We do not cry!" Hearing this made me swell up even more. One of Mona's girl friend's dream is to make lots of money to help her disabled elder sister live with dignity...I continue to receive so much inspiration from these students.  Thank you!!

"Life is easy when all the pains are celebrated with smile."
"Man needs difficulties in life because they are necessary to enjoy success."
---Ashwini, B. YGB SHE Student

We received many beautifully hand written thank you cards from the SHE students. Each card expresses one's deep appreciation for this scholarship.

"Dream is not the thing you see in sleep, but it is the thing that doesn't let you sleep,"---many students quoted this message from A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, former President of India.

SHE Students also tied hand made malas and Indian national color bracelets on each of our wrists, which is still with me today. It is a true blessing to meet these students whose spirit is so high though the reality of their daily lives are filled with tough issues. 

"NIRVANA PROJECT" is Born: A Story of SHE Scholarship Student

 An artistic student Nagaraju's dream is making a real progress! 

Meet a young talented Nagaraju P. He is one of YGB's 210 SHE (Scholarship for Higher Education) students, which funds destitute teen students' higher education for five years. Coming from a very poor family in Chamarajanagar, outside of Mysore, Nagaraju was so happy to receive this scholarship to continue his education in a college in Mysore, majoring commerce. In December 2016, I visited Nagraju's home, as Professor Jayadev (Deenabandhu Trust, YGB NGO Partner) had already sent me  his incredibly beautiful and powerful drawings by emails. I wanted to meet him and ask his future plans. 

Nagaraju showed us his beautiful drawings at his home during our visit in 2016

When we first met in 2016, Nagaraju was undecided about pursuing his art. His father wanted him to take a government job for a stable income, as he makes very small wage as a daily laborer with little education.  They live in a simple two room home in the village of Chamarajanagar. His mother is a housewife also with little education. 

In 2017, I met with a passionate Jyoti Jaiswal, an owner of Om Sutra online yoga accessories company based in New York. Jyoti's mission is to empower women, artisans and talented artists by creating job opportunities with fair wages for a sustainable livelihood.  I immediately shared Nagaraju's designs with Jyoti, who was very impressed with them that she agreed to create bags with his design and market on her site. As Nagaraju's designs started traveling virtually from Chamarajanagar to New York, the new "NIRVANA PROJECT" was born. As Jyoti puts it, "this project is about Nagraju's transformation and reaching to his dream..." I thought this is a beautiful name for this project which came together magically, but actually with tireless work by Nagaraju, Jyoti, Prof Jayadev and Mr Menon in Mysore. 

The Nirvana bag illustrates a meaningful picture of transformation of King Siddhartha to the Nirvana state of Lord Buddha is a wonderful representation of transcendental bliss and it’s hand sketched by the  artist Nagaraju P. 

This January, we were happy to see the first samples of NIRVANA PROJECT bags!! Here, YGB's first SEVA TRIP participant Ambassadors and Supporters proudly modeling these high quality bags with Nagaraj's design!! With Lauren Peterson(Los Angeles), Beate Scholtz (LA), Sharda ten Hove (The Netherlands/Thailand), Anouk Prop (The Netherlands/Thailand) and Bonnie Ikemura (LA)

We travelled to Kolkotta carrying the NIRVANA bags! At Ramakrishna Mission Belur Math on the Ganges River with YGB Ambassadors Lauren Peterson (Los Angeles), Mina Lee (Abu Dhabi/Korea) and Beate Scholtz (Los Angeles)

I met with Nagaraj this January again. I was very happy to hear that he decided to continue to pursue Art and tries to become an artist though it may not be the easiest path. His thank you card is filled with deep sense of gratitude and also most moving message is that he wants to establish himself as an artist to help the poor children in his community. Actually, this is a common message and strong feeling among all the students here. They are so compassionate and thoughtful. I was most touched to receive my portrait by Nagaraj!

No dream is too small or too big to pursue. I am again empowered and inspired to witness how our small contribution can seed an opportunity to live up to somebody's potential. As YGB, we will continue to follow up his story and I look forward to sharing it year after year.  This is a true learning process for myself and for YGB as well. We hope to support Nagaraj's dream, one bag at a time, while creating more sustainable income opportunities for local women tailors as the NIRVANA PROJECT takes off!!

Pre-Order this great bag now and get 20% off while helping Nagaraju's dream come true!!