Kerala - Kochi   

Souhrdam camp: where education meets fun

KOCHI: Fun, frolic and fiesta are the words that would aptly describe the experience at Souhrdam camp. An initiative by the Rajagiri College of Social Sciences and the Community Aid and Sponsorship Programme (CASP), these camps are a four-day carnival for children where education meets fun.

Two students from the Mudra Institute of communications, Ahmedabad, Komal Lath and Rajeesh Rajagopalan are internees with CASP. They conducted some research into the annual Souhrdam camps. As part of their research they visited three villages—Edavanakad, Kunnamkulam and Malayinkeezh, near Kothamangalam and spoke to the children, teachers, participants and volunteers who attended the camp. The camps were held from March to June in all the 14 districts of the State.

“As we spoke to people in the three villages around Ernakulam, we were in for a pleasant surprise at the striking confidence levels of the children,” said Ms. Lath. Breaking the monotony of school, this camp is a platform for children to shed their inhibitions. It also provided them with an opportunity to explore newer avenues and develop their personality.

The camps, based on the ‘gurukulam’ model, are a great platform for children. During the camp, they interact and compete with children from different schools in their vicinity. Every camp is centred on a theme and this year it was “media”.

Children enjoyed the on-stage activities like singing and dancing. It helped them shed their stage fear and gave them the confidence to perform/talk in front of people. The cooking sessions also attracted many students. The main objective of the camp is to inculcate a sense of confidence in them to overcome shyness and take initiatives.

The camps also inculcated a sense of sportsmanship in them, through games and other activities, said Mr. Rajagopalan. When asked about the best thing that they liked about the camp, one of them replied, “It was the first time that I could dance with my teachers.”

At Souhrdam camps, the students are given the freedom to explore and find their areas of interests, with teachers acting as facilitators. Teachers here are seen as elders with whom children could open up and speak their heart out without any fear.

After these events, the children started participating in more extra-curricular activities at schools. Binu, a sixth standard student from Malayinkeezh, recently won a few scholarships and science-quiz competitions. “It is a platform for me to become like my role model former President A.P.J Abdul Kalam,” he said.

M.P. Antony, the project director of CASP, said that the theme ‘media’ was aptly chosen since the media’s role is getting bigger with time.

“Camps like Souhrdam help the students to come out of their shells and explore their talents,” Mr. Antony said. The unique aspect of the Rajagiri-CASP tie-up is that they are built around the principle of participation and sustainability. The community is helped and encouraged to network with other agencies and government bodies, and establish linkages .

CASP has so far helped 4,500 children find sponsors in Kerala.

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