When a 96.89 in CAT didnt get me a call frm d elite B-schools.. something else abt me, apparently, was gud enuf for me 2 get a call.. frm Teach India. If u remember it was an initiative undertaken by TOI arnd July last year.. wer u cud collaborate wid an NGO n teach d underprivileged kids.. well i was called 4 an orientation, but i cudn make it as 7th Sem Msts wer on.. however i called up d NGO later n dey put me on d waiting list. In Jan dey got bak 2 me as der was a slot available at a municipal school in Worli.. unfortunately not Dadar.. wich i had given as first preference in d form. Still, i tuk it up.. n now my Saturday mornings r spent in travelling 2 d beautiful Worli side of town (i love dat area).. n transforming in2 a Std 1 teacher!
Its not as formal as it appears.. i dress like im goin 2 coll.. i dun hav 2 giv homework or act like Hitler.. jst spend one hour wid d children.. read out stories in English, translate in Hindi n make dem understand, teach nursery rhymes.. u cud say Im an English Prof :D the kids r arnd 5 yrs old.. belong 2 d worli village slum area.. n r well taken care of by d NGO.. jst like d school.. dat goes by d name "LoveGrove".. b4 u get ne ideas.. LoveGrove is a sewage pumping plant next 2 Atria!
I wasnt nervous coz Im pretty gud wid kids.. my usual restless persona takes a backseat n a more subdued 'me' takes over wen Im arnd dem.. but i hadnt envisaged a grp of 25 even more restless tots.. rushing n moving all over d room like a swarm of bees! Ders another volunteer who takes one cls while i teach d rest.. a guy workin wid Future Grp.. must be in his 30s.. yet one of my girl students asked me on d 1st day.. wid a beaming smile.. "Kya woh aapke husband hain?" Yeesh :))
Its heartening 2 find a Christina, Gayatri, Venkat, Vivek and Osama (yes der is a kid by dat name.. hes one of d most sincere n cute ones in d batch!) togethr, bending over a jigsaw puzzle or pointing out d odd man out frm a grp of pictures.. d innocence at dat age is sumthing, Im sure we all miss. Its not without a dab of 'nottyness' though; 1 time, a few boys undressed a doll : .. n wen d kids hav had enuf of 'studies'.. d boys show me der little finger n a toothy grin.. d girls sit in d corner n pretend 2 cry.. riight! Its been 3 months since dis started.. its still a lotta fun.. my sis sure gets J if i talk abt wat hpnd 'at cls'!.. i jst hope dat des cuteheart Slumkids get a chance 2 be Millionares some day..
Signing off
