If you visit the temple village of Kavlem, near Ponda it is easy to miss the Balika Kalyan Ashram, the girls orphanage ensconced in one of its by lanes. However, this small and compact building is home to 60 orphan and destitute girls who are being looked after with much love and care.

Started in 1976 by the Ponda based Matruchaya Trust, the ashram has flowered into a wonderful home for girls. At this moment, there are seven girls in the 0-4 age category, with most being eligible for adoption under the Central Adoption Resource Authority (Cara) guidelines. A maximum number of 50 girls are in the class V-X category, eight girls will appear for the SSC examinations very soon, while two girls have just completed their HSSC examinations. Two older girls are pursuing their undergraduate studies in the arts and commerce streams respectively.

Walking with Mandakini Patil, the jovial superintendent through the ashram, one realizes how neat and clean the surroundings are. The 60 girls have been formed into six teams of ten girls each. Each team has a team leader. The girls have been taught to sweep and swab the floor and maintain cleanliness in their respective staying quarters, the ashram lobbies and staircases. The girls wash their own clothes and utensils too. We believe in making the girls completely self-reliant. It is good training for their adult life, Patil said.

The little girls are being trained in Indian customs and tradition too. It was refreshing to see a girl greet you with a namaste after serving you tea. A regular day at the ashram begins at 5am. The girls have an exercise and pranayama class between 6am-6:30am, followed by their daily cleaning schedule between 6:30am-7am and breakfast between 7am-7:30am followed by school. The post-school lunch is between 2pm-2:30pm followed by tuitions and play time. Every Wednesday sees a team of lady doctors visit the ashram to check on the health of the girls. According to Patil, the Ponda district hospital is their port of call for medical emergencies.

A team of teachers visits the ashram every afternoon to tutor the girls in the various school subjects. It was also heartening to see a special computer room in the ashram where two teachers teach the girls computer skills. IT teacher Sneha Sawant said, We teach the girls MS Office and many of the girls have become proficient in MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint operations. The girls are very sharp and intelligent.

There is also an emphasis on sport and extra-curricular activities at the ashram. The girls are taught classical Indian music and have also been introduced to the pakhwaj, the ancient Indian percussion instrument. Chess is the number one sport at the ashram with many of the girls regularly representing their school in local chess tournaments. Regular classes are held for tailoring, fabric painting and knitting. The girls are also adept at rangolli art and some of the exhibits made by the girls are breathtakingly beautiful.

Interestingly, the children are not allowed to watch television except on the weekend, so that the focus remains on studies and sport. In a state like Goa, where garbage management is a serious challenge, it is good to know that the ashram composts their wet garbage every day and gives their dry garbage to the Kavlem Panchayat on a regular basis.

Our girls manage the wet composting unit thereby learning important environmental lessons early in life, Patil said.

Every attempt has also been made to make the ashram very homely. According to Nilima Kamat, honorary secretary, Matruchaya Trust, the children are encouraged to address all their care-givers as Tai (Sister) and Dada (Brother), so that the feeling of family is uppermost on their minds.

Typically, the ashram educates the girls up to college and helps get them married to eligible boys. A marriage of one of our girls is a very happy moment for all of us. Many of the girls continue visiting the ashram with their own children. They treat the ashram like a Maher-ghar (mothers home). Patil said.

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Matruchaya's Balika Kalyan Ashram is a boon for girls! - Oherald