Happiness is not always a state of mind. But it can be shared

I turned 30 last December when I thought that my life was not just fulfilling enough at this auspicious time (yes, despite the full ride to Harvard!) so I decided to forgo all earthy celebrations and instead emailed everyone I knew on this planet who I considered a good friend or acquaintance and said “I want to do good, can you help?”.

My initial proposal was to invite folks to send me 30 dollars as a birthday gift, that I would in-turn simply give away to Project Haven, an amazing effort envisioned, created and nurtured by my dearest friends Neil and Tara. The money would be used to create a music program for the kids, so they, like the privileged rest of us, would also get to feel, see , read, play and hear music. (The initiative was to rehabilitate homeless street girl children, who were also orphans and may otherwise fall prey to social menaces left there. My friends at that time had recently moved from the United Kingdom to India on a diplomatic mission and therefore were clearly going beyond the call of duty to establish the effort, a remarkable challenge given the regulatory challenges of India, let alone the state of West Bengal. But sooner than later, they pushed away any challenge that came their away and rented a large apartment and infused the space with color, warmth and love that today 13 girl children call “home”. I am only lucky to have been briefly associated with the project when I lived and worked in Calcutta, when I helped with fundraiser concerts (thanks to Neil’s own obsession with classical music!) or spent time with the kids either teaching them “Somewhere Over the Rainbow!” or translating in broken Bengali the themes of a movie like “ET” during Neil’s English lessons. )

The proposal saw a remarkable response - at least 150 people signed on to the idea, but very few acted on the pledge. But some is indeed better than none, especially when those “some” individuals decide to give much more than asked for! The good news was that there was enough for a year’s worth of lessons for at least some of the kids. It naturally took time to transfer the money to India, deal with weird regulations about foreign dollars coming in for charity and finding a good model to work with. Finding a teacher was impossible! But to make this long story longer, we recently broke barriers and found an opportunity at the Calcutta School of Music for the kids to study with someone who seems like the right and perfect fit! Neil sent me these pictures from Calcutta recently and I am most delighted and grateful to everyone who supported the cause.

My 2nd annual virtual fundraiser for the music program at Project Haven is scheduled for December 7th 2009.

Thank you to those who generously contributed the first time:
Amit K, Amy R, Ashok R, Billy S, Carlos A, Celine S, Christina P, Connie A, Elad S, Greg P, Jamie Z, Jane P, Jennifer D, Jennifer F, Junaid U, Niranjini I, Meredith B, Michael M, Rohan G, Orli F, Sangeeta P, Saravanan J, Suganth C, Suzanne C, Teresa C and Zhao D

If you would like to make a donation, please see details on our Facebook Group "Project Haven"

Or you can directly go to our PayPal Page to make a payment using your credit card.

Thank you for your contribution!

Access

I know most people in public health would agree with me that one of the most serious issues that plague healthcare systems today is inequitable access to services. A sophisticated healthcare institution, special education center, psychiatric rehabilitation center or a hospice in the United States bolstered with philanthropic funding in addition to a successful revenue model may all have one thing in common - the presence of a creative arts program aimed at therapeutic gain, and perhaps even a board-certified music therapist. On the other side of the globe, one encounters robust third-world economies with healthcare infrastructure focused on development, tropical medicine and primary care. These countries are just about groping to find the means to empower their healthy population through the creation of equitable access, affordable care and efficient delivery models. The picture continues to look grim for vulnerable populations, urban or rural, such as the mentally and/or physically challenged, the profoundly diseased and the terminally ill. These populations have one thing in common universally– there is very little that medicine can do to improve their lives, let alone offer a permanent cure. Several of my board members were at a meeting earlier this past week at VSA Arts (a Kennedy Center Affiliate) in Washington DC to discuss the role of music in wellness and healthcare. Orli Frenkel MD, a key member of our team kept bringing up the issue of access to music, and how we as a team are indeed directing a holistic effort to create channels to either promote or provide for the use of music in well-being, be it through education, performance, or treatment. However, the choice is entirely yours, but there's got to be one! It matters.

Think now.