Something exciting has been taking shape in Nallasopara, and we can't wait to tell you about it.
MarketPlace's artisan cooperatives are rooted in two parts of Mumbai — Santa Cruz, now woven into the heart of the city, and Nallasopara, about 50 kilometers outside of Mumbai. The city is growing fast, and Nallasopara is growing right along with it. Our programs in Santa Cruz are well-established, but Nallasopara needed something more: a real home for community programs. So this past May, we rented a dedicated space — a center just for the women and children of the cooperative community.
And then we handed the keys (figuratively speaking) to the kids.
From the very beginning, the children were in the center — in the meetings, in the planning, in every decision. What should the center look like? What should it be called? The kids had opinions, and they weren't shy about sharing them. After lots of brainstorming, they landed on two finalists: Vidya Kendra (Knowledge Center) and Masti ka Dhuniya (World of Mischief).
We'll let you guess which one won.
Together, women and children created the guidelines for how the center would run — schedules, cleaning duties, maintenance. But the children didn't just participate. They owned it. They made posters, planned the inauguration, organized snacks and activities. On opening day, some of them showed up at 7 a.m. — much before the event started — just to clean and decorate.
The ribbon was cut by the three youngest girls, a deliberate and beautiful choice to make clear: this place belongs to you. A butterfly handprint made by the girls anchors a special poster, surrounded by the thumbprints of the other children and their mothers. A whole community, literally leaving its mark.
What a day it was.
The center is now coming to life with a library, study classes, Saturday dance classes, yoga, and space for women's meetings and programs through Armaan Club. It's a place where big things will happen — and if those 7 a.m. decorators have anything to say about it, it's going to be wonderful.
