Saksharta Essentials - The first step

Last summer, the youth wing of Purvanchal Kalyan Ashram took an initiative of coaching the students of our chhatravas who were then in class 10.  The students gained from this initiative and the volunteers enjoyed a lot teaching Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, English and other subjects. It was a common observation that fundamental subject knowledge of the students was poor and there was none to help them out. Sticking to our objective “Saksharta Essentials”, we prepared an annual calendar of our educational activities to motivate the students and to prepare class 10 students for Madhyamik exams. The first step was tutoring vanvasi students who have just been promoted to class 10. The long weekend in last week of January coupled with the holiday on Netaiji’s birthday provided us with the right opportunity to call twenty students of class X from 8 chhatravas across South Bengal. The students landed in Kolkata on 18^th January and stayed till 27^th  January. 

Starting the day with intricacies of Mathematics at 6.30 AM in the morning, our youth volunteers answered their queries time and again until they understood. Arithmetic, algebra, trigonometry were touched upon so as to make their fundamental knowledge of the subject very clear. After a break, they were taught English lessons from their text book. The students even enacted a small skit mentioned in the exercise. After a lunch break, the tired minds rested for some time before being jolted by logics of physics and chemistry. One of our vanvasi brothers, who is a computer engineer and works in a software firm in Kolkata, was moved by our initiative. He managed time from his packed schedule and taught physics and chemistry. Hailing from the same language background as the students, every word uttered from his mouth was very easily understood by the students. 

It is said that all work and no play makes life cumbersome. Nine rigorous days of studying was marked with some fun as well. Children were treated with home made chocolate cake on one of the Sundays. They were very excited and jubilant while watching the national republic day parade on TV on 26^th January though they did not understand a word of the running commentary. 

The youth wing put in a lot of time and effort to make this initiative fruitful. Yet, as 27^th January arrived, there was a sense of disappointment. Disappointment of leaving the task at hand unfinished, disappointment of not seeing the curious innocent faces from the next day, and being sucked into routine life. But there was joy in our hearts. We tried to serve society and nation at large, however small our contribution in the last nine days may be. With the promise of calling these same set of students again during their summer break, we felt in our hearts the following verse from Kaviguru Rabindra Nath Tagore – 

“I slept and dreamt that life was joy.

I awoke and saw that life was service. 

I acted and behold, service was joy.”