by Anuradha Bakshi | May 17, 2006 | okhla, reservations
The children in this picture belong to our okhla primary centre.. and if one were to believe all the pro quota politicos, they are the supposed beneficiaries of the reservation policy. Most of them are dalits and OBCs.. what is noteworthy is that all their pwhy teachers are also dalits or OBCs..
I had gone to meet the parents and while waiting for them I decided to talk to the class V and VI children about the reservation issue.. Though many have TVs they were unaware of the reservation debate, as were their parents… I tried to explain to them that there were seats reserved for them in medical colleges, and other institutions.. and we talked for a long time.. Some looked bewildered and others were trying to understand.. their parents were also as lost..
We all know that these kids may get through their school as they have pwhy to support them.. but they are a drop in the ocean of such children who will slowly fall of the education net. Sometimes close to the next election, politicians will come and tell them how they have fought for their rights and the paid supporters will clap and cheer.. but no one will tell them the way to those elusive seats..
The solution mooted are again divisive or futile.. more seats will not help these children neither will a parallel school system that sticks a label from day one! We need schools that are not only run properly, but reflect the social reality, where children from all walks of life learn together and compete in a healthy manner irrespective of who their parents are, of the caste or creed they belong.. We need to do away with the abysmal 33% pass percentage whih gives a useless degree.. we must do away with the attitude of government schools where teachers only aim at getting their students to pass.. and where in some cases even the course is not completed because all they need is 40% so why teach them more..
The first step would be to make them aware of the reality and make them realise that they too can aspire for the best, even if the road is a long one.
by Anuradha Bakshi | Apr 4, 2006 | okhla
When project why began as a small spoken english centre, I had begun dreaming.. dreaming of the day when it would become an independant entity and fly on its own on the wings of the people that made it happen: the kids, the community, the staff, the well wishers.. and even the detractors..
March 19th 2006 saw the fulfillment of that dream.. and yet it went unnoticed by many of us.. An email that dropped by my box yesterday made me realised the importance of that day. Amit, one of our friends and supporters, is a young exceutive with a multinational, he came by pwhy one day and then became a regular visitor.. somehow his heart took him to okhla.. and I came to learn much later that he was a regular vistor there, building his connections with the kids, the community and our teachers..
One day he mentioned a puppet show on 19/3 to spread AIDS awareness.. Unfortunately I could no be there, but here is an account of the day in his words:
Famous puppeteer Dadi Pudamjee of Isshara Group lead the performance. Six young youths spread this health awareness.
We reached Okhla Site at 11 AM with Dadi and his team. We faced some problem in getting an electric supply at our school, but finally the local junta supported and we were able to get a electric connection for Mics and Music System.
One of our Employees announced about the puppet show and some more people joined as audience for the show. Ishara team started their performance- Chunati-The Challenge. Kids were really enjoying the show and more people gathered for the Awareness.
Ishara Team started with the meaning of AIDS
A-Awareness
I-Is
D-Definitely
S-Safe
They explained the meaning in Hindi and then tried to explain the causes and how prevention could be the only cure of AIDS
It was a 15 minutes show followed by a Question & Answer session. Ishara Team distributed some questions to young kids and asked them the answer them. Such as, “Can Aids be transmitted through Mosquitoes?”.
Students were very enthusiastic in Question-Answer session and even briefed up their learnings from the show.
Performance was followed by some refreshments and a cup of Tea for Ishara team.
In the end, Dadi Pudamjee also appreciated kids enthusiasm and sharpness!!!!!!
About the funds for the show. Amit, Pallavi and three teachers Sophia, Pushpa & Ismail contributed…
As I read these words and the meaning slowly sank in, I realised that somehow my impossible deram had come true: this little show was a real solo flight.. it had been put up by the combined effort of the many streams that make planet why, and every aspect had been taken care of, no one had come asking help of anykind.. I has a wtinge of regret at not having been there, but then that also passed as actually independance means cutting of all umbilical links..
It was one the best gifts I have ever received, as for the first time I felt that pwhy had a life of its own and would have the wings it needs to fly on..
You can see pictures of this day at this link
by Anuradha Bakshi | Jun 20, 2005 | okhla
look at the picture.. this is a project why classroom..
many of you may have conjured a ‘glam’ picture of project why.. yet this how we began in giri nagar five years ago, and this is what our new class room in okhla phase I, next to the railway tracks looks like…
we cleared part of a garbage dump, and set up our classroom and slowly the childen began to come in droves, and now there are more than 150 and our two spirited ladies who teach them…
maybe 5 years down the line, we would have found space in the umpteen factories that surround us… but now we need to carry on right here.. in this dump because that is how we manage to stop childen being used by uncaring adults to steal from the rail bogies or peddle drugs.. and hope to guide them back to a school, though there is no primaryschool close by..
of course no one likes us yet..we disturb the prevailing scenario.. and often on monday mornings our teachers find our classroom destroyed… but they valiantly rebuild it and carry on..
but the rains are around the corner and we need to repair the classroom..
maybe some kinds souls will come and helps us do so..
