NalandaWay Foundation

Dinesh

2012-01-25T17:46:00.003+05:30

Dinesh, currently 17 years old, was found at the Tirunelveli railway station when he was 6. Not knowing the local language, he was registered as a speech impaired. However, over time, he started learning the language and conversing with others. There are no details about his parentage or where he comes from. We realized his talent in arts and design 2 years back and have been giving him art classes. It is always difficult to find donors who would like to invest in the arts education. My sincere thanks to GE and United Way for supporting his dream of becoming an artist.

Sarah

2011-12-15T13:51:00.002+05:30

Sarah by Sriram V Ayer

Lyrics:

My name is Sarah, I am but three,
My eyes are swollen, I cannot see,

I must be stupid, I must be bad,
What else could have made my daddy so mad?

I wish I were better, I wish I weren't ugly;
Then maybe my Mommy would still want to hug me.

I can't speak at all, I can't do a wrong
Or else I'm locked up all the day long.

When I awake, I'm all alone
The house is dark, my folks aren't home.

When my Mommy does come, I'll try and be nice,
So maybe I'll get just one whipping tonight.

Don't make a sound!! I just heard a car
My daddy is back from Charlie's Bar.

I hear him curse, my name he calls
I press myself against the wall.

I try and hide from his evil eyes
I'm so afraid now, I'm starting to cry.

He finds me weeping, he shouts ugly words,
He says it’s my fault that he suffers at work.

He slaps me and hits me and yells at me more,
I finally get free and I run for the door.

He's already locked it and I start to bawl,
He takes me and throws me against the hard wall.

I fall to the floor with my bones nearly broken,
And my daddy continues with more bad words spoken.

"I'm sorry!", I scream but it’s now much too late
His face has been twisted into unimaginable hate.

The hurt and the pain again and again
Oh please God, have mercy! Oh please let it end!

And he finally stops and heads for the door,
While I lay there motionless sprawled on the floor.

My name is Sarah and I am but three,
Tonight my daddy murdered me.

Can you be angry for the cause of a girl child?

2011-12-11T19:40:00.003+05:30

Mahakavi Bharathi wanted us to practice anger (ரௌதரம் பழகு). It is difficult not to be angry looking at the suffering of girl children in our country.

Girls are denied access to health services and education, and also face extremely high levels of violence, abuse, and harassment.

At NalandaWay Foundation we made a choice. We chose to be angry for the cause of our girls. Thus was born the Kannama Project. A campaign to make our girls creative, independent and empowered. To give them hope that they can do it.

Last year’s between December 2010 and April 2011, twenty five champions joined our fight. 648 donors helped raise Rs. 13,24,551/- (US $ 26,490/-) that was used towards arts based rehabilitation programmes for 270 marginalised girl children across Tamil Nadu. Click on this link to read about the activities that were conducted and their outcomes.

Today with Bharathi’s blessings we begin our campaign once again. We are extremely privileged to have the support of 25 of our friends who would champion the cause this year.

Our champions;

• Akhila Krishnamurthy, Chennai
• Anil Srinivasan, Chennai
• Anuradha Iqbal and Iqbal Mohammad, Lovedale, Ooty
• Derek Jose, Bangalore
• Harriet Richards, Australia
• Hemalatha Chakrapani
• ISoft, Chennai
• Jaideep, Mumbai
• Janaki Sabesh, Chennai
• Krishnan, UK
• Kirthi Valliur, Hyderabad
• Murlidhar, Chennai
• Ram Ganesan, USA
• Reema Rajan, Hyderabad
• Patrick Matthews, Chennai
• Sandhya Bhaskar, Canada
• Shilpa Kannan, New Delhi
• Sonal Nair, Chennai
• Sudhakar, Chennai
• Sriram Ayer, Chennai
• Ramya Ragavan, USA
• Varsha Narasimhan, Chennai
• Vidya Rajaram, USA

Join us in our fight. Show your anger by contributing to the Kannama Project.

Visit www.nalandaway.org/kannama2011 to make a donation today.

Sincerely,

Sriram

NalandaWay Desk Calendar 2012

2011-11-22T18:55:00.003+05:30

NalandaWay Desk Calendar 2012

View more presentations from Sriram Ayer.

Background

Twelve disadvantaged children were trained to experiment with point & shoot digital cameras at the campus of Light and Life Academy and around the Nilgiris, over a period of 5 days. For all except one child, this was the first ever exposure to handling a camera. The result is a credit to their inherent talent and limitless enthusiasm. These photos in the calendar are not only an exhibition of their talent, but also their expressions of hope, creativity and empowerment.

Specifications

DESK CALENDAR (18.5 CMS X 17 CMS)
COST: RS. 200/-

For orders

Please mail your requests to ramya@nalandaway.org. We could include your company's branding if your order is above 100 nos.

Story telling workshops and peformances

2011-08-05T08:35:00.002+05:30

Story-telling. It really does conjure up some truly fond memories, doesn’t it? Tales from the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Panchatantra, Aesop’s Fables, fairy tales – an entire plethora of stories that we’ve grown up with. Told to us by beloved grandparents, parents, kindergarten teachers, favourite uncles and aunts. Heart-warming memories that stay with us, sometimes forever.

These sentiments were completely in keeping with the story-telling session that was organized as part of Art Arattai Aarpattam 2011 on Saturday, July 30. What made it so much fun? Why, the story-tellers, of course! We had Geeta Ramanujam, executive director of the Bangalore-based Kathalaya, teaming up with Sweden-based Ola Henricsson to bring alive, some of our favourite stories from years long past. The story-telling was followed by a fun-filled performance by Alf Mouwitz and his daughter, Anastasia, from the Buratino Puppet Theater, Sweden.

Preceding the shows was the workshop on how story-telling can be used as an effective tool by educators, meant for teachers and parents, conducted by Geeta and Ola. It was wonderful to see so many people participating in the session and more amazing to watch Geeta transform into every animal that she was describing – be it the crow, the bee, the snake, the rabbit, the peacock – name it and there she was, bringing it alive, right before our eyes. It was truly educational to see how she held the audience spell-bound with her tips on how story-telling can be used so effectively to connect with audiences of smaller age-groups. Geeta’s session was followed by Ola’s, who took us through some well-loved (though maybe a little forgotten) Swedish folktales, including the one about how the bear has such a short tail and the one with the fox and the rooster. The interactive session that followed these sessions offered interesting insights into the kind of challenges that educators face today, when it comes to catching and retaining the attention of children. We are very thankful to both Geeta and Ola for the time that they spent interacting with the participants and answering their various queries.

And then the fun began! Saturday, the last day, was action-packed with 3 shows - each show had a story-telling session by Geeta and Ola followed by the puppet show and magic show by Alf and Anastasia. And our hearts flip-flopped a million times all through the day as we saw our young audiences trudge expectantly into the hall, holding their teachers’ hands or their parents’ hands or each others. Our first two shows for the day largely saw participation from schools while the evening show was open to the public – and what amazing participation it was! We had children ranging from 4 years upwards and absolutely loved the way they participated in the story-telling sessions and the puppet and magic shows. We loved more, the way they worked with Alf to create magic as they chanted offe, puffe, duff, duff and helped him change circles to squares, the king of spades to the queen of hearts and so on. The story-telling sessions made us realize how easy and simple working with children can really be – if only we make the effort to understand what they want, what they enjoy and what makes them smile. If only we, as parents and teachers, understand how best to help a child deal with his / her environment.

Unfortunately, this seems to be something that the educational system largely lacks nowadays. The focus on the numbers game is so absolute that the child pretty much has no choice but to be a part of a rat race that he/she doesn’t even choose in the first place. And once it begins, forget it. It’s all about being in the top students in class, juggling millions of tuition classes, figuring out what to be when grown up (just out of curiosity, how many children do you know, who say they want to be happy when they grow up?) – I’m sure you get the drift. The truth is that childhood, as it is, isn’t an easy thing to deal with. Are we, as parents and teachers, aiding children in their attempt to make more sense of their world? Or is it to the contrary? Just a thought.

And so, ladies and gentlemen, this brings us to the end of Art Arattai Aarpattam 2011. It has been a tremendous journey over the last two weeks for all of us associated with the festival. We are grateful to everyone of you who has made this journey with us. And sincerely hope that you’ve enjoyed it as much as we’ve enjoyed bringing you the entire experience of the arts festival.

Competititions

2011-08-05T08:33:00.001+05:30

The first week of Art Arattai Aarpattam 2011 has been incredible for all of us. We’ve learnt a lot, had the opportunity to listen to established artists from different fields and watched some of the best movies made for children. Enter week two and it was time to up the ante a bit, we thought. And what better way to add to the excitement than to have a series of competitions that would not only give the children the platform to showcase their talents, but to also tweak that latent (or maybe not so latent, in some instances) competitive spirit in them.

Week 2 at Art Arattai Aarpattam 2011 saw various schools participating in each of the competitions, namely Gram Slam (music), Curtain Call (skit), A Matter of Opinion (debate), Mix it Up (variety entertainment) and Posterize It (poster-making). The participation completely outbeat all our expectations, both in terms of the kind of numbers as well as the very enthusiasm with which children took part. Every child, every team and every school put in tons of effort into the contests and it has indeed been very heartening to watch them perform.

What was also equally exciting was the sheer variety of performances that we saw. The music contest, for example, had some teams singing folk songs while others rendered semi-classical and well-known classical songs. Similarly, the variety entertainment also saw the teams donning on their creative hats, as they put together various interesting pieces that included dance, music, mimicry, mime and theatre. The skit and debate competitions also saw tremendous display of talent. What made the skit contest, which was based on the theme Save, more interesting, were the various interpretations that we saw of the theme. And the debate contest brought to the fore, some incredibly good and confident speakers who argued the finer points of their respective topics. Their passion floored us all. And indeed, brings back fond memories of what it was like when we were one of them.

Needless to say, the entire second week exposed us to an ocean of talent in each of these contests. And what has been important for us is that so many students have so effectively leveraged the platform that we aimed to create for them. Besides this, we are wowed by the number of government schools who have participated throughout the festival, be it in the film screenings, lecture demonstrations, the competitions – whatever the activity. The very aim of Art Arattai Aarpattam is to provide an equal platform to students from all schools, government or private, and it was wonderful to watch them participate with so much josh in all of it. And when the students all got onto the stage to shake a leg as the children of the Government’s Home, Royapuram, put on one of their trademark foot-tapping performances – well, suffice to say that our hearts overflowed with affection for all these children who were having such a good time, and showed us they were having a good time!

We are very thankful to all our judges who took the time to be with us for these events. And we’re certain that they’ve all enjoyed these competitions. It may be a cliché to say that every participant is a winner. But I guess there is a reason why there are clichés in the first place – the very truth contained in them!

Patti Vadai Kakka Nari - 24/-7/11

2011-07-25T23:01:00.002+05:30

So it’s officially the end of the first week of Art Arattai Aarpattam 2011. And what a brilliant ride it’s been so far we’ve loved every moment of it – the chaos, the confusion, the tension, the arguments, you name it. And yet, crazy bunch that we are, we keep coming back for more. You, of course, do know why we keep coming back for more. We keep coming back because we see how much fun the children are having. And nothing compares to the sense of fulfillment that we feel each day, when these children go back to their respective homes, after a day spent learning some aspect about the art. They love it. We love them. We love it. Ergo, we would do every single thing for them again.

This evening at Art Arattai Aarpattam saw the staging of the well-loved tale from the Panchatantra, Paati, Vada, Kaka, Nari with a slight twist in the tale. Well, maybe a little more than a slight twist. Moving away from the popular version, the play had the entire kingdom of the jungle gearing up for a walkathon for the ultimate prize – paati sutta vada. Paati, who ran the factory, is famous for her mouth-watering paruppu vadas, which gained rapid popularity once she set up the manufacturing unit in memoriam of Jack, her true love who sank on the fateful Titanic and whose last wish (which remained unfulfilled) was to eat paati’s paruppu vada. The rest, as they say, is history. Or her-story, as you may want to call it.

So once the lion king announces the grand prize for the winner of the 50-km walkathon, several things happen simultaneously – the crows decide to steal the vada, the cunning foxes do too, a duck promises his young son that he will win the vada for him, the hares and the turtles debate whether speed will emerge the winner or will it be wisdom that will save the day. The chosen crow does steal the vada, which is an elaborate preparation (as you are likely to think, from the way that the paati’s monkeys make the batter and paati herself fries it). The rest of the play deals with how there is an animal-hunt launched by the king for the vada while the crow suffers pangs of guilt for easily doing away with a prize that so many animals are working hard to win. He has a change of heart and returns the vada to the cops and then we watch the exciting 50-km marathon as all the animals vie with each other to win the ultimate prize. Needless to say, it was wisdom that ruled the race.

What made the show special is that it was staged by children from the Government homes that NalandaWay works with across the state. They had worked hard to learn their lines, they had rehearsed hard and they were all set to have a rocking evening. Thanks to them, so did we. Because the performances were absolutely amazing – right from the lovable lion to the paati who still croons My Heart Will Go On to photographs of Leonardo di Caprio, from the wise turtles to the spirited hares, from the law-keeping roosters and hens to the conscience-stricken crow. Every child who played a role in the drama today played it to perfection. And they had so much fun along the way that the audience couldn’t but get caught up in all the fun!

An interesting insight that came up through the journey to this evening’s show is the emergence of natural leaders – four of the older boys who were part of the cast were also co-directors of the play. This is one of the most inherent qualities of theatre. It helps us see who are those that can lead others and this quality, is vital for us as we work with children from lesser-privileged backgrounds. Because these youngsters, who have the ability to lead others, help us work with the younger ones, who tend to trust them more naturally. Like we said earlier, the arts are an incredible journey of self-discovery, enabling to find within ourselves, strengths and qualities that we aren’t aware of. And it is our endeavor at NalandaWay to leverage the power of the arts to help rehabilitate these children into mainstream society and help them find avenues that help them create their own identities.
The next week promises to be equally full of action, as we continue the film screenings and also get into the contests – music, theatre and debate. If you haven’t made it to the fest yet, here is your chance to come and cheer the kids on as they participate in these exciting contests that we’ve lined up for them.

Sing Along with Krishna Iyer and Jeeva - 23/07/11

2011-07-25T22:59:00.001+05:30

Saturday evening at Art Arattai Aarpattam 2011 was one of the most-awaited events of the festival – the sing-along session with Krishna Iyer and Jeeva, two of Chennai’s best story-tellers.

The response that we’ve received over the last couple of days for the show, in terms of ticket sales, has been very heartening. And the pace rapidly picked up at the venue as people arrived in full anticipation of a fun-filled evening. In fact, the excitement in the air was almost tangible as we watched the children walking into Museum Theatre, holding their parents’ hands or in many cases, their friends’ hands. We love the way a 5-or-so-year old girl leaned across and whispered to her friend “So you and I sit together and your mother and my mother will sit together”. How can this not bring back memories from our own childhood, where we’ve said or done similar things?

Today’s event saw participation from a slightly different set of children – in that we had little ones ranging right from 2 years of age upto about 10, while our other sessions have had slightly older children. Krishna Iyer, Jeeva and the gang got the kids right into the groove with the very first number – the traditional version of the ABCD rhyme, followed by a faster, peppier version which gradually led to other well-known rhymes, including Hickory Dickory Dock, Mary had a little lamb, etc. The ‘cooler’, ‘trendier’ version of Five Little Monkeys had even the adults tapping their feet in time with the beat, even as the little ones crooned in chorus No more monkeys jumping on the bed. The Riddles and Rhymes session which came next was also thoroughly enjoyed by the children and this was clear in the glee with which they answered every riddle that was posed to them and the lusty voices in which they sang We solved a riddle. The fish-ie dance, which was, in fact, performed not once, but twice, was also thoroughly enjoyed by the children.

Parents joined the fun with the tiny tots as the team onstage had them all putting their right hands in, then out, and doing the hokey pokey and turning themselves around…watching a child having fun with his or her parent has got to be one of those things that brings such unadulterated joy to the watcher – and that’s what we saw this evening. And what fun it was to watch the kids as they went on a lion hunt with Krishna Iyer and crossed a tree, a bridge and a river, the brave little souls - till they came to the dark cave with the big, scary lion…and how they ran back after that! We don’t blame you if you think this to be literal  for those of us who were there, it did seem pretty real!

Isn’t what we saw today the true point of education? Having fun along the way? This is something we at NalandaWay feel very strongly about. Children need to have fun as they learn – and learn some of the more important aspects of life. Like confidence, motivation, decision-making, etc,. And the arts can really help them pick up these life skills in a much more seamless way. Simply because the arts are a process of self-discovery.

Some memories that will probably stay with us for a long time – the image of a father twirling his little boy around and the boy twirling the father around in turn, a sweet little girl who just kept jumping up and down keeping the beat with just about every song that was being sung, another father holding his little princess in his arms and happily jigging away without a care in the world. Mastercard sure said it when they used the line There are some things in life money can’t buy.

Malavika Sarukkai - 22/07/11

2011-07-23T08:28:00.001+05:30

Today has been yet another eventful day at Art Arattai Aarpattam 2011, as we come close to the end of the first week of the festival. And it gives us great pleasure to say that all our sessions have been very well-attended and indeed, seen such lovely, enthusiastic participation – it only reinstates our philosophy that the arts can play an incomparable role when it comes to working with children.

Take for instance, the rain-clap that Anil Srinivasan takes the children through. For those of you who haven’t seen this (meaning, you need to come to the festival NOW!), this is a simple exercise where Anil has the children tapping, first, one finger of the right hand against the left palm, then two fingers, then three, four and five fingers in succession. The resulting noise sounds exactly like the pitter-patter of the raindrops against the window. And every child who has seen and been a part of this simple exercise loves it – maybe for the simplicity of it, the beauty of it, the fact that all of them clapping so enthusiastically, sounds like thunderous applause – you can pick your reason. For us, the rain-clap is a simple bonding action that has, in the last five days, brought so many of us together, and put smiles on so many little faces. And I believe that every child will carry this back as one of the many fond memories of Art Arattai Aarpattam 2011.

Today’s lecture demonstration saw Padmashri Malavika Sarukkai, one of the India’s leading exponent of the classical dance form, Bharatanatyam, interacting with the children. Truth to be told, we have no idea how those 90 minutes passed us by. What struck most of us in the audience is the impeccable dignity and grace that Ms. Sarukkai carries herself with. The session started with an excerpt from Vahini, a documentary made by Ms. Sarukkai, with the chosen excerpt focusing on the Mallari, the piece that is traditionally played during deeparadhanai at temple processions. This was followed by an incredibly dynamic session where Ms. Sarukkai demonstrated how various deities are depicted in the art form and went on the demonstrate how different elements are depicted. The way she artistically demonstrated something and came back to get the children guessing about what it was really got the children on their toes and indeed, it was a very happy hour and a half. Having taken the children through the concept of abhinaya, Ms. Sarukkai then performed a korvai from a thillana, where she etched beautiful designs in the air – with the circles, straight lines and diagonal lines. The audience was enthralled. Completely.

After every session, we have an interactive session, where we invite the children to either share their experience from the session or pose any questions that they may have for the artist. Almost every child who spoke today stated that he / she now wanted to explore classical dance more seriously and indeed, why not? They have been inspired by one of the most established artists in the classical dance arena, herself.

One of the most candid moments that we’ve seen this time was when a 4-year old boy walked up to the stage today, took the mic and said “I liked this performance”. Once again, as organizers, instances like this make us sit back and say “Well. So we are doing something right.” Because instances like this prove to us that art has no barriers. One can never be too young or too old to appreciate art. And nowhere has this probably been as relevant as it is in our world today - where children are made to go through so much that is beyond their years, where they are robbed of their very childhood. It is art, and art alone, that gives every such child, an avenue, a means to make more of himself / himself than what his / society dictates that he / she should be.

As move closer to the second week of the festival, we once again thank all our sponsors and patrons for all their support. We hope to see more of you at the venue. And welcome any feedback and suggestions that you may have for us.

Kondattam it is! - 19/07/11

2011-07-23T08:22:00.006+05:30

Art Arattai Aarpattam – Aaattam, Paattam, Kondattam it is!

With the fourth edition of Art Arattai Aarpattam officially underway, every day has been an exciting journey for all of us involved. The schedules have been planned with a lot of care and attention to detail, to ensure that all our little participants had a memorable time, irrespective of what they were doing –whether it was watching one of the movies that had been chosen for screening, or going through any of the lecture-demonstrations that are being conducted over the course of the week. And I’m very glad to say that yes, the children are having a fabulous time, this is as we saw the other day, when we screened two films at the Museum Theatre – the first one was Kavi, a short film made by International Justice Mission, one of our key partners for the festival. The film beautifully captures the simple aspiration that Kavi has – to play cricket. Caught in the age-old evil of bonded labour as his father has borrowed Rs. 10000 from a local brick-kiln owner, Kavi is forced to work with his parents everyday, thereby missing out on school, studies, games – in effect, missing out on his childhood. The film deals with how a couple of rescue workers find out about the kiln owner’s operations and how they rescue Kavi from him.

These are the sort of instances that many of us are aware of and don’t do anything about. Or worse, are not even aware of, in the first place. One of the primary objectives of the NalandaWay Foundation is to ensure that every child gets access to what is his or hers by birth – access to childhood. Needless to say, films like Kavi are instrumental in creating amongst children, awareness that they do not have to succumb to such situations and that help is always there. And in turn, create in these children, the ability to realize it when they see something wrong and where possible, do something about it.

The second film that we screened was Fly Away Home, an extremely heart-warming story about little Amy and how she forms a bond with a gander of geese and her efforts to help them fly from the cold Canadian winter to the warmer US. We are very happy to say that the children thoroughly enjoyed the film that offered insights into various aspects of what children go through at that young age – the bereavement of a child losing her mother in a road accident, the difficulty she has in bonding with her father and his girlfriend, the attempts they make to connect with her, the solace she finds in the geese and how their common aim of helping the birds migrate south build a strong bond between the father and the daughter.

The afternoon session saw Mr. Ilango, one of India’s most celebrated artists, conducting a demonstration for the children, which saw enthused and active participation from the children. Having spoken about various aspects that influence his art, Mr. Ilango highlighted the point that to create an artistic impression of a specific object, one needs to become that object itself, to capture its essence. We are very grateful to him for having illustrated this point so beautifully as he created a painting of the jallikattu right before our eyes in a span of just ten minutes.

The interactive session that followed his demonstration saw many children voicing their opinions and questions, which Mr. Ilango patiently heard out and answered – and to add to the beauty of the moment, two students from Government School, Somamangalam have been offered free coaching courses by Mr. Ilango at his school! The sense of gratification for us, as the organizers, simply can not be put into words. After all, this is what we strive to achieve – to help provide such opportunities for children amongst us, that will help them to create an identity and place for themselves, using art as the medium.

We sincerely believe that the rest of the sessions that we have planned will be equally well-received. And hope that more of you will join us for more aaattam, paattam, kondattam along the way!

Inauguration - 18/07/11

2011-07-23T08:19:00.004+05:30

The fourth edition of Nalandaway Foundation’s Art Arattai Aarpattam 2011 is officially underway!

The first event of the much-awaited cultural extravaganza for children was a lecture-demonstration on classical music by well-known singer Bombay Jayashree. The session was attended by more than 200 children from across 6 schools. What made the session so much more interesting is the fact that most of the students who attended the workshop had not undergone any sort of formal training in classical music.

This was followed by the formal inauguration of the event – what promised to be a harmonious evening with the coming together of some of Chennai’s favourite musicians – Anil Srinivasan, Unni Krishnan, Naresh Iyer and Navin Iyer.

The concert was preceded by a short tableau presented by students of the Government’s home, Roypuram, Chennai. The excitement on each child’s face was in plain view as the group created awareness amongst the audiences about the schedule of programs that have been lined up for the next two weeks, including lecture-demonstration on cartooning (is this right?), photography, movie screenings, story-telling sessions and puppet shows. This excitement amongst the participating children, ladies and gentlemen – this is the reason for Art Arattai Aarpattam 2001. This is the reason why we strive so hard, every year, to create an experience that each child cherishes, and brings him and her back to us, the next year.

The concert, to put it in short, was nothing less than a magical journey of beautiful, melodious music, with the artists rendering immortal Bharathiyar favorites like Kakai Siraginile Nandalala, Chinnanjiru Kiliye, Ninne Rathi Endru, amongst others. The pieces left the audience completely spellbound as the strong, soulful voices of Unni Krishnan and Naresh Iyer combined with Anil Srinivasan’s passionate and involved recital on the piano. Our sincere gratitude to Anil Srinivasan and Navin Iyer, who showed us in such an incredibly beautiful way, that music indeed does know no boundaries.

We could not have asked for a more eventful inauguration of Art Arattai Aarpattam 2001. We take this opportunity to thank all our sponsors who have helped get the show underway. We also thank each and everyone who made it a point to be with us this evening and hope that we will see more of you in the days to come.

www.nalandaway.org/aaa2011

Presenting - Art Arattai Aarpattam 2011!

2011-07-15T10:48:00.002+05:30

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.
Pablo Picasso (1881 - 1973)

And isn’t that the holy truth of all our lives! But hey, Here’s a reason for you to cheer up! The fourth edition of NalandaWay’s annual cultural extravaganza, Art Arattai Aarpattam 2011 is back again.

With a whole range of exciting, fun-filled activities - right from children’s film festivals, inter-school competitions, story-telling sessions and skits – being planned for 14 days, there is really only one place you should be…with us!

While our everyday chores often leave us with little time to engage in art and related activities, it has always been one of the best ways to reach out and connect with children. Remember the Jungle Book soundtrack? A child is learning / In a very special way he’s beginning to see all the things in the world today. And that, dear friends, is what art is really about, right? Interpreting what we see in our own,
unique, distinct ways and making meaning out of our experiences – and that is exactly what AAA will work towards. Towards creating a space for children, families and teachers to have new experiences of the arts, to experiment, to challenge, to be inspired and to have fun together.

Art, Arattai, Aarpattam 2011, the Children’s Festival of Dance, Drama, Music and Film, will be inaugurated Monday, July 18, at 6.30 pm, at the Museum Theatre, Egmore. Some of the eminent personalities who will be a part of Art, Arattai, Aarpattam 2011 include Anil Srinivasan, Naresh Iyer and Unni Krishnan, Bombay Jayashri and Padmashri Malavika Sarukkai, amongst others.

For more details about all the exciting events that we’ve planned, call Madhumita @ 8870692733 or log onto our website www.nalandaway.org /aaa2011.

Kannama 'Shoots' Fear

2011-06-01T18:07:00.002+05:30

For 20 girls in the Government Home in Kilpauk, the last one month has been inspirational like no other. While they had nurtured dreams of film making since they were little girls, they had to struggle against the harsh reality of their lives over the added gender struggles. Creativity took a back-burner in their daily fight for survival. But these children were determined to see their dreams succeed, despite all the disadvantages that were thrown at them.

And they did succeed. For this motley group of girls including children rescued from bonded labour, juvenile delinquents as well as orphans,street children, children from single parent households etc, opportunity came in the form of intervention of NalandaWay Foundation. A film making workshop conducted by NalandaWay's trainers in April 2011 saw great success in the outpouring of creativity it initiated.

Over the course of three days, the children were taught various skills such as story writing, direction, camera handling, art direction, music, acting and other aspects related to making movies by NalandaWay trainers. Such was the resourcefulness of the children that concepts that could stump even an adult were grasped so quickly and the children were ready to make their own movie at the end of the three days!

NalandaWay is now proud to present to you the fruit of these children's labour - "Kan Moodi Kan Thera", a short film entirely scripted, directed and created by these children using the skills acquired during the three day workshop. The story draws inspiration from their own lives - It is the story of fear that often afflicts our lives, and how to overcome it. This is just the first step in what we hope will be a life changing project. To view the short film, please click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itFGW7Rz1l8

This would not have been possible without the generous contribution of donors to the Kannama Project. Inspired by the works of the legendary Tamil Poet Subramanya Bharathi, who highlighted the plight of girls and the importance of equal rights, The Kannama Project is an online fundraising campaign of the NalandaWay Foundation. To know more about the project, visit www.nalandaway.org/kannama

Sale of photographs in Amsterdam to support NalandaWay

2011-06-01T15:06:00.004+05:30

Backpicture, Netherlands is organising an exhibition and auction of photographs and art items on June 5, 2011 between 16:00 - 20:00 hrs at Green Bay - Keizersgracht 253, Amsterdam. All proceeds would go to NalandaWay Foundation. For more information click http://backpicture.nl/

The Hindu - Young World - 24th March 2009

2009-04-03T14:04:00.002+05:30

Indian Express - 14 March 2009

2009-03-14T18:43:00.001+05:30

The Hindu - 12 March 2009

2009-03-14T18:36:00.001+05:30

Deccan Chronicle - 5 Jan 2009

2009-03-14T13:14:00.001+05:30

Dhinakaran - Tamil - 5 Jan 2009

2009-03-14T13:03:00.001+05:30

Indian Express - 6 Jan 2009

2009-03-14T13:01:00.001+05:30

Span Magazine - Feb 2009

2009-03-14T12:57:00.001+05:30

IJM Newsletter - Feb 2009

2009-03-14T12:55:00.000+05:30

The Hindu - 5 Jan 2009

2009-03-14T12:53:00.000+05:30

The Hindu - 20 Dec 2008

2009-03-14T12:51:00.000+05:30

Indian Express - 19 Nov 2008

2009-03-14T12:48:00.000+05:30

Indian Express - 19 Nov 2008

2009-03-14T12:46:00.001+05:30

Indian Express - 18 Nov 2008

2009-03-14T12:42:00.001+05:30

Indian Express - 14 Nov 2008

2009-03-14T12:38:00.001+05:30

The Hindu Young World - 24th June 2008

2008-07-13T17:28:00.002+05:30

The Hindu - 14th June 2008

2008-07-13T17:26:00.002+05:30

Times of India - 13th June 2008

2008-07-13T17:25:00.002+05:30

The Hindu - 13th June 2008

2008-07-13T17:18:00.001+05:30

NalandaWay in DNA Indore - 24th April 2008

2008-05-03T08:45:00.000+05:30

Article in The Hindu - 14/04/08

2008-04-15T12:19:00.002+05:30

"Shout it Out" music album - FREE Download

2008-02-18T12:35:00.003+05:30

Children, are instinctive, curious and intuitive. Curiosity leads to questioning. We have a lot of questions, and no answers! They have a lot to say but no listeners. They are just gonna ‘SHOUT’.

NalandaWay "Shout it Out" Music album is available for free download at

http://www.eastsidestory.in/music_downloads.asp

NDTV profiles Eastside Story

2007-04-09T13:40:00.000+05:30

Reaching out: Chennai slum children script film
Alaphia Zoyab
Monday, April,9 2007 (Chennai):

She has been nicknamed Mug-Up Mangamma because all she does the whole day is mug up her lessons.

But how much is Mangamma actually learning? Nothing is the answer.

Yet across government schools and tuition centres this is what happens - mindless memorising and the occassional caning.

Frustrated with this system, some children from the slums of Chennai scripted, directed and acted in this film Mug-Up Mangamma and it is even being screened abroad.

Helping hand

Trained by an NGO Nalandaway, the little film-makers are showing the world a thing or two - literally.

"One person looks at it as a need to create more fun in education, another person looks at this as a tool to prevent corporal punishment in schools," said Sriram V Ayer, Founder, Nalandaway.

It is a refreshing children's perspective and highly impactful too. One of the kids, Sandhya, told NDTV that her teacher watched it and now actually stops to ask her and the other kids if they have actually understood what she has been teaching them.

"It is much better than before," said V Prabhakar, Student.

Mug-Up Mangamma is finally taught Newton's third of motion by a senior student with the help of these fruits. For the first time she understands and is immediately nicknamed 'Pick-up Mangamma'.

It is just one of eight honest films made by the very children, who might be poor but full of talent and wanting to make a change.

Maid servant's daughter gets job in Accenture

2007-01-08T18:11:00.000+05:30

Lata was one of the oldest child in our mentoring programme. A very studious and intelligent child she joined the programme during her 12th standard.

Lata resides in Villivakkam a slum in Chennai where the monthly income of any household may not exceed Rs. 2500/-. Her mother a hard-working maid servant was determined to make her child succeed.

Lata today has been appointed as a software programmer at Accenture with a starting pay of Rs. 14,000/- (per month) when she is just in her 2nd year of graduation.

Lata was part of the 'accelerated learning' programmes that helps children to be explorers of knowledge through activity and experiments. She was also mentored and financially supported by her mentors Mr. Rajesh of Infosys, Bangalore and Ms. Mansi Mehta, Chennai.

I sincerely thank Mentors - Rajesh, Mansi and Ms. Rati Forbes, Ms. Megahana and Mr. Piyush of Forbes Marshall, Pune who support our Villivakkam Learning Programme.

I am extremely thankful to all who have played a part in bringing about a positive change in the life of a child.

So long,

Sriram Ayer
www.nalandaway.org

Eastside Story Film selected for CFSI Golden Jubilee Film Festival

2006-11-09T12:48:00.001+05:30

"Mug-up Mangamma" - A light hearted short Tamil film on the influence of films and television on school-going children made by our Eastside Story Children teams from Chennai and Krishnagiri has been selected by the jury of the Children's Film Society of India's Golden Jubilee Film Festival, Delhi. The film festival is from 14th to 18th November 2006.

Mug-Mangamma would be screened at 12 pm on the 18th at Siri Fort , Auditorium III, Delhi.

We sincerely thank the organisers, UNICEF and all our supporters.

Please click on the video to view the film.

Sincerely,

Sriram Ayer

Internet Porn - What is your child learning?

2006-11-01T15:46:00.001+05:30

"Kalvettu" film is helping drop-out children return to school

2006-09-04T15:41:00.000+05:30

"Kalvettu" - a six minute short film researched, scripted and performed by our Eastside Story children team in Krishnagiri is changing lives of children. Please read the article below by Ms. Sumitra Thangavelu, a Chennai based writer.

Click here to view the film

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLbRjYq4bQ8

Click here to view the photo gallery of the screenings

http://picasaweb.google.com/nalandaway/KalvettuScreening

Duraiyeri village, Krishnagiri district: Till a year ago, Saraswathi, aged 13, was caught in the routine of household chores. She would wakeup early and help her mother wash utensils, sweep and clean the house, fetch water, and cook. She is in school today simply because her mother, Kanamma, watched a film called Kalvettu.

Kalvettu is the true story of Prithviraj, a boy who was severely abused by his alcoholic father. His father used to tie both his hands with a rope and drop him inside a well - a method to blackmail his wife for some money. Prithviraj's mother always gave in, just to save her child.

"When I saw the film, I was deeply touched. That boy had to give up his studies because of his father. I realized that my daughter needed an education to face the world boldly. I enrolled her in school,'' says Kanamma, sitting outside her home in the picturesque Duraiyeri village in Krishnagiri's Thali Block.

Saraswathi dreaded going to school as her teacher often scolded her for not doing too well in studies. She was a slow learner but without a supportive learning environment, was unable to make an effort to do better. She cried often and soon, her mother decided to keep her at home.

She would probably have been married off sooner than later if her mother had decided against sending her to school. Today, Saraswathi is learning to read and write at the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) school in her village. NCLP in Krishnagiri is being implemented by the state government, UNICEF and other NGOs to enroll child labourers and out-of-school children in schools.

Krishnagiri is among the 16 districts in India where UNICEF is implementing integrated village planning projects to establish various child-friendly initiatives. Kalvettu was screened in select villages in the district to gauge people's reactions to problems facing women and children, and to draw awareness to the problems that exist in societies.

Kalvettu was also among the films screened during the launch of Eastside Story, an initiative by social organization NalandaWay and UNICEF to educate children in all aspects of film-making. It is a network of news bureaus that aims to give children aged 12 to 18 years the skills to make films, write news articles and do radio shows so they can bring in their perspective to an issue. Kalvettu was made by children themselves.

Thanks to the efforts, Saraswathi today is gaining an education. Standing against a wall of her home, she nods earnestly when asked if she wants to study more. Being shy by nature, it's difficult to make her talk but she smiles when asked if she likes school. What she does manage to say is a "yes'' when asked if her teachers are nice to her.

Saraswathi may be a slow learner, but with supportive people around herein school, she now has an opportunity to study and gain in knowledge and confidence. She is testimony to the power of sustained efforts to create awareness about child rights in villages.

- Sumitra Thangavelu

Over 60,000 Children participate in a referendum

2006-08-17T20:27:00.000+05:30

14th of August was an important day for people who believe that children can change the world. Over 60 thousand children from 337 Panchayats of Krishnagiri District participated to voice their opinion about their issues.

A one-of-a kind initiative in the country saw hundreds of children in the ages 8 to 16 vote for issues that are dear to them.

Children representatives from 337 panchayats joined together in July to identify their top ten issues. These issues were made into a poster. On 14th August each child marked three important issues on the poster.

The poster was presented at the Grama Sabha that was held on Independence day. Grama Sabha is held 3 times in all Panchayats (Jan 26, Aug 15, and Oct 2) every year in Tamil Nadu. The problems of the Panchayat and the achievements are discussed between the elected representatives, district administration and the common public.

This event was organised by the District Administration and the Content, Training and methodology was provided by NalandaWay. The programme was assisted by UNICEF.

This year the Grama Sabha was conducted with more participation from the village community. It was extremely heartening to find that the issues discussed were based on the Bala Sabha Issue Poster finding submitted by the children representatives.

Bala Sabha was reviewed in the following newspapers.

Click on the link to view the article.

The Hindu – 15th August 2006

http://www.nalandaway.org/pdf/Hindu-150806.pdf

Dina Thandhi – 15th August 2006

http://www.nalandaway.org/pdf/DT-150806.pdf

Please click on the following link to view the photographs of the training and the event.

Gallery: Bala Sabha in Krishnagiri Dist. TN

http://photos.yahoo.com/nalandaway_photos

Comments are welcome.

Eastside Story LAUNCHED

2006-08-12T20:05:00.000+05:30

"Eastside Story" was launched to the media, corporates and oganisations on Friday, 21st July 2006 at Chennai.

The event was presided by Mr. Cecilio Adorna, Country Representative, UNICEF and Mr. N. Ram, Editor-in-Chief, The Hindu.

The event was a great success and I would like to thank specially Mr. Thomas George, Officer-in-Charge, UNICEF for making it possible.

The programme was well covered by the print and electronic media.

You could read the press articles by clicking on the links below;

1. The Hindu - http://www.nalandaway.org/pdf/hindu.pdf

2. The New Indian Express - http://www.nalandaway.org/pdf/Indian-Express.pdf

3. Deccan Chronicle - http://www.nalandaway.org/pdf/Deccan-Chronicle.pdf

4. Dinamalar - Tamil - http://www.nalandaway.org/pdf/Dinamalar.pdf

The photographs of the event can be viewed by clicking the following link;

http://photos.yahoo.com/nalandaway_photos

Gallery: Eastside Story launch

Sincerely,
Sriram V. Ayer

Corporate vs NGO

2006-05-31T13:14:00.000+05:30

I had a long argument with one of my friends on whether us fatted calves in the MBA elite segment can make a difference to anyone’s life in India. Or do we have to join NGOs in order to actually help someone.
My point was that corporates in India wield a lot of power today and the right people at the right levels can make a big difference. Infact if there is someone who can make a bigger difference than even corporates then it is the government, since they have not just the funds but also the administrative mechanisms in place to improve living conditions of people. But that apart, corporates today wield enormous power in terms of the funds they have and the say they have.
I have seen two ways in which they can make a difference. One, in terms of business strategy. Granted ITC’s e-choupal gave the company easier access to cheaper grains. But it has benefited entire communities where middlemen no longer rule the roost with exclusive information on demand-supply. Similarly ICICI’s big leap into rural banking would probably be able to help smoothen the finance system, which even today continues to be a nemesis for most people.
The other way in which I see corporates helping are in terms of setting aside money and time for community initiatives. The most obvious examples are of course the Tatas who actually put people in charge of setting up relief centers and schools and usually don’t seem to be giving money to a NGO and sitting quiet.
Of course what a lot of corporates usually do is to give money to NGOs and ask them to manage the show. This is good too but it means NGOs need to have well qualified people working in them to ensure that the money is well used.
Which brings me to the question my friend and me were arguing about – Can MBAs of our generation make a difference to people’s lives by staying in corporate life or are their skills needed more in NGOs.
I would be interested in hearing answers to that.

Eastside Story Films ONLINE

2006-05-27T08:35:00.000+05:30

Eastside story films are getting rave reviews and are directly impacting lives of people.

I have attached the links for two of the short films made by our children teams.

1. Kalvettu - 6.11 min
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLbRjYq4bQ8

2. Mezhuguvarthee - 2.50 min
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Abv395ST_SE

The language is Tamil with English subtitles.

These films were researched, scripted and performed by children with the guidance of professionals.

You would need a good broadband connection (min 200kbps) for uninterrupted playback.

Looking forward to your feedback.

Love
Sriram

Toilets vs costume malfunction

2006-05-09T08:34:00.000+05:30

I was reading an article by Kalpana Sharma in "The Hindu" recently.

What I was reading really shook me.

Here are the excerpts

"...Studies have documented how women choose to eat less and specific times to avoid having to go to the toilet during daylight hours. In the absence of toilets, they have to use fields and this they can do after dark or early in the morning. As a result, they are forced to control their intake of food resulting in many forms of under-nutrition andanaemia."

"For young girls, the problem is even more acute, particularly after they cross puberty. Women and young girls also limit the amount of water they drink for the same reasons".

The article starts with an observation on Gujarat; hence I assumed that this problem is only in the remote and tribal areas of West India. I brought up this topic for discussion with our Eastside Story Girls' team and to my utter surprise one of the girl remarked...."Sir, we are very familiar with this. Not that we can't afford the food, our fathers do definitely earn that much. But there is no safe and decent toilet in our school. So we don't drink water and eat very little".

I was quite taken aback. I brought up this issue to the head of the district's public health programme and he behaved as if all this was news to him. May be he never knew about this.

Well... our papers are busy having page 3 in all pages and news channels are busy discussing 'costume-malfunction' on prime time. More the justification for "Eastside Story" and the need to hear from children.

Sriram V Ayer

Meena

2006-04-04T22:08:00.000+05:30

"Does Meena deserve this?" This was the thought that kept coming to me again and again as we tried to cram as much English grammar as possible in three hours last weekend. Her Class X Board Exams started last week and yesterday and today were her English papers. Inspite of all the efforts which she has been putting in for a while, I am scared that she may not make the grade.

Here are the things in her favour

1. Her own keeness to do well in her exams and her intelligence

2. Her network of employers and friends all of whom have tried to help her out in some way or other - buying her books, giving her time off from work, spending time teaching her etc.

But is this enough to overcome the fact that she has spent her entire life being educated in sub standard schools? And what some of us take for granted, vis. the ability to speak and read fluently in English, is a big struggle for her. She has spent hours memorising as many essays as possible in her English guide book without understanding most of it. These exams for her will be no test of knowledge but a test of memory.

Neither of us will know what will happen till her results come. I am not sure if failure is an option for her. As the only kid who is receivng an education in her family, she could easily slip into a path which life has chosen for her siblings - being a maidservant. Hopefully she will do better. She certainly deserves better.

"Aren't you men ashamed of yourselves!"

2006-03-02T21:10:00.000+05:30

Could children help a community raise crucial questions?

Does hearing community's problems from children raise the sensitivityand expedite the response by Government and NGOs?

May be true!

Eastside Story a joint initiative between NalandaWay and UNICEF is aproof to this debate. Eastside Story project is establishing a network of Children Media Teams in villages and slums to help mainstream media, policy makers, NGOs and Government take notice of problems as perceived by children.

Recently the first all girls team from Krishnagiri in Tamil Nadu state, have produced a short film titled "Kalvettu". This film is creating waves in the district. The film is being screened at 4 to 5 villages everyday with the help of Government and local NGOs. This film addresses domestic violence, children abuse, alcoholism and a child's perception of this problem.

The film is a true life story of a little boy and his family. The story was mentioned in an earlier mail of mine to this group. http://groups.google.co.in/group/nalandaway/browse_thread/thread/1a2cf3f2cca185cb

"Aren't you men ashamed of yourselves!". This was a comment made bya middle aged visibly angry woman when the film was screened in Varattanapalli village. This village has very high incidence of alcoholism and child labour.

Children are asking questions! And women who are the major victims ofany community issue are using this as arsenal in the fight for justice and equality.

Men beware!

Photos of the screening at Varattanapalli village can be viewed here http://photos.yahoo.com/nalandaway_photos
Gallery: Kalvettu screening

So long,

Sriram

Meena

2006-02-24T18:19:00.000+05:30

The last but one weekend when I meet Meena our characteristic 'Ok Now we shall do English exercises' routine got changed. Instead she anxiously asked me if I can help out with her English exam paper. Her Class X board exams are just round the corner and her English teacher had given her a guide book and enough material to answer some of the questions but not all. So putting aside the usual texts, we sat down to tackle the English book. At the end of the hour we had not done any English but had a conversation about how to draw up schedules for revision, what subjects to focus on and a general confidence booster on how she was quite bright.
The last weekend however we got down to business. I had mentioned earlier that Meena's English text books speak a language that is far above her current vocabulary. But now having decided to prepare with a focus entirely on the exam, we started working on her guide books. Meena has a good memory and can reel off answers. The problem was to connect the correct answers to the questions. So I made her translate each individual word in her questions into Tamil and then see if she could make some sense. In a little while she was actually understanding the questions. And I felt really proud. Becuase three months ago she would not have been able to figure out what words like 'what' 'is' 'for' and 'then' meant. But now her basics had brought her to a level where she could roughly make out what was being asked. Finally all the effort she and I had put in was begining to show (Ok- I am unabashedly taking credit too. But believe me when you have never done this before it is a wonderful feeling to know that you have made a slight difference). When I embarked on this exercise of teaching her English, I did not know where this was leading us both. But seeing proof of it has given both of us a much needed boost.
Next week of course we are planning to tackle her Science and Social studies text books. They are both in Tamil and I am probably going to be of little use to her since her Tamil is of a much higher standard than mine. But somehow both us have just got that little bit of faith that there is some difference both of us can make together.

A man and a few buffaloes

2005-12-15T20:02:00.000+05:30

Manimekalai was a very shy girl when I met her couple of months back. Daughter of a bus driver from a low income household in Krishnagiri. She should be 16 years old.

Manimekalai and a team of 15 girls from similar backgrounds form the first team of children who have been selected and trained for our "Eastside Story" project. A joint initiative of UNICEF and NalandaWay.

This team performed a "street play" recently at the World Aids Day Campaign on Dec 3rd at Chennai. The event was organized by CII (most influential industrial association in India). The play was scripted, acted and directed by the girls themselves.

The team won the second prize among 16 schools and colleges all from the city.

"Thank you for recognising us and firing our imagination that we can be possible", goes the thank you note that Manimekalai had written along with a book that she gifted me. The book is a Tamil novel titled "A man and a few buffaloes" by Gyanpeeth Awardee Jayakanthan.

I would like to recognize and thank Mr. Thomas George of UNICEF and Ms. Stella of CII without whom this event wouldn't have been possible.

The photographs of the girls' performance are available for viewing at

Gallery: Street Play at CII World Aids Day Event

http://photos.yahoo.com/nalandaway_photos

Love

Sriram Ayer
www.nalandaway.org
//nalandaway.blogspot.com

I will kill my father one day!!

2005-12-07T19:47:00.000+05:30

November 14th is celebrated as Children's Day in India. It is just another day where TV channels beam some so-called children movies.

I was in Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu yesterday at a bridge school for working children.

My meeting with a young boy and her elder sister is something that I would not forget for some time.

The girl named Pramila aged 10 was in her tears when she narrated her story. She had to work for over 14 hours in a factory that made jute mats. She and her brother aged 7 was forced to work because her abusive and drunkard father never worked and tortured her mother and them for money.

The boy narrated one incident which brought tears to my eyes. Oneevening he tied the boy to a rope and threw him inside a well and threatened his mother that he would let go of the rope if she would'nt give money. I could see rage and tears in his eyes when he narrated this incident.

"I would kill my father when I become big!", said the boy rather firmly.

The boy and her sister are in the bridge school for the past 1 year and are provided clothes, food and tutions. They don't goto work any more.

The other children had equally tragic past.

I left the place with more questions and no answers.

Sri

Power of mentoring by Subroto Bagchi

2005-12-07T19:38:00.000+05:30

The Power of Mentoring

In Bengali households, the eldest brother is often called “Dadamoni’’. I was eight years old when I came under the tutelage of Dadamoni, my eldest brother, D P Bagchi. He is 14 years older than I am, and at that time, was teaching at the local university. I came to live with him in Bhubaneswar from a small place that had no schools in the vicinity. While waiting to be admitted to school in the campus at Vani Vihar, I had no work on hand. I guess being both uneducated and unemployed at eight has its special circumstances. So, at times, I would sneak out of the house to hang around at the university, often eavesdropping on post-graduate classrooms.

On one such occasion, I was outside a classroom where he was teaching and was caught. Instead of punishing me, he asked me if I understood what he was teaching. I sheepishly explained the theory of demand and supply that he was teaching to his class. He was so impressed with me that, instead of discounting me as a child, he started explaining the theory in greater detail. Thereafter, he started telling me about many other theories, like the law of marginal utility. One day, the Chancellor’s Cup Debate was held, and he asked me to come along with the condition that I promised to sit quietly at the back. There, I was thoroughly impressed by the young men and women who came up to the podium to debate the motion. I did not understand a word they said, but the process was spellbinding. I told myself that, someday, I had to do this kind of stuff.

After a year there, Dadamoni joined the IAS. In due time, he was posted as an assistant collector in a sub-division called Keonjhar in Orissa. There, as he was trained in various aspects of district administration from doing land settlement in villages to declaring Section-144 in disturbed areas during a student strike he would treat me like an adult, teaching me all about the IPC and the CrPC, and explaining to me the intricacies of the revenue administration and discuss issues of development. Once the Hungarian ambassador visited an iron-ore mine in Dadamoni’s sub-division and he had to play host. He took me along to meet him. On the way, he explained the concept of protocol and coached me to address the ambassador as “Your Excellency.’’ I couldn’t wait for the visitor to ask me a question, to show off that I knew how to address him correctly even though I was a small boy in shorts.

Dadamoni also taught me to recite Rabindranath Tagore’s timeless verse ‘Where the mind is without fear’. It came in handy for me because I shifted school every other year and, whichever new school I went to, the fact that I could recite an English poem of that sort earned me acceptance in the eyes of my new teachers and peers, who spoke little English themselves.

Strangely, most workplaces have not heard about the concept of mentoring yet. In some, it is seen as a so-called “HR’’ initiative thereby driving it down to the lowest common denominator. In this context, my meeting with a young software engineer, Sriram becomes fascinating. Sriram quit his job to start a mentoring programme called “NalandaWay’’ in Chennai. The initiative impacts more than 220 promising children living in slums. NalandaWay locates such children by going around, meeting their parents and teachers. These children are then paired with successful people in the corporate sector. In the small time that the initiative has been around, it has become massively successful. The internationally renowned Ashoka organisation has adopted it as one of its “social entrepreneurship’’ programmes. Sometime ago, we got the folks from NalandaWay to talk to our leaders on what it takes to mentor young children. The idea was to learn the process so that we could introduce it to our own people.

As my mentor, Dadamoni had a Pygmalion effect in shaping my personality and destiny. Education gives us some knowledge but good mentoring gives us the ability to relate it to the real world; it helps us to learn life-skills and moulds our attitude. The self-confidence that it can generate is so huge, it is almost magical. The principles of mentoring the child that was me, a teenage girl in a fishing village of Chennai and a budding young white-collar worker are not different. They all begin with the magical sensation of a grown-up reaching out to hold a soft, unformed hand and whispering, “Yes, you can!’’ This is when dreams are created and bridges built across to the realm of the possible.

Where would I be today, without you Dadamoni?

2005-10-18T23:11:00.000+05:30

Mansi and Lata

2005-10-18T23:09:00.000+05:30

Navrathri Golu at Lata's residence

Thank you Malini and Mansi

2005-10-18T22:49:00.000+05:30

I am so grateful to all you people. The world is getting better and India has definitely arrived.

Malini spent her last Sunday with the Mentees in buying them an additional set of uniforms. She was concerned about them having to wear and wash their only set of uniforms everyday.

Mansi through her friends and contacts arranged 5 kilos of rice for more than 50 families whose houses have been flooded by the sudden rains in Chennai.

I was speaking to Anitha the other day and telling her the plight of kids of Rotary Nagar, her immediate response was, "..could I do something?".

I am sure the others are doing equally wonderful things. Please talk about it. We would be very happy to hear them.

I am uploading the photographs of Navrathri Golu at Lata's place. If any of you have some photographs to share. Please send it to me. I would have it uploaded.

Love
Sriram

Hello friends

2005-10-17T23:58:00.000+05:30

Hello Friends

Got some happy news to share.
My mentee Baby Shalini who is in Std xi has secured the first rank in the recent exams.
Gave me a lot of happiness to hear about it. the efforts were all hers 100%.
She has done this in spite of her eye problem which water and puff up often.
Her sister Dhanalakshmi- in the VIII Std- has also done well securing the 6th rank.
And all this under extreme poverty. What strength and perseversence.
I glad that an opportunity has given to me to be a very small part of their lives.
May God Bless and Guide them.

Malini.

hi

2005-10-16T22:08:00.000+05:30

Hi,
Amidst all the navarathri hustle-bustle, meeting people and sweets galore one guest made it even more special for me. Yes it was Latha. I always knew that she would accept my invitation and drop in for the golu but I was really touched with the gesture that she showed by gifting me a doll for my golu collection. We spent a good one hour chatting like old friends and discussing golu. Of course it did not end here, she also invited me to her place for golu.

Honestly speaking, I was amazed to see the effort that everyone in Latha's family had taken to set up the golu. And true to the Indian spirit the golu was complete with a cricket display. Latha and her family went out of their way to make Sriram and me comfortable.

By the way, encouraged by the effort that Anitha has taken to teach her mentee english, i would like to start the same for Latha, who wishes to have fluency in spoken english. She's thrilled and we should probably start her coaching soon.

And last but not the least, due to the rains we thought we would help a few needy families by providing them some provisions. I asked Latha if she needed any help. And she completely blew me with her reply- she said that i should offer help to other families who are in dire needs of help and not her as they could manage. Hats off to her unselfishness. Thank you Latha.

Thank you Anitha

2005-09-29T22:39:00.000+05:30

I thank you sincerely for your perseverance and creativity in handling the problem that you have encountered. We are conducting a training programme at MindTree Consulting in Bangalore the following week. With your permission I would like to recognise your effort and share your experience with the participants.

I remember Sonal hitting a similar bottleneck earlier with her mentee - Vedapriya. May be she could also share her experience with the group.

Regards
Sriram

Meena

2005-09-27T22:37:00.000+05:30

The last time I had made a contribution it was on a rather depressing note. My mentee Meena at 16, did not really know much English and it was quite a challenge to get her to comprehend the language.

Things have become better. I initially blundered on by just working through Meena's class ten lessons. Since this was too advanced for Meena, it bored and tired her. It also did not do much to her confidence. Finally decided to switch tactics and borrowed the Class 1 text book of my colleague's son.

This seems to have really made a difference. We spent one happy hour mastering 'am', 'are' and 'is' and articles, common nouns, proper nouns etc. The text book gave me an idea on how to start teaching Meena English and also gave some structure in terms of what to teach her first and what next. Meena also has responded well in the last couple of classes since the sentences are simple and she is begining to get a grasp of the fundamentals of the language. Hopefully, she should be able to progress to reading simple books in another four weeks.

It's Love! Stupid!

2005-09-16T23:01:00.000+05:30

Hi

I have always challenged my thinking that what does a child, rooted inpoverty, struggling for everyday needs, malnourished, traumatized bythe environment gain by a relationship with an outsider who spends around an hour every week.

Well this is the central strategy of NalandaWay in all its projects that aim at helping children overcome challenges to do extraordinary things.

I always had answers, the mentor helps the child in tuitions, invites the child to her family for dinner, she provides health tips to anadolescent girl, guides her to make career choices. Very valid reasons. But I wanted more.

My interaction with Dr. Emma Gonsalvez, eminent Psychiatrist and Counselor, today was an eye opener. This beautiful old lady very poignantly reminded me that it is the feeling of being wanted, being loved, someone to always reach out to in the midst of morbidity, the central and the most spiritual benefit a child derives from the relationship.

It's Love! Stupid!

I am a happy man today.

Love
Sriram

hi

2005-09-01T21:17:00.000+05:30

hi,
Today I feel really happy b'cos my mentee Latha has been awarded a scholarship in college for excelling in her exams. This is awarded to the top four students who score more than 80%, Latha being one of them. This is a cash scholarship which will be adjusted against her semester fees. It's been great just to hear her sound so excited. She is a hardworking girl who really deserves this award. And it's amazing how much someone else's happiness rubs of on you. It's so infectious. I just feel happy that we could be a part of her life.

mansi.

hi all

2005-08-24T20:50:00.000+05:30

dear all,

this is my first blog n frankly nothing much comes to my mind to log.

k let me tell u a lil abt my mentee - his name is praveen and is 7 years old. he is an adorable kid n quite smart for his age. he has a fabulous memory n picks up things real fast like most kids do.

its been around 1 year since we started the relationship n its been quite an experience for me. its always fascinating to observe how he perceives things arnd him n how differently he views the world.

its an enriching experience everytime i meet him n praveens parents -they are real supportive parents who are stretching the max to provide praveen a good education n all the comforts (most of them they can ill afford given their financial inflows).

thats it for now - will keep blogging...

take care

naresh

Meena

2005-08-19T22:43:00.000+05:30

I met Meena about two months ago. And promptly went on a one month vacation. But what I saw of her was pretty impressive - she was hardworking, well mannered, was keen to study, had a very supportive mom who wanted her to go beyond being a housemaid which is what her sisters are.
Back from my vacation, we have finally got down to serious business. Meena is in Class 10 in a tamil medium school. So we started off by going over her English lessons together. Meena picked out her favourite poem 'The Road less travelled' by Robert Frost and read it out like someone reading a ration list. After 5 minutes it became clear that while she understood a lot of the individual words, she could not understand them when put together. Her teacher has instructed her to just mug up the poet's background so that she will get atleast 2 marks for any annotation questions she attempts in her exam paper.Meena however does not understand anything beyond 'This is beautiful' 'She is fat' kind of sentences.
This has been rather depressing. I am now stuck with the issue of how to brush up her English and atleast bring it up to acceptable levels in a short while. Some thinking and chatting with a few friends later, I have decided for now the best strategy would be to just write down answers for all the questions in her text book and let her mug it. That should help with the Board exams. But for the longer term, the first thing is to help her stop being intimidated by words put into sentences. So I shall probably try to speak to her in English more often. Get her to mug up wordlists and try and use them. And see if I can find some simple but light reading material.
If anybody has faced this before, would welcome ideas.

hi

2005-07-24T14:49:00.000+05:30

I've known Latha for close to 2 months now and i feel the confidence level is growing. Though my interactions with Latha have been largely confined on the phone, a certain comfort zone has been established.

From being a little hesitant at first, Latha has opened up narrating anecdotes of her life and slowly drawing me into her world.

Coming from a lower income group family has exposed Latha to the harsh realities of life- class discrimination being one of them.

However today after getting the oppurtunity to interact with the NalandaWay mentors her perception is changing. She is slowly breaking out of her shell of feeling discriminated. She's happy that there are people who are willing to listen to her, talk to her and help and guide her with her academic as well as personal life.

Mansi

Hi Folks

2005-07-17T22:09:00.000+05:30

People don't always need gifts to feel wanted. Sometimes just being a patient listener helps. And I discovered this in my interactions with Latha, a young college student. At first shy, she quickly opened up once the comfort zone was established.

After a few rounds of interactions she has broken all her inhibitions and feels comfortable to unload her problems or share her feelings. She now feels wanted and has not stopped wondering how a phone call could change her "view of the world" and of course her life.

Mansi

Hi to every one!!

2005-06-13T21:55:00.000+05:30

Welcome to the NalandaWay Blog. Ideas, inspirations, failures and achievements of our work towards advancing the lives of bright and talented children from low-income families in India.

Sriram