When truly the universe conspires to making it happen..

Jhamtse Gatsal is a community, a school, and a home.
For about 90 children.
It lies in the remote district of Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, India
The children come from nearby villages.
Each of these children has a background of adversity.
And Jhamtse’s driving goal is to provide these children with better lives, helping them to achieve their fullest potential …
As they firmly (and I think rightly) believe that every child deserves an opportunity in life.

I got introduced to this incredible school, Jhamtse Gatsal Children’s Community in my final semester at University. They had docked in for recruitments. Had I not had plans to take this exam that I’ve been preparing for, I’d definitely have leaped to explore work opportunities with them. Their story struck a chord. It seemed magical and surreal.

A year went by …

And amongst other things, my mother’s sinful baking project at home, post her retirement, went commercial. A small café near where I live encouraged and showered my mother’s bakes with much love and delight, driving her enthusiasm further. And then emerged this idea of the possibility of having a fundraiser through a bake sale for the school I sincerely am a big fan of.
What started out with a team of just three bakers on board with a modest target of ten thousand rupees and truckloads of uncertainty in the mind ended up materializing into having a fleet of twelve amazing bakers, raising money much beyond our target and with so many happy memories being made. The feeling was an overwhelming one. I’d never imagined this event to have panned out the way that it actually did. In fact, I’d almost given up on the idea when two venues that I was seeking support from with regard to space to host the fundraiser responded in the negative. Pagdandi, the unique and small café with a BIG, BIG heart, which cheerfully hosted us by giving us little space within the little space that they have, is truly an extraordinary corner. Strangers who’re now friends-in-the-making, reached out over social media to help and I’ve been left amazed at how magnanimous people can really be. A spirited designer popped up offering her design skills pro bono while the helpful bhaiyya at the hardware shop readily tweaked our fairy lights to accommodate our exact requirements. The Joshua Café happily put up our poster in prime spotlight for people to see while my teacher, classmates, family and friends took it upon themselves and promoted the event better than any publicity unit could have ever done justice to I think, as they spoke from their heart and brought it alive before the audience exquisitely, just like how a play carefully captivates by weaving a realistic story. A friend landed up from Bombay to help. Bakers young and old, men and women, students, grandmothers and a special child baked for us. And in such extraordinary ways this wonderful community around me, just so many people, have made this bake sale the enchanting reality that I think it was.
To all these remarkably phenomenal folks, I raise my toast humbly, to your awesomeness!

**Clink, Clink



To see some photos, look here!