A Larger Heart than Mine

This happened around a month back. It was my cousin’s wedding and I was on my way to the destination. Dressed in all our finery, me, my mother and sisters were busy talking among ourselves and were thoroughly enjoying our little trip in our comfortable air-conditioned car.

When we reached the crossing at Park Street, there was, as usual, a traffic jam, and so we had to stop there for a while. It was then that a small child of around 10, selling luxuriant bunches of roses, began tapping at our window. Now, anyone living in Calcutta knows what I am talking about- you see these children at most busy crossings, trying their best to sell you something in order to eke out a living. We were too busy to notice him in the beginning… He, however, did not rest until he’d drawn our attention towards himself.

We saw that the flowers he was selling were really fresh but it was sad that my dad being in another car, we had absolutely no money on ourselves. My mother thus rolled down her window, looked at the boy and told him that despite admiring the flowers a lot, she wouldn’t be able to buy them and thus, he shouldn’t be wasting his time on us. The boy refused to budge and thrust a bunch in through the window. My mother returned the bunch, repeating we had no money and suggesting that maybe if he approached another car, he might manage to sell one.

The child then did something that touched each one of us in a way very few things do. As the traffic lights turned green, he thrust the bunch into my mother’s hand, asking her to keep it, for free, saying just one simple sentence- “Rakh lijiye. Aapko achha laga na?”. Not listening to our protests, the child walked away, leaving the bunch with us.

This got us all thinking…How much time do we all spend haggling with the grocery store owner, the sabjiwallahs, the fruit sellers or even other street vendors, for as little as five or ten bucks? And here was this little boy, with hardly any money in his pocket who had just humbled us all by giving us a whole bunch of roses simply because my mother had liked them… This, despite him knowing how much he could have earned had he sold the bunch to someone else…

My heart reaches out to him, and so many others like him, who, by their simple deeds, not only touch hearts, but also prove to be more educated than all of us “educated” ones… and who have larger hearts than we do…

Sonam Chamaria

CRY volunteer

Rabindra Sadan's Bijoy

Before starting anything I would like to say something. All the information provided was collected by me during the period of May – July when I was on vacation in Kolkata doing my internship at CRY. Every day when I used to go for internship I had to get down at Rabindra Sadan and walk half a kilometre to Rabindra Sadan. While walking on the pavement I saw a child about 5 years of age begging while sitting on his mother’s lap. I noticed it about for a fortnight and then unable to control myself interacted with them.
In the meantime I regularly gave him some monetary help but I doubt that really helped their living. The mother and the child were well accustomed with my face because I generally used to pass by that place at the same time. But when they saw no monetary help came from my side and instead I sat down, they were a bit offended. The mom said, “You also came to take some photographs and write something about me and then publish it anywhere. Are we things to be played with or display items kept for window shopping?” I said in a quiet manner, “The person whom I am helping every day, I have come to be friends with them”. Saying this I handed a cake to the child and asked his name. In reply he said his name was “Bijoy” which means victory. But he never knew his name had a great irony hidden. A broad smile came on the child’s face. I was really pleased to see this. Then the first thing I said was that where do they stay all through the night. The mom promptly replied they live just inside of the Rabindra Sadan Mancha behind the staircase, and during the rains they had to shift in the Nandan Theatre ground. It was really a shocking reply for me. After sleeping on a cosy bed and getting every luxury of my life at my fingertips it was really a very bad dream to me when I thought their way of living!
I then asked them what they have in the whole day. The mom started shedding her tears and pointed to a “muriwala”, and then says she remained starved most of the days but she ensures that her child gets atleast something to eat. The mom buys “muri” from that person and somedays when the “muriwala” earns a good amount of revenue gives them some amount of free “muri” which the mom eats. The food that the child eats does not amount to 1230 kcalories.
And it was really foolish of me to ask that whether the child goes to any school or not. The mom said that the child might not know even the meaning of school and it was pretty natural. After this interaction I went away giving a packet of biscuit to the child. The child seemed to be happier but the mom who showed her management skills and kept the packet aside for the latter part of the day.

Debangshu Dinda
CRY Intern
KIIT Law School

Experince during a movie shoot on inclusive education

It is not an every day opportunity that you get to experience getting permission from a school to shoot them. I was one of the lucky few to get a first hand experience of taking permission and shooting the school without any inhibitions from their part. I am grateful to Patha Bhavan School for their cooperation with me.

One interaction can leave a deep mark with its simple message. At the school when I was shooting the kids, I could see the inclusiveness among all of them. The fact that I had to shift them from one place to another for the shoot was well coordinated and cooperated among the students to be interviewed with Rashmi (100% blind studies in a mainstream school).

They were not ‘helping’ her out, but simply holding each others hand and walking as any of us would with our friends! It was wonderful to know the very words of a teacher who is not a special educator but is a constant guide to Rashmi as any other student in the class. These particular words “she is like any other student for me” reverberates in my mind whenever I wonder why doesn’t everyone think and feel the same. I saw inclusive education in front of my eyes and wondered why do we have to talk about it and mobilise it? Isn’t it something very normal?

Soon, I realized it is not an obvious fact because most talk about the need for special schools. I believe the movie on Inclusive Education on behalf of the Campaigners for Inclusion will help people think otherwise and build a strong and effective public opinion.

Shooting Shampa di and Rashmila was sheer fun because they were like family members whom you just go and say what you need and they follow it up.

Kinshuk’s shoot was a part of the awareness program arranged by Sruti DisAbility Rights Centre where volunteers, teachers, disabled people shared their views. Both Rashmi and Kinshuk were present at the program and their precise yet simple words were enough to enrich one.

It is always true that when you know about one’s experiences, it tends to make a greater impact than theoretically reading up issues. When Kinshuk spoke about his life at a mainstream school and how it’s only because of the inclusiveness that he is a successful web designer today, I got a push. A push to spread the message to everyone and tell them- come ahead, broaden your mind, we are one!

Payal Sen

CRY Intern

Experince during a movie shoot on inclusive education

It is not an every day opportunity that you get to experience getting permission from a school to shoot them. I was one of the lucky few to get a first hand experience of taking permission and shooting the school without any inhibitions from their part. I am grateful to Patha Bhavan School for their cooperation with me.

One interaction can leave a deep mark with its simple message. At the school when I was shooting the kids, I could see the inclusiveness among all of them. The fact that I had to shift them from one place to another for the shoot was well coordinated and cooperated among the students to be interviewed with Rashmi (100% blind studies in a mainstream school).

They were not ‘helping’ her out, but simply holding each others hand and walking as any of us would with our friends! It was wonderful to know the very words of a teacher who is not a special educator but is a constant guide to Rashmi as any other student in the class. These particular words “she is like any other student for me” reverberates in my mind whenever I wonder why doesn’t everyone think and feel the same. I saw inclusive education in front of my eyes and wondered why do we have to talk about it and mobilise it? Isn’t it something very normal?

Soon, I realized it is not an obvious fact because most talk about the need for special schools. I believe the movie on Inclusive Education on behalf of the Campaigners for Inclusion will help people think otherwise and build a strong and effective public opinion.

Shooting Shampa di and Rashmila was sheer fun because they were like family members whom you just go and say what you need and they follow it up.

Kinshuk’s shoot was a part of the awareness program arranged by Sruti DisAbility Rights Centre where volunteers, teachers, disabled people shared their views. Both Rashmi and Kinshuk were present at the program and their precise yet simple words were enough to enrich one.

It is always true that when you know about one’s experiences, it tends to make a greater impact than theoretically reading up issues. When Kinshuk spoke about his life at a mainstream school and how it’s only because of the inclusiveness that he is a successful web designer today, I got a push. A push to spread the message to everyone and tell them- come ahead, broaden your mind, we are one!

Payal Sen

CRY Intern

Containment of HIV/AIDS – A Strategy

We believe that education is one of the most sustainable, effective, and efficient means of confronting the HIV/AIDS crisis throughout the world. This is especially the case for children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS, for whom education is the means for realizing the possibility of future employment, minimizing their risk of being exploited and of themselves becoming infected with HIV. By channelling our efforts on those children who cannot afford school because their parents have been afflicted with HIV/AIDS, we have to ensure that future generations have the wherewithal - the personal and social resources that come with schooling - to capitalize on opportunities to escape the pandemic. Those children can eventually escape low-wage, unstable, and exploitive labour, and instead access the training that will enhance their employment opportunities, strengthen their communities, and enhance their own perceptions. By enabling their future success, the education of these children helps to break the cycle of HIV/AIDS.

We have to actively work with local interest groups and local leaders to strengthen and broaden our horizon in order to reach out to more children and help them make the most of their lives. People who live in vulnerable local communities can best determine which children are at greatest risk and what factors should be used to assess vulnerability and set goals and priorities for local action. The need of the hour is to prioritize the necessity of ensuring such children’s access to essential services, including education and health care. We suggest that strengthening the capacity of families to protect and care for orphans and vulnerable children is a key to success at any level.

Shambo Dey
CRY Youth Volunteer

Incidence of HIV/AIDS among Children and Some Solutions

In a United Nations survey conducted a few years ago, it was estimated that globally over 2.1 million children below the age of 15 were affected by the HIV virus and some 290,000 odd children had died of the deadly disease. Out of this huge number, over 70,000 children live in India alone and about 21,000 in this country are affected every year due to transmission of the virus from parent to child. These numbers undoubtedly scale far above our imagination.

Primary prevention is an obvious solution to control the disease from spreading among children. This calls for adoption of result-oriented agendas and mass campaigns to disseminate knowledge about the disease. The spotlight should be on children who should be informed about the disease from an early stage in life so that they can take their own first step towards defeating the spread of HIV/AIDS. Children should learn to keep away themselves away from peer pressure in schools and homes.

However, there are certain frustrating social barriers as well. Most often, children with HIV Positive status are refused proper education and health care, not to mention other social benefits, simply on grounds of being found HIV-affected. This denial and reproach from society leads to seclusion and separatism along with violation of child rights resulting in more children facing negligence and death. It also makes it difficult for interest groups to locate these children. This has to change before any constructive solution can be implemented.

Any program to contain HIV/AIDS must first prioritize on increased representation and participation of affected children and gradually include more and more non-affected children. From the government’s point of view, various departments, from education and health to public services, would have to cooperate and coordinate efforts and resources against HIV/AIDS.

In November 2006, the Congress Chairperson, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi set up collaboration with former US President, Bill Clinton through his non-profit organization, The Clinton Foundation in developing an action plan to support children affected by HIV/AIDS. This initiative has succeeded in administering anti-retroviral drugs to some 10,000 children. We would like to see more such efforts come up over the years in tackling what we think is society’s greatest “virus”.

Shambo Dey

CRY o Volunteer

Free Food for Street Children

Leafing through a business newspaper the other day, I came across a refreshing piece of news that I feel must be shared with all.

According to the article in Business Standard, the NAC (National Advisory Council) approved the provision of free food to the destitute and street children through the establishment of community kitchens. Other decisions taken were to improve the existing services provided under ICDS (Integrated Child Development Services) that run Anganwadis as also the need to start new institutions that will provide free food to the needy. Headed by Sonia Gandhi, the council took this decision as part of the Food Security Bill.

An attempt to bring about a change in the existing state of affairs of food security in the country, I see a small step like this going a long way in shaping India’s future. If properly implemented, this will indeed be a welcome change in the field of child rights implementation. A lot of it depends on the method of procurement, how it proposes to distribute and of course, how much the government is willing to invest.

However, the NAC is sure to take a lot of time in finalizing the food security Bill, since this will entail a complete reform of the current PDS (Public Distribution System). I just hope that once it is implemented, the results are a lot more effective and far-reaching than those displayed by earlier such legislations.

Here’s hoping for a brighter future!!

Sonam Chamaria

CRY Youth Volunteer