An
NGO is driven by the primary aim of disseminating positive ideas and values to
the people it targets to change the lives of. The people involved in making
this work are the ones driven with the burning desire to achieve this goal.
Wanting to make a difference is a noble thought, but the only thing nobler is
acting on this wishful thinking. That’s what separates these people from the
rest. Their actions scream just how much they stand for they cause they
identify themselves with.
Vjayshree
Grirdhar, a primary grade teacher at the Parikrama Humanity Foundation is one
such example. She is vivacious and languid. Every morning I see her I’m greeted
with a bright and welcoming smile. She is kind, approachable, and one of the
many warm hearted people I know at the foundation.
At
the beginning of the academic year, she experienced something that set in
motion the idea of change in her mind. She met a bright young mind that
questioned if only those who fall under the purview of receiving a good
education have the right to access the resources to converse in English. These
striking words reflected a certain construct the young child had about the
world, and she avowed to set that straight right away: thus paving way for the
winds of change.
The
idea she had was simple, but an impactful one. She launched the ‘‘we learn, we
teach’’ program that aimed at children and her brainstorming on a word or
sentence for a day and for the students to teach their parents said lesson.
What was initially labeled as “I learn, I teach”, saw how involved the students
were, for they believed changing “I” to “we” was more relevant to the cause. I
asked her how gratifying it felt, for it has been 3 months since the initiation
of the project, and she replied saying it wasn’t her I should be asking this,
but the students instead.
The students had grown increasingly attached to this project with every passing day. They brought forward the idea of passing on “magical words”, “courtesy phrases” first. A Parents Teachers Meeting (PTM) held recently gave the parents an opportunity to speak to the teachers in the presence of a larger audience. Though daunting, many came forward and weren’t afraid of fumbling. Their confidence itself was rewarding for the students. The use of “Hi, good morning Ma’am, how are you today?” brought joys to the hearts of all the students. Many even prompted the parents to ‘”excuse” themselves on making an error or interrupting someone else’s talk.
Vijayshree and her students both felt unbridled joy throughout the entire meeting, and the apprehensions of receiving a negative feedback from teachers about students was all forgotten. Now, Vijayashree is more determined to carry forward this project amongst her students and spread it across the foundation as well!
