Prarambh Completes 1 year

Hi All,
I really feel good writing this email to you all! :) ...Jan 22 2006 Prarambh conducted its first class and its our birthday today!!!
This email will be long, but please take time to read through...
Firstly I would like to thank ALL our volunteers...without whom this would have never been possible. There are some people who deserve special mention
The Founders:
Maninder Kaur: Aka Mini didi... Part of the core team, that came with the idea called Prarambh, she was the point of contact for all Infosys members. The kids loved Mini's stories and she was an expert in teaching English. She is currently posted in Infy Chandigarh.
Shruti Bhandari: She was one of the members who was part of conceptuliazing the idea and getting classes started. Apart from being one of the most popular teachers (a math expert) she was also our wealth manager! Shruti is currently in US pursuing an MS degree.
Hemant Dandegaonkar: He was also part of the core team, a guy with great ideas and he played a very important role in getting things organized and run Prarambh in a more professional manner. Hemant works for Infy (in Pune) but due to his office responsibilities he hasnt been able to conduct classes off lately.
Amritha Ramanathan: Amritha also played a key role in settting up Prarambh. She co-ordinated activities behind the scene and she managed new members from Infosys. She played an important role in our tie-up with Ashray
Kranti Karandikar, Nikhilesh Tayal, Piyush Bhambre, Aneez Kunju: The reason for grouping these members (and using a separate color) is because these members are still there with us!! These members deserve a special applause because they have been with us through thick and thin!
Shachin: He is the part of Prarambh from day one. We can count the no of days he has taken off from Prarambh in last 1 year. He is the most sincere person who takes every small Prarambh activity very seriously.
The CURRENT team: Gaurav Bharadwaj, Ashish Shrivastava, Kranti Karandikar, Krishnam Thirumala- Each member here is an asset to us, no accolades are enough :)
Some of our major Milestones/Achievements
Jan - March: Overcome the first hurdle - Win the hearts of the kids and confidence of their parents. With respect to infrastructure, one of the most difficult times for Prarambh- No proper classroom, just the floor and kids (also lots of dirt :) ) Only sheer determination and passion of our volunteers saw us through this phase.
Apr-June: Tie-up with NGO Ashray - The biggest achievement- Till today our association with Ashray continues and our tie-up helped us immensely to organize ourselves and work as professionals. Introduction of computers to kids.
July-Sep: Ability to sustain Prarambh! This phase was also very difficult for us, many key members left us and continuance of Prarambh was doubtful! But we managed to pull it through :)
Oct-Dec: Many achievements here :) Tangible improvement in childrens' performance. Again this phase was something that we all have worked for. We today see a marked improvement in kids mannerism and behaviour. The kids are getting better grades and have started enjoying education! Ability to arrange our first Picnic. Our picnic helped us to fulfil one of the most penchant desires of our kids :) . Successful dance show at Shiamak Davar Show. The show really showcased how well our kids are prepared to take on the stage! New members, great interest... This quarter saw us get in the maximum number of volunteers, and most importantly their enthusiasm has been really infectious... Members such as Gaurav Bharadwaj, Ashish Shrivastava have taken up great responsibilities and have made sure Prarambh goes from strength to strength!
Going Ahead:
Professor Phadnis has begun has math classes and we hope post two months- Math turns out to be joy for these kids!
We have the very important final exams coming up in the next few months, and we hope the results sheet bear testimony to our efforts!
Once again I would like to thank you all for supporting us in this cause... Its still a begining and many more challenges await us...
Thanks.
Regards Ashish
On Behalf of Prarambh