Excerpts from the Introduction by Dhirendra Asthana and the Prologue by Krishna Mahapatra
"This Special Issue of LINK is a compilation of stories written by former staff members of UNICEF India based on their recollections of their personal experiences. As such, they offer a historical perspective and tell the story of the organization’s growth in India over the past seventy-five years."
"The articles in this compendium narrate experiences from the early days of establishing UNICEF offices, and from pioneering programmes of child survival and development to innovative education and water and sanitation projects, from path breaking child rights, child protection and communication initiatives to successful partnerships. Each story reflects the unwavering commitment and resilience of UNICEF staff to make a difference. This compendium not only commemorates UNICEF India@75 but also honors the invaluable contributions of its past employees, whose efforts have shaped the organization’s legacy."
Dhirendra Asthana
President UPGI
"It was in June when the two pillars of the team, Sree and Dhirendra Asthana (DK to us) broke to us the idea of a Special Issue of LINK on the proud completion of 75years of UNICEF in India. They took upon themselves to try and contact as many of the staff as possible who had joined in early years, to be able to get a historical perspective of the growth of UNICEF in India. Never have I seen the zeal, passion and dedication that Dhirendra and Sree exhibited to put together this marathon task."
"It was Dhirendra’s determination and Sree’s perseverance that got us what we have now collated through goading, jolting memories, reminding and not giving up till we got what we wanted - almost. It was amazing how both were able to spark buried enthusiasm and rekindle memories in senior members, some now in their 90s, fighting cancer or with early dementia or had erased from their memory the phase of working with UNICEF, after years of retirement. But what finally came out, beautifully captured the story of UNICEFINDIA@75! The cherry on top came from Augustine and Neena of the editorial team. While Augustine, with his years in the organization, created poetry from his analysis of the years and events, Neena dug out the nuances that added flavor and smiles with the lighter moments."
Krishna Mahapatra
Editor-in-Chief
Note by the Editor at XUNICEF News & Views : We are grateful to the team at LINK for sharing and allowing us to reproduce 'The Journey'. This book is an outstanding contribution to UNICEF's history. We thank all concerned for the time and work they invested in producing this important collection of memoirs by staff who have served in UNICEF India over the past 75 years. We hope that more XUNICEF country groups will consider assembling similar collections of history.
You can read the document in two versions:
* the first version is in 'flip-book' format which allows you to turn the pages in magazine or book style. The 'flip-book' format works best on a larger screen. Even then, you will likely need to enlarge pages to read the text more easily. You will find the controls at the bottom of the screen allowing you to expand each page to a size suitable for reading the text. You can also download a pdf version, but the downloaded version will not support page flipping.
* the second version is a (normal) PDF which you can read by scrolling down through the pages.
Whichever version you choose, we hope you will enjoy 'The Journey'. Our thanks again to the team at LINK and UPGI.
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*click the > symbol on the right of each page to flip to the next two pages;
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2. Traditional PDF version for scrolling. Click on the photo of the cover below and hold your mouse button down to scroll down through the subsequent pages. Note that the second page is blank and cannot be displayed, but do not stop scrolling to reach the remaining pages.
You can also download a copy directly by clicking on this link.
Hearty Congratulations on an exceptional piece of work. Not easy to dig up and bring up to date info which may be three quarters of a century old. Wish that other UNICEF offices and XUNICEF groups will take this as an example to emulate.
ReplyDeleteI noted that info on Charles Egger, the first RD, is somewhat skimpy. If needed I could share excerpts from his memoirs from 2010 where there is a major chapter devoted to India.