My daughter and I had a wonderful experience during our trip to Hallenijgal. It was as close to nature we could get as possible. The lush green fields, the tractor ride, the walk through the fields and amidst the village houses and cattle.. it was truly an undescribable experience.

We were touched by the kindness and openness of the villagers. The best part was that our kids were able to interact freely with the village school children, which is a huge benefit.

I hope we will be able to take our kids more often to get such exposure which is key to their development.

The trip to Hallenijgal was a very enjoyable trip. The children had a very good experience. They got to see the village scenario and the village life. We have taken photographs and are doing picture talk based on what they had seen and experienced in the village. We are also able to elicit responses from our children during our recalling time period in our class. It is really so amazing to see how much they are able to talk abut what they saw. This was indeed a very good opportunity that the children got to explore a different environment and have fun too.

It does not just end here. The children enjoyed the drive in the bus as well as the tractor. We were apprehensive to a little extent whether our children with special needs will be able to adapt to changes, new surroundings and change of routine but to our surprise all the kids had fun.

The highlight of the trip was events at the village school. It was a real example of integration as our children with special needs and the school children at Hallenijgal participated together in all the games and art activities.

Socially the trip helped our children as they were all paired with teachers and volunteers whom they had not interacted with before. We all sat together and ate the same food together. The food was very delicious. The children got to plant saplings explore nature at free will. All the children had a very good time far beyond their words can express.

Sarbani tells me tat when ur intentions r right, things will always fall in place...n when they dont..just try questioning if the intent is intended right!!

I remember, Sarbani had mentioned during our camping trip, that it would be brilliant if the kids at Bubbles could go to a village and get to stride along fields, see farm animals and do some tree-planting!!All of us who work in the IT industry have a team outing, atleast once a year. This year, a friend of mine suggested Rural Zing, a village adopted by Infosys youth centre. Rural Zing, as an initiative helps bridge the urban crowd with that of the village crowd.

In return, the urban log get to have a feel of village life, tractor rides, village games and loads of fresh air. The villagers, on their part are at an advantage, as the earnings go into the village developmental programmes.

And Rural Zing was too gud to believe :) I still remember the conversation we had with Pritam, who is the co-ordinator from Infosys Youth Wing. He seemed so positive, he suggested v plant trees with the children, gave us detailed descriptions of the village outing, offered to sponsor the trip and when he suggested v have some activities and fun games organized with the village children[talk abt integration :)] , our joy knew no bounds:) and both Sarbani and me had to pinch ourselves to know that we werent dreaming!!!

I call Vinod, an active volunteer with Trees for free, one fine day and tell him about the tree planting activity being planned with the kids at Bubbles and Vinod, very kindly not only offers to provide us the plants, but also sponsors them :)...We would have silently thanked him so much ki pucho math :)

Sarbani tells me that the kids at Bubbles were so excited about the field trip, mainly coz given the challenges they face day in and day out, it is not very common for these kids to have outings like these. But that this trip did wonders to not only the kids, but to most of us is like a well known fact.

With 17 saplings, kids and volunteers :), we set out on our journey to Halenijagal village with Vishwa as our guide :)

Our journey to the village was marked by Antakshari and loadsa fun!! Manan and Suhas were actually heard churning out Hindi songs and my team took immense pride in ensuring that our opponents, Mubin and Vidya's[staff at Bubbles centre] team landed a "ha" se starting song all the time, much to their dismay and our joy!!

After over an hour's bus journey, we are treated to a tractor ride!!! Now this is one thing I have always wanted to do in this lifetime :) I guess the pictures speak for themselves:)...hard to tell if the kids were having more fun or if the adults were :)

Breakfast at the village temple, was marked by the kids having a go at the bell in the temple.

The walk to the village school had the kids excited, what with cows, buffaloes, sheep and goats lining or sometimes blocking our ways:)

Independence Day celebrations were ON in the village school and the moment the kids from Bubbles landed there, it was a drumming welcome, followed by the Bubbles kids trying their hands on beating the drums:)

The games and the craft activities planned were aimed at involving the village school and the kids from Bubbles to achieve a dream called "Integration". Kids love colour, dont they? So, we had Bob and his volunteer team set up a giant canvas for them, with every kid depicting his/her version of village life.

We made flags, which was distributed at the village school and as true patriots, all of us sang "Sare Jahan se Acha" and "Bharatha Jananiya Thanujathe"!!

The tyre race and the 3-legged race events which had the Bubbles kids either team up or against the village school children was a treat to watch!!

It was so heartening to see the Bubbles kids, atleast get to the finish line in the tyre race or the village school children prompting the Bubbles kids to run in the 3-legged race, when paired together!!

Each volunteer, was paired with a kid from Bubbles. We were totally responsible for the kid and got to plant peepal trees in 17 different locations all over the village :) all thanks to Trees for Free and Vishwa.

After lunch and a short trek through the village to a lake and a field, the kids were then treated to traditional games like gilli-danda, buguri, golli, etc!!

Let me tell you this, that all through the trip it was difficult to actually believe that the 17 kids who came, had 17 varying issues...Some, being autistic were extremely social and tried to run after the village kids, imitating everything they did...Some were so happy just running around amidst open fields...I still remember a villager telling me that let him run noo..why are you after him:)

Its not very easy to work with kids, who have difficulties expressing their problems..but what I gotto c and observe during the trip is that the staff at Bubbles know what problems to anticipate...they know how to work with each one of them and to put them at ease...

N some1 holding the show together is Sarbani...be it the way she was in control of the situation, planning activities, helping the kids have food, most kids are told ki..."beta ..have food....or else Sarbani will come :)"..n then they quickly finish their food :)She simplifies life so much...that you see kids do amazing stuff and having fun at it :)...She is one committed woman, who is so passionate about ensuring tat the kids at Bubbles learn to lead independent lives!!

write up : Volunteer Bob

A small note to thank you for the wonderful time i had with the Bubbles' kids at the Infosys village outing on 14 August 2010
The time spent with the kids in the village was enriching for me personally. Halenijgal village was a perfect setting to address the challenges faced by the Autistic kids. I am sure that the tyre race, painting, flag making, singing, top-spinning and gilli-danda session with localities did a big boost to lift the confidence of Bubbles' kids. The seamless integration with the village kids is something we struggle with in an urban setting.
I look forward enthusiastically to more such trips in the near future to Infosys village with Bubbles' kids.
Cheers to your efforts!
Tautik( Bob)

Links to photographs:

Bubbles outing to Infosys Village, Halenijagal

http://picasaweb.google.com/tautik/BubblesVillageTrip14Aug2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCJS1sYP0tv2ZKA&feat=content_notification#

http://picasaweb.google.com/aatmaja66/TripToVillageHalleNijgal#

The government's job is perhaps a thankless one. It has been a target of much ridicule and antagonism. As a common belief, we equate it to inefficiency, corruption and selfish motives. However, we at Bubbles recently had a unique experience – one that many did not believe could happen.

The Biswa Gouri Charitable Trust recently received financial aid for parents of the children at Bubbles, helping them avail of interventions for their children. We applied for the aid, and to be quite honest, did not expect much. But to our surprise, we received a prompt reply, saying that our appeal was granted and that we would soon receive the financial aid. The second surprise was the amount of aid granted. It was not just a name-sake amount that was given, but the entire fees of the complete intervention therapies for all our children at the school!

This was truly an eye-opening, heart- gladdening, feeling-blessed moment. For parents of children with special needs, the emotional weight itself is a heavy one, leave alone the financial repercussions. For the government to actually create a scheme to help us bear this weight by easing our financial burden gave a very warm feeling. It truly changed our perception of the Government world.

Thank you so much for it. God Bless. May we all be successful in creating a more empathetic, aware, and accepting world.

ONE!

Fears and doubts were held by all

Will they rise or will they fall?

Such fragile little kids they are

We are about to push them very far

TWO!

Excitement and wonder at what will come

Curiosity about what might happen to some

Will we survive what the adventure might bring?

We want each child to try every thing!

THREE!

The children have few inhibitions

Many are risk-takers by definition

Adults are often more scared than kids

“Let me go, Mom,” one’s expression bids

JUMP!

Let go of the waist, the hand, the finger

And all of the fears that may still linger

We’ve jumped off the ledge, flying high in the air

Child and parent alike, willing to take on more dares

Like pilgrim following his calling, I come to Bubbles each year. And each year is a different experience.

As I look at the kids, I realize, they've grown taller, smarter, more active, doing much more than what they had started with. I see more smiles around, more peace. I see Sharbani, the teachers and staff, the parents and the kids, all together as a team, trying hard to overcome the difficulties, one step at a time, with ever-growing dedication, enjoying the milestones and the journey. I feel blessed to be part of this family.

This year, when we took the kids for the overnight camp, quite a few of the myths I had believed in, were broken. It was truly an eye opening experience. One concern was how would the kids relate to this totally new inexperienced wilderness? How do we keep them occupied all the time? Would it be too hot? Too tiring? Too difficult?

But I was in for quite a few surprises! The kids loved the outdoors. There was no restlessness on their part. They were patiently waiting for their turns. They wanted to experience every activity. And they wanted to do the most thrilling ones like river-crossing over and over again! In fact some kids complained that they were not allowed to do it as many times as the others! They were far away from 'restlessness'! They were blissful! Kids running down small mountain paths, over the rocks and down through jungle grass- it was a wonderful sight. The labels of 'specials kids' that we had attached had melted away. These were children – like any other- having fun, enjoying themselves even in the hot blistering sun of that April day.

As I sat around the bonfire that night, I saw these broken myths go up in flames…perhaps, children need children to play with, freedom to run and play to their heart’s content. Perhaps we can be children too, sometimes at least….It was beautiful to be in the laps of nature – that it was the rugged surrounding of the summer and the not the gentle greenness of the after rains, did not seem to matter. ‘Mother nature’ is quite an apt phrase. Each one of us had beautiful memorable moments to carry back with us.

On our way back, the bus seemed to be carrying tired, happy children and parents….for all of us had taken new steps, all of us had achieved something new, conquered a part of ourselves and turned victorious. And so it shall be each time we explore our potential and capabilities and widen our horizon. However, the bus was not quiet. There was much laughter and happiness coming from the ‘dumb charades’ that the volunteers had initiated. In them I saw the youthful energy and enthusiasm. Spreading from them, touching all those around. Almost making us forget our ‘worldly worries’. In them I saw the hope of a sensitive world. A world of sharing and caring. A world ready to embrace all as its own..... Thank you dear volunteers!

Cheers to all of us!

Most of us started out with our first few "C" or computer languages with the printf statement"Hello World". When I start penning or rather typing away my memories and experiences with Bubbles, this is what I am tempted to say the same to the rest of the world reading us...."Hello World...Welcome to the world of Bubbles"

We were a bunch of pals fresh from college. We had just started working. In the company where I work, we happened to meet a person by name "Moses", who was our inspiration towards devoting our time to causes that benefit others.

Bubbles started off as one of the events, that we were part of. But, Im sure u knew my next sentence was coming......Bubbles was not just another event. It was an experience that we never did forget.....

We were part of the registration team, and we had kids aged between 4 and 10 come in at around 10am in March, 2006. Most of them wouldnt respond when they were asked their names, I thought that it was because they wouldnt talk to strangers or were moody. Little did I know that the kids were autistic then.

It was amazing to see these children perform on stage. I still remember the grace and the josh that a 4 year old autistic kid displayed on stage when she was dancing. I bet you a million bucks, no one would have even thought she was even remotely associated with autism. There she was on stage, all smiles and having a great time....

And then we got to meet another kid, very affectionate, she was around 8 years old. She kept asking us why her mother didnt come to pick her. It was difficult to distract her attention to anything else. She was always used to being picked up by her mother and was finding it difficult to understand as to why someone else was going to pick her...

And then we got to meet the prodigy, let me take you to the beginning of our interaction. We had to make a presentation on Egypt to a group of autistic and non-autistic children, and we were quizzing the kids on a few GK questions about Egypt like the capital or the main river of Egypt...we get the answers from our prodigy even before we finish the questions.....

Years later, I get to know that our prodigy is autistic.....

There is this kid, who can solve complex simultaneous equations, and give the right answer just by looking at the question. But she wouldnt be able to explain how she arrived at the solution. 

I am told that there are various degrees in autism. It is by far a very varying condition. Different kids with autism, face different behavioral challenges, which is by large unique from other kids facing the same condition.

You could have children displaying delayed milestones, like say not doing things when they are supposed to, that is say...if they are supposed to walk by 2, or talk by 3......

You could have children unable to express their feelings or their thoughts. Lets just say that if someone were to bully them or beat them, they would feel the pain, but would just not know how to react.....Imagine the frustration that they must be undergoing.....

Autistic children are usually used to a structured lifestyle. They do not understand the varying aspects of the society they live in. Lets just say that if they are told and trained to have the freedom to pull out things from the showcase of their own homes and if they were to be restrained from doing the same in a guest's house...they just wouldnt understand the difference....

Sarbani Aunty, the person who runs Bubbles Home, was telling us  the other day that when she was talking to another friend and was interrupted by an autistic child, she had forgotten to chide the child for doing so. She was later reminded by the kid as to why she was not scolded, as she was always taught that it was not right to interrupt 2 people  conversing....

How does Sarbani make the difference...

In Bubbles, they work with different kinds of intervention programmes. These programmes are designed to meet the child's requirements. Lets just say that there are children who have not yet started talking, probably coz they have not had the exposure or the environment to express themselves, Bubbles identifies speech therapists and helps the child in developing the normal condition of speech....

In Bubbles, most of the work that is done revolves around autistic children. Many a time, the people who need help the most are the parents of the autistic children, as they just dont understand as to why their children cant perform or do as well as the other normal children and end up pushing the children too hard, only ending up in doing the kid more harm.....

If I were to be a parent of an autistic child, only then would I understand what is faced by the parents day in and day out. ....But since autism is a condition which cant be treated and cured for life......it is a condition which persists lifelong. A child with autism grows up into an adult with autism....Then what can be done in such a situation.....

The most important part being that in Bubbles, children with autism are trained to be independent. Most of the teaching revolves around visual aids....and the use of structured patterns as far as their daily routine is concerned. Another important factor that is considered is that the child is also undergoing the same routine at home.....as it wouldnt just help....if they were to follow a particular schedule for a few hours a week...and go back to doing none of it at home....

In Bubbles, parents are taken into confidence regarding the kind of help and support they can provide to their children who are autistic. And with the help of the structured learning programmes, parents themselves see the change and appreciate the positive impacts....

In Bubbles, the learning programmes ensure that the autistic child's needs are appreciated and well looked into from a futuristic perspective....

by Praveena

Bubbles is special to us. Not because Sarbani aunty always gives us wonderful food when we go. (Though that is definitely a factor.) But Bubbles is where I see life at its best.


I still remember the day when I went to Bubbles for the first time. It was a Saturday and my friend gave me wrong directions and I walked in circles before I finally found it. I liked the first look of Bubbles. It was closer to home and closer to the bus stop. But little did I know that I would absolutely fall in love with that place.

I was one of the volunteers for a school day event at Bubbles. Sarbani Aunty and Karuna aunty gave us instructions on the programmes happening the next day. I was in charge of the blue team (I like the color blue) I took my responsibility very seriously.

A friend told us that the students of Bubbles were autistic and non-autistic. She explained to us how it is important to have challenged children integrated into every aspects of society and Bubbles was playing an important role in doing that. As we listened to her quietly, I realized that this was something big.

I had heard very little of autism. It did not affect me, so I did not know a lot about it. I had a conversation with Sarbani Aunty once and she explained to me what 'Autism' was. She encouraged questions and explained the condition quite simply. It was all new to me.

I confess. I am afraid of kids. I somehow strongly believed that children did not like me. Children never liked coming to me and even if they did, the story ended with the child wailing and crying (and I trying to hide my face to avoid being seen as the insensitive adult who made a child cry) or they would run to a more popular adult (with me grinning…. Pretending to send the child to them myself) so I actually did not look forward to my first event with Bubbles as the ‘in-charge’ of the Blue team…

The first event was fantastic. Because I am blogging right now, I shall say that my blue team was fantastic. But it was our kind of place. Fun-filled. It was not about being autistic, non-autistic, talented, non-talented, shy, non-shy etc. It was the sheer energy, chaos (good kind of chaos) and cheer that I fell at home with.


Thus began our relationship with Bubbles. We have decorated Bubbles a dozen times for Christmas/Children’s day/School Day, stripped off the decorations and cleaned up after each event… Become Santa Clauses (dancing Salsa and Govinda naach - Only kids would fall for that…) Gave presentations and did many more things and each of them was an absolute pleasure. We always tell Sarbani aunty that our motives for coming to Bubbles are totally selfish. We come to Bubbles to have fun (of course the food is a catalyst too). Volunteering is just a part of the deal.


The society does a very good job of marginalizing autistic individuals. Society actually marginalizes any individual who suffers from a neurological or a psychological disorder. In our day to day life, how many autistic individuals do we come across? How many individuals do we interact with who are mentally challenged? This is where Bubbles is making a huge difference because it brings out autism into the open. It encourages dialogue about autism with parents and teachers and eliminates the shame and fear associated with it.

My parents had not allowed me to go out for a late night outing when I was 16 years old. I was convinced that my parents did not want me to be independent(At that time, all I believed was that ‘If I had to be independent, I should be allowed to do what I wanted to do’) Now when I think about it, I realize that all your life, your parents and teachers teach you to be independent. This is what as a school, Bubbles does as well. The only difference is that Bubbles welcomes all children. And they do a really good job of it.

I learnt a lot at Bubbles. Here, I am time and again humbled by how much more I have to learn and the realization that most of the stuff that matter, I can learn from children.

In one event I saw a kid who I thought acted way too grown up. My friend and I had dressed up as Santa Clause and worn masks to entertain the kids and she came to my friend and told her 'I know you were the one behind the mask, I remember your earrings'. It is a different thing that my friend was stupid enough to wear earrings while being dressed as Santa Clause, but I concluded that the kid was a snob. Kids are not supposed to notice earrings or remember them, and they are supposed to like Santa Clause. Minutes later I saw an autistic kid sit and our keen observer friend went out to help her get up and dusted her dress and helped her wear her bag and got her shoes and they walked hand in hand. Who was the snob here I wonder?

Autistic children are very talented. So I had heard. But I saw a young girl dance for a Malaika Arora number and I went to a flashback on how nervous I was before my first stint on the stage. While I marveled at how graceful the girl looked, I saw how important that stage was to her. She didn’t care for the world. Bubbles give children such moments. Moments where you can be your best, even if you are different.

And I realized that I need to learn to create my moments and not waste time being nervous and scared.

There are many reasons why I think Bubbles is special. But what can I say except that I am absolutely in love with that place……