09/09/2026
Papie goes to Parikrma.
My grandfather grew up in a small Belgian village, but he travelled the world. He loved people. He loved culture, food, family and, most of all, connection.
He taught me, through his actions, that family is something you build.
When I was in my early twenties, I lived in India and worked at Parikrma. When Papie heard about it, he was so excited that he had to come and see it for himself.
And when Papie arrived, he just dived in, arms wide open.
He made his Belgian waffles for 300 children using his antique Belgian waffle iron.
He taught the whole assembly his very silly head-tapping joke.
He ate street food.
He had bucket showers.
He slept on a mat on the floor.
He squeezed into an auto with six people.
But none of those things are what made Papie special.
What made him special was what happened when he walked through those gates.
With his broken English, he simply played with the kids. He chatted to them. He told silly jokes. He laughed with them.
And within seconds, he had become a grandfather to more children.
Because with a man like Papie, you felt loved in seconds.
There was nothing he wanted more than for people to feel love, connection and joy.
And his way of creating that connection was through play.
I was always in awe of that.
And when Akka Project was formed, that became part of its heart.
You walk through the gates of Parikrma with your arms open, ready to play, ready to connect, ready to listen, ready to laugh.
Because family is something we build.
Akka is about family, no matter where you are born.
It is about finding connection through play, through laughter, through sharing food, through sitting together, through simply being there for one another.
That is Papie’s legacy.
So today, as we say goodbye to Papie, we can do so knowing that he lived exactly as he wanted to.
He made people feel loved.
He made people feel connected.
And he brought people joy.
He opened his arms, and somehow, everyone became family.
Thank you, Papie, for showing us how.
