Event Date: 15th August 2024
At the Dongri Observation Home, some of the staff members have been working for over a decade, while many others have been working for more than several years. Moreover, most of their work is a thankless job, oftentimes even behind the scenes. 
There is a large sense of frustration and lack of appreciation that they feel. From early on, we had observed this and always had a strong desire to felicitate the staff members who are doing a good job, and who sometimes go over and above their “duty” to serve the children and the Home. We also wanted to create a sense of positive reinforcement and a constructive peer pressure among the staff members, across various ranks – from guards to teachers, to Probation Officers and others! Finally, after a long wait, we were able to bring this into action, on 15th August, 2024, on the occasion of the 78th Independence Day of India.
To celebrate Independence Day, there was a function at the Observation Home, where the children showcased various social and cultural performances like dances, speeches, drama, etc. in the presence of some esteemed guests including the Magistrate of the City JJB. Knowing this, we realized that this would be an apt occasion to distribute the certificates to the staff members at the hands of the Magistrate and praise them for the work.
We had shortlisted the names of these people beforehand based on our conversations with the children and staff, with a detailed discussion with the Superintendent (Kanthikar Sir) and our own observations. Finally, we had picked about 9 people in all from both the girls’ and boys’ sections. We then created a proper formal design for the certificates and got them printed and laminated for each of them. These looked really nice and professional after they were printed. We had taken permission from Kanthikar sir to include his name and signature on the certificates as well as the logo of Children’s Aid Society (the parent organization for all Children’s Homes in Mumbai). With his endorsement, the value of these certificates enhanced multifold for the recipients. It meant a lot for the staff to see these certificates signed off by Kanthikar sir along with my signature and the logo of Seedling Foundation.
The Home teachers were anchoring the Independence Day celebration event. I had requested them to give me a 5 minute time slot for me to speak which I got right towards the end of the program. They were curious as to why I wasn’t saying why I wanted the time, and were already anticipating “something new” from us. They keep saying that “Seedling Foundation kuch naya layegi” (“Seedling Foundation will bring something new”). And this time was no different; we managed to keep it a surprise and it was a very novel idea for everyone in the audience – the staff and the children.
I opened by saying that “Our work is difficult in many ways, and more so is invisible very often. A lot of us have been working here for many years, yet have received minimal appreciation. Our work is thankless to a large degree and hence we decided to take this opportunity to recognize and thank some of us working at the Home who are doing a really good job at their work.” Then I called out the names one by one. As I called out each name, the look on their faces was priceless – they were all very surprised and overjoyed! For most of the names, there were loud cheers and applause from the audience. While calling out each name, I highlighted a little about their positive attitude and work ethic, along with their rapport with the children. It made them feel more special, acknowledged and visible.
Here are the people whom we felicitated:
Vandana Petkar ma’am:
I called out her name the first and she was completely taken aback! She was very happy and had a beaming smile on her face. She is a nurse in the medical unit at Dongri. She works tirelessly with a smile on her face all the time and has a wonderful bond with both the boys and girls at the Home. Her attitude is always a positive and cheerful one along with her co-worker, Dr. Pradnya.
Sachin Sutar sir:
Next, I called on Sutar sir, who is a teacher managing the carpentry class in the boy’s section. He was already on stage standing at the back, as he was part of the anchoring team. Under him, many boys have been trained in various carpentry related skills. Boys tend to connect with him and he guides them well. At the carpentry class, they also make various wooden products which are unique and beautiful.
Vivek Borse sir:
As I called out Sutar sir’s name, Vivek sir slowly nudged him to collect the certificate while also nodding and acknowledging Sutar sir’s achievement. Little did he know that his name was to be called out next. When I called out his name, he was a little surprised as well as a little proud, as he has been actively putting in extra efforts to try new things at Dongri. He is very open minded and takes on various kinds of responsibilities at the Home. He was also engaging regularly with the Somalian boys while they were at the Home and conducted Surya Namaskars, Yoga Asanas, Breathing exercises, etc. with them. He was also very involved during the UTSAV Events as a mentor.
Anita Pingle ma’am:
She is a caretaker in the girl’s section. As soon as her name was taken, there was an uproar from all the girls. Her popularity was clear by the response to her name being called out. As with others, she was also pleasantly surprised to hear her name and see the response from the audience. For the staff, there is also a strong sense of hierarchy based on their roles, so this felt particularly special for her since her role would be considered to be “lower” on the list.
Vasanti More ma’am:
She was the most surprised of them all! She is the head of the girl’s section, and one of the two Deputy Superintendents at the Home. She was sitting on the stage, on the panel, among all the guests during the certificate distribution! We had asked her for her recommendations for the girl’s section staff, so she knew about the certification – but had absolutely no idea that her name was also going to be called out. She is a very hardworking and sincere lady. She takes her job very seriously and works very diligently. She is also very experienced, and has a knack of working very well with the staff as well as the children. She is liked by everyone and she was the one who received the most cheers and applause from the audience while receiving the certificate. Her expression was a mixed bag of surprise, confusion, joy, shyness and more! Seeing her brought a smile to all our faces too. 🙂
Prajakta Songekar:
Prajakta works along with the Probation Officers to support them with documentation, paper work, data entry, children interviews and more. While her role seems to be basic, she tackles multiple things. She is very active and is always on her feet, running about doing various tasks. She is also very attentive and hence knows a lot about what is going on because of her keen observation. She does her work very diligently and with a smiling face. This is also her last month at the Home, and hence this was quite special for her as well as for us, since we got this opportunity to felicitate her and acknowledge her hardwork.
The last 3 people were not present during the event on that day. However, their responses were also touching.
Shankar Tigade sir and Raju Manjalkar sir:
Both of them are guards at the Home. Their way of dealing with the children represents a good balance between being empathetic and strict. They also have conversations with children about various topics, sometimes trying to imbibe good qualities in them and sometimes trying to solve some of their problems. When Shankar Saabji (guards are addressed as ‘Saabji’) got to know that they were praised and they would be getting the certificate, he called me the next day to express his gratitude. He was genuinely touched by our gesture and was thanking me for applauding him. The same thing happened with Raju Saabji when we met him next. They both were very touched and grateful towards us. They said that in so many years, no one had ever acknowledged their work and praised them. They felt a little bad that they weren’t present during the event.
Dhanashree Pawar:
Lastly, we took the name of Dhanashree. She had just left her job at the Home at the start of the month after working for over 4 years. She was the PA of Kanthikar sir and was really good at her work. She would manage a range of tasks assigned to her by the Superintendent and was always on her toes. She would also have a genuine smile on her face for the most part and would connect to everyone on a human level. Her genuineness, sincerity in work, and positive attitude made her presence very powerful. We took this opportunity to acknowledge her work too, even in her absence. We hope to get her the certificate soon, as a surprise! 🙂
With this, I ended my time on the mic, sharing that “while some of us have been applauded today, all of us are working together for the upliftment of the children and the Home and I hope that together, we continue to make this place better.” I congratulated them and wished everyone a Happy Independence Day to close.
Felicitating the staff members for their work really uplifted them in a powerful way. They felt a sense of pride and appreciation for their efforts. There was a renewed sense of energy. It also rubbed off on others who now are looking to make attempts to receive such appreciation in the future (we announced that we would felicitate the positive work of the staff every 3 months or so). We are glad we got an opportunity to compliment the staff members for the positive work that they are doing.
While we were planning how and to whom to appreciate by giving the certificates, various dilemmas came up. “Would other staff members feel hurt? Would the hierarchy element come into play? Will it lead to bitterness towards us? Would it have any unintended consequences that will make things difficult?” While we were grappling with these questions, in our conscience, we were very clear that we should appreciate those doing good work. We also knew that this would bring certain people and sections into light, and make them feel seen, even if they did not receive a certificate. For example, now the guards know that their work is visible and valuable to others. With this conviction, we decided to muster up the courage to do what we felt is right, and be ready to face the consequences. 🙂 So far, the response from the Home has been very positive!
“At times, our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” – Albert Schweitzer
