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Like any sibling,
I was concerned about what my sister Vinati would
do after school. Sadhana School had been an integral
part of Vini's growth and it was time for her to
move on. Among the many worries were issues like
what kind of work she would do after school and
how she would take to the new place, especially
after spending many happy years at Sadhana. It is
not always easy to fit into a new routine, especially
after being used to one for so many years.
All such fears were, however, unfounded and while
some children who missed Sadhana took longer to
adjust, Vinati found herself comfortable very soon. |
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This can be
largely attributed to the exposure she has received
to interact with people, from home and school. Besides,
a lot of those at Om Creations were from her school,
so it took Vini very little time to adjust to the
new setting. Also, due to the association between
Om Creations and Sadhana School, she was quite prepared
for what her workplace had in store for her. Sadhana,
in the last two years of Vinati's time there, trained
the students exclusively in the vocation they chose
to follow after school. This made the transition
from school to work very smooth.
Om Creations is a sheltered workshop started for
these special children, mainly to create a world
for them beyond school. Their handicap makes them
lesser candidates for jobs in the competitive world.
Furthermore, staying at home all the time could
make them moody and deplete their self-esteem. This
could also affect their parents who have to bear
additional monetary pressures.
But all this wasn't the case for Vinati. Today she
is a self-confident and independent lady. Every
month she excitedly calls me at work and proudly
declares that she's received her pay cheque. She
even fills up the deposit slip books and puts her
cheque in the bank on her own. Vinati loves the
work she does at Om, and takes great pride in it.
Which is possibly why her Diwali and Christmas bonuses
leave her thrilled
every time.
Not only is she excited about her work, but she
also shows a deep sense of commitment and dedication
to it. In fact, once she insisted on going to work
despite having travelled the previous night by train,
which even reached Mumbai four hours late.
But Om is not only about work. While the children
at Om make some splendid products, they also balance
their routine with some fun Christmas and Diwali
parties, outings and picnics. What makes work fun
for these children is the fact that the workplace
is comfortable and has enough volunteers to look
after them. These children put in a lot of effort
to make beautiful products that are sold to some
of the best shops in the city.
Very often we show our friends and relatives samples
of what they've made in school. Vinati too takes
great pride in displaying her works to our friends.
She even asks them to buy the products from Om Creations.
No freebies for this young artist and businesswoman
in the making! |
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