During my trip to India this summer, I made memories that will stay with me for a lifetime. Experiences such as seeing the Taj Mahal, visiting the orphanage I came from, and going to Sahasra Deepika are imprinted into my brain. Being adopted from India has given me a special connection with this country and the people from it. I was only two years old when I was given a new chance at life. I was adopted into a family that currently resides in West Virginia, and at the age of seventeen I went back to India to see my roots. It was during this journey that I made my first visit to Sahasra Deepika Institute in Bangalore.
I spent a week living with the girls at Sahasra Deepika Institute, where the focus on education is of paramount importance, and the girls seemed to realize it was the key to their future. They were very diligent about their homework. Their school was modern, clean and well run, and they looked forward to going to it in the morning. It is an advantage that their courses are in English, as it opens a new world to them. This allowed us to sit up at night with them, discussing the United States and answering questions they had. We had fun doing activities with the children, such as taking their individual portraits, making hairbands and headbands with the material we brought, teaching them calligraphy and more.
Sahasra Deepika Institute for Education is monumental. The entire concept of Sahasra Deepika is something India needs more of. Everything about it is unique. The school is located in the beautiful countryside. The staff is a group of amazing nurturing women, and they all have their own place in Sahasra Deepika’s system. The girls are angels, they are so beautiful and I could see the happiness on their faces. These girls are truly blessed to be in this facility, and they know it. They are all so eager to learn and make a better life for themselves and their families. Each girl is unique in her own way, and will make a difference in India’s future. I am blessed to have been able to spend time at Sahasra Deepika, and hopefully I will be able to visit again in the future. And at Sahasra Deepika’s Gala in Virginia on Nov. 9th, I’m looking forward to meeting other students who have also visited and helped out at Sahasra Deepika.
Jewel O’Connor
