Author: Beth Thomas

One Love is a charity that was set up in Pushkar after a group of fantastic people saw the great work being done by JPP. JPP and One Love have always maintained a really strong relationship, sharing ideas about how we can improve our respective charities and how we can do more to have a positive impact in Pushkar.

As anyone who speaks to us frequently about JPP will know, running an education project is not always plain sailing, and over the last 8 years we have faced challenges that we could never have predicted or imagined, somehow always managing to come out the other end and maintain the high standards that we set ourselves!

Sharing and discussing these challenges with the One Love team has been a really positive experience over the last couple of years, and after many discussions, the JPP and One Love teams decided that we are stronger together as one organisation, bringing our aims, resources, and perhaps most importantly our kids, together as one family.

JPP continues to function as it always has, but we have now welcomed the enthusiasm, ideas and kids from One Love to join our journey!

Pablo Picasso once said “Every child is an artist”, and it is true that the creativity of children seems, happily, to be boundless. Certainly the kids at JPP love nothing more than getting covered in paint and creating something special. It was with this in mind that we decided to partner with Chesham Grammar School (CGS), in Buckinghamshire (England), to make some art and raise some funds.

We celebrated our 7th Anniversary this year – an achievement we are all very proud of, but it is dwarfed somewhat by CGS who hit the big 7-0 in 2017. They teamed up with JPP for part of their celebrations, and ran a t-shirt design competition with Year 7 students. The winning design was by Jamie Harrison and can be seen in this post. It is really quite impressive, I am sure you will agree! It has sparked an idea for an art project we could do with our kids too, though Jamie has certainly set the standards pretty high!

The t-shirt was made and sold by www.communitee.co.uk (who we did a previous t-shirt sale with), and all profits are being donated to JPP. We are thrilled that the sales have raised enough money to support a student for an entire year! I know we say it a lot, but a little really does go a long way at JPP, and so small fundraising activities like this make all the difference to the lives of the kids we look after. Thank you Jamie for your wonderful design, and to CGS for your support.

As the year draws to a close we have lots to update you on. Edd has recently returned from a busy trip to Pushkar and is collecting his thoughts, which we promise to share with you soon!

To help us raise funds, mouth-artist Henry Fraser has designed a range of clothing for children and adults with his ‘Eye Of The Tiger’ painting, all proceeds of which are generously being donated to the Joshua Playing Project. There are t-shirts, hoodies and jumpers available in a range of colours and sizes.

You can take a look and place an order here: communitee.co.uk/eyeofthetiger

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Henry is a great friend of the charity and a fantastic supporter of what we do. Over the years his contributions have made a huge difference, and we are honoured that he has designed this range for us. Henry was involved in an accident whilst on holiday with friends in 2009, and it left him paralysed from the neck down. Over the last couple of years, he has rediscovered his love of painting, only now he paints using just a paintbrush and his mouth. His work is extraordinary, and is really worth having a look at.

For more information on Henry Fraser, please see his website: http://www.henryfraser.org/ and http://henryfraserart.com/

As ever, you can keep up to date with all of the latest from Joshua Playing Project on our website: http://joshuaplayingproject.com/

It is without a doubt the biggest event in the Pushkar calendar. As unique as it is crazy, Camel Fair, or Pushkar Ka Mela, is one of the biggest livestock fairs in the world, and it has become globally famous for the fun and celebrations that accompany it.

School stops for the five day extravaganza, and the kids make the most of the fun fairs, visitors and general merriment – a camel race starts off the festival, with music, songs and exhibitions following after.

Funnily enough, it was the opportunity to witness Camel Fair that first bought Harry and Edd to Pushkar back in 2010, and it was at the fair itself that they first met Vijay and Mukesh and decided to start JPP, so the fair has a very special place in all of our hearts. The fair has become a real draw for tourists and therefore a central part of the economy of Pushkar. It is not just the livestock traders who benefit but the whole town, which comes alive in a whole new way for the fair.

If you know anyone who is visiting Pushkar for Camel Fair, and who is planning on staying around after it finishes on the 15th, then do put them in touch with us. Whilst school is off for the moment, the kids will be back into learning mode in a few short days and we would love to have some volunteers along.

HAPPY DIWALI

Diwali, The Festival of Light, is probably India’s most internationally renowned holiday. Every year Hindu families around the world celebrate Diwali (also known as Tihar or Deepawali and various other names), and light lanterns in their homes in recognition of the triumph of ‘light’ over ‘darkness’. It is a festival of joy and happiness, and certainly a highlight in the JPP calendar!

Before Diwali night, people clean, renovate, and decorate their homes. On Diwali night, people dress up in new clothes or their best outfit, light up diyas (lamps and candles) inside and outside their home, participate in family puja (prayers) typically to Lakshmi – the goddess of fertility and prosperity. After puja, fireworks follow, then a family feast including mithai (sweets), and an exchange of gifts between family members and close friends.

Every year, all of the kids at JPP get a special Diwali dress for the festivities. It is a real treat for them to be able to dress up in a brand new, colourful outfit and immerse themselves in this fabulous and unique tradition. It may seem like a small thing, but without your support, Diwali would look very different for our kids, and so we are extremely grateful for all of your generous donations. They make all of the difference.

Below are some pictures that Vandana sent us of the kids getting their Diwali dresses.

HAPPY DIWALI FROM EVERYONE AT JPP!!

JPP has had a lot to celebrate in the last year! We have moved out of the temple to a new location, been granted our Charitable Status (thanks UK Gvt!) and we have more kids attending the project than ever. It was therefore inevitable that when our UK and India teams came together there would be merriment aplenty. Our trip happily coincided with the wedding of Shanu, Vandana’s daughter (herself a wonderful teacher) which proved to be a celebration beyond our wildest imaginations.

The highlight for us was to see Baggie, Hansu and their brothers drumming at the wedding. Drumming is an important ritual at a Rajasthani Indian wedding, and when they aren’t cooking and caring for the kids at JPP, Baggie and Hansu spend wedding season drumming up a storm all over the state!