Wednesday, April 7, 2010

TIMES OF INDIA, 2008

Kids at Jeevan Mukt Nishulak Vidyalaya

Publication: Times Of India Chandigarh;
Date: Jan 8, 2008;
Section: Times Chandigarh;
Page Number: 22

A step to gift virtues of education

TIMES NEWS NETWORK Chandigarh: Sitting at one place is difficult for nineyear-old Sunil, his roaming eyes frequently meet children of his age and a smile spreads on his face. “A for apple, B for boy”... he tries to understand what is being said but with little success. He-a part of the bunch of kids who are attending a class run by an NGO, Jeevan Mukt Nishulak Vidyalaya-is trying to learn as well as write. This class was a runaway hit from the very first day as 65 kids got enrolled on Monday and many more parents are lining up to send their wards. So what if it is being run in an open area and on the name of a classroom there is just a small blackboard and few illustrated charts hanging from the wall of Santsar Gurdwara, Sector 38 (West) from where this makeshift school is running. Sitting on a tattered mat, children, aged between 4 to 10 years, who previously used to wander aimlessly in a slum area adjacent to gurdwara are now learning to read and write. And in this endeavour, teenager Salma, a resident of the same locality is lending them a helping hand. Those who are willing and show some spark go to a school running inside the gurdwara. Presently, there are 50 students in pre-nursery class in the school; donors take care of their expenses. For a higher secondary school pass out like Salma, its a way of doing social service as well as earning something for herself. She is one of the few people who are educated in the locality. Appealing to the public to come forward to help these children, the founder president Mansa Ram Ahuja said, “Retired personS and housewives should come forward and join hands to bring about some change in the society.” Various NGOs are also championing the cause of these children of lesser gods. Zulfiqar Khan who runs an NGO Theatre Age said, “Such endeavours are our way to do something for these children, who are otherwise very talented and can excel in their lives with little support.” “It makes sense if grown up children are given vocational training. In this way they would be able to earn and become a responsible citizen,” Zulfiqar added.

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