Benares (Varanasi)

When I arrived in this city, my cousin took me to the Baha’i Centre and on that day there was the Ruhi institute.

They asked me to speak a little about how the activities are going in Italy. Especially what the youth are doing for the Faith and the Ruhi Institute.  I told them that the youth participate with very great enthusiasm in all the activities, and the Faith is going well there.

In the afternoon I taught 3 girls (who are my relatives), the art of making the silk flowers and in this way I had my ‘special assistants’ who were able to assist me.

The next morning in Baha'i Centre, about 25 persons (men and women, Baha'i and non-Baha’i), gathered together and I taught them, together with the assistants, to make the flowers.  We took some pictures while we were working.

In the afternoon I spoke with the teachers of Montessori school, (this school was opened by my cousin’s wife and has many students).

The following day was the Nineteen Day Feast, and over 120 persons participated.  The majority were the friends of my cousin’s family.  The Feast was opened with some prayers, then I was asked to speak about activities of European Task Force Women.  When the program was finished, two ladies came to me and said that they were also members of an organization that helps women.

After the Nineteen Day Feast there was a celebration for their daughter who had just become a Doctor. Then we ate dinner in the garden of Baha’i Centre.  It was a wonderful atmosphere.

Bhubaneshowar

This city is the capital of Orissa state.  The city is near the sea, is very beautiful and full of trees.  They also have a Montessori school with over 300 students from Kindergarten to the Third grade of elementary school, with 25 teachers.  It is truly such a good organization and very clean.  Most of the students at this school were from prominent families. 

The next day my cousin asked me to speak with the students about Virtues and how to be gentile and polite.  It was a wonderful and enriching experience!

I also held a class with the teachers for making flowers.

After the above-mentioned class, a mutual friend of my cousin’s wife, who is the director of a very nice social organization, invited me to be the guest of honour at a meeting and to speak about Spiritual Health!  There were over 200 people present at the meeting, many of whom were prominent personalities, journalists, TV people and also some of the guests were from an association for the blind.

The director of the organization opened the conference.  Then the secretary of organization for the blind gave the annual report.   Then it was my turn to speak about Spiritual Health.

When the conference was finished, the director came to me, and said she had read some Baha'i books; “I was 50% Baha'i, but now I understood how important spiritually is for the Baha'i Faith.  I am now 100% Baha'i.” She asked to have my speech to translate in their language.

The next day there was an article written in the newspaper with pictures.  There were also two reports on the Television showing this Conference.

Later that day, this wonderful director brought some ladies from her organisation to learn how to make the flowers so that they could then teach flower making to the poorer women, in order to assist them in making some money for their families.

Indor City

I was invited to The Burley Institute by its director, Mrs Janak, who is Indian and who’s husband is from Northern Ireland.  Both wonderful people!

The program of this Institute consists of a one year period of classes which teach the young Girls and women of the villages such things as; Arts - Agriculture - Cooking – Health Education- Spirituality - and also how read and write, after which they return to their villages to teach these same courses to the others.  There are also many volunteers who come in order to assist in the work of the Institute.  While I was there, two American girls, two Canadians and one girl from Brazil, were assisting.  In the morning I taught these girls to make flowers and in the afternoon they helped me in teaching.  It was excellent.

I must say that my experiences in India have served to enrich me and I pray that I will be able to move on to other countries and Continents!