Blog for the New Year!

Dear Passion, Emotion, and Compassion,

It has been a very impressive year for me at both professional and personal fronts. However the most important thing which seems to have happened is that I could attempt to strike a balance between you three 'ever warring’ Ladies+ and end up looking better in 2014.

I want to take this opportunity to make candid confessions to all of you, and all that so publicly.

Passion, Let me confess, To do something* which is not ‘conventional’, not ‘intelligent’, not ‘respectable’, not ‘viable’, not ‘economically favorable’ and if these were not enough to do something which ‘is stupid’ , ‘is waste of time’ , ‘is waste of a brilliant career’ , ‘is loss to engineering’ , ‘is loss to research’, , IS NOT Easy++  but I promise I shall continue to court you to the core in 2014 as well ..

 Emotion, Let me confess, nothing works with me or works for me, unless you are involved with intimate intimacy. You have driven me in the past and I confess to remain ‘Khub emotional’ for 2014 as well !!

 Compassion, thank you for being there inside…it helps me to be a little relaxed on my own follies and shortcomings, it helps me to empathize with all ‘who can afford to be naïve and blissfully ignorant at cost of future’ , it helps me to prop the other two ladies and show them a proper direction....

 Ladies, I am here because of you and I am happy to be here :__) .


In the coming year, I need you more than ever before, I need you to help me to be a better person, I need you to be the guide(s), friend(s)and philosopher(s) one always cherishes for…..

 Now, before 3 of you start getting excited, Let me tell you it is not only me who has kept you afloat in my life ..… It is a lot of people, seriously a lot of them ;)

 To name the top 3!

My Parents who have always believed in ‘whatever’ I do. They are worried at times but that comes more out of love and care than the real ‘worry wala worry’. In 2013 they have just been awesome. Maa- Her health not being at best but you being there when and whenever I need you. Papa- He has been my friend since I was six or seven and 2013 was no different, except that any accident being reported from this part of country, I seem to somehow figure in them..Papa stop the hallucinations :)

Bhaiya, who brings a semblance of sense back to otherwise ‘no-sense’ approach to most of things I do. In 2013 I have listened and followed few of his tips and they been truly cool to follow..:)

Nidhi, It is our first year together. She has been tremendous sport. Incredible that she is, it is her charm, grace and superb support which has made this year a ‘memorable one’ :)

So ladies while I am indebted to you, you know that you need to find a common cause with all those who have made it possible for you, especially the top 3 :,) else life is going to be difficult for you ;-)

10 minutes to 12 AM and the year 2014.


Wish three of you a great year ahead...let’s romp! :))

Warmly,
 Ritesh

To You Miss Teresa ! .. Wherever you are, Happy Teachers Day!

Dedicated to
" Miss Teresa- Best Teacher: One who welcomed me into the classroom with a Big Smile and Cuddly Hug " in my UKG...

Sitting in a classroom with the smell of chalk and glue,
I think back to those days when I hated to get up early
Couldn't stand to be there and couldn't wait to get home.
In the beginning I was that child that struggled,
Until the day that special teacher came into my life—
The first one that believed in me and took time with me—
The first one that helped me find that school was fascinating
And that I was intelligent and had something to give—
The first time I did not have that blank stare—
The beginning of my lifelong love for learning—
The beginning of everything.
And now older and wiser I look forward to going,
Can't wait to do the work and enjoy every minute of it,
While most are just wanting to be finished with it.
There are those of us doing everything we can to get back to it.

I feel I need to do more

It has always been the question of - Am I doing enough? Last 600 days, has been of immense journey - a journey which has made me travel across at least 10 new states of the country , interacting with few education secretaries, state project directors (SPDs) , agencies like UNICEF, USAID, SCERT's , a number of education consultants , Hundreds of teachers (I being lucky to train them, DIETS, BRC's and of course thousands of young kids through them, many of them being first generation learners.

Two most vivid images of this journey spaced apart with a period of 5-6 months which I would like to share are one that of a young teacher in a remote rural block of a district in Chattisgarh state , ensuring that her kids do not go from school without learning one new thing each day. Second one is that of a committed I.A.S officer , pushing heavy loads of file and finding an year old proposal to get a near dead project re-find life and make it up and working , so that the hundreds of children living in remotest of districts in Hindi Heartland get benefit of an innovative padagogy!

These two and many such little experiences, have made me realise that, I NOW understand the problems better and perhaps I have a more clear image on WHAT solutions might be!

I have a feeling that Individual centers of excellence or isolated efforts like the ones I am doing now, might not exactly be the solution.

Perhaps,

1. We need thousands of committed individuals like that rural young lady teacher - if we were to near our goal of 'eliminating educational inequity'.

2. We need to invest another hundreds of 'decision makers ' who understand the challenges and the need of pushing newer ideas better.

I feel I need to do More ..

The Hues of the NATION

It has been hectic 5 months. I have travelled so so many states all these months. Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and off course my Second Home Karnataka; that would be 10 states in 5 five months!

All of these travels have been work related, but never felt that I was working! Not that was work is always interesting for ‘an alleged’ workaholic like me, but certainly the fact that I could travel almost the length and breadth of the country, visit or pass by a number of cities, meet a number of people, observe a number of social and cultural patterns, understand a myriad of complexities that the country carry carries in herself, have certainly made this experience quite a rich rich one.

This experience has been so compelling that it has made me Blog about it after a good One year.....

Let me talk take you through the ‘Hues of this nation’…over a period of few days .. During next few days I shall write about the states, the cities, the people, the problems and perhaps the positive I could figure out in all of these ……

1. States

2. Cities

3. People

4. Problems

5. Positives

Do keep coming !

PISA 2009+ Reactions from the Minister -Need another Andolan:)

Posting after a long time .........
I was watching a debate on NDTV 24X7 on India's pefromance in PISA 2009+ results.

Participants were Dr. Ratna Dhamija from ACER ,Rohini Nilkeni from Pratham & Dr. D Purndeshwari, Union Minister of state for Human resources (translated as education department)

By now all of us are aware that Indian states Himanchal & Tamil Nadu ranked 73rd out of 74 countries chosen for the test.

I was appalled to hear three major replies from the Minister :

1. Education is State governments responsibility
2. Need to Question Basis of PISA report
3. We have given funds in 11th plan for education -so we are done :)
4. Question ASER new report on technicalities Pratham Education survey (Published in 2011)

If this is what an educated, apparently well meaning and responsible minister replies .. then we must have another andolan for ' quality education' :))

Mangoes and the Grand ma!

Sometimes we observe simple things which make us “too emotional”

On way to office, at a traffic light, I saw an old woman, nothing to write about but her little action reminded me of many many small things our parents do, without us ever recognizing or acknowledging them...

Story is...

The woman bought a mango in seven rupees and hopped on to the bus standing still on the traffic light. The bus conductor asked for the ticket money, she gave the ‘remaining ‘three rupees she had ... The conductor said it is 7 rs. For the ticket... he started howling and scoffing at the old lady... and threw her (almost) out of the bus abusing her ‘amba porgi ‘and everyone started laughing!! All of this happened in a huff...

Old woman realizing the insult started crying like crazy. Strangely without any obvious reason, I got irritated and got down of the bus and asked her and asked her ..Why was she crying, when the entire fault was hers?

The reply she gave me left me totally stunned...she said...

“I knew the conductor could do this, but I had promised my little grand daughter that I would bring a mango for her, she is not well. I am crying not because of getting thrown out of the bus but because now I would be late to reach my house and she would be asleep by then!!
“
I was speechless , We read such things in story books but I was a witness to this & It made me feel small about my definition of sacrifice and love made me feel so small…….

Truly,

Ritesh

To the TV JOURNOS!

I am an ordinary citizen and quiet naive about what true journalism is but I am dismayed at the bonhomie between journalists & politicians.

The way they take sides for a particular debate at the cost of loosing objectivity shows no one can be trusted.

One can have political opinions but leading /misleading public opinions by claiming to have an informed neutral stand on issues reflects the total corruption which has infilterated our society.

The moral high ground, intense debates & endless analysis on TV, means nothing but double standards at the best!

Plant Trees and Here are the reasons why you should :)

One of  my Friends - Prabhu Linga Guthi in one of his communications to colleagues on importance of Planting trees :)

I am so so inspired by this Purest and yet most impactful way to put a  point across ! Thought to share ..

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Dear .....,

I hope we all know what trees are! Probably the most vulnerable of all living things and also the ones who breath life into all forms of life.

I'm not sure how many of us have planted trees. I'm not very sure how many of us have seen them grow. I'm not at all sure how many of us have played with the trees, and hugged a tree(even while playing and totally unaware) or even see a huge tree being cut.

The joy of being with a tree is something i can't put in words. If i write what it's like to plant a tree and see it grow, i'll be a liar for it is not the pleasure that one gets in the market and it not the happiness one derives by being with a person. It's not all that, but something unbriddled and untold.

Once in a while, please try to look at those trees when you see one next time for it is too difficult to spot trees these days. The beauty of it's ever turning, ever twisting branches and stretching as if they are touching the skies.

It stands aloof, far away from everything and yet closely watching everything that goes under and around it. It' has it's aloofness, that strange and untold beauty,  it's dignity that's not at all concerned with the morals and immorals of the society. It has all of it from the day it comes out of it's seed till the day it dies. Strangely it has all of it even when it is being chopped mercilessly.

It's beauty and it's strength lies in the fact that it's vulnerable, it doesn't seek any kind of security. For security, is the most insane and the most dreadful thing that man is pursuing.

I've been thinking for awhile to give saplings not of plants but of trees to kids. so that they give water to it. take care of it and see what it's like for themselves to be close to that strange aloofness and beauty. I don't know how many of us are really sensitive to things around us for we have destroyed all of it in us.

A few months back i got in touch with someone who would help me in buying saplings. Now i think i will be able to get saplings for all of us.

Please let me know if you guys, your kids want to plant trees and take care of them. I want the kids to plant the trees around their houses or their schools and you guys aroud your houses and see them grow. It doesn't make any sense if you are living in dadar and go plant a tree in borivli national park. It's not charity or any of that ugly stuff that we are doing here.  It's not any kind of propanganda that i'm doing here and so i'm not going to say a word more about planting trees.

In case you want saplings, please let me know. It's not in any way compulsory for anyone to plant trees. It doesn't matter how many saplings you ask for. I will make sure you'll get them. It's okay if there is only one kid who has found a place to plant a single tree and want to plant it. I'll make sure that single sapling wouild reach your
classroom. Even if you ask for two hundred saplings, they will be given to your classroom.

I'm visiting Maharashtra nature park, Rani Baug gardens, Borivli National park and few other places tomorrow to look out for saplings. I plan to give them to you by Friday. So that you can plant them on Saturday and Sunday, unless you think sitting in a class room and learning some words and numbers are more important.

Also, if you want to help me deliver the saplings, please let me know.

Also, ____(those of you who haven't met him; he was with akanksha and now with indicorps) had called in a couple of hours back and is  bringing hundreds of Aloe vera plants from Ahmedaad for your classrooms which Indicorps fellows have been nurturing for a year now.

Two quick facts: 300000 new trees are being cut everyday for paper. For every 3000 sheets of paper(A4 size), a fully growm tree has to be cut. On an average, ____cuts two trees everyday. Maye 4 next year.

For a single take off, a plane consumes 18000 litres of gasoline. Every time a plane takes of, it is burning all the fuel that a housein a village/town could use in it's lifetime.

But as i said we are not planting trees because we are cutting them but for the sole reason of planting a tree and may be if one is sensitive, alive, to see something grow inside in oneself. Although the chances of it are very rare unless we understand our insensitivity and why we are dull, brutal and insensitive.

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...and they are toppers !!

The external affairs ministry has recalled Indian diplomat Alok Ranjan Jha for allegedly misbehaving with a passenger on an Air India flight to New York and will decide on disciplinary action after he returns home.

Jha topped the all-India civil services exams in 2002 and had opted for the IFS as his first choice.

There was however no confirmation of this incident.

The misbehaviour incident once again vindicates that academically brilliant folks need not necessarily be a valuable asset for the organization. While those "toppers" & "brilliants" of Indian Ins****ute of Superman Technology & Indian Ins****ute of Superman Managements stand in the que on the platforms of foreign embassies for visa to work as software l****urers, Corporates will still fall at the feet of II|-s only to write GRE/GMAT & fly away from India.

 It is time we take a look at grooming & promoting those loyal to our organizations and country !

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Mother of Orphans - a teacher to all self proclaimed reformers ..

Hi Friends ,

I am writing after a long long time .. After having seen social sector so closely there are things which have become more clear ,You shall read the details of them some months later ...

Currently I am sharing with you a really INCREDIBLE story of woman , who had nothing but gave it all and achieved  REAL results and that too without Extensive marketing and keeping her Humility intact (I am sure she never aspired to be on TV ) ..

Hope all "  change maker - claimers "  learn  a thing or few from this awesome lady ...

Here it is ....

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Mother of orphans Personality: Sindhu Sapkal has helped fulfil the dreams of hundreds of kids. An incredible achievement for a woman who once used to beg

She enters the room with an arthritic limp, a crutch under an arm. The huge red bindi on her brow crinkles as she strains to lower herself into a chair, smoothing the folds of her nine-yard sari so typical of the attire of rural Maharashtra. Behind her a dozen children troop in, their chores and games temporarily forgotten in the excitement of a guest's arrival at Sanmati Bal Niketan, a two-flat home for orphans at the Pune suburb Hadapsar. They surround their Mai. "I am Sindhu Sapkal," Mai announces.

Another time, another place. The voice, quietly commanding, carries through the breeze across an open maidan in Somurdi, a remote village of Purandhar tehsil in Pune. Sindhu is addressing a crowd, the men sit hunched in front while their women listen from open doorways. Sindhu, 52, quotes poet-saints Tukaram, Namdeo, Bahinabai and Gadgebaba as she speaks of her causeÑbringing up destitute children at five institutions she has set up in Maharashtra. She asks them for donations. 

The response is immediate. Sindhu's sari pallu rapidly fills up with coins and currency notes. The village sarpanch promises a quintal of rice to her ashram, the Mamata Bal Sadan, at Kumbharvalan, home to 70 children. A shop owner offers 10 packets of glucose biscuits. 

As dusk falls, Sindhu packs up for her move on the morrow to Satara district, where a meeting with gramsevaks has been scheduled. Deepak Gaikwad, the first child she took under her wing in the 1980s, is accompanying her. In his thirties now, Deepak has taken over charge of Mamata Bal Sadan from his Mai. Mai set up the sadan on a piece of land Deepak inherited from an uncle. Donating the land, Deepak "told me that had I not taken care of him, he would have been nowhere," says Sindhu. It was the second home she built. 

Mai at work and play: Sindhu with her children at one of her centres; (below) on a fund-raising drive 

Like Deepak, many of the nearly 200 children Sindhu has taken care of are now grown men and women, who stand on their own feet. Again like Deepak, most of them support their Mai in her work. Uttam Yevale, 27, who grew up at Mai's ashram at Chikhaldara at Amravati district, is a college teacher in Ahmednagar. "She is like my mother. In fact, she is my mother," he says. 

The days he is free from work, Uttam potters around Sindhu's Gangadharbaba Chhatralaya at Guha, which houses 45 children. It is a bungalow on 10 acres all donated by former Bombay High Court judge B.G. Kolse Patil in 1997. Though he wasn't an orphan, Patil had grown up in a home for destitutes. "It is totally selfless work," he says. "She is a living example of what a woman can do."

Prakash Sapkal, 24, who grew up in the Chikhaldara ashram, heads the Chhatralaya. The history graduate took up the work after failing to get a government job. "Maybe I will not get money, but all my needs are taken care of," he says. "Besides I am proud of contributing to Mai's work." 

The first one to be proud of Sindhu Sapkal was her father, Abhiman Sathe, an illiterate cowherd in Pimpri, who was keen to educate her, much against his wife's wishes. So every day on the pretext of sending her out to graze the cattle, he would pack her off to the village school. "There was no money to buy a slate," recalls Sindhu, who was then known as Chindhibai. "I practised the alphabet on thick, palm-sized leaves of the bharadi tree, using its thorns to write." 

Marriage at the age of 10 put an end to the fourth standard student's education. The groom, Shrihari Sapkal, alias Harbaji, was 30. "I was told there are only two processions in a woman's life. Once when she gets married and the other when she dies. Imagine my state of mind when they took me in procession to my husband's home in Navargaon forest in Wardha," says Sindhu. In course of time, she bore three sons. Today, she feels they were born out of the coercive consummation of her marriage. 

Sindhu created a sensation in Navargaon in 1972 when she demanded that the forest department pay the village women for the cow dung they collected. The department used to auction the dung to landlords and pocket the cash. "We won the fight," says Sindhu.

The taste of success was sweet, but it broke up her family. She claims that an annoyed landlord, Damdaji Asatkar, spread the rumour that the child she was carrying was his. "My husband decided to abandon me," says Sindhu. She was beaten up and dumped in a cow shed, where her daughter, Mamata, was born. "It was October 14, 1973," Sindhu intones. "I cut the umbilical cord with a sharp-edged stone lying nearby." 

A day at Mai's ashrams: (From right) Kids study, pray and play 

She later sought shelter at her parental home, but "my mother told me to get lost. 'Go and die on the railway line,' she said." Sindhu wandered from town to town, singing and begging near temples. In Faijpur, Jalgaon district, she left Mamata in the care of a temple priest's family while she moved around singing bhajans. "Those were the days of soul-searching. I began feeling I must do something for those suffering like me." 

The idea was just taking root when she found herself in Chikhaldara. A section of the Melghat jungles on the border of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh had been earmarked for a tiger project. It meant people from 84 villages would have to be evacuated. "I reached there on a very dramatic day," says Sindhu. A project officer impounded 132 cows of the Adivasi villagers of Koha. "For three days he did not free them; one cow died. The Adivasis stood looking at their cows helplessly. That day I decided to take up their cause." 

Sindhu fought for the rehabilitation of the 84 villages. In the course of her agitation, she met Chhedilal Gupta, the then minister of forests. He agreed that the villagers ought not to be displaced before the government had made appropriate arrangements at alternative sites. When Prime Minister Indira Gandhi arrived to inaugurate the tiger project, Sindhu showed her photographs of an Adivasi who had lost his eyes to a wild bear. "I told her that the forest department paid compensation if a cow or a hen was killed by a wild animal, so why not a human being? She immediately ordered compensation." 

That made people look upon her with admiration. Soon she realised the plight of orphaned and abandoned Adivasi children. Initially, looking after them was a source of livelihood. It didn't take long for it to become the mission of her life. 

Beginning with her first ashram at Chikhaldara, which she says was "a creation of necessity", she went on to set up five homes, her work taking on a momentum of its own. Abhiman Bal Bhavan in Wardha district, for instance, came about when in recognition of her work, her husband's relatives in Wardha felicitated her.

A home for destitute women, the Nadarmai Mahila Adhar Kendra, functions out of the same building that houses orphans at Chikhaldara. Her homes survive on donations and grants, and she unabashedly begs village after village to put whatever they can into a cloth she spreads out on a table after her speech. 

At the Krantijyot Savitribai Phule Hostel for girls at Chikhaldara, 42 of the 50 inmates receive a grant of Rs 335 a month. "We bear the other girls' expenses," says Sindhu's son Arun Sapkal, who heads the institution and is a co-opted BJP municipal councillor. With money from Arun's curio business and money sent by Sindhu, the inmates get by.

Oh God, teach us how to laugh; but let us not forget that we had also cried once upon a time.' The words are etched on the wall behind Sindhu's chair at the Sanmati Bal Niketan. 

For Mai's children, the sorrow of being abandoned or orphaned gradually fades from memory as they follow the home's regimen. The children are divided into batches which alternately study, work and play. At the Kumbharvalan Ashram, if one group is in the classroom, another will be tending the tomatoes and chillies in the gardens. At the Gangadharbaba ashram, the kids even grow wheat. 

We grow our own vegetables: Mai and her 
children in the fields 

The boys and girls are segregated after the 8th standard. While the boys go to Gangadharbaba ashram, the girls are sent to the girls' hostel at Chikhaldara. There are exceptions. Vishwas Chaphale, 14, stayed on at the Kumbharvalan ashram to help look after the small children, who run to him to get their cuts and bruises bandaged. For a boy who wants to become a doctor, he is starting young. 

Quite a few people opt to live and work for Mai. Babasaheb Dushing, 35, left his job as a hotel watchman in 1997. After his wife's death he had sent his children to Sindhu. "But then I realised I could not stay away from them," he says. "So I asked Sindhutai if I could come here." Ever since, Dushing has been working at the Kumbharvalan ashram.

Some of the destitute women who land up at Mahila Aadhar Kendra are sent as gruhamata (mother of the house) to the children's homes. Kavita Gavand and Lalita Magar are gruhamatas at the Chhatralaya at Guha. While Lalita is a widow, Kavita walked out on her alcoholic and abusive husband. Their children do not stay with them, but at the ashrams in Kumbharvalan and Hadapsar. "It was a deliberate decision to keep the children away," says Deepak Gaikwad. "Most of our children are either orphans or abandoned. What will they feel if some children began staying with their mothers?" Vacation time, however, reunites the kids with their mothers.

Although the children are not given in adoption, there have been cases where couples come forward to sponsor them. Udaysinh Mohite Patil and his wife, Swaymprabhadevi, have undertaken the responsibility of educating Pawan, who lives with them in Akluj, Solapur district. "My wife had organised one of Sindhutai's functions in our village some five years ago," says Patil. After Sindhu's talk, Swaymprabhadevi decided that they would contribute by sponsoring a child's education. "He studies here and goes to Sindhutai during vacation," says Patil. The couple have decided to sponsor another child as soon as Pawan completes his studies. 

Sindhu's work has won her 48 awards, the most prominent being the Maharashtra government's Savitribai Phule award in 1998. It attracted some controversy, too. Critics claim that Sindhu lobbied for the award and was finally nominated from Buldana district, where she does not even have an ashram. Sindhu pooh-poohs the charge. "Had I lobbied, I would not have argued with them at the award ceremony about the paltry sum of Rs 5,000 they were giving," she argues. "I would have been obliged to accept whatever they gave me and keep my mouth shut." Sindhu's creating a scene, however, worked as the then deputy chief minister Gopinath Munde raised the amount to Rs 11,000. "As regards Buldana district, even today I do not know how the government put me there," she says. "I never claimed that I worked there." 

However, no amount of controversy can detract from the achievements of a woman who at one time lived on alms. So inspiring has her life been that the Karnataka government included a chapter from her autobiography Mee Vanvasi, released in 1988, in its Marathi textbook for 10th standard students. 

Today Sindhu proudly states that she has 36 daughters-in-law and 177 sons-in-law. Most of her children are well placed in life. Sham Randive is a lecturer in history at Mhasvad in Satara district. Seema Kokare is an Ayurvedic doctor and settled in Aurangabad. The list goes on. But at 52, Sindhu says she still has plenty more to accomplish. "Let me tell you I am not Devaki who gave birth to Lord Krishna, I am just trying to be a perfect Yashoda."

Interview/Sindhu Sapkal 
Hunger made me speak

How did you begin social work? 
I first went to Chikhaldara begging for bhakri (bajra roti) in 1975. Unable to feed myself and my two-year-old daughter, I had almost decided to commit suicide. I was standing under a tree when suddenly its stem caught my attention; I noticed that it had been badly axed, but it was still giving me shade. I almost screamed, 'No I will not die'. I decided to take care of the orphaned children of Adivasis. It is common among them for a man to desert his wife for another woman; the woman then remarries, sometimes abandoning the children. Initially I took care of the children in return for some kutki [a kind of rice], dal and buttermilk.

You speak so well at public meetings.
When I used to beg at railway stations, initially I would only sing. Later I thought if I started speaking I could earn more. I used to be so hungry. My hunger taught me to speak and the pain within me taught me to sing. 

Who are your idols? 
I draw inspiration from saints like Sant Gadgebaba, Rashtra Sant Tukdoji Maharaj and Bahinabai Chaudhari. Among the gods, I like Lord Krishna. I don't like Ram, I have an ongoing feud with him because he deserted Sita. I also like Veer Savarkar. 

Have any children run away from your ashrams? 
Fortunately not. Even when I convinced people to adopt my children, they did not stay with them, because they call me Mai and know that a mother cannot be replaced. The children have been very cooperative. Whenever I brought home new kids, I told the others they might have to drink dal instead of eating it, since it would be more diluted. But they never complained. Many children are married now. Today I can proudly say I have 36 daughters-in-law and 177 sons-in-law. I have always been more protective of girls. 

Would you like to return to your husband? 
I cannot be a wife again. But if my husband comes to me as a child, I will serve him. I am not angry with him, he was not educated, it is not his fault. Had my husband not abandoned me, all this work would not have happened.

Picking holes in Sindhu's tale Sindhu Sapkal's 70-year-old husband, Shrihari, today lives in Malegaon Theka village in Wardha. Still a cowherd who periodically goes into the jungle, he and sons Amrut, Arun and Sanjay left Navargaon forest two years after Sindhu's departure. "Apart from petty marital differences which are there between every husband and wife, there was no dispute between us," says the wrinkled old man who Sindhu claims threw her out of the house in 1973. Shrihari has a different version. "It was a day of great embarrassment for me when she left home," he says. "My community asked me to marry again, but I refused as I had decided to look after the children." He can scarcely connect Sindhu the social worker with the woman who was once his wife. "She was so simple," he says. "She has done so much for others, but could not provide us with a proper shelter," says Shrihari. "Just last year, I constructed this house. I never thought of going to her." Shrihari says Sindhu fell out with local landlord Damdaji Asatkar over a piece of land. "But he did not harass her." Asatkar's son Vinod, who lives in Navargaon, elaborates: "Her father originally belonged to our village, and used to till the forest land. But after he shifted to Pimpri, the forest authorities gave us the land. And when Sindhutai came here after her marriage, she demanded the land back." However, just like the other villagers, Vinod also admires Sindhu, and feels indebted to her and her cow dung agitation. Nanaji Ghode, deputy sarpanch of Navargaon, says: "Today villagers get Rs 1,000 per truck [of cow dung]. We owe it to her."

She is their mother like she is mine

Born in a cow shed in Wardha, Mamata Sapkal studied in three schools in three different districts of Maharashtra in the first five years of her schooling, and completed her graduation courtesy a temple trust in Pune, before opting to take a master's in social work. 

A bond like no other: Mamata with her mother 

As Sindhutai's fourth child, she shared her mother's trials and sorrows from the day she was born, and is today in charge of the Sanmati Bal Niketan in Hadapsar near Pune. Unlike her mother, she prefers operating behind the scenes, liaising with the government and individuals for donations. Here she speaks about life with her Mai.

As a child, I wasn't fortunate enough to stay with my mother. I remember the hardships she faced to get me admitted to the Seva Sadan High School in Pune, the way she was treated in a house where we happened to stay for a few days, the tears that rolled down her face time and again, the first time she gave me two rupees to buy sweets when I was appearing for my H.Sc examinations, the sleepless nights she spent when I had surgery for appendicitis. These are images from the past which instantly come to my mind when I think of her. But the picture will not be complete without orphans and destitute children she has brought up. Like me, they too belong to her and she is their mother like she is mine.

But 25 years ago the situation was different. She was all alone, begging on the streets with her child. She had no shelter, no food, and had to protect herself from the lust and cruelty of society. How she survived! 

My friends in college always called her 'Mai'. I remember asking her once if she ever felt like studying, having lots of friends and someone to confide in. She listened to me quietly and then said suddenly: "Mamata, if you are talking about the feelings and emotions which one experiences as a youth, I do not even know when it was all over for me. If you are talking just about education, I am fulfilling my desire to study through you, and in you, I have someone to confide in." That was the moment when I felt I had grown up. Since that day our friendship has been gaining strength day by day.

In 1990, mother was in hospital, when father came to see her. There were three people standing in front of me and I did not know which one was my father. Then mother told me he was the man on the right. He spoke to me, asked me to come to Wardha, but added hastily that if I did I should say that I had come on my own and that he had not invited me. I just didn't feel anything.

Mother's ability to work is just amazing. She can work tirelessly for 8-10 days at a stretch. There have been times when she has travelled throughout the fortnight, come home for a while and then set out again. She is ever willing to respond to a plea for help from an orphan or a destitute. Whenever I ask her to take some rest, she refuses, saying she cannot afford to till every institution she started becomes self-sufficient. 

Sometimes I force her to take rest, treat her to her favourite baingan bharta and bhakri (bajra roti). She has been a mother to so many of us. Now I want her to take rest and allow me to be her mother for a while.

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Hope it  InspireED you !!!

Parents meeting in an Unprivileged municipal school ! - 9/9/2010

It could be quiet a challenge if you are upto doing something impossible!!

Rainy day , working day  and Parents meeting !

    “ Bhaiya , aaz tho koi nahi aanay wala “ – quipped All Knowledgeable school teacher

    “Dekhtay hain ! “ – Bhaiya says with  characteristic confidence !

10.00 O’ clock : No one turns up …

10.30    AM   :5 enthusiastic parents turn up

10.45          AM :  Number swells to 20 !

10.50        AM  : 26/ 29 Parents on Time for a  11.00 AM Parent meeting !!!

Agenda

 1.Sharing the feelings : Parents &  Kids

 2. Discussing Month End results – Scholars, Improvers ,Red Zone’s .

 3. Felicitating the Achievers & Recognizing accomplishment in competitions .

 4. Plans ,Accelerators , Strategies for Individual Kids .

 5. Open Forum for Parents .

 6. Agenda for upcoming holidays and Thank You note .

  

Reactions as heard !

Abhishek’s  Father : (Call center employee) :  Frankly , I  have never taken  interest in my childs education so far ,and  I have never heard ANY ONE Speaking so  many positives about my son !!I intend to come to all parents meeting form now on!!

Khritiks Father :  Time nahi mil pata hai sir  ,lekin mujhay  lagta hai , ke aub samay aa gaya hai  aur Dhyan dooo! Lekin aap nay jo kiya hai , sayad …..

Ashutosh’ Grandfather: Why dividing the classroom in A,B ,C ….?  Hrisikesh’s Mother : Kerna he parta hai , bachhay aur padhai kertay hain iskay karan !!!

Ashish :  Bhaiya , I have one Question : I get good marks but my mother says You don’t study ! Why ?

Adityas mother :  He studies , He can read ,  I need to work hard on his Maths :P

Nayansee’s mother  :  Majha  porgi khup chan avhyas kalaly  ..…..

Take Aways !

1. Confident Smiling Kids –as many as SIX of them got dictionaries!! all because of improvements!,  Another  8 of them getting “ My Accomplishment “   seals  on account of winning Inter Class Competition ,

  

2.  Happy and Proud Parents – They were witness to excellent reading session , recognisisng difficult words ,Answering The SHIVAJI QUIZ ,and  Solving the Word Problems .
3.  Parents on Reflection mode – I need to contribute too: Was the General mood !!
4.  Invested New Teacher –He was wondering : How can this happen !
  Satisfied Bhaiya ……

Realisation of a different Kind ...

Truth and Dare!


Though my professors at a reputed engineering college down south always rated me highly but they never rewarded me in ample proportion for the simple reason that I was not the text book types .

I was not a student who would take down the derivations quietly without understanding each step and more importantly the often declared “ silliest “ step . I was not a student who would come to class least bothered about what is happening in the class. This often troubled me a lot .The Professors felt challenged and my classmates felt irritated at my “ whys “ , “why nots “ and “what if “ ..

A really bad habit ….. asking questions in the class ..The Education system almost gave me “NFTE “ (Not fit for technical education..or whatever they meant by them ).

Today, The tables have turned I am a teacher . I have started feeling disappointed at students who are not able to “ ask questions”. I have started feeling slightly disturbed at a system which does not allow any points for inquisitiveness , fearlessness , & creativity .

I am equally puzzled as my teachers were :P

The Challenges of Being ABU.

Hi ! I am Abu ! I am 9 years old. I sell news papers and I study in Grade 3. I will be in Grade 4 Next month . I am happy and I am sad . HAPPY because I will go to the next class And my teacher remains the same , SAD because , I would be selling the news papers again , My mother will be selling the news papers , my father will be resting ‘six months a year’ again . I would be living with my Nani , even though I want to be with my ma and my little brother Amu….

I want to be a good boy, infact I believe that I can be the best boy, who has ever studied in grade 3. But I do not understand why my BHAIYA (the new teacher) does not understand my problems? , why my father does not understand my problems? , why my mother expects me , the little boy, to share her emotional burden? , I do not understand why my “Nani” and “Mamus” expect me to behave like 18 year old all the time! I really do not understand why my class mates don’t understand my jokes (which my Bhaiya says are really funny but reprimands me for cracking them all the time ) .

I am little confused, when I study a bit, I get excellent marks, when I study a little less I get OK marks! I was once a topper , I was once the cynosure of the teachers eyes (even though I was thrashed many a times by them ….) but this new teacher (self assuming Bhaiya ) does not allow me this privilege of being the best , other students have gone far ahead than me in terms of scoring marks and scoring brownie points from the teacher! I have started complaining .I have started quarreling, picking up a fight with almost anyone who ever got the slightest of praise & appreciation in the class ! I feel bad about it .I have started feeling terrible at the feeling of being labeled bad.

What can I do ! This News paper thing is killing me . I am late everyday because of it .Distributing them in 50 houses spread across 3 blocks in Police Colony and NCL campus is not an easy job , but mamu says I have to learn tricks of the trade early, but why ? Didn’t I say Bhaiya that I want to become a Scientist? I picked a book from the old news paper store the other day “. It was about “RANDY PAUSCH “ .I read a page or two from it .I really liked .I imagined it to be a book from a poor aspiring scientist like me .I gifted it to Bhaiya thinking that maybe he could help me (he seemed ,as the only one ,in any likelihood , to do so) . Bhaiya liked the book and he actually showed me the video of Mr. Pausch. I also knew about Internet that day . I got to Know about the GOOGLE. I can find so many things and so many pictures about the planets about which I had heard about in the geography class. I confessed to Bhaiya, I actually wanted to discover a Planet or discover something inside a planet. Bhaiya seemed super excited to hear this …...Does he Love me?

I have started listening to Bhaiya. Bhaiya allows me to be a bit late in coming to class. He seems to understand a bit. I feel doing my best. I threw a challenge to my “friends “in class that I will be best ...BUT then something really unfortunate happened … My little brother Amu was being teased by one my friends in class, I became very angry, infact I was angry from before only: P , I hit him hard and made him cry. A complain was made against me, to My Principal Miss .Bhaiya was also sitting in the staff room. I had hit my friend really hard , I did not intend to but I had to protect my little brother (who else will ? ) . I was punished; I was suspended from school for 4 days. I was really angry at Bhaiya , he did not help me . I was really angry with my friend , why did he have to tease Amu , I was really angry with myself why did I do this ? I went to Mumbai to meet my Aunts, they live near the sea shore .Oh I saw so many things I could ever see in pune .I wrote it all, in case someone asks 

I came back. Bhaiya did not talk to me for the first 2-3 hours, the day I came to class, I did not know why…. But then I had to ask him why was he not looking at him, even when I was sitting quietly and raising hands to give an answer? Bhaiya told me that I should “say sorry” to my friend and to My Principal Miss before being part of the class! But I wanted to say sorry only to Bhaiya, no one else but then he explained again, if he said sorry to both of them, he would accept that as a sorry to him. He is a Nut , I Guess  . I did that ! , Bhaiya told that I was a Good Boy!! I felt good about it , I was happy all day.

I am feeling sad again, Three Class trips in a row, I was not allowed by my NaNI and Mamu to go to any of them. They thought the trips were not the best thing to do, perhaps selling news papers was far better ! I protested , I cried , I made all arguments but these people are dumb .In the last trip , to make it fool proof , I made Bhaiya to call my mamu , mamu said “ok , he can go” , but NaNI made a great excuse “ I am ill , I cannot send Abu “ .I was determined to tell this to Bhaiya , I told about the lies which Nani tells whenever she has to say NO to anything ! I did not miss the trips, but it would have been great to Know about the Anemometers, Hygrometers, and Pyranometers which my Friends knew about , after one of the trips …..

We have finished our Final Exams; I stand 5th in the Class Overall. Even though I Know, I can be the best but what to do I am still 5th !



Today was one of the happiest days, in the whole year! Bhaiya was coming to my house, he had promised! .Though Our House is bit small (rather very small, only one room) it is not that untidy. I know our house is near a drain , it is made up of Iron sheets, and it is slightly hot! But we have a Fridge , a TV (good one), two little beds to keep us comfortable and Cozy. I live with my mamu in a better place but I like coming to this place all the time because My Ma lives here. I am not sure why father does not go tO work so many days, I secretly hoped, he Goes to work when Bhaiya comes to visit. …

Bhaiya came walking with me, he was finding it really difficult to walk in the hot sun, and He walked almost 2 km before we could reach my house (slightly of the main road: P)! On the way he was asking lot of questions about “Hot Sun /Randy Paunch / My ambition to become a scientist and the progress I made in that / about my favorite Amu etc.” I was so excited to answer him. I saw my friends playing in the hot sun , they are mad (I shouted , Pagal ho gaylay kya , itni tez dhup may Khel rehlay ho ! ) .But I was secretly happy , I could show off “ Bhaiya “ , after all not every day he comes !

Enter my house, My father had not gone to work , he was sleeping with a blanket over him , How can he sleep like that ? May be he was drunk, maybe he had come from night duty.. May be …. My mother was back from work & as usual cleaning everything, almost everything … She was happy to see me back, but a little sad to see a sweating Bhaiya at the door ... But then Bhaiya always makes all of us smile, maybe he does that too with Ma ..

Bhaiya always works with an agenda , I asked him Bhaiya , how will you write here ? (Seriously, I did .. .. ) Questions after Questions , why Abu did not come for class trip , why my parents do not come for parents meet , How did they find this place , how long they have been living here ? I was getting bored I switched on the TV !!

Oh, fatal mistake... Ma opened up the complain box , Abu does this , Abu does that.. Oh so many of them ,Too much for my Fixed Agenda Bhaiya to solve at one Go !! They Discussed and Discussed … oh my God ! My ma could speak so much ? …



And , then I was forced to make many Promises today .Promise to be Good , Promise to be punctual , Promises to try listening to persons other than Bhaiya ....But I was Feeling Good about it … I was happy that someone wanted a promise out of me. ..I ran to bring “Maza “ – my favourite “Kol-drink “, Bhaiya likes it too! I had done the research …

I am happier than I WAS....... I HAVE Promised to be Good , to be better…Allah help me to keep my Promises ... ( I said to Bhaiya , I Would try my best )…

Hope I Turn out to be the best Boy in Grade 4 ….



Disclaimer : This piece of writing is purely imaginary , based on writers experience, understanding and interactions with one of his students over a period of 10 months of his fellowship with a NGO ......

Fellowship Year End Reflections !!

End of Year Reflections



Questions and Answers



For Q: 1, 2, 3, 4,5

Let’s be realistic about it . Pride cannot be quantified !! But still I am extremely proud of the efforts the students as a group and as individuals have put into .



1. How proud are you of your accomplishments with Fluency, either with the whole class or with individual students? What did (or didn't) you do that did or did not enable success in Reading Fluency?



From a class which dreaded reading anything at all, they have turned into kids who give their best try at all the times .They are not afraid anymore . They recognize i) application of phonics , ii) use of punctuation symbols in reading , iii) using syllabication ,Over all ‘ desire ‘ to succeed as good readers is really intense . There has been a quantifiable improvement in RF Levels .


Did : Identifying their challenges , Giving the students ample time to work at their own pace, and encouraging Role of ‘leader readers ‘ and ‘peer teaching ‘


Did Not : Could give individual attention to the weakest of the students (namely 2-3 of them ) due to paucity of time .



2. How proud are you of your accomplishments with Writing, either with the whole class or with individual students? What did (or didn't) you do that did or did not enable success in Writing?


Writing levels of Kids have not shown significant improvement. We would be fooling ourselves if we expected the kids to become writers in 8-9 months time. The primary reason being the extremely poor knowledge of grammar and poor vocabulary .


Did : Put in efforts to stimulate their creativity by challenging them to do picture based writing ,writing letters to each other ,writing small messages to their parents ,principal etc . Putting stress to use i) phonetic spellings ( in case they did know the actual spellings ) , ii) use Punctuation symbols iii) Apply their new Grammatical awareness while writing .

Did Not : Could not conduct Writers Work Shops .Could not make them to be original writers having their own ideas to write (of course few of them 4-5 , have shown exceptional skills as good writers ) Could not churn in the importance of writing and being good at it !



3. How proud are you of your accomplishments with Speaking and Listening skills (including the level and amount of English spoken in the classroom), either with the whole class or with individual students? What did (or didn't) you do that did or did not enable success in Speaking and Listening?

It often amazes me , how a class which hard time comprehending “come here “ ,”please close the window “ “ face me “ is now confident enough to speak in ENGLISH to CEO of a company (in one of the field trips ) .They can understand a decent level of conversation in English and are able to respond to it .These students have been speaking increasingly better English & friendly Marathi .


Did : Story telling sessions were real fun with the kids , they enjoyed every bit of it and they have become very good listeners . Tremendous confidence building in speaking . Workshops were fun and they can now speak in front of anyone and everyone (without being shy and sissy :P) on topics of common interests .


Did Not : Could give them ample opportunity to test their skills . Moreover it would have been great if they could translate this ability to read their (speak out ) SSC text books to each other and enjoy listening to them .


4. How proud are you of your accomplishments with Reading Comprehension, either with the whole class or with individual students? What did (or didn't) you do that did or did not enable success in RC? (I will not ask us to think about Grammar, but if you want to, you can.)


Teach For India EOY (End of Year ) assessment class average in RC is 67 % , which should stand a perfect alibi to their increased ability to comprehend English .


Did : Lot of Reading Sessions in the Class (with age appropriate text ), Lot of fun activities based on “on stage reading “ , “individual reading corners “ , “group reading sessions “ , “finding out the meaning and explaining to each other” !! I think this has helped them to shed their fear to read and understand .


Did Not : Stress on Grammatical accomplishments , solely due to the fact that Grammar skills have to built over a time period .



5. How proud are you of your accomplishments with Maths, either with the whole class or with individual students? What did (or didn't) you do that did or did not enable success in Maths?


How indebted I feel to these Kids , My own inhibitions against this monster called Math have been shattered !! I almost feel to rework all my Math workbooks from K1-12 once again ! Please tell this to my Pa & Ma .

Lets be simple at this . They want more and more math homework. Math happens to be their favourite subject . EOY assessment results for Top 20 of class is 70 % .



6. For those of you in 3rd and 4th Standards, how proud are you of your accomplishments with Science, History, Geography, and Civics, either with the whole class or with individual students? What did (or didn't) you do that did or did not enable success in these subjects?


Lets understand this through these two examples :


>> Ok . we grow . Plants grow . but most important is mud (Soil ). Without Mud - even if you put water , give the leaves sunlight -no food be cooked .... so ........... Aniket is - Thinking Star of the Day !!!


>> 3rd Grade Civics text book says " We should respect all religions " - I tried to find out if they knew anything about religion : they had no idea of being a Hindu , Christian or a Muslim , i explained Allah -Bhagwan-God are same people with different names . PRATHMESH asks .then why did stone age man decide to become ...


7. How have your students changed in their behaviour? How has the level of violence or conflict changed in the class? How respectful are they of you and of OTHER teachers? What did (or didn't) you do that did or did not enable success in behaviour?


What do you mean ?? What Violence ? They are just kids and they have all the right to be kids , and respect , they say has to be earned !

We are not great Psychoanalysts (the one we are trying to pretend to be !! ) .

Let them Bloom and flower without being mechanical !



8. What is your ONE greatest learning from this past year in your classroom?

These Kids can teach us more than we can teach them !!


9. Given the knowledge of yourself, your skills, and your students (if you're staying with the same kids), what are your expectations for next year (for yourself and for your students)? What will you do the same? What will you change?


Perhaps I would be more of myself without being bogged down by clerical ! Sorry sometimes I felt this way :P  I would let my Kids better themselves by setting higher goals but path chosen would be by them NOT me or them .


10. How has your experience this year influenced your leadership abilities? Think of a situation or anecdote that encapsulates this change, whether big or small. And if it hasn't influenced your leadership abilities, then why?

Leaders are born they cannot be made !  What leaders ?


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