My first blogpost from Gurgaon – and why not? Gurgaon is a part of NCR and all of us keep going there, as if it were our backyard!
This post is also special as it was my first visit to Pehla Akshar, a teaching centre run for children of construction workers by my dear friend and batchmate Vikas Bagga and his team of like minded committed individuals. How committed Bagga is? Try this, well, he literally drags the kids from their homes to bring them to the little centres he has established where they get a semblance to education. Most kids have no or little access to formal education. Far from playing in the mud and sand at the construction sites.
This visit happened, thanks to dear Neetu Sehgal Mahajan, yes of the Ek Mulaqat play mentioned earlier! We had organized a lunch for another friend visiting from Vancouver. The day tallied with the day Neetu taught the kids at this little Centre.There was lot of back and forth and cajoling me to reach Gurgaon by 10 am in the morning! An enviable task from good ole South Delhi. But destiny had its way and I was there at 10.02 am delivered safely by Uber.
At Pehla Akshar - Bagga was outside deciding on his agenda with Richa, a team member for the day and was he pleased to see us. He shooed us to the basement promising to join us in a bit. As I descended the stairs, one look at the innocent 3 – 4 year old gazing at me and my heart sank. Such innocent minds did not deserve this. Their parents build some of the most expensive condos and luxury apartments in the country, yet these kids did not seem to have any future. No option of formal education or dream of a secured life. Left to their own devices when the parents went to work. The older ones look after the younger siblings. Some privileged ones go to nearby Government Schools. The rest simply move from place to place wherever the journey for bread and butter take their parents. Dressed neatly (yes, they were sent neatly) in hand me downs, the innocent eyes were heart wrenching!
I was soon shaken to reality with the cheerful enthusiastic, “Good morning ma’am”! I perked up.The basement looked lovely and cheerful. Lots of charts, carpet on the floors, individual desks for the kids to use for writing, chairs, a few laptops with wifi connectivity and of course racks and cupboards full of books, notebooks, pens and more. Neetu promptly took over her teaching.
The mandate for me had been to sit in a corner and observe. But Bagga had other plans. A set of older children around 10 years were around. Of the 5 handed over to me teach English – 1 went to regular school. The others when they went back to their village. For someone who has not taught after leaving college decades ago, it was fun. The story was of the fox and the raven and the kids loved the story. Holding their attention, getting them to read, write and understand was another matter all together. This little interaction gave a clear indication where we are headed to in the education system of our country. And whether it actually has inclusive plans for such kids.
About Pehla Akshar – Bagga has been a long time advocate of inclusiveness in education. Having worked with literacy India for a longtime, it was time to set up his own. Today, it is run with a core team of volunteers – Richa, Dipika and Aarti. There are other volunteers supporting as an when they can. These three form the backbone for each of the centres. There have been patrons, friends and family who are helping at each step.
Volunteer, contribute do your bit with Pehla Akshar if you believe in what they do!
Where – Sector 43/27/28 Gurgaon. You can reach out to Pehla Akshar – Instagram -@pehla_akshar, www.pehlaakshar.org
Timings – 7:30 am to 2 pm everyday
Highlights – The children are from the age to 3 – 14 largely 3 – 10. The kids are adorable and as vivacious as kids their age, very quickly forming friendships. It is wonderful to hear them sing the National Anthem or other songs. They paint, sing, learn and probably see a world which otherwise would not be within their reach.
Insider Tip – Bagga goes above and beyond in his passion for education. On Children’s Day, the kids, the volunteers and teachers were treated to a trip to Hamleys where they played to their heart’s content and of course ice creams from the nearby Burger King and McDonald’s. Generous donors do hand out soft toys, food, biscuits..anything to brighten up the children’s life.
For me, this post was straight from my heart. After 78 years of Independence, such little minds definitely deserve more!!
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