June 1st meant time to go back to school with new backpacks, uniforms and positive attitudes. In order to help our older students succeed, we have placed some of them in different schools according to their ability. This has been going well so far, and has given our kids the opportunity to make new friends and develop their talents more fully. We are pleased to announce that Ms. Usha Baliga, a long-time volunteer at SDI, has been named as the Secretary for Sahasra Deepika International for Education. A tireless volunteer who cares deeply for our SDI children, Usha replaces Mr. Sreenathan, who served as a Trustee and Secretary for SDIE for the past three years. Mr. Sreenathan will be continuing his great service to the community as President of the Rotary Club of Bangalore. We thank him for his dedication to Sahasra Deepika.

     "I am Subhash. I am studying in 9th standard. When I was small I met with an accident. I was in my mothers hands, she being helpless. She was searching for hospital to get me admitted as soon as possible since I was bleeding. At that incident I must say [it was] my good luck that Mataji and Pitaji (Mrs. Ramakrishna and Dr. Ramakrishna) came… and admitted me to a hospital. During this period Mataji told my mother about me studying in Sahasra Deepika and my mother agreed. Then Mataji brought me to Sahasra Deepika. I came to Sahasra Deepika in 1998 when I was 2.5 years old.

     Sahasra Deepika means a thousand light of hope and compassion. I being light in this institute, I am lucky. Here Mataji and Pitaji take care of us with lot of love and care like mother and father." Read more by Subhash

     The Volunteer Committee in Bangalore has been working hard to make the process of recruiting and involving volunteers at the Sahasra Deepika Institute efficient and effective. The committee works closely with the SDIE leadership to ensure that student needs are addressed.
    Committee members Usha Baliga, Arun Kumar, Karthick Tharakraj, Himanshu Caplash, Rupali Sharma, Suman Alva, Sutapa Dey, Danny Khumlo, Shubham Goyal, and Youth for Seva volunteer Ramesh Kumar, have offered their talents to enrich the education of students at SDI.  A present initiative involves forming clubs focused on specific subject groups: computer skills (led by Shubham Goyal), math (Rupali Sharma), social science (Sutapa Dey), science (Himanshu Caplash), and sports and extra-curricular activities (Danny Khumlo).
     Karthick Tharakaraj is organizing an outreach program with neighboring villages. The program seeks to offer other disadvantaged children the chance to participate in many of SDI’s activities. Shubham Goyal has developed an online repository to log meeting minutes, volunteer schedules, and other documentation for SDI.
     New volunteers are always welcome at the Sahasra Deepika Institute. Our main needs are fundraising assistance and volunteers during weekdays. On Sunday, March 8, SDI held its first Volunteer Open House. Prospective volunteers toured the facilities and met the children. Please contact us if you are interested in attending the next Open House!