|
Young World
Children of the mountains
SWAHILYA
|
For the children of Ukhimath, school is the best entertainment.
|
Photo: Swahilya
Eager learners: They love to study.
For many of us, going to school may not always be fun. But in Ukhimath, a village nestling in the snow-capped Himalayas, school is the only form of entertainment. These first-generation learners trek over five kilometres to school.
I was a traveller without a plan, and I was invited to teach at the Swami Pranavananda Vidya Mandir. Knowing that I am from Chennai, the children learnt to say “Vanakkam Ma’am”, “Nandri Ma’am”, in greeting and saying thank you! They were soon asking me about Marina Beach, Kapaleeswarar Temple, Kanyakumari. Places they had learnt about from their Geography books!
It was December 12 and I got an SMS about Rajnikanth’s birthday. A student of Std. V looked up his Social Studies book and showed me a photograph of the filmstar, listed among famous people. Aakash Rana of Std. VII made a beautiful piece of artwork in his crafts class for me!
Enthusiasm
Going by the enthusiasm to learn and their capacity to grasp what is being taught, it is difficult to identify them as first in their families to go to school. “Surya Asth Pahad Masth (When the sun sets, the mountains go berserk!),” a teacher quotes to describe the condition of most the families. The parents are poor, mothers have to work hard to earn a living while fathers are often addicted to alcohol. All the studying that the children do is at school. Yet, they love Ukhimath, studying with a backdrop of snow-clad mountains and floating clouds. They have their classes in the corridor sitting on dhurries and sometimes walk to the park nearby to write their exams if the classroom is too cold! Every day as their songs and their studies ring out over the mountainside, they remember the rest of India!
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Young World
|
