Caitie Whelan, here, writing from the Great State of Maine, where fall has brought out the finest and, dare I say, classiest side of the natives. Pumpkins are out and two foot tall illuminated skulls are in. Grocery stores are chock-a-block with plastic witches and bed-sheet ghost costumes and, in a brilliant slice of marketing, all the candy is in the exact same aisle as the back-to-school supplies.
But I must bid farewell to this ghoul's paradise and trot off, once again, to the toasty warm sands of our lovely desert classroom in the northwest nook of India. But how, you might ask, can you do this after having launched what critics are calling 'The most provocative, arresting website of our time' (www.merasischool.org)? The answer, my dear friends, is simple and an alliteration (as all great answers are): Pamela Pelizzari.
Ms Pamela is our PREMIERE Development Director. Since Pamela would shatter (in a controlled and graceful way, as most of her actions are) just about any nutshell we try to put her in, let me just say this: Were I stranded in a remote land and had one SOS phonecall, I'd ring Neil Diamond. But, contrary to popular belief, Neil's number is not 1-800-Sweet-Caroline and all his crooning, while legendary and profound, would do little to transport me home. So I'd call Pamela and know that she could problem-solve our way home. We're just thrilled to have her onboard; she injects an refreshing element of ease into our work. We hope everyone is fortunate enough to have a Pamela in their offices and, even better, in their lives.
Fall at The Merasi School is ripe with plans. But, as an excellent mentor of mine once said, when theory hits the blacktop anything is fair game. Especially in the context within which the mighty Merasi exist. Poverty is a fickle master and can oftentimes become the dominant architect of an individual's daily life. Plans and schedule dissolve in the face of empty stomachs and ruthless caste discrimination. But I am regularly brought to my knees by how this emptiness of opportunity is challenged by an abundance of intellect, creativity, and soul.
Caste has a multiplicity of diverse and complex iterations through out India. In Rajasthan, big chunks of the population benefit from this overtly hierarchical social organization. A gross societal imbalance has shaped into business as usual. And it would be just that, were it in not for the fierce, big-hearted gang of under 13-years-olds who have come to upset this unjust status quo. Aligning with the mighty efforts of Folk Arts Rajasthan, our parent nonprofit, The Merasi School is just delighted to be a bull in a china shop that's long overdue for renovation.
So this Halloween, in the days before and the days after, I'll happily put on my skunk costume and join all the other little skunks at The Merasi School as we constructively, tenaciously stink up the garden party.
More en route...
