Letter to Valerie (dated 20th October '09)

Dear Valerie,

                     I’d like start by once again thanking you for the patience with which you have been communicating with me. It is more than I should or could have ever hoped for. There are certain issues I would like to put out in the open as I compose this letter. Saying things in a subtle manner is not something I can do easily and so I’m going to make my points obvious. I’m probably preaching to the choir when I say to someone in the NGO field that change is a wonderful and necessary thing. However, it does create vast amounts of discomfort (as the world can see in the USA over the healthcare issue or as I have seen, here in Pune, while dealing with Nanda ma’am and Nilesh). This doesn’t change the fact that all entities, both individuals and organizations, need to be continually evolving to avoid stagnation. I am sure you do not disagree. With respect to that, I would like to ask you, do you think that rules of a universal nature are of any good? I was of the opinion that rules should be flexible as per the demands of a situation. In other words rigidity can be quite restrictive to good results. For example I am told that my connecting with Nanda ma’am and Nilesh would never have happened so early on in an internship process had I started interning with Saathi right from the beginning (due to certain rules & policies). At first, discussions would have taken place and who knows what conclusions would have been arrived at. Yet here I am right now, with a truly amazing connection with this lady (and her mother and son) and no harm has come of it. In fact I feel the results are somewhat the opposite. I cannot say that it has been an all out success. My initial aims of teaching Nilesh are still a work in progress as he continues to show resistance. However it is in no way a failure. If you were to ask Nanda ma’am herself what she feels about this connection I think she is wont to say that she is happy about it (although she did show some resistance to change in the beginning). As such, I feel rules that have been created from lessons learnt in the past, should be flexible as per the varying intricacies of each new situation. If you agree with this, then do you not feel that rigid rules, that most organization subject themselves to, need to be modified?

               

                     I was both surprised and pleased to see your latest email***. However, the overriding emotion here was and still is one of absolute terror (a weird collection of emotions to have simultaneously). A feeling probably caused (just a guess) due to the sudden nature of your email and the prior use of words like “highly competitive and selective program”. I have absolutely no idea as to who I will be meeting and what will be expected of me. Therefore, I do not feel like I am on steady ground. I am thankful to Roabin for his constant encouragement without which I probably would have run away from this entire situation (considering the aforementioned fear and the time it took to get connected with Saathi). With regard to your latest email, I was wondering if you could tell me who the Intern & Volunteer Coordination Team comprises of and what is expected to happen at this meeting. That would be of great help.

                      My brother, who I get to see very rarely (about 10 days in a year), has come home for a brief period this week. Therefore, Roabin and I were having a debate as to the necessity of having this very important meeting in the coming week as well as the importance of my being here in Pune during my brother’s visit. If I had been communicating, right now, with a For-Profit organization I probably would not have raised this issue, not expecting them to understand the importance of human connections. It is because I am communicating with an NGO that I realize the importance of these connections will be understood. My brother’s visit gives me very little free time. The problem here is that I feel this interview is vital and I will need to prepare for it. In this regard I was wondering if it would inconvenience the members of the Intern & Volunteer Coordination Team if the meeting could be scheduled for the next week? I intend to make the best of an opportunity to interact with people at Saathi (even if it ends up being just a single interaction). It would be great to know what you feel about this. I hope to be changed by my experiences with Saathi, I hope to learn and it would be great if this connection we are creating could be symbiotic.

Thanking you,

Yours faithfully,

Nishant

P.S. I comprehend your initial reasons for not giving me feedback on my meetings with Nanda ma’am, but now that we (Saathi and I) are attempting to connect I’d just like to mention that I would be glad if I could still get some guidance. Thank you.

***an email which stated a request for a meeting at Saathi.

Letter to Valerie (dated 8th Oct '09)

Dear Valerie,

                     Before I go ahead with my clarifications I’d just like to say how grateful I am to you for giving me so much of your time. I realize that you really do not have to do so. Therefore, I thank you for being so considerate.

                      You mentioned that the minimum period for the internship is three months when I said that I would have time up to the end of November. My response, through the form, was that I had been receiving intensive training and learning right from the 25th of August with the help of a founder member of the organization. It was however then clearly stated that this did not mean that I was interning with Saathi. But the fact remains that I was and still am receiving unique training. I began meeting an 11 year old from a slum viz. Nilesh and his mother very early on in the training process. I know that all of this, as you said, was not done by going through the formal channels. An exceptional experience is taking place nonetheless. Although Saathi doesn’t have any current projects in Pune, I know that it is currently debating the issue of starting projects in other places as well. This would be a great place to learn how. As for the regular interaction you have mentioned, I would love to take part in any such interaction, both face-to-face and otherwise. I am not attempting to discount the value of face-to-face interaction; however I believe a lot of interaction will be possible everyday by way of telephonic conversations. I am also willing to make visits to Mumbai as and when necessary to ensure that face-to -face interaction does take place. I would also like to mention here that I have been receiving a great deal of supervision and mentorship over the past 45 days from Roabin who has played this role many times over for a large number of Saathi’s staff as well as interns in the past and continues to do so even now. Roabin tells me how he himself has learnt so much from Saathi and this is the reason why I wanted to bring Saathi into the picture too.

                        On the money issue, I’d like to reiterate that I will not require to be reimbursed for expenses that are made while I am in Pune. Accommodation and transport within Pune are not issues for me. I hope I do not come across as arrogant, but I did not understand how never having done something (paying interns for transport) becomes a reason for never starting to do so when genuine issues present themselves.

                        Although making a compromise and deciding to volunteer instead of asking for a full fledged internship is interesting, I believe it would be like asking me to make a choice between what I think is right and what I think is easy. As per my understanding, volunteering would involve me giving limited time to the organization as per its requirement. Unlike an internship, volunteering would not be mutually beneficial or a mutual learning experience. I once again request that you accept the applicant information form and put it under consideration.

Thanking you,

Yours faithfully,

Nishant Philip

P.S. - I would also like to reiterate the questions pertaining to my blog. I truly fail to understand why I am told that my blogposts are often inaccurate and inappropriate which throws me into a state of confusion over the matter, and yet I am not even given a hint as to what Saathi believes I ought to do to maintain accuracy. I have been pleading for simple suggestion for a long time now. I have been told that it’s a risk that Saathi is unwilling to take. I don’t understand this as well because I am not asking people to give me orders, just suggestions. Why the caution, when the final decision for any actions taken would be mine?

Letter to Valerie (dated 6th Oct '09)

Dear Valerie,

                     I’m writing letter this with reference to my email to you on the 23rd of September 2009. Through that email I had promised to send you the completed application form ASAP. I apologize for not having done so. Since you had said the form would only be considered after the 10th of October I made an unwise decision to delay the task. Once again I apologize for displaying my naïveté in this regard.

                     I just received firm admonishment from Roabin for the same reasons, which got me quite worried. However, having administered the said admonishment, he told me that you would have anticipated this situation and that you would, in all probability, have already considered putting the issue of my internship on the agenda for your next meeting. I do promise to send you the completed form by the end of tomorrow.

Thanking you,

Yours sincerely,

Nishant Philip

Letter to Valerie (dated 23rd Sep '09)

Dear Valerie,

                  I understand if you want individual communication to remain individual. As per your wishes none of your future responses to my emails will be posted on the blog. My viewpoint was that the posting of any communication between us would give blog readers a clear idea as to how my relationship with the people at Saathi developed and make the blog all the more interesting. One of the main purposes of this blog is to bring to light to everyday people how they could contribute to, or relate with, an organisation like Saathi. I believe that the internet is a formidable medium to connect with people, especially the youth. I simply wanted to use that to our advantage.

                 

                  However, I still request you to accept my blog invitation and put up anything you like on the blog. I believe your contributions and suggestions would be invaluable.

 

                  I apologize for the usage of the words "thereby with Saathi". I was under the impression that that is what my internship with Roabin meant. I will try in the future not to so display my naïveté. I do promise to look through the application form and send it across ASAP.

Thanking you,

Yours faithfully,

Nishant

With reference to my previous letter to Valerie - http://nishantvp.blogspot.com/2009/09/to-valerie_23.html

Letter to Ruth

Dear Ruth,

               Hope you’re doing well! Since you are the only person at the Saathi office who I can even remotely refer to as my “go-to” person, I’m begging you for help. I am facing a dilemma of sorts. Actually I'm facing dilemmas of many sorts. There is the problem with Nilesh. He just refuses to try. Then there is the fact that I'm getting rebuffed, rebuked and repudiated by every new person I meet, every step of the way. Well, maybe thats an exaggeration. As you can guess from the tone of my words, I'm groveling here.

              Could you please, please ask people at the Saathi office to take a look at the blog (I sent you the link in an earlier email). Maybe they could read what I've written about Nilesh and suggest something. I'm sure I'd get brilliant ideas on how to help Nilesh.

            Also there is another thing. I keep getting the feeling that I'm over-burdening you. If so please let me know. I'll understand completely. How can I not understand. I've seen how hard you work. Its just that its a little strange, not having gotten a response from you for so long.

Hoping that you will reply soon,

Thanks,

Nishant

P.S. - I’d like to put this letter, and your response to it, on my blog, along with any written communication between us that is to follow. I've done the same with Roabin. Thanks again.

To Valerie

Valerie is the current CEO of Saathi.

To Valerie,                    

                   I realize that you have visited my blog. Firstly, thank you for doing so. Did you find it interesting? I’d love some feedback from you. I sent you an invite to contribute to the blog because I thought it would make the blog all the more worthy of note and also because anything on the blog that comes from you would surely be of great help.

                 As you already know, I have been interning with Roabin, and thereby with Saathi, since the beginning of September. I wanted to request Saathi to help me complete all the formalities required to make my internship with them official.

Thanks,

Nishant Philip

P.S. - I’d like to put this letter, and your response to it, on my blog, along with any written communication between us that is to follow. Thanks again.