ABRACADABRA!
I always was sceptical when it came to watching a magic show! But am just back after seeing magic happen before my very eyes! My job involves story telling to children,and I was invited to a residential school outside Chennai close to Hosur(about 6 hours by road from Chennai towards Bangalore) to do a 4 day worshop for their kids who are in the age group 5- 13.A school which is a 40 minute drive from the Hosur bus stand in a place called Baliganapalli. It is a co-ed and the children who study there are kids from the economically backward class.The screening is very strict & those kids with a basic IQ level are chosen. These kids are those who come from homes that cannot afford even one square meal a day.
An illustrator friend of mine & I reached there on the 19th night least expecting what we were to see the next 4 days. What we did see was sheer MAGIC!!!On 20th we were taken around the school and then started our sessions after we were formally introduced in the assembly to all the kids. They are all children who are well groomed. Literally & figuratively.Smartly dressed they read the news & stunned us with their perfect pronunciation & enunciation of the words. Once we entered the prekg i.e., 5 year olds , we were surprised with their immediate reaction to their teacher which was, "Aunties are tall,Raji mummy you are short!" They listened with rapt attention to the story with puppets & asked grammatically right questions,all from children who could not speak a word of English a few months back. Our next session was with the 7th & 8th graders. We were trying out a story with pictures on such senior students for the first time but the way they reacted was great!
Each session was an eyeopener for us.Each class a challenge to us. The kids are so fortunte to have a well equipped library & they make full use of it. By the time they are in the 5th grade many of them have read "The Lord of the Rings"!! As they go higher they are so aware of so many things happening around them.Generally when we work with children we try to make them think out of the box ,but with these children they naturally think out of the box!!Talking to them is sheer pleasure and the way they think is mind boggling!!
OVERALL AN AWESOME EXPERIENCE WE WILL NEVER FORGET. THE TEACHERS LOVE WHAT THEY ARE DOING AND IT SHOWS IN THE PRODUCTS THEY ARE TURNING OUT.
Started by Dr.Abraham George Shanti Bhavan is an institution which is his dream. His "India Untouched" part of which is how & why he built this is a great book.
Shanti Bhavan is a place true to its name A HAVEN OF PEACE.Led by a dynamic principal, Mrs.Lalitha Law, the whole team is a dedicated lot.
They always welcome volunteers who are there from all over the world and share some of their knowledge with these children. An exposed lot the children are very creative.
If you have time on hand and you want to use it well try volunteering at Shanti Bhavan.Donations are welcome too.
The details are there in their website www.tgfworld.org.
If you have friends who are looking for a teaching job & want to do it for the love of the profession suggest Shanti Bhavan.
They pay their teachers well for,after all they are the ones who are the magicians.
And if you like me believed magic does not actually happen, take a trip to Shanti Bhavan & you can see magic before your very eyes.
I HAVE, DON'T YOU WANT TO?
posted by Unknown @ 7:19 PM
19 Comments:
Quite a lot indeed. It was a great experience it seems?
I could visualise each and every line you have described. I have experienced such things in the past when I was in India. I can understand the feelings and happiness you get. I have mentioned it in one of my previous post called 'Children and thier life' in February 06. Yes..true true... every child has great skills. The economy is a great block. Very glad someone is doing something useful. Feel guilty for sitting so far and not contributing towards such things.
shall see when i get a chance :)
way to go Rashmi... kids really think out of the box, its only when they are conditioned and are imposed they start getting restrictive... it really feels good to see people involved in such activities...!
Great Swahilya? Awesome is how I wud luv to describe it!
Well Bala....In fact i was surprised with his sense of social obligation. We all need to do it. Dr.George is so passionate about his project & when we talk to him he comes across as a very sincere person.He sure is an example of Follow your dream the rest will follow automatically.
Try it EB 'coz u won't understand it till u actually see it!
Yes Karthik! very true. The structured syllabus kind of restricts the thinking.......May be if u go there u'll know what I exactly mean. If interested u could contact their Bangalore office.
Rashmi
You had a great time it seems...
we will probably be in a different india when these children grow up. a better india.
am happy to read such things happening..
really its a great news..
and even i know a group who do such work.. even if its not as big as the one where u went, still they do great work teaching kids and sponsoring their studies too..
those kids really surprised us when we went there.. and the first time i went there, I fell in love with those kids.. instead of feeling shy when talking to me for the first time, they bombarded me with lots of questions and the way they asked those qns too impressed me..
and I am glad tht such places still exist in India.. :)
The place sounds like a miracle - looks like a bunch of kids are set for a bright future
Firstly, I must applaud your effort.. and also the efforts of all those ppl who have made something like this possible.. changing lives of so many kids..
Keep up the good work..
it does sound totally magical :)
Nice post...magic happens all the time..if only one opens his/her eyes and see beoynd what the naked eye could see...
Keshi.
Sure did Vanathi!
That's what thrilled me too,Poison!!!
Yes Prasad! There are places where miracles are happening.
Sure Visithra! U have to interact with them to actually see the miracle
Try it Gangadhar! all u need to do is contact their Bangalore office to tell them you want to visit. They'll guide u.
Neha! these are those gratifying moments when I thank God for deciding this for me!
Very true Keshi!it's essential we take time to look around.
U can get in touch with their Bangalore office Anjan & I'm sure it will be worth the visit!
I recently recieved a forward mail, with a cartoon.....a kid asking his mother
You sure have given me a name, mom! But what is my password!!
LOL.
Nice post. Encouraging to know that the Gen Z is much better than what we were!
Hey Rashmi! Great to read the post! It was wonderful working with you at the school and thinking of new things to challenge the kids. Thought I would add one more line to your post - The kids are great visualisers and excellent artists!!!
u had a gr8 time thats for sure
wow! this must have been such a warm experience :) I totally adore spending time with children, with them around, the very way in which we think changes. Doing something which will make them better individuals..such a noble thing to do :)
the soul doctor: U shud go there to c how one man can change the lives of so many!
Srivi: Well sure Srivi! With u around it was all the more a memorable experience for me. U were instrumental esp, with ur creative side in full force.
That sure Ajay is an understatement!
Sure Srividhya!It was a humbling as well as a warm experience! An eye opener too!!
Rashmi.
Nice blog! Thanks and keep sharing blogs with us.
Regards,
Poverty and Health | Anandam Trust | Shanthi Bhavan | All The Children
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