Goodbye Lincoln - Hello Bangalore!
When I came back to live in Lincoln in 2012, after four years in the Italian countryside, I started nesting again; stamping my style and preferences on my spectacular bachelor pad in Minster Yard, with its awe-inspiring view onto the East front of Lincoln Cathedral.
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| The view from my front door |
For six years I have pandered to my quirky taste and passion for
unusual decor. I covered one wall with wooden spoons from around the world, and
I filled my kitchen cupboards with rare cookware.
I have a dozen tiny condiment dishes to
contain aïoli for fish soup, and a dozen miniature leCreuset cast-iron
casseroles, that would - I decided - be perfect for an exotic dinner-party
starter. . . . but I never made that fish soup, nor that miniaturised Cassoulet to
serve in those colourful cast-iron leCreusets.
So now I am leaving behind most of the design and decor that I have so
painstakingly created, and I am going to live in India.
Reinventing myself
I am at it again; reinventing myself; this time into a volunteer management consultancy with the Indian project for which I set up my UK fund-raising charity, Escape from Poverty.
Some of the children whose education is funded by Escape from Poverty, together with their parents (all in their Sunday best for the photograph!)
In order to get a good education in India, a child needs to be basically numerate and literate by age six, with some basic knowledge of English in addition to their own mother-tongue. This means that they need to start school some time between 2yrs 6 months and 3yrs 6 months.
There are very few government-funded preschools, which means that children from poor backgrounds stand very little chance of gaining a good education. Building Blocks is an Indian charity which operates free pre-schools exclusively for children living in the slum districts. In addition to a wide range of academic subjects, the curriculum focuses heavily on building self-esteem, encouraging self-confidence and stimulating creativity.
Escape from Poverty raises 10-year scholarships to support children from Building Blocks when they move on to Primary and Secondary schools, from age 6 to 16.
My task in Bangalore is to work with James Ambat, the founder of Building Blocks, to define a clear, long-term Vision and Mission for Building Blocks and translate this into a pragmatic 5-Year Strategy.
Right now, my personal strategy is a matter of auditing every item of my possessions and taking the heart-rending decision as to which items I take and which items I must sadly leave behind.
Since my Lincoln apartment is rented, and storage costs are prohibitive, most of my furniture is destined for the charity shops whence it came six years ago. However, it's the low-cost / low-value items with great sentimental value that are the most difficult to part with.
What to take: what to leave: what to sell: what to give away?
As the Everly brothers used to croon in the 60s "Packing up is so very hard to do-o-o-o-o-o." However, none of these practical hurdles will prevent me from fulfilling my dream of working on the Building Blocks project in Bangalore.
Finding a New Home
My colleagues in Bangalore are finding me a 2-bedroom apartment located near the Building Blocks offices, and in less than a month I shall be personalising it with some of the possessions (and maybe a few wooden spoons) that I am taking with me from Lincoln. However, what matters is not whether I can get QI and The Last Leg live from Britain on my computer, what matters is how James and I, - and all the team - are going to give kids from the slums the opportunity to break free of poverty and really believe in their own future.
I know we can achieve that, because I know the kids can.
6 year-old "graduates" from a Building Blocks Preschool, April 2018
Reinventing myself
I am at it again; reinventing myself; this time into a volunteer management consultancy with the Indian project for which I set up my UK fund-raising charity, Escape from Poverty.
I am at it again; reinventing myself; this time into a volunteer management consultancy with the Indian project for which I set up my UK fund-raising charity, Escape from Poverty.
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| Some of the children whose education is funded by Escape from Poverty, together with their parents (all in their Sunday best for the photograph!) |
In order to get a good education in India, a child needs to be basically numerate and literate by age six, with some basic knowledge of English in addition to their own mother-tongue. This means that they need to start school some time between 2yrs 6 months and 3yrs 6 months.
There are very few government-funded preschools, which means that children from poor backgrounds stand very little chance of gaining a good education. Building Blocks is an Indian charity which operates free pre-schools exclusively for children living in the slum districts. In addition to a wide range of academic subjects, the curriculum focuses heavily on building self-esteem, encouraging self-confidence and stimulating creativity.
Escape from Poverty raises 10-year scholarships to support children from Building Blocks when they move on to Primary and Secondary schools, from age 6 to 16.
Escape from Poverty raises 10-year scholarships to support children from Building Blocks when they move on to Primary and Secondary schools, from age 6 to 16.
My task in Bangalore is to work with James Ambat, the founder of Building Blocks, to define a clear, long-term Vision and Mission for Building Blocks and translate this into a pragmatic 5-Year Strategy.
Right now, my personal strategy is a matter of auditing every item of my possessions and taking the heart-rending decision as to which items I take and which items I must sadly leave behind.
Since my Lincoln apartment is rented, and storage costs are prohibitive, most of my furniture is destined for the charity shops whence it came six years ago. However, it's the low-cost / low-value items with great sentimental value that are the most difficult to part with.
As the Everly brothers used to croon in the 60s "Packing up is so very hard to do-o-o-o-o-o." However, none of these practical hurdles will prevent me from fulfilling my dream of working on the Building Blocks project in Bangalore.
Finding a New Home
My colleagues in Bangalore are finding me a 2-bedroom apartment located near the Building Blocks offices, and in less than a month I shall be personalising it with some of the possessions (and maybe a few wooden spoons) that I am taking with me from Lincoln. However, what matters is not whether I can get QI and The Last Leg live from Britain on my computer, what matters is how James and I, - and all the team - are going to give kids from the slums the opportunity to break free of poverty and really believe in their own future.
I know we can achieve that, because I know the kids can.
 |
| What to take: what to leave: what to sell: what to give away? |
Finding a New Home
My colleagues in Bangalore are finding me a 2-bedroom apartment located near the Building Blocks offices, and in less than a month I shall be personalising it with some of the possessions (and maybe a few wooden spoons) that I am taking with me from Lincoln. However, what matters is not whether I can get QI and The Last Leg live from Britain on my computer, what matters is how James and I, - and all the team - are going to give kids from the slums the opportunity to break free of poverty and really believe in their own future.
I know we can achieve that, because I know the kids can.
 |
| 6 year-old "graduates" from a Building Blocks Preschool, April 2018 |
