Benefit for Operation Shanti in New York City, October 9, 2014

In 2003, Tracy Kunichika traveled to India and started planting the seeds for what would become Operation Shanti, an American-based non-profit that seeks to provide basic health care and services for the country's poorest residents. Since that time, OS has grown to encompass a shelter, services for those suffering from HIV, and programs for the homeless in Southern India and beyond.
I've known Tracy since she started Operation Shanti, and have volunteered a bit for OS when I've visited Mysore, and am in awe of the organization's work.  If you're in New York on October 9, please consider attending a Fundraiser and Silent Auction for Operation Shanti at the George Billis Gallery:

Deborah Crooks & 35 other Musicians @ National Music Day Pop-up Parklet's for a Cause in SF

Friday, June 21, 2013 is National Music Day. In addition to a special performance at The Monkey House in Berkeley that evening, I'm participating in Pop-Up Parklet's for a Cause, 12p - 12:30pm, playing at the parklet in front of Brainwash Cafe,1122 Folsom Street, in San Francisco. More than 35 artists will be performing in Parklets all over the city, a musical happening to raise funds for local charities including Bread & Roses, City Youth Now, Woman, Inc, LYRIC and 5 Gyres.  I hope to raise $100 (suggested donation is only $5) for these organizations that help so many of those in need. Please come on down to Brainwash, grab lunch or a coffee and spare $5 for a good cause. 

If you can't make it down to SOMA at noon, you can donate online at Hear it Local.

Deborah Crooks @ Pop-Up Parklets for a Cause

 Friday, June 21, 2013

12:00 pm to 12:30 pm

Hosted By: Matt Lombardi

Parklet @ Brainwash - SOMA

1122 Folsom Street
San Francisco, CA 94103

Also, the person who posts the most "liked" photo or video clip from the festival to www.facebook.com/Popups4causes will win a free concert in his or her San Francisco-based home or office this summer.

How to say thank you, India style

It's been a week of hearing about friends going through big challenges and hard losses. Amid it all, a friend posted this on Facebook. Beautiful.

Mysore: Chocolate & charity

I live down the street from "The Chocolate Man" aka "The Chocolate Stand" or 'Trupti's," a much-loved and very packed little storefront whose proprietor, wife,  son and daughter-in-law roast coffee, special-order pasta, organic jam and soy milk for Western tastes and have a little business making their own chocolate. The 40-80 rupee bars, coming in flavors such as chocolate-cardamom, dark chocolate almond and chocolate coffee, stave off many chocolate Jones. Otherwise, the chocolate in India isn't quite up to US or European standards (albeit Cadbury has a large presence here) and tends to look but not taste that chocolaty. That isn't to say Indians don't love their sweets! Sugar dominates cups of chai and coffee and is whipped into plenty of ghee-heavy local delicacies. The price paid is a high rate of diabetes (India leads the world in number of people with diabetes) and tooth decay.

Most likely due to my mom diligently giving us fluoride as children, I've made it through my life thus far without getting a cavity.  When I went to the dentist here they reminded me to rinse, but opined I didn't need a cleaning 'unless you insist.'
This week I've been back at the dentist, albeit helping take some of the children from Operation Shanti who need dental care to their appointments.  These children spent much of their young lives on the street before coming to Karunya Mane, OS's shelter for children in need, and the concept of a toothbrush is fairly recent to their thinking. As such, many have cavities already— only one girl of the few I took to the dentist Wednesday didn't need a filling. Instead, she received a cleaning and a good talking to about brushing up and down.
"They are very cooperative," the dentist noted as the last one got up from the chair.
And they were! As well as surprisingly joyful and easy with themselves. They loaded into the rickshaw with me, holding on tight as we bumped along, and stuck their noses to the wind like dogs in a convertible, inviting the sounds and the views of the fields and roadside sheds we passed selling meals and puffed treats and chai. I marveled at how wise and wonderfully in the moment and far beyond their years they seemed. They took their turns in the dentist chair without whimpering at the drill, shrugged off their procedures like it was no big deal, and delighted in my iPhone photo album as we waited in the lobby.
"Friend?" they asked, pointing to photos of my loved ones in the states. "Friend," I said. Every time a photo of a friend's child came up they jumped, cheered, clapped and smiled.
Back home at KM, they clambered out of the rickshaw, smiled and waved to me, and were off to their beds without a backward glance. 

If you'd like to volunteer with Operation Shanti,  a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, or donate to the organization, please go to http://www.operation-shanti.org for more information

Mysore: Musical Benefit, Jan 18, 2011 6pm

*note, last minute venue change from Tina's (feel better Tina!) to Anoki's.
If you're in Mysore, please join us, Tuesday, January 18, 2011 @ Anoki's Cafe 6pm. I'm happy to play as part of a benefit in support of Operation Shanti and Ashadavaka Seva. Both organizations support orphaned and otherwise children in need of education, health and shelter services. RS 150 gets you a light meal served by Tina and some tunes by myself and Bo Chang, w/proceeds going to the charities. We'd love to see you!
xo, Deborah

January 18, 2011, 6pm
Anoki', 408 Contour Road, Gokulam
Mysore, Karnataka 570 002


poster artwork/design by Boonchu Tanti

Merry Christmas

It doesn't feel too Christmasy in the way of my American life, but India is not immune to even this holiday. Certainly, the many students in the Ashtanga community here didn't miss another opportunity to celebrate. Yan's (w/me in the photo) birthday coincided with Christmas and she threw a dinner party asking female guests to wear traditional dress. I didn't think it would ever happen, but I indeed went sari shopping downtown one evening and with the help of a seasoned sari wearer, was able to get about in the one piece of fabric plus sari-top. I felt equal parts like a poser and totally delighted. Much more comfortable than I thought, though the after dinner-party, after caroling, & dance floor @ Alex's called for a change into something more familiar.


Christmas day itself in Mysore, has been warm and sunny. I'm paying a visit to Operation Shanti's Karunha Mane to see the gift distribution. There are several orphanages, social service organizations (OS, AshaDayaka, Odanadi) and other charities in town for those in need. As in years past, many of the yoga students have banded together to buy gifts for the kids as well as volunteer their time in other ways.

Mysore: Karunya Mane

I've known founder Tracy Kunichika since she began Operation Shanti, a nonprofit to benefit some of the poorest people in India about six years ago and heard how it's grown from a program to feed destitute street people to a variety of programs helping those in need. Last year, I began sponsoring one of the children's room and board. So it was a treat to be able to see one of the organization's projects, a shelter for close to 30 children, & meet the kids in person on Sunday. After meeting up with Tracy and Jonathan, another yoga student/volunteer, in Gokulam (one of the nicer parts of the city where the yoga shala is located), we drove to the outskirts of Mysore to the shelter, Karunya Mane. It was arts and crafts days, and Jonathan had folded enough origami cranes for everyone to decorate, a task that kept the kids quietly absorbed for all of a half hour before there rascally kid nature got going. We had quite a bit of fun both decorating the cranes as well as running around the yard, learning new, Carnatic dance techniques and hindi words. The most hilarious & somewhat shocking moment for me (and the one that reminded me that these kids had been rescued from incredibly hard lives on the streets) was when one of the kids, who was no more than 10 years old is my guess, noticed the bee tattooed on my forearm. After asking me what it was exactly, he pulled up his shirtsleeves and proudly showed me his tattoo, a small outline of a dagger on his upper bicep.(no photos are allowed at the shelter, otherwise, I'd show you!)