My name is Raji Ram. I’ve lived in this Evergreen State for well over 2 decades. I am a teacher by profession and am with the Everett schools. I live in Bothell with my husband and two children.
Children of the world and the Community around, mean everything to me. I have multiple degrees that include a research degree in Sanskrit Language and a Master’s in special education. Art, Architecture and Ancient History are my favorite subjects.
I also manage five different organizations I have founded over the years. I am the Founder-Director at –
1)Kinder Konnection, a non-profit organization that provides for the year round essential needs of homeless children in 10 public school districts and young adults in shelters and community colleges.
2)Samskriti Kala Kendra—an organization for Indian Culture, Arts and Heritage that conducts fine arts classes, performances, organizes art workshops and fundraisers.
3)UNNATI —– a platform for humans of excellence. I am curating an unique video monologue series entitled UNNATI DIARIES. Close to 50 Episodes have been published so far about magnificent humans from various fields. And this list includes different threads like Kalaakaar series, World Series and LGBTQ series.
4)Sukh Shanthi —-an organization for the welfare of senior citizens of Indian origin in the PNW.
5} Katha Kala Ranga— a platform for fine arts and stories from around the world.
In addition to my work as a Teacher, I have been teaching South Indian classical Vocal to children and adults in the community for over 15 years now. My students actively participate in cultural events and regularly raise funds for social and cultural causes.
The Herald and the Millcreek Newspapers have run stories about my community work. I was bestowed the Outstanding community champion award in 2018 and the Women’s Icon award in 2019.
I compose and set to tune classical compositions in Sanskrit, Tamizh and Mani Pravaala languages. I also write poems in English and Tamizh. One of the much-cherished projects was my poem inspired Madhubhani Art called Poetry on Canvas. I love to come up with unique concepts and am blessed to work with incredibly talented artists from around the world. I also act as master of ceremonies at events and host multi-cultural weddings. I am a wanderlust who loves to travel to places within India and the world around. My heart is always connected to Indian History, Art and Architecture. I love vintage and antique home decor and my home is a testimony to this.
Be it my indoor or outdoor plants or the birds in our garden, they are all my precious children. I am an early riser and it helps me to quickly plan my day which is always tightly packed. A 45-minute meditation and an hour ’s walk is included somewhere in the day. Mostly all meals are home cooked as it’s a foodie family.
Since the past year, everything has moved online and am grateful as I continue to teach Music and Culture through Skype and Zoom.I try to catch up with phone calls, emails and text messages in between work. Juggling comes easy to moms, so I think.
My community work is all about being there for every person who reaches out and I make sure there’s a fine balance between all my work, organizations I run AND my family. In short, I run a tight ship.
Be it my indoor plants or my hummer babies, I truly enjoy taking care of things big or small.
When lives thrive, I thrive. My work as a teacher and and a a community worker involves working with children, women and senior citizens coming from homeless or underserved background and challenging family situations. I need to be tough in order to be there for others. To listen to their stories and plan the next step in helping them which includes raising funds, reaching out to proper channels etc, all involve separating the logic and the emotions.
Being with children all the time has made me into a very open minded and a positive person, despite challenges. All my initiatives have a global perspective including Kinder Konnection and Unnati Diaries.
I love to embrace people from all walks of life. I am immensely grateful to be surrounded by a very generous and inspiring humans and we all work together to do our bit for a better tomorrow. Life is all about being connected.
I never miss an opportunity to connect, embrace and be there for every person I strike a friendship. I short I always pray that am there for every person during the challenging moments of their lives, to uplift them in every way possible. They can privately message me on any one of the organizations I have founded.
https://www.facebook.com/ka2ranga
For women I will say this from my experience!
“Take the first step forward! Never hesitate to ask for help! Never be embarrassed about who you are! The world is filled with beautiful souls. A few bad apples here and there don’t decide you or your life.
Keep trying new things. Be inquisitive! Keep meeting new people.
Your world is not limited to the 8 families you know. Heart is the most elastic thing I’ve come across. You can stuff the whole world of wonderful beings in it and yet it will always have room for more.”