The Hindu : Front Page : Queen Rania charms Delhi slum children, teachers

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Mar 11, 2006

Front Page

Front Page

Queen Rania charms Delhi slum children, teachers

Staff Reporter

Jordan Queen seemed perfectly at home "The children all ran up to her with their books asking her to see their art work. She said the children were very enthusiastic"

A DAY WITH ROYALTY: Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan interacting with children from the slums at Kusumpur Pahari in New Delhi on Friday. The Queen sat among the children at the Ritanjali Alternative Learning Centre and watched a class in progress. — PHOTO: R.V. MOORTHY.

NEW DELHI: It was certainly not a place for a queen. With open drains and narrow streets and garbage strewn all round, Kusumpur Pahari, a slum behind Vasant Vihar here, is hardly the field visit of choice for international celebrities. But Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan seemed perfectly at home on Friday during a visit to the Ritanjali Alternative Learning Centre.

She sat with the children and observed how they interacted with the teachers, and also looked at the artwork done by the students.

"The children all ran up to her with their books asking her to see their art work. She said the children were very enthusiastic. She also thought the way we were teaching the children was very innovative," Sushma Tyagi, head of the centre, said.

The centre provides more than 150 children, most of whose parents are daily wage labourers, the opportunity to learn almost at their doorsteps. One of the 3,000-odd centres set up by non-governmental organisations, the Delhi Government and the UNICEF, it aims to give them a shot at a better life.

It was a big day for the children, and most of them were busy debating what the "Rani" would wear.

While tiny Gayatri, who was dressed in a red "ghagra-choli," believed that the Queen would wear a skirt, there were a few who hoped their fairytale versions would come true.

"Queens usually wear long frocks, and a crown on their head. But I don't think that she will wear a crown; someone might steal it. Maybe she will come on a helicopter. Then we will be able to see it up close," said Yoginder wistfully.

However, Queen Rania wore green trousers and a long beige coat, and walked through the narrow lanes.

She spent 20 minutes interacting with the children and teachers, and planted a sapling near the centre.

"She was really interested. The first thing she asked me was if this education would help the kids earn a living. I was very impressed. She immediately made all the connections. Her social work background really shows," Arun Kapoor, Chairman of Ritanjali, said.

While she might not have been a "Rani" straight out of fairytales, she managed to do what even the representatives of the area have failed to do — make the children and the residents feel that they mattered.

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