Reminiscing – A Letter To The Child Care Centre, TIFR, Mumbai

I love hoarding – books, pictures, souvenirs and memorabilia.Recently as I was cleaning up old stuff, I encountered in my “file of things”, a copy of the letter I had written to my daughter’s Child care centre way back in 2011 – by then she had turned seven years old! My daughter is now  fourteen and when I look at her, I think of the people who helped  her the way she is today and needless to say the CCC and it’s staff have a huge role to play!

Revisiting the letter I wrote, so long ago but the gratitude I feel is very fresh! I sit with this with my cup of coffee – reminiscing and smiling!

Dear Everyone at TIFR CCC,

In March 2006, I brought my little girl, all of 1 year and 6 months to you. She was a girl who had been with her mother from the time she was born, had never experienced how it would be not to have her mother around, even if it was for a mere half an hour.

I came to you with some hope that maybe I could make my little baby independent and enjoy her life with the rest of the world too. She was scared, frightened and terrified initially to be surrounded by other children both younger and older than herself. She saw strange faces that she could not handle. She wept and cried all day long just to get back to her “safe zone”, her mother. I was guilty, I always felt do I really need to leave my little one and go to pursue some dreams that I have harbored…and then I realized more than the fact that I was going ahead with my dreams, I was doing my baby good…by letting her explore a world that is way beyond her imagination and comprehension to make her a more confident and loving child.

You, at the Child Care Centre team are my daughter’s angels…who have guided her to be herself, played with her to enjoy herself, scolded her to discipline her, spoke to her lovingly to help her speak her mind, taught her things that we as adults have conveniently forgotten in the mundane routines of our lives and have done so much that I can hardly have words or expressions that can accommodate my gratitude and thanks to you.

My daughter, PRAKRITI has completed 5 years and 7 months in your Centre. When I look back , I find that a completely different Prakriti has emerged ever since you took upon yourselves to help her discover herself. She is independent, fun loving, caring, friendly, approachable, naughty and a conscientious child. I am extremely thankful to all of you and your team who have so painstakingly looked after her and at the same time trained her so selflessly and so lovingly. I can never imagine anyone else who could be better than your team.

At this point in time, both me and my husband want to express our heart felt gratitude and appreciation for the wonderful work you all put in every day, every minute for our children. In just two words….THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN