Umapathy and I sit on the verandah of the Sharana Social Centre at Angalakuppam village. She’s 54, and the lines on her face tell a story that belies her compulsive funny disposition. – How did your parents fish in the backwaters? Did they use a fishing rod? Or was it nets? – Bare hands, she… Read more »

Penned By Board Member Ms. Alo Pal I was born in the coastal town of Pondicherry. The sea has been intrinsic to my life, as have the moist sea breeze and sunrises over the horizon. We bathed, body surfed, played beach volley, and rushed to the waters in the middle of the night to witness… Read more »

Penned by Board Member Ms. Alo Pal Rajkala, the founder president of Sharana, and I met and spoke for the first time when we attended a parent-registrar meeting in school. I was a stay-at-home mother then, and Rajkala soon became my bankable security net for any emergency. Gradually, I learnt of her work in Sharana… Read more »

Penned By Social Worker & Facilitator Ms. Auroposée Bardhan It has been a year now since Sharana has been working closely with the French Consulate and the Lycée Français International de Pondichéry on two programmes for the French children of the Union Territory:  The Social Support Programme The Holiday Camp Programme   The Social Support… Read more »

Penned by Board Member Ms. Alo Pal The Social workers usually come to me when they have a story to tell. Usually, these are inspiring stories of change and empowerment. It is also my job to evaluate the quality of intervention, understand the rationale behind decisions, and evaluate the outcome. Check if the philosophy of… Read more »

Penned by Board Member Ms. Alo Pal The Old Model 15 years back children at the Sharana daycare and drop-in center spent the nights on the streets, not getting much sleep, after a day left to fend for themselves while their parents worked. Our daycare and a drop-in center ensured that they had access to… Read more »

Penned By Board Member Ms. Alo Pal Our joint family lived a few blocks down the road from the Ashram and School main buildings here in Pondicherry. In those days, a cycle rickshaw stand stood just opposite the Ashram’s main gate. My sister, my cousin, and I used to walk up to the stand, and… Read more »

Penned By Board Member Ms. Alo Pal A child loses her father at a tender age A woman is urged to abort her third child by her own husband’s mistress A widowed mother operates a snack cart opposite an arrack shop, gets a drinking habit, and abuses her child violently at the drop of a… Read more »

  [Image 1: children participating in fun activity] Penned by Board Member Alo Pal  “So, how do the children come to Sharana?” I asked Manuel while taking notes for the 2023 Sharana Summer Camp. “Most of the children come on their own.” And I had concluded my piece last year with a heartening thought about… Read more »

Image 1: Beneficiary Meenakshi Penned By Board Member Alo Pal  So then, why don’t you put this money into safe investments and live off the interest?  –        That is not the way to generate wealth.  –        Why not? Your children will be productive too, they will add to this capital and will have an even better life with the… Read more »