Saksharta Essentials October 2017

A short glimpse of our "Saksharta Essentials" programme where we coach tribal students in Mathematics, English and soft skills. A mathematics class in progress...

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.”

Saksharta Essentials

 

                    Kalyan Ashram's boys Hostel at Mallarpur, Birbhum dist, W.B.

For urban youth, computers have become an inseparable part of life. In this Digital Age, knowledge of computers is quientessential. Without knowledge of computers, education is deemed incomplete. But for a tribal kid in a far off village, touching a computer is still a dream, let alone using it.

We the kalyan Ashram Youth Wing, Kolkata have taken up to fulfill their dream ! We will install 2 computers in each of Kalyan Ashram's 34 hostels Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand that have electricity. These computers will help these vanvasi  familiarize with basic softwares, functions and will give them a wider picture of the world around them !!! A computer will surely help them dream big !

We need your help be it cash or kind in full or part to fulfill this dream of the vanvasi children. We have zeroed in on the following basic configuration of desktop computers which we are planning to install. A higher configuration is most welcome. We are also accepting used parts in working condition.

• Intel P4 processor                    
• Intel motherboard  
• 1 GB RAM
• Cabinet
• 15" Monitor, preferably LCD
• Mouse, Keyboard
• CD / DVD Drive
• Hard Disk 80 GB
• UPS
• Speakers
• Educational CDs

Children are the future of India and help us fulfill their dream ! 

For contribution / details contact @ Kolkata Youth Wing : 

call  9903727371 , 9330638878

mail at fetchpiyush@gmail.com, sidharth.shyamsukha@gmail.com

Chalo Jalayen Deep Wahan !