In our last newsletter, George and Gailene Wester of Perth, Australia shared their photos of the information stands and sale stalls that are set up at the international convention of the TS at Adyar, Chennai in India every December to raise awareness of social issues and the TS’s humanitarian service projects. 

In this issue we publish the photos the Westers took at one of these projects, the HPB Hostel, which operates in Besant Gardens under the umbrella of the Olcott Education Society. 

The hostel, named after H.P. Blavatsky, houses about 25 boys aged from 10 to 16 from poor, mostly fisher families. They are given free board and lodging and they attend the Olcott School. They are also given parental care by the Warden and general guidance in studies and activities. In addition to their academic program, their daily activities include yoga, meditation, exercise, games, prayer and listening to wholesome stories. The boys also do gardening work around the Hostel building.

On Christmas Eve 2010, a group of members visited the boys, bringing Christmas gifts for them.
 

Here we see (right to left) Dušan Zagar (Slovenia), Agnes Gaasemyr (Norway) and Blanka Blaj Borštnar (Slovenia) arriving at the hostel
with the traditional decorations in the entrance way to welcome them.
 

(Right to left) Agnes, Dušan, his wife Breda and Gailene distribute presents, including stationery for the boys’ studies.

The members from Slovenia also gave clothing to the boys, which we see them modelling happily here. The lady in red toward the left is Vijaya Ravindran, the boys’ house mother.

The TOS members from Western Australia donated 4,000 rupees towards a new display pinup board for the interior of the Hostel (the board is now installed). They also gave the boys a small koala each.
 

Here we see George clipping a koala onto a boy’s shirt.

On New Year’s Eve, the same group returned to visit the boys, this time accompanied by Janet and Cameron Sri Ram from the USA.  Everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
 

Cameron – front left – is a great grandson of N. Sri Ram, former International President of the TS.  Shravan Kumar – front right –
is the son of house mother, Vijaya.

The box on the table here contains a Happy New Year cake –
a tradition in the area – that was shared by all.

The next time you visit Adyar, consider visiting the boys at the HPB Hostel. You will meet them anyway since they volunteer their help at the international convention by distributing the daily bulletins to the delegates.