Warning: DGS is addictive

I arrived into Pune early on a cold January morning after an arduous overnight bus journey from Hospet. Somehow finding a rickshaw despite the dense fog, I set out for the Deep Griha Cultural Centre. The warm welcome I received was so typical of Deep Griha in general, as I was soon to discover... Before long I'd met with the Onawales and was off to the Family Welfare Centre at Tadiwala Road. There was so much to take in - one thing about the FWC is that it's always teeming with activity. At any given moment, you're likely to encounter kids from the crèches and pre-school classes (always ready with a cheery 'namaste'), DISHA staff and clients, staff and students on the English programme, women enrolled on Tailoring, Nursing or Beautician courses, international visitors and mischievous children bunking off from the informal education and school drop-out programmes. What with the administrative team and the women from the Nutrition Centre, there's always a friendly face to greet you - just watch out for Sudesh and his banana chapattis: refusal is not an option.

Within half an hour or so I was being used as a climbing frame by half a dozen three-year-olds. Not having much of a background in childcare, this was a novel experience to say the least. Still, by the end of the morning I was singing 'Little Johnny' and knocking out pasta-shell necklaces with the best of them. Later I met with Hans, our Volunteer Coordinator and regular contributor to this Blog. "So Paul, how long are you going to stay for?" he asks me. "Er… I'm not sure yet. A couple of weeks? Depends how I can get involved." I reply. "Hmmm, we'll see how you go." In the end I stayed for a couple of months, learning so much about the various programmes DGS is involved in and leaving only when my visa expiry date was looming. I'm now back for a second stint. Like so many others, I've found the lure of Deep Griha impossible to resist. Much like Sudesh's chapattis, in fact - one bite just isn't enough.