Upon viewing her latest post there, I immediately commented : I'm definitely going to be there!
Well, a few others too showed their excitement, just like I had. This post asked a few members of our club to visit "Shiksha Paathshaala", a school set up by an NGO which was a stone's throw from East Delhi's Shadipur Bus Depot.
As a co-coordinator, I too had to finalize a few details and make some arrangements. Having done so by Friday evening and confirming with the others by then, I felt satisfied, that yes my part was done now!
Little had I known that it was barely the beginning of my duties.
On Saturday morning, after narrowly making through the early morning french class, I hurried to my school which was our rendez-vous point. Waiting for me there were the others who depended on me for transportation to the NGO set up school. Chatting through our 15 minute drive to the rural district, we stopped near "Laxman Dhol Wala" and "Ramesh Namkeen Bhandar", our 'supposed' meeting point with the children from that school. Having waiting another couple of minutes-or-so, we stepped out of the car and made assumptions framing every lady on her mobile carrying a few kids must be the "madam" we had to report to. But after failed tries and running to and fro, we finally came back to where we had been asked to stay, near the Dhol walas.
Soon, waving towards us came a few children of barely 8 with painted arrows guiding us to their little space of attaining education. Stepping on broken pavement tiles, dodging cow excreta, avoiding the domestic hens, we passed through their colony and made it to a collection of concrete huts which these students regarded as their "school". Minding our heads we barged into that shed. Setting aside our footwear, we met the teachers there and introduced ourselves, or just called out our names. The children and the teachers too did so next. The children ranged from the age of marginally 2 years to probably 15 years. The floors were covered with jute mats and walls were blanketed with posters of fruits and vegetable names, or the alphabet with a corresponding object having the same initial, or basic household items. These colored charts were labeled in English and not Hindi, the language most commonly spoken there.
Just as the children were split into 3 groups according to age bands, we too divided ourselves to facilitate the pre-planned activities.
My group got the youngest children present there. Commencing with another self introductory session, we pleaded them to not call us "Sirs" or "Ma'ams" as was the usual norm! We all felt odd the first time we were addressed as that, so we assured them that we were not more than their "Bhaiyas" or "Didis".
I gave our bunch of 20-25 children a sheet each with a drawing. These minute little kids barely had any idea how to color or whether to color inside the boundary or around it! After having finished atleast two sheets and gobbling up the candies, we put on some music we had on our phones and set the volume up high!
Our eyes stared at how talented even the shiest kids there were! Some attempted break dance, some tried "Hip Hop Marna" or a group of girls shaking to the groovy beats of "Chikni Chameli"! They knew the latest songs from recently released movies, and could name a few English artists too! The kids stepped out of their shells to dance or sing and to be captured by the Camera's flash! They sung "Why This Kolaveri", "Criminal" (from Ra.one), Aisha songs, and other Bollywood movie hits! This was the part where all kids gathered and requested us to play more songs and stay for a while longer! But, since we were pressed for time, we just talked to the kids and got to know so many new and unbelievable facts about them, their community, the school and their idologies. Each of their point of views was different from anothers and much more captivating and enthralling.
On the way back to our school in the Diplomatic Enclave of New Delhi, we discussed what we got to know about them today and why they voluntarily attend their school and what they gain each day. We also thought of new activities and suggestions for the next time we came there and what else we should bring for them.
The trip which i was hesitant about in the morning now was not just an experience anymore, but memories engraved in our minds and hearts that will live on forever!
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