Journey for a Dream

"Today we shall all make sure we finish our work independently and on time, unlike yesterday. This will help us make time for the games at the end of the day. Are you all ready?" "Yeeessss!" As I transitioned into my lesson I felt proud of myself and the class. They genuinely listened and engaged. But then again, as always, there were a few who were drifting away. I have always had this issue. We start off well, like it was the best day ever then one starts abusing the other, then there is nudging, pushing and then before you realize what's happening, you can see the entire class indulging in fights or other related activities. Some who manage to stay away from all the violence, become busy in cleaning their bags, endlessly sharpening their pencils etc. Where do I even begin to solve this? I had figured out long back that these students lacked the skill to differentiate between right and wrong. They idolized violent dons, emulated local thugs and shrugge...

As we turned left onto the road that lead to our destination, I sensed something amiss. The two students sitting with me in the auto had fallen silent. They were vigorously turning their heads to assimilate everything that was there in front of their eyes. They were trying to grasp all the happenings around and understand its purpose and existence. They had never gone beyond a one kilometre radius of their house, ever! After having decided that I needed the kids to witness the working of a "normal" world, I announced amidst all the excitement in class, "In a week, the first three students who show values through actions will get to go out." Everyone wanted to help their friends, go out of their way to accommodate someone etc. Although, this momentum did not sustain after a couple of days, I pushed through. At the end of it, I had two boys and a girl who had made it. The two boys were anxious and overjoyed. But the girl... "I not come bhaiyya. I go to ...

It is said that a child brought up amidst violence will most probably take to it too. But we are also aware that education acts as an eye opener to many. It catalyses change in societies and ushers a future filled with possibilities. What if all of this is as true as Emmanuel Goldstein in the Orwellian state? An illusion created by a few to control the many? Seems too far fetched but I sometimes see it materialize in class. As a step towards exposing the kids to the world outside their community, we took them to India's best law school. The idea was to show them that there exists a very harmonious society where knowledge and values go hand in hand, where peaceful coexistence is a reality. Also, it is a great way for them to see things that they can aspire for, to experience the life of their possible future self. Witnessing things that defy what they learn at school, these kids fail to see the real purpose of education and this visit was an attempt to break t...

The human mind is home to millions of things that sometime don’t seem logical at all. With adults, this mind can articulate itself pretty well and make those around it understand and connect. But what about a child’s mind? Especially one that cannot even put into words its feelings and wants. Now add to that a constant irritable life that doesn't make sense in its holistic sense. It is a cruel world out there for them. Even though I knew what lacked in these kids’ life, I never really understood its essence. It runs so deep in their lives that the affects can be surmounted only through constant and slow progression. Living in cramped spaces that long for fresh air, these tiny minds are curbed in every possible way. From physical restrictions of movement to mental restrictions of “traditions” and “social norms”. The age where they ought to be outside playing, they try to overcome these unseen boundaries in their own ways. Some see these boundaries as challenges and turn re...

Everyday when I wake up I find myself torn between the world I live in and the one I just left, my dream. This is not because I am lazy but because of what I have to see when I get to my class. Tiny minds being moulded by atrocity and mediocre expectations. The only thing that keeps me going is my hope of bringing in that change. I did not see that hope, let alone belief in any of the students I have. Education is a very tricky concept. Where do we draw the line? Is it education if a child chooses to start a business instead of continuing school? Is it education if a child can score well in class and perform well in sports? As far as my understanding goes, it is something that changes the way you live even if it is in the most tiniest of ways. Now this goes beyond classroom, beyond teachers and schools. It captures every aspect of life itself. Hence, a child's development, does not limit itself to his/her school and home. And as a human being, nobody can change all parts of t...

From times immemorial we have been taught that knowledge must always be accompanied by humility. We have seen many epitomes of this co-existence. But how far can a lay man achieve it? The vision of an ideal state breaks down to minute pieces at the door of a daily wage labourer. They are not worried about how the future is going to look or what the purpose of life is. All they want to do, is survive the day. But I shall persevere, to push my students to fight the odds and worry about the future, because it is needed, because they are going to be the decision makers! On the path to excellence, I find it hard to change the students' perspective about each other. They are individually very smart and understand the necessity of working together and being compassionate but they somehow fail to put it into action. I chose my battle, I chose to get them to first follow my instructions irrespective of what they feel or think. This was imperative because I cannot afford to be over-pow...

Easier said than done. The phrase hasn't been more true than it is now. A clear vision, an elaborate plan and a determined mind, everything you need to achieve something. But what is not considered is the actual execution. Having made a pretty decent impact at institute, I was quite confident about the city. The students have already had structures in place. They've already been invested into quality education. With a third year intervention, what could possibly be wrong? As I entered the class on my first day, I could see 32 faces light up like fireworks. They had been waiting for me ever since school started. With huge smiles, enthusiastic hand shakes and introductions, they immediately made me feel much more confident about the road ahead. I could see that their rigour was very high. They could grasp any new concept very fast. It was a cake walk introducing Democracy as a theme for the class. I checked their political knowledge. They knew the basics. PM, CM, Ministers ...

An apathetic society, a hypocritical populous and a cynical youth. Even though we see so much improvement in the way we function, we are yet to find ourselves. We have begun to see our strengths and accept our weaknesses. But thinking about sustainable change that will last for generations to come, this model of reactive behaviour will not work. We find ourselves crumbling back to the ground every time we try to climb up the ladder. And this has killed most of our dreams. But, we need to hope again. Because in hope lies our future. The one that so much of our past defines and expects. Set out to only be the facilitator or enabler of a sustainable lifestyle for the students who are the key to the future, I found myself taken aback by someone I would have least expected, myself, only a much younger version. Looking at him, I realised the major issue within our education system. He had the will and the skill, but the lack of access and exposure limited him to the extent of crippling...

One of the biggest obstacle on the path of our vision is perseverance, the will to move ahead against the tides on a daily basis. It is difficult to be inspired at all times, not because we don't believe in it any more, but because failing consistently gets to us. The process becomes annoying and the purpose seems unachievable, more so in the event of failure on an elemental level. After a brilliant day one, my vision seemed a lot more closer. Everybody had reached the objective for the day without any major issue. The kids were inspired, some transformed overnight (as mentioned by the parent) and some found their 'I can' attitude. I was not only ecstatic, but also looking forward to continuing the flow. Anything lesser than this achievement was unacceptable. It is not okay to come down by a notch for any reason. I have excellence issues, it must be achieved at all times, especially when it involves the future of so many kids, the present of the families and the notio...

Once I set my heart on something, I will do anything and everything to achieve it. Before you start on the path, assessing the magnanimity of the work is imperative. And when this assessment reveals that you will have to start over from the most elemental level, doing which may rid you of the initial goal you had in mind, it gets to every cell in the body. Change of plans, change of styles, change of an entire system of things I had put in place. The kids who I saw talking about values and importance of education, could not recognize letters, let alone frame sentences. It is very unfortunate that the future of this society is already facing issues because of the faults of others. I had hoped to start on a much more higher level. Only then could I have reached where I wanted to. But now, I had to start all over. With an inner turmoil of not being sure, I stepped into the class to push their limits. I wanted to make them realize their own potential than achieve my goals. What w...