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being used
September 2009 
Nothing is Impossible
Posted on Oct 9th, 2008
by 
Praveer
Praveer
Aruna, my cousin
My cousin had Down's syndrome. After she passed away in 2001, her sister, Parvin, and I created and administer a trust to train young ladies like her to live workable lives. We found a few reliable institutions and funded 3 kids back then. Today, we provide funding for about 30 around India and track each child's progress carefully . One of the nice things is that Coffee Cafe Day, an upmarket cafe has recognized that these human beings, too, have hearts of gold and can serve. At one of the cafe's Delhi branches, all their serivice staff have Down's. There are two 'regular' supervisors. The wonderful thing is that customers, after they get over the initial shock of their stereotypes colliding with a different reality, they are in complete awe of seeing the impossible become delightfully everyday! Now, Coffee Cafe Day is considering hiring humans with Down's, usually deemed unworkable in a customer service context, on a city-wide, possibly nation-wide scale.
Aruna's birthday is coming up, and I was just remembering her.
And just on a compltely different -sort of - note Mumbai airport has a new venture called Foot Bar. It provides reflexology, and foot massage for weary travellers. The therapists are almost all - blind.
I love it when I can see people and myself being used well, for a purpose bigger than ourselves..
Reminds me of something George Bernard Shaw wrote:
"I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generation.".
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This is so wonderful, Praveer. Your cousin looks like she was beautiful….and so incredible when you can share to help so many others. Blessings to you and Parvin!
'I want to be thoroughly used up when I die'
how wonderful
Thanks for the reminder Praveer!
Thanks, Kathy, Anna and Diamondlil We'll be thinking of you when we cut the birthday cake!
Thanks Praveer
JM
You too, Joseph!
Oh my, one of the best massage therapists I've ever known was blind and it kind of makes sense, in a literal way, doesn't it? It's all about kinesthetics and not about the way anything looks, after all.
I work with people with “developmental disabilities” of various kinds. I get indirectly reimbursed by state and federal funding which means that - Praveer? Your system is almost certainly superior to the one I work in. There's something about government-influenced systems that turns them into a self-sustaining organism and puts an obstacle in front of any real change, and I say this as a committed liberal who wants to see communal funds help individual people and who gets paid within this system. But still, we don't do that very well here, at this point. I would so appreciate being able to do more effective kind of work. The regulations that dictate what I can do are changing so that even volunteer jobs (for my clients) aren't going to be fundable under the usual services.
I've waited a week to respond to this post because my brain is a little stuck with all of this and I don't quite know what to say. But I did want to say that you're awesome.
Wonderful work; interesting blog; quite a concept–used up…!
Jeannie, I can see I didn't give credit to people who actually work on this project - I'm really not awesome, Jeannie. I'm an ordinary, self-indulgent ageing hippie and it took a 'retard' like Aruna to bring it home to me not to take anyone for granted, that each person on this planet is good at something and can not only contribute, but can be counted on to contribute! (Including me) She taught me diginity, persistence, how to be my own person and not some one else, love for my work - not for the money that it brings…and much more. Then, there's Parvin who dragged me into the project, kicking and screaming, and has me do field investigations into agencies and institutes, sign legal documents that I have no idea about. But she's much smarter than I am - she's a brilliant mathematician and a well respected educationist. And then, there are alI the people who work tirelessly with people with MR, Down's and other developmental disablities. I have nothing but awe and the highest respect for people like you who are committed to bringing creativity, compassion, love, and self fulfillment into the lives of people like Aruna. Truly. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for who you are and for the difference that you make in this world.
Meenakshi, I cherish that little quote from Shaw - being used up. I'm glad you liked it, too!