Mother’s day is celebrated with much fanfare each year. Gifts, cards, special meals, and outings are planned. While all this happens year on year, India is also home to about 20 million orphans for whom Mother’s day is of no significance.

To change this, The Better India is collaborating with Seven Seas, and urging mothers to extend their love and care to these orphaned children, albeit for a day.

Here is a list of orphanages and organisations where you can spend the day in some major cities in the country.

Before you volunteer, please follow the below guidelines to have a fun and safe day:

1) Do call two hours before the event to confirm your participation and the on-ground situation. Do confirm if the children are free, or any other details as may be required.

2) Prepare beforehand with games, topics to discuss and other activities that can fill the time allocated.

3) Get prior permission to bring food, toys or any other gifts or packages that you may wish to distribute.

4) Please get permission before clicking any pictures of the children. Please ensure the children are also comfortable with having their picture taken.

5) Be open-minded. Remember, different children have different personalities, so be prepared to change your plans or activities.

6) Do not take the children away or outside the designated interaction area. For more extensive plans, please confirm beforehand.

Ahmedabad

Name of the organisation: Mother Teresa Missionaries of Charity

Established in 1950 by Mother Teresa, this organisation is known for their exceptional work towards the underprivileged and downtrodden.

Address: 83/1/1 Sindhi Compound, Nr Bhimjipura, Wadaj, Ahmedabad – 380013. Gujarat

Contact details: +91 79 275 59050

Kolkata

Name of the organisation: SOS Children’s Village

This organisation started work in India in 1963, and in 1977 established themselves in Kolkata to uplift orphaned children.

Address: Block BK, Sector-2, Bidhan Nagar, Kolkata, West Bengal 700091

Contact details: 033 4001 7348

Lucknow

Name of organisation: Shrimad Dayanand Bal Sadan

Moved by the plight of orphan children, late Mr Almadi had founded Bal Sadan in 1992. Although Mr Almadi passed away in 19995, the organisation continued to carry out its work.

Address: Moti Nagar, Charbagh, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226004

Contact details: +91 94 518 74594

Chandigarh

Name of organisation: Mother Teresa Mission Of Charity

Established in 1950 by Mother Teresa, this organisation is known for its exceptional work towards the underprivileged and downtrodden.

Address: Sector 23A, Udyan Path, Sector 23, Chandigarh, 160023

Contact details: 0172 270 5156

Hyderabad

Name of organisation: Radha Kishan Balika Bhavan

Radha Kishan Homes is a part of Hyderabad Children’s Aid Society, a charitable voluntary organisation. It aims to give a happy childhood and value-based education to underprivileged children. This organisation is for girls in the age group of 10 to 18 years and is located at Nanalnagar.

Address: 9-4-78/79, Nanal Nagar Rd, Nanal Nagar, Toli Chowki, Hyderabad, Telangana 500008

Contact details: 040 2351 3186

Udaipur

Name of organisation: Mahesh Aashram

Established with the belief that each child, especially the girl child, has the right to a healthy, happy and fulfilling life.

Address: Opposite P.F. Office, Chitrakut Nagar, Bhuwana, Udaipur, Rajasthan 313001

Contact details: 094141 61108

Noida

Name of Organisation: Saikripa

Established by Sai Kripa in 1990, Balkutir is a Noida-based home for orphaned and abandoned children. The facility provides clothing, shelter, healthcare, education and above all, love and affection to these children.

Address: Z-133-134, Sector 12, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201301

Contact details: 099586 99149

Kochi

Name of organisation: Janaseva Sisubhavan

Established in the year 1999, Janaseva Sisubhavan is working towards eradicating child exploitation.

Address: P.B. No. 107, Aluva , Ernakulam, Kerala, Kochi, Kerala 683102

Contact details: 0484 260 6079

Pune

Name of organisation: Saraswati Anath Shikshan Sanstha

Established in 1995 with only five children, this organisation has grown from strength to strength. Today 35 children stay in this facility and are provided with food, medical care, education and love.

Address: Aba Kate Nagar, Dapodi, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Maharashtra 411012

Contact details: 098226 44506

Indore

Name of organisation: AAS – Indore Childline

Established in the year 2003, AAS, which means “Hope” in Hindi, aimed to make a positive change in society. AAS endeavours to serve the society and make it more capable of facing challenges towards deprived groups, especially women and children.

Address: H-33 MIG RSS Nagar, Indore Behind MIG Police Station, Madhya Pradesh 452003

Contact details: 0731 408 9521

Do step out on Mother’s Day to give orphaned children a memorable time. And do share your experiences with us.

(Edited by Shruti Singhal)

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At first sight, you may assume that the Santhawanam Charitable Trust in Kottayam is an orphanage or even a rehabilitation centre for women and children. Housing about 90 orphans, abused young mothers, and elderly abandoned women, what Santhawanam is, is a home for those who have nobody, asserts Annie Babu, its founder.

The 61-year-old opened her doors to orphaned children and distressed women in 2007 after an incident that changed both Annie and her husband’s life, forever.

Having always been drawn to social welfare and helping those who were downtrodden, Annie had spent her adulthood volunteering at Thanal, a charitable body for downtrodden and distraught women, which eventually led to her becoming the secretary of the organisation.

At one point, the lack of space and inadequate funds to accommodate more people left Annie with no option other than to refuse shelter to many of them. Unfortunately, she later found out that two women had committed suicide, and the tragic incident was followed by the brutal murder of a woman by her alcoholic husband.

These incidents traumatised Annie to the extent that she resigned from the organisation and decided to channelise her social commitment in the way she wanted to. It was during her one-month notice period when a 3-year-old girl named Muthu (name changed) was brought in by police officials to Thanal.

Upon further inquiry, they learnt that the child was abandoned by her own family in a train, as they believed that Muthu was an ill omen. Annie tried her level best to unite the child with her family, but they were extremely superstitious and refused to budge.

So, Annie decided to adopt Muthu, despite having two sons of her own. Although Annie and Babu were initially granted Muthu’s custody, the law seemed to be against them as their combined age of 90 barred them from adopting a child. The court then ordered the duo to release the child to an orphanage within seven days.

Annie and Muthu were extremely reluctant to let go of each other. Annie did not want to give up the child but was duty bound to accept the court’s directive.

This was when she realised that the difficult situation was an opportunity, and ‘Santhwanam’ came into being.

It was officially registered as an orphanage in 2007 with seven kids. Soon enough, the place was recognised by the police and other authorities as a safe haven, and they started bringing in abandoned or rescued children and distressed young women. Today, Annie is a mother to over 50 children, of which 48 are school-going students. There are three young women studying for their graduate degree in Nursing, while another one is pursuing her post-graduate degree in Social Work.

“Mother means love. Everybody has shortcomings, a mother is one who understands this and stands by her children through thick and thin. She gives them faith, hope and confidence to achieve in life,” said the amazing woman, to Manorama, a local Malayalam daily.

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Providing for the inhabitants at Santhwanam often proves hard on Annie and Babu’s pockets, who have not found any financial support from the government or international agencies. However, more often than not, they have received aid in the form of money and provisions from people and sometimes even strangers.

According to Annie, most women who come seeking asylum at Santhwanam are almost on the brink of a nervous breakdown.

To help them slowly come out of their trauma, Santhwanam provides psychological treatment counselling, meditation, police intervention and free legal aid to these women as per the situation and later, opportunities that can help them attain self-reliance and financial independence through education, job oriented trainings and placements in vocational institutes.

At times, Santhwanam faces trouble in the form of irate husbands or relatives. This is when Annie seeks police intervention, and they have always come to her aid and protected the premises.

Santhwanam received a significant blow when the Supreme Court mandated a generalised set of requirements for all kinds organisations and shelters for children and such bodies must be identified under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act.

Being a self-financed organisation that largely depends on individual donations, Santhwanam was almost on the verge of closing when again, citizens stepped up to ensure that the institution continues to leave its doors open for the downtrodden.

Despite struggling through money and supply shortages, Annie and Babu are instilling hope in countless kids and women in the form of a home and showing them that, if given a chance, they too can overcome challenging situations.

You can support Santhwanam and help more children and women have a safe haven by calling at 0481-2590630, 9447568244. You can also check their website here.

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

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As one fares through different phases of life with countless faces walking in and out of it, many would agree that some of the best people who have remained constant throughout their lives are the friends they have made during their school days.

Maybe those were the days of innocence and carefree times when friendships were yet to be tainted with selfish and conniving pursuits.

The friendship of 12-year-olds Anugrah M M and Fathima Bismi from Kozhikode, Kerala is significant in its rarity. Formed at a tender age, it goes beyond what we may have seen, heard or even read.

Anugrah was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at the time of his birth and had been grappling with the condition ever since. A debilitating neurological condition that affects one’s movements, the little boy couldn’t walk, hold a pencil or even feed himself until one of his classmates stepped in as his guardian angel six years, who would go on to quite literally, change his life forever.

A student of MAM upper-primary school at Parambilkkadavu near Kunnamangalam, Anugrah would be accompanied to school by his mother, Sudha. She would wait for him at the premises all day. But this provision was disrupted by the second pregnancy, and Anugrah was severely suffering.

When almost everyone had given up hope on him, it was Fathima who went out of her way to assist him in every possible manner— in studies and mobility, even feeding him food.

“I would drop him at school, but he couldn’t walk, write or even have food on his own. We were thinking of stopping his studies. But Fathima arrived like an angel. On hearing the sound of my bike, she would come running and lift him up. She would feed him, take him to (the) toilet and help him with his notes in class,” Anugrah’s father, Manikandan told The Times of India.

This was when they were studying in class one. Six years later, they are not just classmates, but best friends as well, their friendship is renowned, not just in their town but the whole of the state.

“Support and motivation by Fathima helped Anugrah to walk on his own. When other students were busy playing, Fathima would sit with Anugrah and help him read and write since he had serious learning difficulties. Last year, Anugrah even participated in a play staged during the school anniversary,” said Rajeesh Kumar P, a teacher at the school.

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Touched by this gallant friendship, the Orthodox Syrian Christian Church came forward and bestowed them with cash awards of ₹2.5 lakh each at a felicitation programme at their regional headquarters on Tuesday, May 15.

Their rare friendship will continue its timeless journey, as Anugrah and Fathima would together head to pursue their higher secondary education at the government school in Payambra for the next academic year.

(Edited by Shruti Singhal)

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Subhash Yashwantrao Kamdi was born in Kinhala, a small village in the Hinganghat district of Maharashtra, and was the first one from the village to acquire three degrees in a row—BE (Electrical), MBA and LLB.

In 2003 he joined a college in Chandrapur as a lecturer and met his future wife Shilpa, who was also teaching there. Although Shilpa had some severe health issues, Subhash decided to marry her.

“Shilpa had a shrunken kidney since birth, and also had some issues in her pancreas. She had decided to remain single all her life but I really wanted to spend my life with her, however small it was,” says Subhash.

The couple got married in 2004 and adopted their first child, Kshitij, in 2008. In 2010, they were blessed with their second child, Dhruv-Shishir.

Every morning Shilpa and Subhash would go for a stroll at a nearby stadium, and soon Kshitij started to accompany them. One day, the couple decided to introduce little Kshitij to the various sports played in the stadium.

Initially, they got him a pair of skates, and Kshitij started attending skating classes. However, they soon realised that the almost 4-year-old was more interested in gymnastics, so they found him a coach who could provide him with the necessary training.

Meanwhile, Dhruv who had turned two, could not walk or talk yet. Shilpa and Subhash started worrying about this.

“People would say that Dhruv probably had some congenital disabilities, due to Shilpa’s illness. We were anxious, and then one day when we both came back from work, we saw him trying to walk on Kshitij’s old skates,” says Subhash.

The 2-year-old took to skating like a duck to water, and was soon zipping across everywhere!

Overwhelmed with this development, Shilpa and Subhash decided to enroll him in professional coaching classes. As the minimum age limit was 3.5 years, they had to submit a special request, which was accepted!

Within a month, Dhruv shifted from beginner skates to hyper skates and then to quad roller skates. He started participating in local matches and won a gold medal at the State Federation under-four championship in 2014!

Shilpa would work very hard on getting the information about various competitions. “Chandrapur is a very small place. No one really knows much about skating here. Shilpa would constantly look for information on the internet and take him to places,” says Subhash.

The couple started taking Dhruv for weekend classes in Nagpur, which is a 3-hour drive from Chandrapur, to get him trained in limbo skating.

On 1st October 2015, Dhruv made his first record in limbo skating, and Shilpa approached the Guinness books of world records to mark this achievement. However, as Dhruv age was below the prescribed limit (5 years), he did not get the permission.

On 27th November 2015, Dhruv turned 5, and received a mail from the Guinness books of world records, which said, “You can do it.”

As there was no such stadium in Chandrapur which met the distance and standards required for the record, Dhruv decided to attempt the record on the road.

The challenge was standardised by creating a ten-meter long surface, using 11 rods a meter-apart and 16.2 cm [6.377 inches] off the ground.

On 26th December 2015, Dhruv’s name entered the Guinness Book of World Records, in limbo skating.

Dhruv was climbing the stairs of success rapidly. He had won 23 gold, 6 silver, and 3 bronze medals in National, Open State, Vidharbha and District level competitions so far.

However, it was getting difficult for his parents to manage the finances. The couple was teaching at a private college but had not been receiving their salaries for a few months. Subhash started farming on his ancestral land in his village, while Shilpa would accompany the kids to Nagpur for their coaching on weekends.

In January 2017 Dhruv set another record by skating non-stop for seven hours.

While Shilpa’s health was deteriorating, she was still determined to ensure that her boys had access to the best facilities, and was even thinking about moving to Nagpur, permanently.

“Shilpa had big dreams for both her boys. She wanted to take Dhruv to Delhi to learn ice-skating and set a record. In another one year, Dhruv was going to turn 8, and she was saving bit by bit to buy him inline skates,” says Subhash.

But destiny had its own plans. Shilpa fell seriously ill, and the couple had to spend all their savings on her treatment. However, despite their best efforts, her condition continued to worsen, and on August 8, 2017, Shilpa passed away.

7-year-old Dhruv still believes that her mom is in the hospital. This November, he will turn 8 and shift to inline skates. He believes that his mother will come along with the skates to surprise him on his birthday.

When we talk to him and ask what his achievements are, he lists out at least ten different awards in his cute voice and says that he wants to fulfil his mother’s dream by completing a 25 km marathon on inline skates.

“I have slowly started telling him about his mother’s demise. Kshitij knows about it, but Dhruv is too small to understand ‘death’. Now my only goal is to fulfil Shilpa’s dreams,” says Subhash.

Subhash is still not getting his salary and managing Dhruv’s coaching and transport expenses through the money he gets from farming on weekends. A good pair of inline skates costs around Rs. 70,000. If you wish to help Subhash, please call him at 9422175026. Subhash is also looking for sponsors for Dhruv’s ice-skating coaching

“Dhruv what do you want to become when you grow up?” we asked while leaving.

“I want to be a skating champion. I want to play for my country someday!” he said.

You can watch Dhruv-Shishir Kamdi’s achievements on Facebook or Youtube

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

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On 25th August 2017, Dharmendra was one among the several devotees from the village of Kusumara in Mainpuri district, Uttar Pradesh, who walked in the procession for Ganesh Visarjan. As the crowd neared a small rivulet where a group decided to submerge a statue of Ganesha, sudden screams perturbed him.

As they neared the source of the sound, a sad sight shook him. A newborn barely hours old, lay bleeding near the rivulet, covered with ants. Abandoning the procession, Dharmendra cleaned the child with a cloth and bundled the newborn in his arms to take him home.

Ever since, the little boy, eponymously named Ganesh, as he was found on a festive day, has become a part of Dharmendra’s family, which consists of his seven children and wife.

What is even more gut-wrenching is the fact that the sole reason Ganesh was abandoned was that he had a cleft lip.

But not anymore, Ganesh will soon be able to smile his most beautiful smile, thanks to Agra-based Saraswat Hospital and notable cleft surgery charity Smile Train India.

Based in Agra, the hospital is run by award-winning plastic surgeon Dr Satya Kumar Saraswat. He has been conducting free cleft surgeries for underprivileged children since 2007, in association with Smile Train, which is headquartered in New York, USA.

Till date, they have conducted over 5,000 free surgeries where the cost of medicine, travel, accommodation, food etc., is borne by Smile Train India, while the hospital facilitates the operation within its premises and has its surgeons operate free of cost. So the patient doesn’t have to shell a single rupee.

The hospital also has a team that conducts outreach programmes to make people in rural areas aware of the facilities.

On 2nd January 2018, when one of their team members visited Kusumara in Mainpuri district which is 120 kms from Agra, the team members were told of Ganesh and Dharmendra’s story. When they visited the home, they realised how this family belonged to a humble background.

Dharmendra works as a humble hawker, carries and sells clothes on his cycle, travelling from one village to another. It is the family’s sole source of income.

Speaking to The Better India, Dr Satya Kumar Saraswat, who tweeted the heartwarming story, shared:

“It is hard to imagine, how this couple in their early forties, with already four boys and three girls of their own, willingly opened their hearts to another kid who was abandoned by his birth parents for a simple and correctable deformity. When our team reached the village in January, of course, we wanted to help the kid right away, but the child did not meet several health parameters required to be deemed fit and ready for the surgery. He was severely underweight, malnourished and still small. We gave the family advice on the diet they could follow to help the kid.

The next time we conducted a camp in the nearby village, the family was called via a vehicle. The young boy seemed healthy and ready. We operated on the child this morning. I will soon be sharing the pictures of the kid once the stitches are done in a week.”

We cannot wait to see little Ganesh smile that beautiful smile!

Read more: In a First, 8 Women Made It to UPSC Top 25: Here Are Their Amazing Stories!

“People need to be informed that a cleft and palate deformity is an easily correctable one. It is hardly a half-hour procedure. It can go a long way in helping build a child’s confidence. I salute Dharmendra and his family who despite limited resources are taking care of Ganesh, like their own,” adds Saraswat.

Dr Saraswat adds how his team is now looking at funding Ganesh, by giving the family a fixed amount of Rs 2,500 per month till he grows up and then bearing the cost of his education.

In a final message, the surgeon says, “Today, there are several people who want to go out of their way to help somebody, and there are several others who are in dire need of this help. We just need to connect people on either side. My small request to my counterparts in the medical fraternity also is to not treat it like a mere business, but give their own practice a compassionate approach in whatever capacity they can. Our hands were made to heal, lets us work together to transform lives.”

In the words of Dr Saraswat, who tweets: “Kindness is seen at every nook and corner, and these people (like Dharmendra) are the real heroes of humanity who adopt an orphan in spite of limited resources and large families. As the saying goes, ‘No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted.’ So let us be kind and compassionate to everyone around us.”

We salute his team for helping little Ganesh. And above all, we congratulate Dharmendra and his family for showing how compassion and the unconditional love of parents go beyond blood ties.

(Edited by Shruti Singhal)

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Every year across the country, lakhs of students appear for their Class 10 and Class 12 Board examinations.

While many Indian parents have the finances to send their children to various coaching classes and crash courses that help them prepare and give them a shot at acing their exams, countless others cannot afford to do so.

However, adverse situations can push people to reach greater heights and the story of 15-year-old Abhay Gupta from Park Street, Kolkata is no different. The ICSE exam results were announced on Monday, and the boy and his family were over the moon—Abhay had scored an extraordinary 93%!

Abhay’s father Rambabu is a street vendor who has been selling magazines, newspapers, and second-hand books near Moulin Rouge on Park Street for the past two decades. With a meagre income that was barely enough to meet household expenses, there was no way that he could afford to send for Abhay to coaching centres.

However, Abhay took this in his stride and was determined to make the best out of whatever resources he had.

He would study under the streetlights, night after night, on the pavement near his father’s stall while seated on a packing case. A student of Harrow Hall School, Abhay’s one-room home barely had space to keep his books, let alone a study table. But the young boy persevered.

Rambabu had dreamed that his sons would study well and be able to break out of the circle of poverty through education. Well, Abhay made his dream come true, and upon seeing the results, the proud father could not contain his happiness.

“My father always wanted my brother and me to study well so that we could converse in English and read English novels which he has been selling for the last two decades. He barely earns enough to make meet both ends meet. We are a joint family, and since there isn’t enough space to study at home, so I studied under streetlights and sometimes in hotel lobbies and corridors for my board exam. I studied mostly at night after returning from school between 7:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.,” said Abhay to The Times of India.

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Abhay’s schoolteachers are also a part of his inspiring story. They went the extra mile to assist him in studies and even provided free coaching after school hours. Rambabu’s regular customers, who knew of his financial constraints, also helped out by offering monetary contributions to Abhay so that he could purchase textbooks and stationery.

With his fantastic score, Abhay has secured admission in the much sought-after St James’ School, where he will pursue his higher secondary education. Now, his next goal is to crack the IIT-JEE, and he knows that it is no mere task.

“Without the right training and proper guidance, I may not be able to crack the entrance exam. Coaching centres are demanding high fees, which my parents can’t afford. They have to look after my younger brother who is in Class V. I am looking for financial support to enrol in a tutorial centre,” he said.

We admire the resilience in the young boy who did not let his adverse conditions deviate him from his goal of scoring above 90 percent in the Board exams. We hope that he can find financial aid to fuel his future dreams.

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

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In a bid to make children more environmentally sensitive, schools across the country are including many extra-curricular activities centred around the environment. In Kerala, this school teaches children organic farming, and auctions the produce, motivating the children to grow more.

Far away from God’s own Country, the students of a government school in Gurugram are learning the nuances of growing plants and are succeeding in their efforts, too!

According to this report in the Times of India, students of the Government Primary School in Sushant Lok (C-2), Gurugram have managed to grow more than 2,500 hydroponic or soil-less plants on the premises of the school.

Earlier this year, the teachers of the school began an initiative to encourage students to be sensitive to the environment. To this end, the school has also started an eco-club.

Speaking to TOI, Manoj Kumar, a teacher in school, said that when he joined the teaching staff about nine months ago, he was perturbed by the lack of greenery in the school, and in a bid to change that, asked students to go to neighbouring areas and collect more plants.

The students did not disappoint! They diligently went around and collected around 170 plants in a week.

After the plants were procured, the school in Gurugram contacted ‘Give me Trees,’ a Delhi-based NGO which concentrates on community-based voluntary tree-planting and conservation. According to Kumar, the school trust suggested that students could be introduced to the hydroponic method of growing plants, and the NGO tied up with Honda, who donated Rs 3.5 lakhs towards the project. The school then chose the roof-top as the location for the project.

Vaneet Bhalla, a volunteer with ‘Give me Trees’ explains how hydroponic plants are easy to grow. Requiring less water compared to traditional plants, these plants only need certain nutrients, water and sunlight—all of which are readily available in the school.

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Growing plants is a great way to keep children occupied outdoors, and keep them away from gadgets. Kudos to the school in Gurugram and its teachers for this fantastic initiative!

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

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According to a World Bank Group and UNICEF report, ‘Ending Extreme Poverty: A Focus on Children‘, India is home to over 30% of approximately 385 million children living in extreme poverty-the highest in South Asia.

To rise above abject poverty, and make a mark in this world is very difficult, yet for these kids in Chennai, battling difficult circumstances isn’t new.

Karunalaya Centre for Street & Working Children is a Chennai-based NGO that focuses on rehabilitating street children. Children who have been labourers, faced abuse, and been homeless have been rescued by the Society.

The NGO uses sports as a means to help these kids. Sports infuse discipline and other good traits in children.

The society sent an all-girls football team to participate in the Street Child World Cup, an event held just like its FIFA counterpart.

The team was led by 17-year-old Sangeetha, a Class 9 drop-out, who was a child labourer, rescued from a steel factory in 2013.
Due to adverse family circumstances, young Sangeetha had to discontinue her studies. But once she was rescued by the Society, her life turned around. Football is an integral part of her life, and she aspires to become an IAS officer.

Dr. N Paul Sunder Singh is the Founder and Secretary at Karunalaya. He told The Better India about how they are helping kids rise above their past and build a future.

“All the children have disadvantaged backgrounds”, he says, explaining the circumstances from which the girls have been rescued. Living on the street with their parents, they lack basic amenities, and day-to-day existence is difficult.

He explains that Karunalaya Society uses art, music, theatre and sports, to help the children living there. Participating in the Street Child World Cup for the first time in 2014, Karunayala’s team at the time consisted of boys.

It was the first time that girls have gotten the opportunity to shine for their country. And shine, they did! It was a well-fought tournament, Singh says, even though the team didn’t win the cup. Along the way, were difficult matches against seemingly superior opponents, like England and Russia. The girls from Karunalaya played extremely competitive football and didn’t let anything deter them. Singh is extremely proud of the team and its achievements.

“Education is a very important part of bringing up these kids,” Singh says, stressing on the fact that the sports programme is only open to kids who choose to attend school. As a result, many children who were not particularly keen on academics, took up books, in the hope of playing football one day. Singh says that education helps the children become more aware, and gives them a better chance at fighting their adverse circumstances.

Singh says, “The children were very happy and very enthusiastic about the tournament,” adding that there are certain criteria that a girl must fulfil, before being selected for the team. She must be a resident of the NGO for at least one year. She also must be between 14-17 years old. He explains that it takes about a year to work with them, and the time helps the NGO arrange important documentation required for the girls to travel.

“It was very difficult, because the girls did not have IDs”, Singh says, adding that in order to make any identity proof for a minor, the parent’s ID proof is required as well-which is something that is very difficult with these kids, who have lived on the streets with their families.

It took a lot of running to and fro, to get the girls proper documentation and passports so they could travel for their tournaments.

The game of football was far removed from the daily reality that these kids have to face. Take the case of Shalini, a 17-year-old who was saved from child marriage. Or Tamizharasi, the 15-year old mid-off player, who didn’t know where her parents were. Or Nirosha, who lives in the shelter after her parents abandoned her as well as her two younger brothers. Today, they all want to make positive impacts on society, to alleviate the lives of children like them.

“It is indeed very fulfilling to see these children rise,” Singh shares, talking about the current coach of the football team who had come to Karunalaya and stayed there for years. The coach then decided to stay back to train the girls, and give them tips because giving back is very important!

Karunalaya Society continues to pursue the sport, as a means to help kids staying there. “There is a Cricket World Cup for street children, very similar to the football initiative. We aim to get a team ready, and win that tournament,” Singh concludes.

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As of now, the children at Karunalaya are basking in the experience of their Moscow trip, which went off very well. What’s more, during the event, the children even participated in a cultural initiative, showcasing Indian culture to the rest of the world. Through sports, Karunalaya has managed to help these kids who, given the circumstances they were in, would not have had a future.

All images courtesy: Karunalaya Centre for Street & Working Children. 

(Edited by Shruti Singhal)

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He is a brilliant strategist, an able analyst and now, a chess prodigy!

Raunak Sadhwani, a resident of Nagpur, has recently secured the title of an International Master (IM)! You’d think that this powerhouse of talent has had several years of training, practice and experience in championships, but Raunak is only a 12-year-old boy!

Raunak is the youngest IM from Maharashtra and the second IM from Nagpur. The first IM from Nagpur is Anup Deshmukh, who secured the title in 1999.

But what is IM and how did Raunak secure this title?

An IM title requires a player to clear three norms—high-level performance in a chess tournament—and to maintain an international rating of ‘Elo’ points.

Elo, named after its creator Arpad Elo is a method to calculate the relative skill levels of players in zero-sum games.

Raunak started his journey to clear these requirements at the age of 11 years and 7 months. During the Felix Cup tournament held in Romania from May 25-28 2018, he completed all three requisite norms to become an International Master.

Speaking to the Times of India about this fantastic achievement, Raunak said, “I am glad about my success. This IM title has given me a lot of self-belief and confidence.

But I don’t want to stop here, and will work harder now as my next aim is to become Grand Master soon and represent India in prestigious International events.”

Raunak is trained by two Grandmasters, Swapnil Dhopade and Amonatov Farrukh. Dhopade, incidentally, is the only Grandmaster from the Vidharbha region of Maharashtra. Speaking to TOI, he said, “Raunak came to me when he was 10. I realised that he is extremely talented and hardworking and has a bright future. To become an IM at such a young age is an amazing achievement. He worked really hard for this.”

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Balancing school and his training to maintain an international rating must undoubtedly be quite a challenge for Raunak. Elaborating on the support that Raunak receives from his parents, Bharat and Heena Sadhwani, Dhopade said, “A huge credit to his parents who always remained hopeful of his future. Parental support is the most important thing for [a] sportsman, and Raunak’s parents have always been there for him. I feel he will achieve greater things in life. The next step is the Grand Master title.”

Based on the way Raunak’s career is shaping up, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to say that he will definitely achieve the GM title. Young talents like Raunak have consistently made India proud, and we hope that his incredible success in a relatively short span of time will help the young prodigy soar higher.

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

Featured image source: Raunak Sadhwani.

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The contribution of a mother in nurturing and shaping her child’s life is undoubtedly one of the most precious and essential acts of nature for any living species.

From helping their children take their first steps, to remaining a pillar of support throughout their lifetimes, mothers have been undertaking this thankless responsibility with an unparalleled devotion and dedication, since time immemorial.

Other than having a family and responsibilities of their own, we also often come across mothers who involve themselves in shaping the lives of many other children and helping unlock their potential.

In collaboration with Seven Seas, The Better India partook in a Mother’s Day campaign that covered the stories of such amazing mothers who have been engaged in heartwarming and selfless pursuits to help other children reach greater heights in life while doing the same for their own kids.

Each of these real-life stories that featured one school teacher teaching kids from the streets; one adoption campaigner-activist; and one mother who rescues and shelters abandoned, young girls from streets; incorporated an immersive narrative to drive the attention of our readers and viewers towards the #UnlockPotential campaign.

At the end of each content piece, a Call-to-Action link was integrated to drive interested people to be part of the campaign in the form of an on-ground event scheduled to be held across four cities—Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi and Bengaluru—on May 13, to commemorate Mother’s Day.

The collective impact of the campaign, through its videos and in-depth articles, included a total reach of, 1,96,21,137 and a total engagement of 10,21,783.

The #UnlockPotential campaign culminated with the on-ground events being simultaneously organised in collaboration with Signal Shala, Sharanam and Shelter Don Bosco in Mumbai, Bal Seva orphanage in Delhi, Siragu Montessori school in Chennai and lastly, Sparsha Trust in Bengaluru on Mother’s Day.

Besides ensuring that young children from underprivileged factions of the society learnt new skills by participating in a variety of programmes like dance, painting and origami sessions, it was the involvement of many mothers from different walks of life and their interaction with these talented lot of children, that made the event a massive success.

Also part of the Mumbai event was actor Raveena Tandon, who is the brand ambassador of Seven Seas.

“It’s amazing to see this large group out here, without whom Seven Seas would have never been able to make such a huge impact all across India. Every single one of us has the power to change lives. In some way, we’ve managed to guide these kids towards their dreams—a thought that really excites me. Every child is talented in his or her own way and has the ability to achieve so much. All they need is a little bit of love and encourage and I’m sure they’ll accomplish amazing things,” she said at the event.

“I feel that most of us parents naturally spend time with our own kids but there are a lot of children who do not have parents and what we can do is that we could spend some time and share love with these kids as well,” says Zankhna Gogri, one of the mothers who attended the Mumbai event.

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

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Summer vacations have always been the months of playing outdoors, enjoying numerous ice creams and basically having fun the entire time. But what if, while having fun, your child could learn to be internet-savvy? They could explore the net, as they like, and also learn new things, all thanks to Google India.

Even though this phenomenal world of the Internet has brought the world to your doorstep, you also come across people who misuse it. As an aware (or woke, as is the new term) adult, you may know what to access and what to avoid. But what about kids?

Children, who hardly know a life without the Internet are susceptible to the misuse or ill-effects of the Internet.

To protect children from this downside, and to teach them to be responsible, Google India has launched a #SummerWithGoogle project for participants of the age group of 13 to 18 years. The search engine mega giant will involve the kids to explore culture, languages, wildlife, human life across the planet. They will be assigned four different projects spanning one week each. Participants are to log in for an hour every week because all assignments will be linked to the previous one.

If they succeed through all these assignments, Google has a special surprise in store.

Sunita Mohanty, Director, Google India, told Business Line,

“After four weeks, 100 children will be chosen along with an accompanying parent to visit our campus in either Delhi or Hyderabad to attend an interactive workshop.”

The project aims to teach young users of the Internet “how to be Internet Smart, Internet Alert, Internet Strong, Internet Kind and Internet Brave”.

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A little hint about the projects? You get to use cool apps like Google Earth and Google Art & Culture. The company wrote a letter to parents saying, “From exploring the country that is home to all the pandas in the world on Google Earth to saying gracias and por favor as you learn phrases in Spanish and other languages on Google Translate; taking dramatic virtual tours of museums to make your own gallery on Google Arts & Culture and ultimately building your very own app to share your summer experience.”

With so many applications to explore the world from, the #SummerWithGoogle project promises to be a worthwhile pursuit.

Want to join? Just click on the link here.

(Edited by Shruti Singhal)

Featured image for representation. Source.

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In the recent wake of the many horrific cases of child sexual abuse that have been exposed in the Indian media, there has been a widespread push to seek justice and see the perpetrators punished by law.

However, it is crucial to understand that these events have a profound psychological impact on the survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Research indicates a strong link between sexual abuse in childhood and a variety of mental illnesses such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, drug and alcohol dependence, bulimia and panic disorder.

Additionally, children who have been sexually abused are likely to have problems with regulating negative emotions such as hostility and helplessness which puts them at a greater risk for difficulties in subsequent romantic intimacy.

Picture for representation only. Source: Pixabay

In some cases of childhood sexual abuse, the act of sex is associated with revulsion, fear and other negative emotions, which may result in an aversion to all sex and intimacy.

Let me explain this with an example. One of my clients, a man in his mid-thirties, came to me because his wife claimed that she was moving out of their home. Having believed himself to be happily married at the time, he was shocked and was further perplexed when his wife accused him of being constantly argumentative, over-controlling and emotionally distant. He told me that he believed his marriage to have the regular ups and downs, but he didn’t realise that his wife was so unhappy.

As we talked further, he told me about his controlling father, his own naughtiness as a child, and his love of food. He spoke of a specific neighbour who would sneak him food every day, and later, started giving him toys and little gifts. In return, the five-year-old child was made to perform oral sex on his neighbour. By discussing this incident, and doing some further work with me, my client realised that his initial sexual experiences had left him afraid of intimacy.

Also read: We Must All Do Our Part to End Child Abuse, Here’s What You Can Do

Even as an adult, he never initiated sex because to him, that meant that he had to perform. With additional counselling and psychotherapy, he was able to see that it was okay to have sexual needs and that these needs could be met healthily.

He re-learnt touches and understood about the different kinds of touch. Now, he has acknowledged the impact of his childhood sexual abuse on his life and plays an important part in his own marriage.

Now, in India, there is often an additional societal component that accompanies the act of child sexual abuse, which is why these crimes are severely under-reported. In most cases of childhood sexual abuse, the abuser is someone who is known to the family. Often a close friend or family member, the perpetrator takes advantage of the child’s vulnerability to gain sexual gratification.

In several instances, the child does not understand that they are being abused, because the act is committed by a person that they trust. However, in some families, even when the survivor’s parents or other family members come to know about the incident(s) of abuse, it is hushed up and swept under the rug.

Sometimes, the cases of sexual abuse are even blamed on the victim, who is ostracised for ‘tempting’ the perpetrator, or ‘inventing’ a story of abuse in their mind in order to gain attention.

This situation is something that I have some experience with.

When I was very young, I was sexually abused by some family friends. As a young child who yearned for company and friendship, having the much older teenage siblings slip into my allotted room at night and physically touch me was something that I didn’t categorise as abuse.

The boy of the house began to drop into my room very often, and in my loneliness, despite my feelings of guilt, hurt and fear, I even looked forward to it because he told me that he loved me.

This abuse continued for seven long years. Once he moved out of his parents’ house, the abuse stopped, as did the romance. Looking back upon those years, I realised how he never mentioned the supposed love he had for me after he left.

I knew, later, that it had never existed, except as an excuse to win over my trust and take advantage of my childhood vulnerability. I didn’t tell anyone about these experiences, and it was only after I began to work on myself psychologically, by seeking support through counselling, that I was able to confront my hidden secret.

As I worked through it, I was able to tell my husband, daughters and brother-in-law about it, and their invaluable support and strength helped me immensely. It took me several more years to tell my mother. When I did, she reacted in exactly the way that I thought she would. She refused to believe me, laughed away my abuse, and belittled my experiences as naive.

While I’d expected her to deny it, it still hurt to know that my own mother would not choose to believe me. She made excuses for her friends and their children and said that they were just having some childhood fun.

However, I stood my ground. I told her that she had to believe me, and explained when it happened, how it happened and who did it. My mother responded by asking me why I never told her about it and that she would have confronted them then. To this I suggested we go confront them at that moment.

She was silent, and then expressed anger, and I didn’t hear back from her in weeks.

This attitude is a common reaction seen in family members to their child’s experience of abuse. Along with the trauma of the abuse, these responses can have a tremendous impact on the survivor’s mental health, and affect their behaviour in a myriad of ways.

It is, therefore, crucial to learn to recognise signs of childhood sexual abuse and ensure that any survivor get professional support.

Survivors of these traumatic events will be able to get the help that they need better when their loved ones stand behind them. If you or a loved one has been impacted by sexual violence, please find here a list of mental health professionals across India, who will be able to further guide your treatment and recovery.

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We often find students complaining about the work pressure at school. With over eight subjects to study and the burden of mugging up answers rather than understanding them correctly, they find it extremely difficult to cope with their exams. However, once they graduate from school, and step into the ‘real world,’ it becomes increasingly apparent to them that what they learned was mostly irrelevant.

In adult life, we have to unlearn the lessons learned in school and become competent in things that matter. Why then, do we not get an understanding of them in the school itself? Why is it that when we are in school, we are burdened with information that will rarely be used or needed?

Answering these questions, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is attempting to bring about a revolutionary change in the way students learn.

According to a report in India Today, Prakash Javadekar, the Minister of Human Resource Development (HRD) of India recently announced that the government has decided to cut out half of the current syllabus of NCERT!

At a press conference, Javadekar verbalised what many of us have been thinking for a long time. “Education is not just memorising and putting it down in [the] answer sheet. Education is comprehensive. To put to use one’s cognitive and analytical abilities—that is true education,” he said, adding that, “The NCERT syllabus is so cramped. Hence we have decided to reduce the syllabus by half.”

The Ministry has already received over 37,000 suggestions on how classes, subjects and lessons can be improved to teach students about life skills, value education and physical education.

According to the Minister, these suggestions are being worked upon, and we can look forward to systemic changes in the area of education, where students will get time for various activities.

These changes will include a greater focus on physical education as well as the inculcation of a reading habit in schoolchildren from a young age. Centrally-aided primary schools will get sports equipment worth Rs 5000, upper primary Rs 10,000 and SSC & HSC level schools Rs 25,000 each.
These schools will also get a library grant in the range of Rs 5000 to Rs 20,000, according to the HRD Minister.

The draft of the new National Education Policy will be tabled before the Union Cabinet by the end of this month, reported the Press Trust of India.

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Let’s hope that the updated syllabus will help schools facilitate the all-round development of students. In an educational system where a lot depends on the student’s ability to memorise answers, this proposal promises to take the burden off of their shoulders. If NCERT places emphasis not only on academic subjects but also on physical health and value education, students might just develop a new perspective towards schooling.

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

Featured image credits: Pinkcool07.

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Like every other country across the globe, India too follows the compulsory system of institutional schooling, and with the proliferation of schools and educational institutions in the country, it is imperative that these establishments effectively follow the decorum of the teaching-learning mechanism.

As an adult, I can confidently say that the guidance of the teachers and academicians I came into contact with during my formative years, shaped my cognisance, gave me life lessons and heightened my social awareness. I am sure that many would feel the same.

However, over the years, many ‘affiliated’ institutions have been straying away from the standards set by central education bodies, and these violations include illegal deviations from the guidelines, corporal punishments and even, irrational extortion of fees from students.

In order to crack down on educational institutions indulging in unfair practices, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is now showing no leniency. It has been slapping heavy fines following inspections and has even gone on to shut down such schools and institutions.

In Kollam, following a surprise inspection led by Mr Tarun Kumar, the CBSE Regional Officer, on Friday, a school was imposed a fine of ₹2 lakh for its poor infrastructure, unsafe classrooms and a slew of other unjust practices.

The fine amount is reportedly the highest ever in the country.

In a clear violation of CBSE guidelines, it was discovered that there were an additional 45 students being taught in classes 10 and 12, but none of them were registered students of the school. Additionally, students from other unaffiliated branches of the school were illegally included in its campus.

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“The school was running a unit of a private coaching centre within the campus. One tutor was even found taking coaching classes for entrance exams during school hours,” said a source to The New Indian Express.

The inspectors also found that the school was selling clothes and books via its staffers, at a price which was higher than what was printed. In addition to all this, the school lacked proper infrastructure—inadequate toilet facilities, poorly lit classrooms, and a dysfunctional computer lab in the primary section were just a few of the many issues.

Another school in Kollam was slapped with a fine of ₹50,000 for charging ₹150 to issue a transfer certificate and collecting a development fee from the students for the school society. Both the practices are illegal under the CBSE norms.

Currently, both institutions have been served notices by the CBSE regional office along with a 10-day period to come up with an explanation for these unruly and illegal practices. If there is no response, there is a possibility that the CBSE will severe its affiliation with both the schools.

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

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“I would like to ask them a question”, said a boy standing up from a sea of children in pink scarves. My co-fellow and I had just introduced ourselves to the Balsena, as we had to the many new faces and people we had been meeting in the past few days. One of his eyes was stitched up and the scars of a badly done surgery were visible on his face. Yet, the conviction in his voice made me search for the speaker. “What is your Dream?” he asked with one eye, looking straight at me. I was stumped.

Sitting in the middle of a dusty field in the slums of Kumbharwada, 4 kms on the outskirts of Bhavnagar, with 60 crackling kids and smoke arising from the pile of plastic being burnt right next to us, I was taken aback with the depth of the question. In the days since we arrived, I had heard stories of children being beaten up by teachers, bullied on the streets, pressured to work, pressured to study, fending for themselves, having no one listen to them amongst others.

Yet, here at Shaishav, I met children still curious to know more, willing to learn more, dreaming big and smiling from their hearts despite violence being a routine occurrence in their lives.

Balsena, literally meaning ‘Children’s Collective’ is the flagship program of Shaishav in Bhavnagar. It is run by the children, for the children, with Shaishav acting as a facilitator. Established in 2003, Balsena is open to all children, regardless of class, gender, caste or religion, and is centred on a child-participation approach – where children can experience the power of collective strength, learn to develop empathy for other children and support each other (see Hattersley & Atkinson 2011). The Children decide what they would like to learn about, discuss problems in their community, problem solve together, organise rallies and outings, amongst other things. Aged between 8-16 years, they are organised into teams (Balsena points) based on either their school or community. Each team holds a weekly meeting and participates in activities which focus on developing hard skills and soft skills.

The United Nations identifies children’s basic rights to be Right to Survival, Right to Development, Right to Protection and Right to Participation (see CRY 2017). While provisions in the Indian legal system like POCSO Act and RTE Act look at protecting the former three, the latter – Right to Participation – remains largely ignored.

Shaishav aims to bridge this gap through programs like the Balsena. Viewing ‘children leading change’, Shaishav hopes to enable in children the confidence to make their own decisions.

On my first day, I happened to witness a module on Child Rights being introduced to the Balsena. What was interesting though, was that it was not being ‘taught’ to the children. Two Youth Fellows were facilitating the session. These were children from the Balsena who had been trained to lead and conduct the module, the weekend before. “Let’s decide among ourselves what are the five essential things we need in our lives” said the fellow, and I listened in on what the groups were discussing.

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“Money can buy anything” said one boy with utmost seriousness. “Therefore it is critical to our survival”. “But it doesn’t buy clean air or water” interrupted another. “Clothes are most important, otherwise how will you go out and work to earn money?” added another.

I watched the children debate their rights in smaller and then larger groups. They went on to play a game of snakes and ladders, integrated with child right pictures in it. Every time my piece landed on a picture, the children chimed in to describe the scene and what right it stood for. “Look, the girl is sitting on the side while the males in the family are served and eat first. This is not right. She should get nutritious wholesome food also, and not just leftovers. This goes in her right to survival.” And on went the game with each picture being categorised, debated and imbibed.

I wish I had known these rights as a child. I remembered the subtle gender dynamics in my family where girls would be called to help lay out the dishes as the boys continued watching television. While it was never explicitly stated that girls had to help out in household work, these forms of inequality persisted, and I internalised them into my idea of a family structure. Till much later, I never learnt to question them.

To be able to identify gender dynamics and spot subtle gender roles in the family and other environments can be extremely tricky, and it is even more challenging to teach children how to recognise it. But through games like this, it is possible. Here, children were being taught to identify specific scenarios, question what they saw and learned, and place this knowledge within a framework.

The children were being encouraged to think for themselves and stand up for what they believed in. They were learning to form opinions. A rally organised by the children in their communities yesterday was testament to that.

Shouting slogans against tobacco and alcohol, the children marched in the lanes of their neighbourhood, their voices resonating through the alleys and bringing people to their doorsteps.

Shaishav and its work through Balsena, demonstrate that children are capable of asking questions and taking charge of their own lives, if they are equipped with the right set of knowledge, values, direction and mentorship to do so.

Initially stumped by the boy’s question, I think I have my answer now.

My dream is to be able to watch each child find their voice, explore their curiosity and work towards making this world a more peaceful, green, harmonious and better place to live.

(Written by Maitreyi. Edited by Vinayak Hegde)

Maitreyi is an AIF Clinton Fellow currently working at Shaishav in Bhavnagar, Gujarat. She pursued her postgraduate degree in Psychology from Ambedkar University, Delhi. After a short stint as an Event Associate with Little Black Book, she joined Vasant Valley School (Delhi) as a Special Educator. Here, she spent her time creating Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) for children with autism and Down syndrome and made use of a multi-sensory approach in teaching. Being interested in alternative education, she has volunteered at organizations such as SECMOL in Ladakh and Marpha Foundation in Nepal, where she employed activity based learning in the classroom. A trained Bharatnatyam dancer, she is keen to explore different mediums of teaching. Through the AIF Clinton Fellowship, she also hopes to build her own understanding of the myriad ways in which children learn and assimilate knowledge. In her free time, she loves to travel, read and bake.

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Apart from watching cartoons, fussing over homework and making plans with friends, the 10-year-old me had very few other concerns in life, and I am quite sure at that age, most of us were in the same boat!

But Kasibhatta Samhitha from Telangana was not a regular child. She cleared the Class 10 board exams with a GPA of 8.8 when she was a 10-year-old, and now, six years later, she has achieved the rare accomplishment of becoming the state’s youngest ever female engineer.

“I cleared Class 10 at the age of 10 yrs. I secured a GPA of 8.8 in 10th and 89 percent in Intermediate,” Samhitha told ANI.

The young girl started displaying prodigious abilities right from the age of three when her parents discovered that she could memorise the capitals of different countries around the world.

After appearing for the board exams, Samhitha reached out to the state government expressing her desire to pursue engineering.

Ideally, in India, the education system requires an individual to reach a certain age so that they can meet the eligibility criteria. This was the case for Samhitha as well, but because of her exceptional talent, the rules were relaxed for her by the state government, and she chose to pursue a degree in Electrical and Electronics engineering.

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And even here, she scored a GPA of 8.85!

Samhitha’s achievement is indeed praiseworthy, and the young woman now plans to work in the power sector. “I want to get into the sector to serve the country and bring it at par with rest of the world,” she said.

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

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In 2015, 29-year-old Ruchi Dhona was a corporate professional, and after a hectic five-day work week, she would spend her weekends thinking about where her life was headed. After several conversations with herself, she decided to take charge of her life and began volunteering with Navjyoti India Foundation, an NGO in Bhondsi, Gurgaon.

As per its website, the NGO envisions to challenge the socio-economic inequalities and enable the vulnerable sections of the society towards the goal of self-reliance. The NGO works for multiple causes including education, youth empowerment, and community development.

Ruchi had been volunteering with the NGO for almost six months when one day she peeped through the window of a shut room and saw piles of books covered in cobwebs and dust. Her heart fluttered, her cheeks went hot with excitement, and it was thanks to stumbling upon a library full of books, that she found her life’s calling.

Ruchi had no experience in running a library but had always loved books.

She dusted the pages, and using jigsaw puzzles and sweet talk, she coaxed the children playing outside the campus of the NGO to leave their outdoor games and spend some time reading the books.

The children were initially indifferent, but Ruchi was surprised by how quickly things turned around. They became regular visitors and ended up spending a lot of time looking at and reading books. On Saturdays, they would help out with things like cleaning the space, sorting out books etc. There were two boys who pedalled 10 km on their bicycle every weekend, just to get books issued!

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Ruchi was inspired, and in her bid to take the initiative further, she raised funds from her alma mater’s (St Xavier’s College, Kolkata) alumni network and hired a librarian for two hours a day at Rs 2,500 a month. Now the library was accessible every day of the week. Looking back, Ruchi says that even though it was her passion for books that triggered the idea; it was the enthusiasm of the kids that carried the project forward.

Consequently, Ruchi started visiting government schools in the area, to get an idea about the reading habits of the children.

Teachers would roll their eyes when they would spot her, but an unexpected development changed things.

The Education Department declared Saturdays as ‘no bag’ days, and clueless about to do if not teach from the text, the teachers became open to Ruchi’s idea of reading sessions. That is how every Saturday she began reading out books and telling stories to school children.

In 2016, she applied for Social Entrepreneurship Award run by Bain & Company, the management consulting firm where she was working, and to her immense happiness, she won it!

Ruchi received an amount of Rs 1 lakh, deposited the sum with the NGO and set out to chalk a plan for the library.

First, she realised that there was a need for simpler books for first-generation learners. She carefully selected some English, Hindi and bilingual books that in addition to being relatable, could rouse the curiosity of the kids. Foldable kits with one hundred and fifty books were made ready.

After that, Ruchi decided that it would be best if children ran the library. She identified the following eight government schools, in Sohna district, Gurgaon:

1. Khedla Girls Primary School
2. Khedla Boys Primary School
3. Ghamroj Girls Primary School
4. Alipur Boys Primary School
5. Abheypur Girls Primary School
6. Damdama Primary School
7. Palda Primary School
8. Behelpa Primary School

She selected three children per school and hired a trainer, who over the course of six workshops trained them on how to manage the library. These children would spread out the kits two days in a week, and a register which would function as a log book.

Ruchi also put a system in place as per which when the selected children graduated from primary to senior school, they would train their younger counterparts, so that the library continued to function, uninterrupted. She also got a few teachers to help out.

Reassured that the plan was in place and nothing could go wrong, Ruchi left the reigns in the hands of the NGO.

Unfortunately, once she returned after a few months, she found out that they were back to square one.

The teachers she had relied upon had been moved to other schools, the cobwebs had returned, and children had forgotten the existence of the library.

“Even though the folks at the NGO folks were trying, they didn’t have the expertise to run a library. There was no shortage of resources, what was lacking was someone who would utilise and manage those resources fully,” says Ruchi.

Ruchi decided to start from scratch once again and launched the ‘Let’s Open a Book (LOAB)’ initiative. By now some of her seniors and colleagues at work were inspired by the project and had expressed their willingness to contribute, so Ruchi decided that she would drive the project, with the help of volunteers.

The initiative won the social entrepreneurship award again in 2017. After obtaining the prize money and the confidence of the Government school teachers, Ruchi decided to open a full-fledged library in each school once again.

Setting up the libraries was just a starting point, and the team quickly realised that the books needed to be regularly updated. The team, therefore, decided to use funds to procure more books and get storytellers on board. Ruchi realised that getting volunteers and storytellers was an essential task.

Funds are not the only essential component for the success of LOAB—she needs people on the ground and committed to the mission.

It is not an easy task to find such people, but she also knows that many youngsters like her are looking for a more meaningful life.

Like twenty-three-year-old Lavanya, a volunteer, says, “You can only party this much. There has to be a larger purpose.” For twenty-two-year-old Aakash who is supervising the painting work at Government Primary school in Damdama, there is another reason. “Having come from a small village in McLeodganj, this is my way of staying connected to my roots,” he says.

Ruchi will be off to Spiti Valley this month. In her last trip, she had dispatched kits to seven Government schools in the area. This time she wants to ensure children open those books, and plans to train the teachers in storytelling.

Do you want to come along or help in any way?

Those who wish to volunteer/donate can contact Ruchi at 8826259052 or email at teamloab@gmail.com. Follow their facebook page here.

(Written by Manmeet Narang)

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A grass species native to India, the vetiver or Chrysopogon Zizanioides has many purposes to serve.

From stabilising soil and preventing erosion to the usage of oil procured from its roots in cosmetics and ayurvedic products, the unassuming vetiveru, as it is known in Tamil, is a wonder plant which has various uses across the country.

But did you know that this grass has air-purifying abilities that could be implemented to tackle air pollution?

We assume that you did not and neither did we until we chanced upon this Class 6 student from Chennai, whose path-breaking innovation of a nose mask with vetiver filters was capable of helping one breathe easily even amidst vehicular emission scale pollution!

Arul Srivastva is a student of Vana Vani Matriculation Higher Secondary School located in the IIT Madras campus.

He has always been intrigued with plants and often spends time researching about the properties of any new plant he comes across.

Arul’s interest with nature sprouted young with homegrown inspiration straight from his grandfather, V Muthukrishnan, a civil engineer who began farming after over 35 years of government service and retired as the Chief General Manager of Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS).

Arul’s mother, Dr M Vijaya, told The Better India, “This became even more pronounced when his school kickstarted an environment-centric initiative named ‘Greendom’ three years ago, under which projects and activities were given to students to help them connect with nature.”

In 2016, the eco-club entailed students to come up with ideas to tackle pollution, and a curious Arul’s mind started looking for ideas. Interestingly, vetiver had always been used at his home as an addition to water or hair oil for its medicinal properties, and suddenly he wanted to know what else this grass could do.

“After relentlessly researching about vetiver, Arul found that not only did it have air purifying properties but also that curtains were being made out of the grass to keep a tab on the pollutants in the air. This led him to wonder, why couldn’t the same methodology be incorporated to something like a nose-mask,” Vijaya explains.

That had been the beginning. But the grass had to be contained as a filter that could be used in a mask, solutions for which drove the entire family looking in all corners.

“Because of the close semblance that vetiver had with bamboo, we zeroed down on weaving the grass and approached bamboo screen weavers to learn the process. Such was his passion in making the project a reality that Arul himself wove the filter with the help of the railing in our balcony. His project went on to receive great appreciation from his school authorities, who further motivated us to send his findings to the National Innovation Foundation with Dr APJ Abdul Kalam IGNITE Awards in mind,” she adds.

To further corroborate the functionality of Arul’s anti-pollution mask, his parents even took him to an automobile pollution-testing centre at a petrol pump in Thiruvanmiyur. She explains, “We noted emission readings from both two and four-wheeler vehicles before and after fixing the filter to their exhaust pipes. There was a stark difference in the readings which we sent out to NIF.”

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The Ahmedabad-based Foundation, which is an autonomous body under the Department of Science and Technology, invites children from across the country to send their innovative ideas to motivate budding scientists and innovators.

“Our happiness knew no bounds when we received a letter from them after three months that said Arul’s innovation was accepted by NIF, which meant that his vetiver mask was credible and would be documented by the foundation,” Vijaya shares, happily.

Based on what the young genius has inferred from his study, the same grass filter when scaled up could play a defining role in filtering the polluting emissions from the chimneys of factories and automobile manufacturers.

It is incredible how children like Arul come up with extraordinary ideas and innovations that incorporate rudimentary resources yet have a path-breaking impact. Given the frightening levels of air pollution in our cities, his idea could give a new lease of life to the countless people suffering from respiratory conditions and ailments.

To know more, you can reach out to Dr M Vijaya at 9840576485.

(Edited by Shruti Singhal)

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The FIFA World Cup fever has gripped the world, and every football fan worth their salt is watching the matches religiously. But, did you know that football can also be used to make a positive impact?

It can help pursue developmental goals like education, promotion of good health, peace-building, social integration and youth leadership. And, exhibit football passion, cultural diversity and the principle of fair play. Such is the goal of the FIFA Foundation Festival.

And four kids from Bengaluru will be attending it, thanks to Dream a Dream, a Bengaluru-based initiative.

Dream a Dream has been involved with thousands of youngsters aged 8-15 years for the last 18 years. The initiative uses football as a medium to impart and develop critical life skills among these kids. The project is part of their After School Skills Development Programme and focuses on supplementing regular academic schooling activities with sports, creative arts and outdoor experiential camps.

Around two lakh young people have been impacted by the initiative, thanks to their programmes like the After School Life Skills Programme, the Teacher Development Programme, and the Career Connect Project.

The four promising young footballers from Bengaluru are Amreen Taj, Sandeep Akash, Vishnu R and Manasa Yadav. The kids study in low-cost private and government schools and will be part of the 48 delegations from across the globe to attend this festival.

The festival itself will be held in Moscow and will bring representatives from 38 nations to the FIFA World Cup to exchange, learn and play football. The event will run from 23rd June to 3rd July 2018, with a football tournament and awards ceremony taking place, on 30th June, in Moscow’s iconic Red Square.

Via the festival, the kids will hopefully broaden their knowledge of values and life skills, both social and practical. The festival will include games, cultural presentations, capacity-building workshops, and sessions on social development through football.

Dream a Dream held a rigorous screening process to find four promising kids. The selected candidates will be accompanied by Anita R, the young leader for the delegation who will focus the team’s energies on preparing for the festival.

She is optimistic, and speaks of the excited children who are eager to attend the festival in Russia. She explains that the kids haven’t travelled to Russia before, and will experience many different cultures, and interact with communities from the world over. The delegation leader rounds off by saying that they hope to bring back all the valuable learning, and use it to give back to the communities here at home.

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Kudos to Dream a Dream, for empowering young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to overcome adversities and helping them thrive in an ever-changing world, using a creative life-skills approach. Here’s hoping that the children have the best of learning and fun with the Beautiful Game!

(Edited by Shruti Singhal)

All Images Courtesy: Dream a Dream

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September 2nd, 2017 was a regular work day for Dr Sunay Bhat— a laparoscopic surgeon based in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. At that time, he was working as a surgical consultant in a Christian charity hospital in Coimbatore and also ran a private clinic.

Dr Bhat was winding up for the day when he received a call from a nurse. A 13-year-old girl had been diagnosed with peritonitis—an inflammation of the abdominal lining caused by bacterial infection or the rupture of an abdominal organ. She needed to be operated upon urgently, and Dr Bhat was the doctor for the job.

Speaking to The Better India, Dr Bhat said, “I regularly drive a Honda two-wheeler to work. The shortest route takes about 14 km from my regular workplace to the mission hospital, and I left the hospital at 5 pm.

I looked up and noticed that the dark clouds had taken over the entire sky. It was only a matter of time it would rain heavily.”

Its human nature to avoid a long commute when you see dark skies in the evening; more so when you are riding on a two-wheeler. The chances of getting caught in the pouring rain and being drenched to the bone, and perhaps even getting into an accident, just cannot be ignored. Similar thoughts were floating in Dr Bhat’s mind, but he decided to take his chances and started going towards the hospital.

“I had only travelled 2 km when it started raining heavily, and within a minute, I was fully wet,” Dr Bhat said, adding that “It was difficult to see the road ahead. Cars and trucks were passing by, and people gathered around bakeries, grocery stores, bus stops for shelter. I looked around to hire a cab or auto, but none would stop.”

He waited there for 15 more minutes, hoping that the rain would stop, but that didn’t happen. Thinking about his patient, who was in distress, Dr Bhat started his commute to the hospital again.

“I decided to take a chance and drive myself amidst the heavy rain and water clogged uneven roads. I must admit, the thoughts of my family waiting back home crossed my mind as I feared some mishap on the way. But I knew this road well, each pothole or speed breaker. All I needed to do was drive carefully.”

After over an hour of riding in unmerciful rains, Dr Bhat finally reached the hospital, soaking and tired. But he quickly changed into his scrubs, and without wasting any time, he and his team got to work and performed a successful laparoscopic appendectomy.

The patient’s parents thanked the kind doctor for having saved their daughter. The fact that he had driven over 14 kms in heavy rains only to operate on their daughter was not lost on them.

Right after the surgery, Dr Bhat decided to go back home. There were no more patients waiting at the hospital, and the rains had let up as well. However, as soon as he took to the road, the skies played a joke on him.

“It started raining heavily again, and home was still a good 10-11 km away. By now, I decided not to feel bad about it and was enjoying the drive,” says Dr Bhat. Pleased with the fact that he had saved a 13-year-old girl from a dangerous infection, even if it meant riding in heavy rains, Dr Bhat continued his journey home with a smile on his face.

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“There was a sense of an overwhelming feeling of satisfaction which seldom crosses my mind consciously. There were at least three strangers I on the way, who asked for a lift, and I happily obliged. The last person even enquired if I had eaten and asked me to drive safe.”

It is heartwarming to see that the doctor helped so many people on a day when he could have happily enjoyed a cup of tea inside his home. Not only did he potentially save a life, but he also helped strangers get home safe and sound.

“We live in a time where doctors are often judged, criticised and punished. Like many others, I too have experienced the transition in the patient’s faith in our fraternity. Our work is still sacred, and we should never lose heart. Each one of us is destined for a higher cause, and as doctors, we must utilise every single opportunity to help the needy,” signs off Dr Bhat.

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

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