Days 24 and 25: Closing Ceremonies
I still have two more days in Jaipur, but the closing activities for SAP Social Sabbatical are underway. Yesterday, all four teams presented our work to each other and our clients.
One team built a social media and print campaign to help Vishakha eliminate the taboo around menstruation in rural tribal areas, including an approach for reaching people who cannot read. A second team recommended tools and processes to help Start Up Oasis scale its incubation model to more potential start ups in more cities. A third team also focused on growth; helping SRJNA bring their experiential learning tools to more schools.
The closing presentations were truly a cause for celebration — So much meaningful work in only four weeks and so many great relationships formed. We followed up with a celebratory dinner at the rooftop restaurant at the Las Vegas hotel (which looks nothing like Las Vegas in any way).
Final Trip to Vatsalya’s Campus
Our team knew we wanted to visit the magical, quiet and positive Vatsalya campus one more time before we went home. Aside from the tigers, our previous visits to campus were the highlights of the trip.
For this visit, Jaimala invited the entire SAP Social Sabbatical team, and nearly everyone came with us. It was a wonderful feeling to show the campus off to everyone and to get a new perspective from Kartikey’s tour. I know I’ve only worked with Vatsalya for a month, but a tiny part of the campus feels like it’s mine, and taking the team felt a bit like showing off my hometown.
I don’t know whether I will return to India, but if I do, I will definitely return to Vatsalya’s campus.
Chokhi Dhani — A Taste of Rajasthan
Friday night, we visited Chokhi Dhani for dinner. From the website, the place sounded super touristy: an attempt to capture all the highlights of Rajasthan in one place, but the locals recommended it, so we gave it a shot.
We were not disappointed. The dinner was a traditional thali, a plate filled with small servings of 10+ dishes plus bread and dessert. So delicious! The grounds featured multiple stages with performances by traditional dancers, magicians, a puppeteer and a fire eater. Elephant, camel and horse-drawn carriage rides were available, but we skipped those and instead visited the artisans’ market, watched people play the traditional carnival games, got henna artwork on our hands, and one friend had her fortune told — a marriage and two more children, not what she wanted at all. Nearly everything at the site was free and tipping was discouraged, so we could enjoy all the entertainment without hassle.
At 9:00, Chokhi Dhani lit the ceremonial Holi bonfire. We watched the dancing and flames for a bit before heading home.
