Prasanna Jyothi site Visit Report: Rajeev Muralidha 25 and 26 June 2005 http://www.ashanet.org/berkeley/projects/Prasanna/ Prasanna Jyothi, Door 103, Puttanahalli Kothanur Village, J.P. Nagar, 7th Phase, Bangalore - 78 This is a place housing destitute and orphan girls (mostly destitutes). Currently there are 20 girls from age group 4 years to 20 years or so (exactly 10 of them under 10 years and 10 between 11-20). The trust started in June 1988. Most of the first set of girls supported and brought up by the trust have left now, except a few who are still with PJ. There are 4 new girls who are not yet sponsored. The children go to English medium schools (St. Marks English School in JP Nagar). The school children are picked up and dropped in an van hired by PJ. Some of the big college going girls manage with the public transportation buses. It was very pleasing to see some of the older girls doing very well - one of them is pursuing her 4th semester in Electrical Engineering, another one is doing her Diploma in Secretarial Services. One of the eldest girls has just started working also. PJ’s policy is to support and bring up the child, educate them, help them to get a job and stand on their own. Once the girl finds a job, she may continue to stay with PJ for some time till she arranges for her own accommodation and lives independently. Prasanna Jyothi is a very nice place, calm, clean & warm, overlooking the Puttenhalli lake in JP Nagar. From the terrace, there is a nice cool breeze and the children have some place to play around as well. There is a cook and a warden, who stay with them full time and take care of the children. Generally children are healthy. Their day starts at 5:30 in the morning with a prayer followed by their routine work to get ready to schools. The older girls get up first, help the younger ones get ready first, and then get ready themselves. They are given breakfast before they start to schools. They are packed with lunch box. They are given snacks when they return back home. They go to study room and come back for dinner at 8:30. The elder girls help out with a lot of the house keeping chores - like washing their clothes, keeping their premises clean, helping in the kitchen, garden and they help the small girls too. Most of the elder girls speak very fluent English. They also speak in Kannada, Tamil, Hindi and they understand Telugu. Many have chosen Sanskrit as their first language in high school. Apart from their studies and their daily routine tasks, they possess good talent of craftwork. They make greeting cards, paintings, wall decorations, show pieces, garlands out of artificial flowers etc. They made a lovely touching gesture by giving me a handcrafted card. They sing and dance as well and given classes in classical vocal music /Bhajans every week. They sang some very nice classical songs/bhajans when I was there. Once a year the children are taken out of Bangalore on a short trip. Mrs. Sundari Srinivasan told me that the girls understand the value their sponsorship, are very serious about their education and make full use of the opportunity they are given. It was very heartening to know this.