Message From the President

It was…hot. When my husband Brian and I got back from India earlier this summer it as hard not to begin with that answer when friends and family asked, “So how was your trip?”

117° is hard not to talk about.

I usually spend time at Sambhali Trust once a year and most often in the winter. It’s invaluable to be there for an extended period to learn more about the Trust, the needs of those it serves, and how Sambhali U.S. can support those efforts.

This visit was a bit different. Brian had never been to India but had listened to me talk non-stop about Sambhali Trust since I first visited in 2017. And after all that he very much wanted to see it all in action. But Brian teaches so the only time to go is during summer break, and it turns out that there was a heat wave when we arrived in Jodhpur in late May.

It's a bit unnerving to bring someone whose opinion you’ve cherished for 40+ years to experience in person what he’s only seen through your eyes. Would he see the magic? Or maybe just feel the heat?

Turns out you can learn a lot about dedication in the heat. You can learn a lot about what’s important.

The heat was inconvenient for us, perhaps dangerous given our age, but the overwhelming takeaway is that this is life, summer after ever-hotter summer, for the staff and participants in Sambhali programs. Almost no one has AC and many make it through the hot days without even electricity for a fan. And yet, what goes on each day is amazing.

We arrived on a Saturday bearing the chocolate chip cookies Brian had made—something I’d brought before, but this time oozing with nice melty chocolate chips. Brian met the staff he’d heard so much about and toured the office and hiked up the steps to the boarding home.

That night we went out to dinner with the college girls and a few of the younger students who were staying at the boarding home over the summer break. We went to my favorite spot because of its views including the Mehrangarh Fort. We ate pizza and French fries along with fabulous Indian food and caught up with each other’s lives.  

The next day was Sunday when Sambhali Trust centers are usually closed. However, because of the heat, the centers were taking their week-long summer break the following week so we were told everyone would go to the centers on Sunday so we could visit. I protested but was told everyone wanted to meet Brian and it had already been arranged. Period. We visited each center and saw the pride as students explained what they were learning.

When we arrived in the village of Setrawa, Sambhali’s center was closed because of the heat, but I wanted to show Brian the beautiful space that has been Sambhali’s home in the desert for many years. On the way, we visited some young women who began at Sambhali’s boarding homes when they were small girls and had a chance to talk to their families.

We had chai with Priya, who is now finishing her teaching degree having already gotten a BA and MA. Priya was the first boarding home girl to graduate from secondary school and it was her idea to go to college. Her idea has changed the lives of all the young women who are now in college, and all the girls who now dare to dream of college.

And we had chai with Manisha, who just finished the first year of her master’s degree in geography. Manisha, who somehow managed not to get married this spring despite family pressure, even as her older brother and younger sister got married. How? A combination of mutual love and mutual respect—and a whole lot more power to decide her fate than even she ever thought was possible

Then we visited the Sambhali center and to our surprise women kept arriving, perhaps a dozen total. Some had walked 3 km to get there. Why? They knew the classes had been cancelled that day. It’s just where they wanted to be, every day, every time it was possible. Surely part of the reason was because of the conditions at their homes, including for some a lack of electricity. But it was more. It was wanting to learn, to be in a community of women supporting women, to be there.

Back in Jodhpur, the members of Sambhali’s Garima (Dignity) project were busy getting ready for Pride Week, which would include a day of poster-making, an LGBTQIA+ health camp, a street play, a night of speeches, comedy, and live music, a fashion show, a visit to the Mehrangarh Fort, and a march through the streets of Jodhpur. Every day they practiced the dances they would perform in the courtyard. There was no shade, but they continued their practice. It is where they wanted to be, doing what they wanted to be doing. Celebrating Pride in Jodhpur is brave, and this would be Sambhali’s biggest celebration by far. It puts the heat in perspective.

How hot was it? When I visited last winter I’d brought some Sculpey, a clay you bake in the oven, for the boarding home girls. One girl tried to bake her creation on the roof, but it was only about 90° so it didn’t quite work. I brought some more for her to try again. Yep, it worked.

But what did Brian think of it all? Anything more than “hot”?

So I asked, and this is what he said:

Indeed, Brian saw the magic!

Every day the staff at Sambhali Trust’s projects send around photos showing the day’s activities on WhatsApp groups. Once back in the U.S. I looked at those photos and checked my weather app. It had cooled down but was still significantly north of 100°. Yet, every day I’d see the women and children there, learning, being where they want to be, not letting sweat cloud their dreams.

There’s a lot to be learned in the heat.

Shereen Arent
President
Sambhali U.S.