The Transition

Well here goes it.. Feels like a day at the pre school, where you are skeptical about what might come your way, you feel scared with a gazillion doubts in your heads... but you take the plunge.

Learnt the Shahdah:

La illaha illa allah, Muhammad Rasoolu allah

And there am all Set!

The Best Outdoor Adventures in India at Frommer's

The Best Outdoor Adventures in India at Frommer's

Do You Always Know?

I am not someone who would talk about what goes in my head as I don’t think I can make myself understood because am not really the best at communicating what I feel. But yes I would be lying if I say that there is nothing that I want in life and that I have everything(infact to be honest there is nothing much that I have- no people around who I can depend on or would want to depend on, no aspirations, no plan and the constant tussle between wanting to be too many things at the same time)… There are times when I feel that if I want I can get rid of this mechanical life, tiresome job, irritating people around me and just give it all up, as I am under no compulsion to deal with it. But then I would not want to be one of those who always had it easy in life… though I have been quite lucky so far as I never had to really fight for things. (I have no idea if I am making any sense but believe me you, this is how my brain functions. It keeps oscillating between things trying to rationalize the randomness that exists and trying to fuzz out the little bit of clarity that I ever had about anything and everything)

Just like the fight club.. “After fighting, everything else in your life got the volume turned down”

and that’s why I just fight things every day…am always in this phase of learning where I feel that I can inculcate whichever thinking, rationalizing, randomizing processes that exist.

There are days when I want to be this person who works real hard, excels professionally and commands respect… then there are days when I don’t want to do a thing in life and just sit back and read a novel or watch a movie.. then there are days when I would be all hyper about doing something totally different from things that I have ever done…. Days where I dream of being involved in heroic deeds.. acts that set me apart from the rest.. days when I am this simple person who has a world of her own – a tiny one of just a few people who I live for… days when I am this nicey nicey being who is loved by all… days when I am the conniving bitch who does not give a damn about what is happening around and does not care for any one else as after all it is my life… days when I want to keep people around me happy and live for them and not for myself… days when I totally curse myself for having taken the decisions that I have and where I feel that life would have been a lot easier if only I had decided wisely earlier…. Days when nothing could have been better than what it is at the present… days when I am in perfect harmony with the kind of life I lead and am grateful for all that comes my way… days filled with envy where I want to be this particular person who has always enjoyed life more than I have.. days when I want to be this queen of sacrifices where people around me take pity on me….days when am this tragic heroine who has done a lot for others and does not get enough appreciation for what I do… days when I am this woman who has total control over her life and can do anything that she wants… days where am this mean person who has always hurt people around and am in this apologetic spree.. days when I feel that am better than most of the others as I am genuine and I donot pretend…oxymoronic yes but there are such days too… days when family is all that I would ever live for… days when I would easily give up on the personal life and just go wandering…. Days when I want to be a recluse in the Himalayas where life is peaceful… days when I want to be a monk as you submit yourself to this extremely exhaustive rule sheet that you never have to make any decisions further in life as there are no choices offered…

Top Destinations 2010 Slideshow at Frommer's

Top Destinations 2010 Slideshow at Frommer's

Punjab - Of ghee laden food, colonial architecture, paddy fields - a devouts paradise and shopper's delight

Last weekend went on this trip to Punjab – the wheat capital of the country. Known for its fertile alluvial soil, hospitality, the golden Temple, rich food(read dripping with makkhan and overflowing with dry fruits), the 5 rivers- this is what sets this apart from its neighboring states.

Ludhuiana: The first stop

Around 400kms from the capital (New Delhi), Ludhiana is well connected by rail(trains at all convenient times, generally from the old delhi station, takes from 4-6 hours), road(buses from ISBT every hour, AC coaches, Volvos, seaters, sleepers..all kinds, 5-8hours), flights too. This is a huge industrial town and is the garment manufacturing hub. From machinery, to automotive components, to chemicals to fabrics to readymade clothes… the city breads business houses.

There are special fabrics like organic cotton which has attracted the attention of many a people. UV&W is a brand by the Venus group of industries that has been certified for its green technologies.

The culture is loud with kids in their teens driving cars bigger than twice their height. Large bungalows, independent houses with larger gardens sprinkled with lush green grass is a common sight. Evenings are about walks in the gardens with pets (especially dogs of the larger breed). People here live life king size and do not settle for smaller things.

When in town you must try the famous Kalia ka samosas , the butter kulcha at the famous lucky dhaba on the outskirts of the city (some 50kms on the GT Road), Lassi and the fresh makkhan.

The station is a small junction, not the neatest and full with people lying on the ground waiting for their trains or maybe just using the shelter.

The local transport constitutes the shared auto rickshaw and the cut little cycle rickshaws.

All in all a small city on the banks of the River Sutlej, where food is life!

Amritsar: Pit stop 2 

The Golden Temple, the Jalianwalah Bagh, the wagah Border, the Tandoori Kulchcha stuffed with the aromatic Indian spices, jalebis and lassi.. yeah that’s the city in short!

The golden Temple is the most revered place by the Sikhs. It witnesses a minimum of 50,000 tourists everyday. The langar(community meals) served to some 30000 people, long queues to get a glimpse of the guru granth sahib(the holy book) and pay homage to it. The Prasad overflowing with ghee is a delightful sight.

The community kitchen is something that left me amazed. The mechanized way of making rotis with tones of flour, the huge (this would be an understatement) cooking vessels and the hundreds of devotees involved in dicing vegetables, cleaning dishes, serving, cooking has a lot to teach about harmony and peace.

The interiors of the main sanctum are covered in exquisite carvings on the roof, the domb and the pillars. The intricate design is beautiful and unique. The hand written guru Granth Sahib – is kept on the first floor under an intricately embroidered cloth.

The jalianwalah bagh where the horrifying massacre took place is a historic site. It still has bullet marks on the walls enclosing the bagh when General Dyer ordered a brutal attack on the innocent congregators and the well which people jumped into to save themselves from the pouring bullets.

All the modernization in the park has robbed it of its historical significance in a way but nevertheless it does not fail to attract the tourist as they flock in huge numbers.

Right next to the Golden temple..a 5mins walk away is the famous Kulcha shop which is a dingy place but if you can overlook the hygiene for a mere 10 mins … it serves the bestest that you would have had, better than anything that you would ever dream of. Right ahead is the jalebi shop at the road junction which again is not really the cleanest of the kitchens but is definitely the tastiest of the jalebis

Across the Regeant cinema theatre is the lassi shop which caters to a minimum of 2000 customers on a daily basis. 

The other katras which attract crowd include the Papad-Warian Bazaar - Katra Kathian, Mishri Bazaar, and Katra Mohan Singh. The aroma of the Papad-Warian Bazaar is appetising. Stacks of the home-made papad and wadian lie in the streets ready for customers to grab them.

The city is in the throes of modernization with Coffee shops like CCD’s , Barista, high end hotels and diners cropping up like mushrooms to provide a good experience to the tourists who flock to offer an ardaas at the holy shrine.

CLASS Work !

The Andaman Isles - Trip to the Pristine Waters

The Pristine Blue waters, the Mangrove forests and the stunning white sand beaches –is The Great Andaman!!

The break of dawn, the sunrise, the twilight and the sunset are a sight to behold. You may be on any of the scantly inhabited island of the archipelago but the scenes never less picturesque.

What are you in Andaman for? :

Confused as to what to see and where to go, trying to recollect what you read in the Wikipedia, the tourism guides and the likes? Well here is your very own Lonely Planet Guide to the Andamans- A first-hand experience with pics that would speak for themselves

The Rajiv Gandhi Sports Complex: The most important place in Blair- You can book tickets to visit the other islands Ross, Viper, North Bay, Havelock, Baratang, Jolly Buoy... all of it in this one place!

It has a jetty and a beautiful park which is a treat to the eyes under the moonlit, star studded sky with the water gushing in and out of the bay.

Cellular Jail: Does it strike a bell?? Does the name “kalapani” from the history text books come flashing back??

Well an amazing place to visit with an even better light and sound show that reiterates the historic facts but has a few discripancies regarding the glorification of Veer Savarkar. But who cares! A word of caution: the ticket sales for visiting ends at 4:00PM and for the light and sound ends at 6:00 so u better not be late!

The Jolly Buoy: Well it is a Herculean task to decide which one of the islands in the archipelago is more beautiful... but yeah Jolly Buoy is definitely one of the strongest contenders!

The azure water is symbolic of purity and a representative of the abundant beauty that the Nature has in store. There are no plastic items allowed and people do respect the initiatives taken by the government to preserve the place.

The island is like something straight out of a fairy tale- with tiny huts, lush green vegetation, white sands and a chameleon like sea that has all the possible shades of blue, lilac and cyan.

Snorkelling is something to indulge in and trust me you would have never seen anything as good! The fish, the corals, the sea creatures, the anemones... they would make you go Aww!!

The Corbyn’s Cove: The most beautiful beach on Port Blair! The sunrise here is something that cannot be missed for anything in the world. The towering coconut trees, the Arakoma on one side and the endless, pure, serene, pristine waters on the other...

The Trio Isles: The North Bay ,The Viper and the Ross Islands.

Viper is known as the site where women prisoners were hung- not really an interesting place- a let down!

North Bay- the beach is quite rough, covered with shells that prick you but the reefs here are amazing. Buying snorkelling equipment would be an intelligent investment as the guides take you for a ride and leave a hole in your pockets.

Ross- The Naval Base and a tsunami ruined site. The Ferrar beach on this Island is amazing and so are the shambles of the Church, the administrative office, the Governor’s Resident.

But the one thing that would make you fall in love with the place would be the hundreds of deer who roam around and don’t mind you feeding them, not even a bit!

Mt.Harriet: The highest peak in the Andaman. It is a protected forest. They have this relly amazing guest house on the top. The trek trails to Kalapaththar, the view points, the ride up the hill and the flora and the fauna of the place are a few things to be on a look out for!

The Havelock Isle: This is a place where you have to, have to, have to, stay overnight and if you could squeeze in two days, you won’t regret it. Trust Me!

The ride to Havelock on the government boat is an enthralling experience. The private Makruzz would lock you in an air-conditioned cabin whereas the government Bambooka allows you to sit on the deck, enjoy the wind gushing in your face, the ripples caused by the heavy vehicle on the sea surface and enjoy the beauty of the Andamans in entirety.

Havelock has a zillion places where you can stay. Shacks of all sizes are rented out and you shouldn’t stay anywhere else but the beach. The shacks on the Vijayanagar beach are relatively cheap as against the Radhanagar beach. The Lagoon, El Dorado, Dolphin are a good option.

The Radhanagar beach is asia’s finest and gives tough competition to a few across the globe.

The elephant trail to the elephant beach is a wonderful trek. The swamp and the thick forest makes you feel like you are on an undercover mission- probably to collect shells J !!

And Yeah don’t forget to carry some Hide and Seek biscuits, the molluscs there love it !! :P

Boring Lectures help discover an Artist !!

The Three Lil Pups




MIKARI

Creative CV ?

Branded Criminals

Independence for the Nation translates to Respect Only on Papers

When India embarked on a journey of reforms and growth- post independence, it was the bottom of the pyramid comprising of the middleclass and the lower class- a huge base that was not conjured overnight- that played a prominent role and brought about a revolution. But there was a huge chunk that was left out. There were sections of the society for whom independence had no historic significance as their lives remained unaffected, unchanged.

A large majority of them had absolutely no idea as to what democracy means and what rights it bestows upon them.

In 1952, the Indian Government withdrew the Criminal Tribes Act throughout India thus trying to justify it’s democratic outlook. But it is ironical that the government enacted the Habitual Offender’s Act. Both these Acts negate the universally proclaimed principle that "all human beings are born equal and freedom is for all". The listing of these De-notified and Nomadic under the Habitual Offender’s Act also negates the principle of the criminal justice system which states that an individual is innocent until proven guilty. The very name of the act tags them criminals, discriminates some people from the rest. It obtrudes their right to an equal standing in the society one of the basic civil rights entitled to the citizens of a free nation.

Though the Act was repealed the stigma of criminality tags along. This has made them the victims of persecution and torture at the hands of the state machinery.

Every year persons from the DN tribes are either mob lynched, beaten by the police or forced into criminal activities by the state executive bodies. It is the worst form of exploitation when the government, whose sole responsibility is to safeguard the rights of its citizens, forces a section of the people to be engaged in criminal activities.

The Nomadic and De-notified tribes- though they occupy the lowest rung of the social ladder have a culturally rich heritage that is distinctly different from other social groups and can be easily identified. From the way they dress, their dialect, the folklores to their customs and practices- all speak volumes about their heritage. But they have been left out of the mainstream of life because of a mere constitutional act and their life is fossilized in poverty, superstition and ignorance. They have remained backward economically and socially. The worst affected is their drive to survive. They have become so accustomed to the way of life that they have given up all hopes.

The Chharas in Ahmedabad

After the repeal of the Criminal Tribes Act, people belonging to the de-notified tribes were released from the forced labour camp which had been a prison for them for almost half of a century. The Chharas were resettled on the outskirts of Ahmedabad in Chharanagar. It is spread over three square miles, with a population of over twenty five thousand, Chharanagar is primarily known for its home brewed liquor – which illegal in the dry state.

There are more than 100 qualified lawyers but even after half a century they find it tough to bag jobs because they are “Chharas”. They can’t find accommodation in any other locality as neighbours complain. They have to face continuous humiliation at the hands of their neighbours. The society owners don’t want to let them stay as it’s considered to be a negative for the society complex if a Chhara stays in one of the apartments. Their children are thrown out of schools and are constantly taunted about their lineage.

This is all an outcome of colonial intrusion and legalism. They have been displaced in the past and their lands have been usurped by the state authorities. Even till date there are instances where the municipal corporation brutally uproots their houses and leaves them in the rubbles at the mercy of the nature. If it would have been any other slum dweller whose shack was rundown by a bulldozer- the whole society would have sympathized with them and there would be non profits who would criticize the act. But when it comes to the Chharas people turn a deaf ear.

As has been rightly said:

“You know as well as we do that right, as the world goes, is only in question between equals in power, while the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must” (Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War, written in 416 BC)

The Act forcibly moved the notified tribes to permanent reformatory settlements - like Chharanagar - that acted as virtual prisons for the tribes, and sources of cheap labour to fuel the booming cities of the colonial era. The people were thrown into these camps in the evenings and released in the morning to let them to go and work. It was exploitation at its best. They were made to work in the industries for over 18 hours a day. It is inhumane to do this to fellow citizens just to give impetus to the industrial boom and to skim the resources- human resources. The explanation that the British gave for such an ignoble act was that ‘legitimate’ work would help in reforming these tribes which had taken to criminal activities as their source to income. But then freedom from the British colony did not land them into a place that they could call their own. They were crumpled and crushed under the social ladder that was so predominant.

All doors to upward mobility stand closed. Even after six decades of independence the discrimination, social and economic marginalisation that they are subjected to puts a question mark on the declaration of human rights as mentioned in the constitution of the land.

Moreover, anywhere an act of theft or robbery takes place in the city of Ahmedabad- it is the Chharanagar area of the city that the police comes to make an arrest. They would imprison any random person belonging to this tribe frame charges against him and subject him to various forms of torture. Even the women are subjected to physical assaults. Instances where innocents are being detained on false charges, beaten, extorted and humiliated in local prisons still have seen no decrement. There are cases of custodial deaths which never are reported as the police refuses to file an FIR.

The Budhan Theatre

Such things led to the inception of Budhan Theatre group which was born of the ignominy and punitive lifestyle foisted on this de-notified tribe since the British rule. It’s sole purpose being to let the world know about the conditions under which these people are compelled to live their lives and how the most basic of the human rights are being denied to them.

Before you enter Chharanagar you would have a lot of apprehensions about the people who stay there. All the warnings from the auto driver to take constant care of your belongings and to watch your steps would ring in your head. But they all vanish the moment you step into the locality. You are welcomed with smiles and heads nodding in appreciation of the fact that there still are people who consider the Chharas -as humans who tread the same ground as anyone of us and not as people that are nothing but mere parasites on the face of the planet. What meets your eyes would leave you surprised? Chharanagar is a township in its own ways. There are general stores, roadside eat outs, a small library with a couple of thousand books, a computer kiosk where children can play computer games throughout the day and are taught to use computer during the week. This library also serves as the stage to practice the plays that the Budhan theatre puts up. The kids are born artists and they would leave no opportunity to impress you with their talent to act. They exude confidence and are not scared to voice their opinions to move the sentiments of the public who always views them with tainted glasses.

This vicious cycle is further compounded when media reports address these tribes as “criminal tribes” and accuses them of crimes they never committed, and even describes their various occupations as immoral. Words like de-notified brand them as erstwhile criminal and now “ex- criminal”. All of this leads to the patterns of continued abuse and discrimination of DNT-NTs.

This is a Catch -22 situation for these innocent people. They have no choice and what they do to survive is tagged immoral. This is very similar to the ethnic cleansing of the Jews in World War II.

One of the shocking things was that the children in Chharanagar were actually proud of the fact that their father had been arrested even though the arrest was made on false charges, contrary to being ashamed of it. Also they associated it with being heroic. This is representative of the fact that the raging struggle for equality of rights has not spared the younger generations either.

It’s actually oxymoronic because we all revolt and criticize when it comes to a terror attack in the industrial capital but most of us are unaware of the atrocities inflicted on our very own citizens since time immemorial, leave alone voice their concerns and fight for their rights. What quite a lot of people do not realize is that psychological torture aimed to annihiliate the self respect and dignity of a person is also a violation of human rights. But another school of thought says that to get on in the world one has to restrict one’s canvas, where all discordance of other people’s needs and conditions are best shut out. So it doesn’t really matter what treatment is meted out to the Chharas as long as you get your daily bread, get to enjoy the freedom a democracy bestows upon you and are not being subjected to any inhumane treatment or face adversities.

Who is to be Blamed?

The question that lingers in our minds is, is it the government of the nation that is to be blamed for such a shameful state of affairs in the so called “largest democracy” or is it the society which constitutes the citizens- a society which is so ‘poised ’ that it refuses to recognize a large chunk of it’s members. It’s like a boat with a hollow base- which could topple even in the weakest of the tides.

Or is it the underprivileged who bear the brunt of the society to be blamed for their own conditions? As political science theorists like Edmund Burke & Karl Marx argued the efficacy of the institution of rights- defining them as being abstract and theoretical concepts that de-motivate the people to protect and fight for their own values.

It also questions the ethic of reciprocity, that one must respect the rights of another fellow being to command respect oneself, one must do unto others as one would want to be treated themselves.

Chharas and the ‘Yes We Can’ attitude

If we take a careful look at the Universal Declaration to Human Rights, we would understand that there are hardly any of those 30 Articles that are executed in it’s entirety. India is not just bound by the chains of casteism but it is also indifferent to sections of the society which are christened as ‘tribes’.

The government has neglected them and so has the society. They neither have the resources nor the support of the people. Still the Chharas have taken upon themselves to not let their children suffer from what they have been through. They had all dropped their family names and have taken up Chhara as their family name because it is in their solidarity that their resistance is engrained. They have realised that there lies immense potential in each one of them to overcome the hurdles that have been existent ever since. People like Dakshin and Roxy have been the torchbearers to the struggle for recognition. It’s under their leadership that they have managed to unite the DNT’s in the Gujarat and fight for a common cause. They have been successful in moving the government sentiments, won court cases to get a stay on the demolition of their houses by the municipal corporation. They have been successful in attracting international support from anthropologists like Kerim Friedman who have even produced documentaries on the dismal conditions of the DNT’s in India. Budhan Theatre was Dakshin’s brainchild and it has proven to the world how theatre could be used for voicing your opinions when no one’s ready to listen to you. Their determination to help themselves, keep away from going back to criminal activities-something that they have always been forced into- is commendable.

This clearly is a reflection of the ‘YES WE CAN ’ attitude that has embarked them on a journey to break the shackles of the society and take up a firm stance against the government who does very little to help them.

Conclusion

In the eyes of the society they are still criminals, and a wide gulf exists between them and the rest of the society.

What needs to be questioned here is aren’t we wrong in segregating people, accepting man made divisions of the society and protecting them under the aegis of preserving either ethnic diversity or religion. Am not saying that we need to dissolve the cultural heritage but preserving it by discriminating individuals, is a strict ‘No- no’.

*Power Of Giving *

We live in an ephemeral world of violence, natural calamities, and suffering. Is there anything that we can do diminish the pain that the others are going through? Yes of course , We can give .All of us has something to give it could be money , wisdom, time, compassion and loads of other things.

Giving ideas and resources can dramatically improve the world we live in. You might have come across this ,” We may only be one person in the world.But we may be the world to one person.” This may be clichéd but it still has substance.

Do we always live to be ‘what we want to be?’ or ‘what we were meant to be?’ our destinies would be decided by what we give and not by what we get.

“World's income distribution gives a very telling story. Ninety four percent of the world income goes to 40 percent of the population while sixty percent of people live on only 6 per cent of world income. Half of the world population lives on two dollars a day.”- Muhammed Yunus in his Nobel Prize Acceptance speech

Jarring Reality:

One out of every four people in the world is hungry ,and we eat four meals a day and waste food too.

One billion people in the world do not have enough clean water, and we never care to close the taps.

Atleast 200 million people are suffering the horror of war, imprisonment and torture and we simply don’t care

Every few seconds a child dies from a preventable disease, but the doctors these days are more worried about their fees.

One seventh of the world population is illiterate and we waste our time in school and college,without realizing how fortunate we are.

There are millions of instances where people are generous, some in their donations , some in their efforts ,but all involve compassion. So shudnt we try and bring about a positive change in the society by the little things which we can?

SAMBHAV redesigned

Created By: Ritika & Abhinandan

SAMBHAV LOGO

CREATED BY: Roman Choudhary
CONCEPT : Ritika Gupta

Dare to be different??

It is not wisdom , to be only wise

And on the inward vision close the eyes

But it is wisdom to believe the heart

Columbus found a world and had no chart.

In today’s world , parents teach their children to goto school ,get educated and get good grades for a bright future. But is it justified in the present world?

Most of the CEO’s of huge conglomerates are school or college drop outs, people with very nominal degrees but great vision and potential to perform. Does this mean that college education is not very helpful? Well it could be. All that we learn in our school and college is theory, how to solve numericals , how things work etc. A tremendous pressure is laid upon a student to perform academically. Companies employ students with 60% and above score, universities for higher education also demand the same. How justified is this? Why is a person forced to study things in which he has absolutely no interest? I agree education is important but does education constitute of studying subjects only? Nah….

Most of us prepare real hard for the competitive exams to get into a good B school.Is it essential to go to a business school to learn about business management? Again the answer is NO. A person who has absolutely no knowledge about the various management fundas might be a far better businessman than somebody who knows all of them by heart. A person who knows is the one who is scared to differ from it and is not adventurous enough to try something new.Whereas a person who doesn’t know about all these is someone who would always be innovative and imaginative.If such is the case then why do most of us slog? Why are we a part of the rat race?

The answer is that we are afraid to be different.We don’t want to stand out in a crowd because we are scared of criticism and failure. But it’s a fact that people who have the guts to be different and are bold are the ones who truly succeed in life.

Life’s battles don’t always go to the stronger or the faster man, Sooner or later the man who wins is the man who thinks he can.

INSPIRATIONS

• Set a goal for yourself
  

• Share your happiness
  

• Smile as often as you can
  

• Be ready to help people
  

• Be childish
  

• Learn to live in harmony
  

• Keep your humour
  

• Don't be afraid of difficulties
  

• Forgive
  

• Cherish real friends
  

• Be cooperative and enjoy teamwork
  

• Don't ignore your loved ones
  

• Be confident
  

• Respect the weak
  

• Spoil yourself occassionally
  

• Be brave in trying new things
  

• Don't take money too seriously
  

PESEVERENCE

When things go wrong,as they sometimes will,
When the road you are trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
You want to smile but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns.
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow,
You may succeed with another blow.
Success is failure turned inside out,
Silver tint of the clouds of doubt.
And you never can tell,how close you are?
It may be near when it seems so far.
So stick to the fight when you are hardest hit.
Its when things seem worse, that you must not quit!!!

Trip 2 a ghetto

Today being a Sunday, i as usual was looking forward to my visit to Maninagar.Visiting the people there and teaching the children has become a weekly routine.We were a little late in leaving the campus as most of us were tired after the farewell party yesterday.We took a different route this time round which turned out to be shorter. Anshum who was visiting the first time was a little enthusiastic,but after spending some time with his "students" there he was all worn out.this was primarily because he was not used to handling so many children at a time.
This time the number of students was a little less and i found quite a few new faces as well.The enthusiasm that they show towards every activity that we have there is remarkable, be it learning ABCD or singing or coloring ,everyone participates.It seems that they are a little bored of the usual study pattern and learning ABCD...the entire time they kept asking about when the coloring activity would start and yeah they did have a great time coloring and we had a tough time teaching them how to color and managing the crowd.I taught a nursery rhyme "twinkle twinkle", the girls were fascinated to learn only because we were singing it ,when it came to reciting it they had lost all interest.It was good to see that even if they were not able to pronounce the complicated words correctly ,they were successful to a great extent in copying the sounds.I was happy to see that a few girls were exceptionally fast in picking up the words and memorizing them and am hoping that they will learn it by next week ,because songs have always enchanted people more than poems.A few couldn't even pronounce 'twinkle' they were pronouncing it as 'pinkle',but then the confidence which they exuded was praiseworthy.There is this really bright girl named Rinky who has studied till class 3 and she is really quick at grasping things.we had never thought that we would come across somebody like her there so we had nothing to teach her,but then this week we will make sure that she has something new to learn.
Seeing the interest that the kids showed in coloring was a real booster,but then we noticed that they were neglecting studies because of it so we have decided to make it a weekly activity than a daily one.also that we dont have much funds to spend on colors or photocopies.they are so excited over coloring that a kid colored my capri when i was sitting next to him. :)
Then there are kids who still dont know how to spell their name ,which is a little disappointing but then their enthusiasm to attend the teaching sessions on a regular basis enhances our efforts to teach them.there is this kid whose name is sandeep when asked to write he confused s with 2 and wrote 2andeep.we had a great time laughing over it.
All in all it was a good trip.although there were just three of us there,but then we did manage to handle the children and teach them something.