Humans of SF | Lakshmi

“I have seen Snehadhara move from an idea to an ideology. Today, Snehadhara is so much more than a direct care facility for children with special needs. Today, there is a Snehadhara way of doing things.” says Lakshmi.

“I have been around since the time that Snehadhara was an idea and an urge that Dr Gitanjali wanted to implement. She was very clear of what she wanted and I wanted to get on board to help as much as I could. Initially I helped with the content for the website, editing and so on. She asked me to consider being on the advisory board. I believed as a writer and journalist, our worlds didn’t really intersect. She convinced me otherwise and brought my skills into this. For anyone wanting to know more about Snehadhara, I say – Be prepared to unlearn. Offload your prejudices and come with an open heart and mind, like a blank slate. Snehadhara functions, not at the superficial, but at the visceral level. So when you experience this, you will wish that this was your to experience all along.”

“Snehadhara is about using the arts as a primary methodology in teaching children for sure. But it is so much more than that. You can take a bit of Snehadhara to many other spaces today. The Snehadhara identity is what I have seen the greatest growth of. There is much going around with the idea that SF comes with, that there is space for everyone. This is embodied in every sphere of life and with every person it encounters, is the greatest growth the foundation has seen. Snehadhara challenges the common perception of NGOs to say that you may be a social organisation but that doesn’t mean that you are not a professionally-run one. SF stands out leagues ahead of other organisations – in transparency, thought process, structure and functioning. I wish for SF to have multiple avatars across the country. I hope for more Direct Care kind of spaces across the country. The skills I volunteer are my writing skills and I’m always delighted to contribute the same.”