I started sponsoring Ruksana just a couple of weeks after she joined the program in July 2009. I chose her because her birthday is in June. In April I'd been notified that Jayanti, who would turn 16 in June, had left the program after being married. I started sponsoring Sarbari instead, but when June came around, I realized that for 20 years I'd had a sponsored child with a June birthday, and I missed it. So after thinking about it for a few weeks, I went looking for a "June." Ruksana appealed to me because of her slightly mysterious look--and her birthday is the same as my employment anniversary date (25 years this year).

Ruksana lives in rural West Bengal (North 24 Parganas district) with her father, Israil, who is a "daily worker," her mother, Momena, who is a homemaker, and baby sister Apsana (new in 2010!). In 2009, her father made about $45/month. She and her family speak Bengali.

Although Ruksana had just turned 6, she was already in 2nd grade.

August - CW Letter

Dear Ms. Jenkins,
My family and I are very happy to know that you are my new sponsor. We thank you for it. I now study in grade 2. I am doing well in studies. My favourite subject is Bengali and color is yellow. I have 2 friends. I like to play with dolls. In school I have 4 friends. I love to eat apples. We are all fine. I pray to God to keep you well. I send you my love and regards.
Your loving child,
Ruksana K--

August - CP Letter

Another letter came shortly thereafter, since I'd sent my photo with a letter right after signing up as her sponor, and asked whether she lived in the city or a village:

Dear G-,
I am happy to get your letter & photo. Your photo is very beautiful and I like the photo of dog and cat also. I have shown it to my friends. I live in a village near Kolkata city. My village is big and very beautiful. We are well. Stay well.
Your child,
Ruksana K--

August - SNG Report

Since it was soon after her birthday (relatively) when I started sponsoring her, I sent a SNG  of about $220.

Please list what was purchased for the family:

• a steel "showcase"
• dress for Ruksana
• plastering for inner and outer walls
• grills/grill gate to enclose their verandah

[But no front teeth!]

How will the gifts benefit the family?

"The child and her family will use the steel showcase to keep their books, crockeries, clothes and other small household items in a safe and proper manner. The child will wear her new frock during special family occasions and outings. The child's family has plastered the inner and outer walls of their house which will make their walls more durable and give the house a better look. The family has also covered the verandah of their house with grills so that it is safe and secure for them to live inside. The child said: 'I love my new frock and I am happy that our house has a new look. Thank you Sposor for your care'"

[This is a lot more than usual (I've done other plastering and veranda grills). Her father must have done the work himself or with help from his friends. There are more photos in a comment in my Home Improvement discussion. Feel free to jump in with any improvements you've made to your own children's homes...]

Dear Sponsor,
I start my letter with regards to you. I hope you are well. We are all fine. With your financial help we have plastered the walls of our house. The house now looks better than before. We have also covered our verandah with grills and also fixed an iron grill gate [to it]. This will make the house more safe and secure for us to live inside. I am very happy to receive the frock which I will wear during festivals. We have been provided with a steel shwocase where wie will keep our household items. Thank you for looking after our needs. I end with love.
Ruksana K-- [Social worker really gave her writing skills a workout this time--all that detail!]

My next letter talked about what school was like for me when I was 6. Her reply:

Dear Jenkins,
I am glad to get your letter. Now I study in grade 2. My school starts at 10 a.m. and ends at 2 p.m. Now it is winter here. Many leaves are falling off from trees. We celebrated Id. On that occasion a fair is held here. We are well. I pray to God for your well-being. Stay well.
Your child-Ruksana K--

2010 - Ages 7-8

In this letter, she has exciting news:

Dear Ms Gerun,
I am happy to get your letter. My studies are progressing well. Now it is very, very hot here. [100F +] Sometime we are getting storm and rain. My sister has [been] born. She is very cute and sweet. Her name is Apsana. When I talk, she smiles & looks at me. I love her very much. We are well. I pray to God for your well-being.
WIth love,
YOUR LOVING CHILD--Ruksana K--[only 1 case in Bengali, so they don't learn lower-case letters for at first.]

June -- SNG Report completed by A. Manna
Please list the gifts provided to child and family:

Construction of a latrine and septic tank

How will the gifts benefit the family:

"The family did not have a latrine of their own and had to share the latrine of their relatives living in the same locality. This caused a lot of inconvenience to the family. Hence, they have constructed a concrete latrine along with a septic tank. The construciton of a latrine has made life easier for them.

"The child said, 'We thank you Sponsor for helping our family to construct a proper latrine which we needed most.'"

[In English, with upper- and lower-case letters] Dear Sponsor,
I start my letter with regards to you. I hope you are wll. We are all fine.
With your financial help we have constructed a latrine and a septic tank. Earlier we had to share the latrine of our relatives as we did not have a latrine of our own. Now the new latrine has made our life more comfortable and easier. We are grateful to you for your kindness and generosity. I thank you for looking after our needs. I end with love and regards.
[English]Your loving child,
[English]Ruksana K.

June - Progress Report

Ruksana is now 3'9" tall and weighs 38 lbs. The family income has increased to $53/month, up $8! She enjoys languages, playing with dolls and drawing. She helps her mother with general housework.

October - CP Letter

In August, I wrote Ruksana and asked about her extended family.

Dear Miss G--,
We are happy to get your letter & we are well. Now it is Autumn here. Thank you very much for your greatness.  I study in grade III. I have 2 uncles, 4 aunties. My all relatives stay far away from us but they come to visit our home and love us. We stay together at home. With love & regards,
Yours lovingly,
Ruksana

December - Direct Package ($38)

December was Ruksana's 1/2 birthday month, and since so far she's been getting extremely practical things for her SNG money (home improvements, latrine, furniture), I had IndianGiftsPortal send her a few toys.

If you want really cute pictures of a cute little girl, send a stuffed rabbit (puppy?) that's as big as she is!

I placed the order the evening of Dec. 8; it was sent in 2 packages to Sahay on Dec. 9 & 10, and Sahay recorded it as received Dec. 10. It was delivered to Ruksana Dec. 16, possibly with the text of an email I sent, but I'm not sure. The total cost was about $38, plus a small foreign transaction fee from my credit card company.

The box of arts supplies is huge! It's a different brand than what I ordered, but it's actually bigger and much nicer. It contains:

• 12 paints
• 12 felt pens
• 1 pallette
• 1 paintbrush
• 12 colour pencils
• 12 crayons
• 1 pencil
• 1 eraser
• 1 sharpener
• 1 tube of glue

FOR FOUR DOLLARS AND 36 CENTS!

Additionally, there's a box of play dough and a teething toy for her baby sister, Apsana, who was born some time last spring.

Ruksana writes:

Dear G--
I start my letter with my regards. I hope you are well. We are all fine. I am very happy to receive from you a big soft toy, a box of art materials (with 12 paints, 12 felt pens, 12 colour pencils, a pallette, a paint brush, 12 crayons, a pencil, an eraser, a sharpener, a tube of glue), a box of coloured play-dough and a twisty star-teether for my sister. I liked each and every gift. I will use them to draw and colour pictures. I thank you for the lovely gifts. I end my letter with best wishes for Christmas.

Your loving child,
Ruksana K--

When I first posted this account of the package, JuanaCeline commented:

oh yes, she seems to be very happy and impressed by this big dog to cuddle with and her smile is soo sweet. It is a good alternative to all the good and senseful SNGs and how wonderful you found a possibility to send it so cheap, supporting an Indian shop with it. I would love to have the typical "comparisson photo" whe shoot with newborns, lieing them next to a stuffed toy/doll which is bigger than the baby. I bet the dog is bigger than Ruksanas sister

I replied:

I was hoping Apsana would show up in these shots (and the ones from the last SNG, for that matter), but no luck. I guess I'll ask that they include her in the shots for the next SNG. By then she'll be around 15 months old, I reckon.

Inga.K commented:

Oh my goodness! Cuteness overload! Great gifts for such an adorable and sweet girl. :) She looks so thrilled with all her gifts and especially with her new big stuffed puppy! You can tell how much she loved it! I bet she will never go to sleep without it by her side. ;)

neuilly commented:

It's really amazing how fast they deliver! And for free! I had a lot of fun browsing through their site. I already had it bookmarked but this reminded me of it - and now I've given the site to my mother as well for possible future gifts for Arpan. Also, I think I must be drawn to looking at feet because I noticed right away that she's all bundled up but in bare feet!

I replied:

Well, "cold" in Kolkata is about 75 F, but apparently the local belief is that uncovered heads at that temperature lead to colds. neuilly, I noticed the bare feet too, and thought of you...

Aside from "Ruksana is cute," another thing that becomes evident from the background of these photos is confirmation that Ruksana and Saida use the same community center:

2011

February (Scheduled January) - CR Letter

Dear Miss Jenkins,
At first I want to wish you a happy and prosperous New Year. I hope that you are fine. My family and I are well too. I am very happy to get all your helps from the centre. I thank you a lot for that. I have passed in my annual exam and am in class 4. I study seriously. I enjoy painting. The Saraswati Puja [celebration of the goddess of learning] was organised in our school. I enjoyed very much on that day. The weather is cold now. I hereby end my letter.
Your child,
Ruksana K--

I'm glad she's enjoying the art kit she got in December!

How Saraswati Puja is celebrated in Kolkata (from Maps of the World.com):
Saraswati Puja in Kolkata is celebrated on the onset of the spring season. Usually the date is arranged in late January or early February. The Puja is also known by the name of Basanti Puja. Goddess Saraswati is the Goddess of education and hence the worshipers mainly comprise students and people who are somehow associated with education and all forms of learning. Though Saraswati Puja is done all over north India, in Bengali homes, the method of Puja is unique. People of East Bengal observe different ritualistic rules. Women and girls of all age wear sari, preferably of 'basanti' shade of yellow color.

Public Celebration of Saraswati Puja
Domestic pujas apart, the goddess is also worshiped in most non- Christian Bengali medium schools. In schools, the students under the guidance of the teachers organize the Puja and also for the Bhog. Bhog comprises Khichuri and other cooked and uncooked food, which are offered to the goddess. After the conclusion of the pujas, the bhog is distributed among the devotees. [Another site mentions that no learning is supposed to take place on the day!] If you visit Kolkata during the Saraswati pujas, you will also come across pandals on roads, where the idol of goddess Saraswati is worshiped. Many clubs, institutions and organizations arrange for functions and exhibitions.

Sarawati Puja in Bengali Homes Either the idol of goddess Saraswati or some symbolic substitute is worshiped. The symbolic substitute is either books, pens or musical instruments or 'ghot'. The ghot is a pot adorned with coconut, oiled-vermillion and cotton towel. The ghot is placed on a dried, thick, flattened mud platform. A priest is appointed to carry out the rituals of the Puja. It is mandatory to perform elaborate offerings called 'hom' if idols are worshiped. Otherwise, just fruits and sweets can be offered. Arati is an integral part of the puja. During arati, the priest welcomes the goddess with different types of lamps and chants sacred Sanskrit words. This is accompanied by the sound of bells, drums and blowing of shells. Along with goddess Saraswati, her husband, Narayan is also worshiped. People of east Bengali origin offer a pair of Hilsa fish and also prepare 'Gota Sheddho' a day after the puja. This apart, there are a number of other ritualistic moves.

Description of Idol of Goddess Sarawati
The idol is either adorned in sari or 'Daker Shaj'. In one hand, she holds the 'Vina'. At times a pen or book is seen on the other hand. Her bearer is the swan. One will come across idols of Sarawati both in seated and standing positions. The idols are mostly made by professionals of Kumartoli, a place in North Calcutta.

March - CP Letter

Dear Ms. G--,
Please accept my regards. We are well. Please stay well and please send me one of your photos. I wish to see you. I am glad to get your letter and [coloring/sticker] book. Now it is hot here. We get various fruits during summer. I go to school daily, play with sister in afternoon. With love,
Your loving child,
Ruksana

For more about life in India, read Sabita's story.