By Amy Scoville -Weaver

Today it is a joyous and beautiful day, the children of the Tushita Foundation have been invited by the owner of Samode Hotels, Yadavendra Singh, to visit his fairy-tale palace and have lunch in Samode Bagh, a lush garden and a fabulous retreat for knowledgeable travellers who come to Rajasthan.

For the past three months, I have been volunteering at the Tushita Foundation, a house of learning and empowerment in the village of Amber near Jaipur. Together with the children and the teachers at the Foundation we have celebrated several festivals from all the religious traditions represented here: the festival of kites and Holi, Milad un Nabi and today, Easter, which is promising to be an eventful one.

By Rosenda Meer

Under a leaden sky, the children of Amber arrive at the venue chosen for their first public appearance. A vast lawn, often used for marriages and public functions, has already been set up for the coming event with a stage, a music system, hundreds of chairs and a canopy above them. The excitement is palpable, all of them have invited their families to come and see the show: “The peacock and the four children”. For the past three years, the youngest in Amber, a village half an hour away from Jaipur in Rajasthan, have been coming after school to the Foundation, eager to learn some more, and to learn differently. Tushita, a destination management company specialised in cultural travel trough India provides the necessary resources. Three volunteers from France, graduates from the prestigious “Institut de Sciences Politiques” have spent their summer with the children, teaching geography, music, English… Showing an incomparable dedication and determination, Anthony, Cléo and Phelbé, in India for the first time, have had the courage to put up a play that they have written, with hundred and fifty village children that they have come to know by name. All their efforts though, would have been in vain without the vital help of the teachers at the Foundation. Payal, Priyanka, Ruksar, Ruchika and Sonam have been the golden link between the children and the play. Today, they are all dressed beautifully, eager to show their work with the children to their families, friends and neighbours. Three of them, particularly good dancers will also perform on stage. While waiting for the costumes to arrive the classes are recomposed for the official photographs. Sophia and Minnie seam to know already very well how to strike a pose.

By Anthony Emorine

The scene is set in Shekhawati, towards the end of the month of July. On the occasion of an excursion with the kids of the Tushita Foundation of Amer, we set out to visit the native region of the great Rajputs – the Indian legendary military men. The monsoon is late this year; rain hasn’t yet showered Northwestern India. It will in August, dramatically, damaging houses, roads, infrastructures, and eventually kill people, across Rajasthan.

India is a land of roughness.

Today’s heat proves it. The Thar desert starts here, between the districts of Jhunjhunu and Sikar. The children are very excited. This afternoon, we will be gazing at the magnificent frescos of different havelis, including the famous Podar Museum. A trip through history, organized by Veenajee and her husband Gajjubana. He’s a Rajput, and comes from Shekhawati. As everyone is cheering in the bus, Gajju sits quietly in the front, aware of his responsibility, proud to welcome people in the region of his origins, and as calm as I can imagine a brave Rajput would be before a battle.