By Lawrence Faulkner
We met with Rachna and Ganesh in the hotel lobby before returning to the Prem Niketan Hospital where Mrs. Parnami is waiting for us. The current situation, unfortunately, is that a major donor who had pledged 20 million rupees (about 300,000 euro) has pulled out. We are disappointed but still determined to go ahead with the project. At an enlarged meeting to discuss how to change the strategy, we agreed to start primarily with a program oriented at screening and thalassemia prevention involving the local association, represented by its chairman Naresh Bhatia.
The next morning we go to find Mr. Prithvi Raj Singh, of the Jal Bhagirathi Foundation, a friend of Ganesh and Rachna’s, he seemed pretty optimistic about the possibility of obtaining funds. We discussed various possibilities and we left this meeting heartened and reloaded. In the evening I was invited to dinner in a beautiful restaurant converted from an ancient Mahrajha residence, the Raj Palace.