Malini Viswanath, an avid practitioner of Indian Classical Carnatic Vocal,brings to the readers a special feature on Saideep Dr Ruhi Foundation, founded in memory of Dr Ruhi,((who passed way in a tragic accident on completion of her Dental studies(with a first Division)while interning)), the Daughter of Shri Shailesh and Anju Dheman
Smt Anju Dheman: The Conscientious Educationalist and the Quintessential Paragon of academic and administrative excellence is the Inspiring Principal at FAIPS, D.P.S Kuwait.
Dr Ruhi Foundation spearheads Education ((entirely free of cost)) amongst the underprivileged,,supported by Well wishers, Friends, Family and the dedicated staff at the Foundation.
(Giving is more joyous than receiving, not because it is a deprivation, but because in the act of giving lies the expression of my aliveness.” Living the dream of their beloved daughter Dr Ruhi... The Dhemans’)
Dr Ruhi Foundation- Touching the lives of people you may never meet, across boundaries you may never cross, in ways you may never imagine!!
(Ten year olds’ in bright checked uniforms with a glee and spark in their eyes that speak of a new found future greet you,at Dr Ruhi Foundation as they posit the significance of Power Point Presentations with un-compounded confidence!(Surprisingly most of these children are the first ever in their family to attend a formal school)
On a bright sunny morning of March, as I walk into the room of the Principal of FAIPS,DPS Kuwait,I am greeted by an unassumingly simple family .. 'The Dhemans'. ((Shailesh(the better half of Mrs Anju) and Anju Dheman)- (Mukesh and Venu Dheman).
Steeped in values and beliefs `The `Dhemans’ live the dreams of a wonderful daughter
Dr Ruhi Dheman: 'The Nightingale of the college' 'An Avid Reader(with a collection of 400 books)(A Harry Porter fan).. a Gold Medallist Dentist’ in the making who always desired to Teach,Serve and give the underprivileged a better living
Malini.Viswanath: The pain of losing a dear one can make a human being drift to two extremes.(.One)Detest God..and (the other),Give back to Society(which could be the rarest of the rare trait in man during testing times).You are one such beautiful family,.which has internalized the pain,to give back to human kind in a big way.Where did this strength come from
Anju Dheman—Our children have been our inspiration always.Their high morale,deep belief in values and value systems,respect for elders... dream to excel with integrity and also wishing to share their achievements with the have-nots..have left an indelible spirit on our hearts.
Shailesh Dheman-Our daughter Dr Ruhi..excelled in academics.. Since I used to be a self trained harmonium player and kept reinventing tunes on the synthesizer(on a lighter note, I had small stints at Doordarshan events too..), I fanned an innate desire to have my daughter undergo formal training in Classical Indian Vocal music(which I did not have.)..and eventually she excelled in the Art..much to my pleasure. Ruhi was a voracious reader too .She always wished to pursue any form of Medical Sciences that would enable her to serve mankind and reach out to those who needed it the most..and at the same time enable her time for her passion-Music.Very consciously she opted for Dental Sciences.She had often voiced a dream to have a “freechair” for the underprivileged and nurtured a deep desire to care for their oral hygiene, on completion of her Dental Graduation. When Ruhi met with her fatal accident,in the December of 2010, I lost the music in me!!.But it was the decision of our entire family,friends’ and Ruhi’s friends that helped germinate the thought of a Foundation to give back to society in a way Ruhi would have wished for..
Malini.Viswanath .What is the Dr Ruhi Foundation all about?
Venu Dheman-(The Administrator at Dr Ruhi Foundation)
IT began in July 2011.With a deep wish to keep our Dearest Ruhi’s dreams alive and with the noblest of intent ,we went knocking from door to door reaching out to the people residing in the urban village nearby in the Nangli Nangla Sector 134 of Noida, in UP,North India,where most of them were families, whose children had had no formal education ever...We embarked on our dream with a humble 22 children and today the number has grown to 172 (most of whose parents are ..auto rickshaw drivers..house helpers..etc. to mention some)
Malini.Viswanath: Wasn’t it a herculean task..given the fact that the children belonged to families with least preference of educating their kids on agenda and many would have been initially unwilling to trust strangers and would have doubted the noble intent
How has the Dr Ruhi Foundation grown over the last five years since it’s inception in July 2011?And the bureaucratic hassles that such an institution would face during its nascent stages
Shailesh.D: Yes.I agree!!Initially.. it was a daunting exercise trying to convince the community of our commitment. No body believed that some school could provide absolutely free education to their children but once we started off..there was no looking back since they understood our dedication towards the concept and the fact that we were there with a noble purpose,though initially the attrition rate was higher too…We are in the process of gaining accreditation.
Venu.D-We provide for everything for the children..School uniforms,Books,Stationery,Mid day meal..Initially,they would take the things home and not return to school.Today,after 5 years, we have classes till the grade 5..beginning from Junior Kindergarten..and the entry level is only at Kindergarten not at every grade and we take just one child per family,giving preference to the girl child,since,we are inundated with requests from the same families wishing to get more of their children educated.What makes me happier is`We have more girls than boys’.As is said-Educate a Girl and the entire family gets educated’ The School has trained educators and we follow the U.P Board Module.
Malini.Viswanath .V. Have you incorporated inclusive education at the foundation?which would aid the children at DR Ruhi Foundation to benefit from other established educational institutions,helping them to explore wider dimensions both educatively and psychologically
Venu.D.Yes,we have frequent visits to the labs of academic institutions of the like of Step By Step academic institution and Genesis Global School,Noida,where our children imbibe the benefit of Computer Learning,BETTER EQUIPPED LABS,AND VARIOUS ASPECTS OF INCLUSIVE LEARNING.We have been working at personality development of the children,though extra curricular sessions of music ,and remedial classes too.
Malini.Viswanath.V—Looking back ,how has your life’s journey been so far,Mrs Anju and Shaileshji
Anju.D—Life brought us together. Our well knit family has emotionally helped us wade through thick and thin!We have come a long way from our humble beginnings.Like any middle class family,we had set small attainable targets and milestones like, imparting good values,discipline and education to our children. Kuwait, DPS..was my first stint as the Principal,though I have headed academic faculties prior,in India.,and it is a very fulfilling experience.Today my life’s purpose is broadened.Every moment of my life is the Joy of Giving through`Dr Ruhi Foundation’
Shailesh.D-Adding to that,..Integrity at work,family belief systems and values have been the hallmark of our life so far and would remain so.For the past three decades of my career at the PSU,In India..never a day, I would have punched late at office.Even today, as we muse over how values have taken a beating..we still remain an intensely well knit family of three brothers and parents and parents- in- law,all under the same roof!On a lighter note, we are a fortunate, yet unique generation which would have posted a telegram,would have hand written letters and, is email friendly too!(in sink with the modern digital world) So aren’t we a bridge between generations..and expanding horizons? And he quips..today’s generation has missed the past!
Mukesh.Dheman(brother of S.D)-We are a generation which is witnessing falling values,and a disdain amongst the youth today towards `elders and their view points’ as today’s younger generation carries in them a conceit of `knowing it all’
Malini.Viswanath.Viswanath:((To the Dhemans’)
Being associated with our cultural tenets,(as a promoter and practitioner of Classical Arts)for the past few decades,I personally have felt the lacunae in values and value systems amongst the youth over time.Most definitely..our values are our strength during the trials and tribulations of life.Learning of your `Joy of Giving’through `DR Ruhi Foundation’is one such inspiring tale of our altruistic belief system!