Architects of Future : Children’s Day Celebrations at NEEV

Collage of some cards lovingly handmade by NEEV School teachers for the children

Dear Friends,

If the world today has to come out of the mess it finds itself in today, it requires new architects who are educated differently. Does education mean training children to develop technical capacity to get a livelihood or does it mean to help them understand the vast significance of life? Is education a means to create docile, imitating minds that fit in society or does education means creating minds that can question and learn? Does education mean creating cogs that service the vast industrial-consumeristic machine of society or does it mean to create sensitive human beings who care and nurture for the earth.

For five thousand years man has not learnt to live without conflict. Wars, environmental catastrophes and social inequalities have been the norm rather than an exception. Instead of developing a life of love, freedom and beauty on earth we have created inequity, strife and destruction. For years we have relied on authorities and experts to solve our problems. We have looked up to kings, priests, sacred books, politicians and scientists to tell us what is life and how to live. The result of abdication of this responsibility has been nothing but a vastly insensitive society where each individual is conditioned to ruthlessly strive and scramble to the top of a heap or else pigeonhole oneself in comfortable social roles that promise security. While the world simmers with wars, reeks with environmental pollution and languishes in poverty and misery, we continue our lives as usual – unconcerned, non-chalant, ignorant and self-seeking.

NEEV Vidyalaya is a place where we learn how not to go to sleep. It is a place of questioning and freedom. It is a place where young minds are not doused by authority and fear to cower down and become meek participants of a society that loves and rewards docility, compliance and imitation. It is a place where children learn to know themselves and discover their conditioning imposed by society. No revolutions in the outer, no system changes by governments can free man of conflict till he himself does not take up the responsibility of knowing himself/herself. Without self-knowledge, there is no transformation, no revolution that can free man from suffering on this earth.

So on Children’s Day, I thank all the friends who have come together to create NEEV Vidyalaya through their sponsorships, a unique and vital space for a work of such tremendous importance because it is only through right education that humanity can be transformed. I am including some pics to help you get the feel of what it is to be a child or a teacher at NEEV.

Love,
Anurag

 

Card on Children’s Day created by a NEEV CIL Member using natural colours

 

Some of the Cards written by me to Std. 10 students who are going to leave school next year

Teachers of NEEV singing Kishore Da’s song – Aane Waala Pal Jaane Waala Hain for children

 

Anjali and Simi – NEEV CIL Members and NEEV Vidyalaya Teachers singing the song Yeh Jo Des Hai Mera

 

 Myself talking to children of NEEV Vidyalaya on what makes our school special

Shikha wishing the children a Happy Children’s Day

Our daughter Harshal who has passed NEEV School having a happy reunion with her friends of Std. 9

 

Biscuit eating race for children of Kindergarten

 Balloon blowing race for children of LKG

Wearing the shoe race for children of Std. 1

 

Hopping race by students of Std. 3

 

Bursting the Balloon Race for Std. 2

 

 50 m dash for Std 4

Spoon and Marble Race for Std. 5

 

 Three legged race for Std. 6 & 7

 Musical Chairs for Std. 8, 9 & 10

 Shikha commenting on the state of affairs

 NEEV CIL Members and teachers giving cards to their students

 The NEEV Vidyalaya Senior School Students and Teachers – A Happy Community

Silent Diwali Wishes and much more from village Hurlung – NEEV !

A Diwali House made by the children of village Hurlung where the new NEEV CIL School is being constructed (no school, education or engineering degrees required for this construction J)

I am a tad late for Diwali wishes from NEEV ! Nonetheless, since my mails on all festivals are thinly veiled excuses for speaking something quite beyond festivals, I decided to post this, regardless of the fact that I am a day late. Festivals created by man come and go: what is more important that we humans discover a way of living that makes every moment a festival, an unceasing joy of discovering life.

Far from the ruckus created by the city folk, Diwali in villages is a more serene affair. Unadulterated by the  pompousness of city revelry which adds nothing but a load of toxic gases leading to global warming, Diwali in the villages is still connected to the eternal rhythms of nature. Diwali in the villages is marked by the beginning of harvesting of the rain fed crop of rice.

As we negotiate a meandering village dirt road, we see a field in which some rice plants are cut and lying. Around the same time, the owner of the field, a friend of ours, happens to pass by. We inquire into the reason as to why some rice crops have been harvested. He satiates our curiosity by saying that these have been harvested as an offering for their Diwali puja. Instantly Shikha plucks a few grains of rice, some still green and some already golden brown and tastes them to find out the difference. Women I guess are more cued to taste and smell. As a male I remain largely cued to my visual sense. I watch with piquant interest as Shikha chews the grains. According to her the green grains of rice are sweeter than the golden rice grains which have already ripened. I ruminate on the way senses offer the greatest education. No amount of sitting in classes, in agricultural universities or chemistry labs can offer an insight into the workings of nature than our senses can. Holistic education is not centered only around mind and intellect, not cubbyholed in class rooms. Nature is the laboratory for true education.

A farmer’s plot of land where some rice – already turning golden – lies harvested as an offering for Diwali puja

 

Another field where a part of the rice crop has been harvested for offering in Diwali Puja

As I continue walking on the meandering village dirt track unlike the straight and linear city roads on which we whiz in our cars and bikes, my thoughts continue their unhurried meandering on education. I remember how the other day I saw a father and son returning from the market with a thermocol Diwali house. What a far cry it is from the way things are at the village. Where city bred brats purchase thermocol Diwali houses, the ‘uneducated’ village kids demonstrate such creativity, enterprise, ingenuity and enthusiasm in making Diwali houses out of natural materials. When education is made into a commodity no wonder, kids learn only commodification as a way of life. And the market is all the more happy. Education, market, business, technology and environmental pollution – all go hand in glove. Have a look at some of the Diwali houses made by the children

 

 Diwali House 2 – made by children of village Hurlung

 

 Diwali house 3 – made by children of village Hurlung

As I walk along, I wonder what will NEEV CIL school teach the village children. Will it teach them to become purchasers of thermocol Diwali houses or will it teach them to flower in their inherent ingenuity? Some of my friends tell me that education should ‘uplift’ children and make them ‘successful’ in life by uplifting them out of their ‘poverty’. We urban folks have become quite glib in the usage of words. Words like “upliftment”, “success” and “poverty” are laden with assumptions which we never care to explore. What is “poverty”? Is purchasing Diwali house made of thermocol poverty or making houses out of mud poverty? What is success – making Diwali houses or purchasing Diwali houses? What is upliftment – creating consumers or creating producers?

Unfortunately the urban folk are not only glib about words but also proceed with an arrogance of a missionary zeal to promote naked market consumerism as a way of life. Thereby we have created an ugly and fractured society where the work of hands is relegated and debased and the intellect is put on the altar. So while the city folk display their festive zeal by lighting up their houses with Chinese manufactured electric bulbs, the rural folk do what they are best at – decorating their huts and houses with their hands and natural colours. Here are a few pics of the simply decorated houses whose humility, innocence and aesthetics cannot be matched by the harshly glaring electric bulbs.

 

A house in village Hurlung decorated for Diwali

 Same house from a different angle

The exterior of the same house in village Hurlung

A woman in village Hurlung painting her house for Diwali

The degree to which we move away from work with our hands and the degree to which we pollute the earth decrees our rise to wealth, status and success. Lavish use of electricity to light up Diwali houses – electricity which comes from making large dams displacing villages or from burning coal which comes from rapacious coal mining after clearing forests – is a sign of affluence and education, in a classic inversion of values. Whereas a villager plastering his/her mud earth causing no pollution and using one’s own hands and ingenuity is considered an ‘uneducated illiterate’ in need of education by our corrupted norms.

 While the uneducated villagers venerate nature without the need of learning environmental science and without getting a noble prize for doing research on global warming, the educated urban folk with all their degrees and all their supercomputers and their vain research on climate change have not yet learnt the simple act of loving and protecting nature. See how the people in Hurlung village love and respect nature

 

A mud pedestal around a tusli plant newly plastered for Diwali in Hurlung

 

 The pedestal containing Tulsi plant newly painted for Diwali in Village Hurlung

My walk is almost over. After another rejuvenating round of walk in the fields of village Hurlung, we are making our way back to the unit. The familiar sights of a village quietly settling to receive the dark and starry night greet me. The goats are tied in front of the houses, resting blissfully after nibbling the whole day. Smoke quietly and mysteriously billows out of the tiled huts. Out in the city, at the same time, one would witness the angry traffic rush of people gushing of their offices. The fact that tomorrow is Diwali does not make a dent to the life which is set on eternal rhythms. Electric lights adorn one or two houses of people who have become tainted by the urban mentality. The lights look garish, very out of place in a village which is nestled in a pool of darkness. I rue at the fact that the winds of ‘development’ are out to claim their latest victim.

I wonder if we can stop this rout. I wonder if the NEEV CIL school can do anything to preserve and take forward the wisdom that lies buried in Village Hurlung. I wonder if there are other people in a world gone out of limits who can get what I am trying to say and lend a helping hand in this mammoth task of education. We need to create a new world, a world without conflict. It seems to be extraordinarily impossible. But I have already made the choice for myself. It is not about whether one shall succeed or not, whether one can change one or many, whether the world will change. What matters is that one enters the path to create a new world. The road shall be made by walking.

As I just about to reach the NEEV Herbal Cosmetics unit after our walk, I come across a simple rangoli made to celebrate Diwali. The rangoli adorns the threshold of another world. A world waiting to be born.

A very happy Diwali to all of you. To all our friends who have helped us at NEEV to chart this road. May this Diwali lead you from darkness to light.

 Rangoli decoration in front of a village Hurlung house beckoning a new world

And finally, here is my Diwali gift to all of you. As you know that Diwali also coincides with the blossoming of lotus flowers. So when our NEEV CIL children went for a walk, they collected some lotuses from the village pond. I lovingly offer them to you.

Lotus flowers that blossom even in the muddiest waters

 

The Blooming Kash Phool of Hurlung Riverside Beckons Durga Puja – Help us save village Hurlung

Madhubani Folk Art Style Durga Ma painted by Babu – a NEEV CIL Member

(Do you think we can sell paintings like these to help make NEEV CIL Community sustainable? Please let me know)

Maa aschhen (Maa Durga is coming home) is the expression that reverberates on the lips of every Bengali as Durga Puja approaches. Every festival of India is inextricably woven with nature. Urban folk have lost this connection but those who have the rare privilege to stay in the rural areas can participate in the wondrous harmony of Indian festivals and nature. At the slightest hint of a clear blue sky, pleasant cool breeze, and scattered white clouds, a Bengali villager will announce to the world Maa aschhen( Maa Durga is coming home). It has now become sort of a ritual, clear blue sky, cool breeze and scattered clouds equate to Durga Puja. Doesn’t really matter if it rains the next day but as soon as the sun rises again and there’s this blue sky with scattered clouds, the villager will again reassure himself “Maa aschhen.”

But there is an even more spectacular occurrence that predates the Durga Pooja. It is the blossoming of the Kash Phool. Kaash Phool or the Kans grass (Saccharum Spontaneum) is something every Bengali will identify Durga Puja with. Kaash Phool is a type of grass that grows during this season and is mainly found along the banks of the rivers. The sight of Kash Phool will send any Bengali into a nostalgic frenzy. However, one doesn’t need to be only a Bengali to be enraptured by the beauty of this grass. Adorning the riverside like a tuft of snow against a crystal clear blue sky and fluffy clouds, the sight is magical to behold. One has to see it in order to appreciate it. Words and photographs cannot even begin to do justice to it.

However our advancing materialistic and technological ambitions are wiping out such sights. Where are the riversides where the Kans grasses can grow and beckon Durga Ma, the one who slays the evil. When we have finished with polluting the last river on our earth with toxic chemicals and destroyed our riversides, the Kans grasses will stop growing and there would be no one to beckon Durga Ma to help us from the Mahishasura of technology. Already the riverside of Village Hurlung is prey to indiscriminate sand mining. On a few fortunate days – when the greedy tractors have not scraped every last grain of sand for constructing concrete jungles – we are greeted by a sand bank; on which we can lay down and watch the night sky bejeweled with stars.

I am pasting a few photographs of the Kans Grass adorning the riverside of Hurlung. Several visitors have come to NEEV and have been mesmerized by the sight. You can help us save these natural wonders in a small village by supporting the NEEV CIL School construction. The NEEV CIL school will be the centre for a different kind of education for the village kids, an education that would help them appreciate and conserve nature, an education that will help them adopt a sustainable and ecological lifestyle, an education that would raise an army of children who can redress the wrongs we have done to the earth, an education that would seed a new civilization based on Integral Living – a life without conflict. We spend thousands of rupees buying dresses, making pandals and eating food; none of which is going to save the earth from environmental destruction. If we grasp the real essence of Durga Puja, then we shall join hands with an endeavor that can help save the earth. That would be the real Durga Puja.

 

The Kans Grass adorning the Swarnarekha Riverside silhouetted by the Dalma Mountains and clear blue sky

 

The silver splendour of Kans Grass shining in the balmy autumn light

 

 The Kans Grass shining against a threatening monsoon sky

 

 The Kans Grass growing along the Swarnarekha riverside

The Kans Grass in warm sunny weather bordering the paddy fields of Hurlung

 

 The Kans Grass shooting like a white flame besides a Hurlung Village house

 

 A dragon fly clutching a straw of Kans Grass against an evening sky

 

Picture of our friend Manjeet and NEEV Intern from Germany Eva against the sea of Kans Grass

 

Our friend Vinita with the CIL members with the background of Kans Grass

NEEV Herbals at Dastkaari Haat Crafts Bazaar, Kalakshetra, Chennai (24th Sept – 2nd Oct) – Meet Shikha there :-)

Shikha – looking gorgeous as usual, along with Reema, at the Dastkaari Haat Crafts Bazaar, Kalakshetra, Chennai

Dear Friends,

If you enjoy the experience of shopping while a sea of soft sand caresses your feet rather than the ubiquitous vinyl flooring, of a beautifully disordered riot of earth toned colours striking your eyes rather than the geometrical flashing of neon lights and of makeshift bamboo tents under the foliage of Neem trees rather than air conditioned malls, then you must visit the ongoing Dastkaari Haat Crafts Bazaar at Kalakshetra grounds, Chennai. Here is the banner for the event

Not only do we have very old and precious memories associated with Chennai, but Shikha made it a point to personally be present at this Mela because we have the most number of loyal customers for NEEV Herbal Cosmetics in this city than any other city of India. A big thanks to all our friends of NEEV in Chennai who have supported us by using NEEV products.

NEEV Herbals, for us, is what Khadi was for Gandhi – not just a commodity but a vision. It is a vision of self reliance, of throwing the yoke of domination of market forces enslaving the minds and hearts of individuals. Not only are NEEV Herbal Cosmetics environment friendly, they give a dignified means of employment to Rural women (like Reema, seen in the photo above) and also gives free education to the kids of ladies working in NEEV. But wait, it is also more than that. It is a source of regeneration of rural economy based on non-exploitative use of natural resources. Last but not the least, the NEEV Herbal products are hand crafted to excellence with enormous care being taken to ensure the quality of products right from their sourcing to processing to packaging.

Buying NEEV products helps ensure that Village Hurlung remains a haven of natural beauty because more sales ensures more backward linkages of farming and cultivation of herbs. Lands that would have been otherwise left derelict and sold to building contractors would be reclaimed for cultivation of herbs and herbal processing. Not only that, NEEV Herbals gave Shikha and me the economic self reliance to forge a new vision in education manifested in the NEEV CIL school coming up in the village.

OK. Enough of philosophy. Let me end with a list of my personal best NEEV Products. I have used them for years and I can tell you that I have seen them performing miracles for me. They are

1. Bhringraj Hair Oil

2. Kumkumadi Oil for applying on face

3. Herbal Pain Relief Oil

I am sure others shall have their own list of favourites. I would be happy of you could share your list with us.

Finally, I am signing off with a little jaded but happy photo of Shikha, savouring our favourite Paratha Korma in Chennai. (Damn, you cannot find such Paratha Korma anywhere else but Chennai) and a few pics of the Crafts Bazaar.

Shikha savouring our favourite Paratha Korma in Chennai – looking a little jaded after a 32 hours marathon train journey in Tata-Allepey

NEEV Stall under the shade of the Neem Tree in Dastkaari Crafts Bazaar, Kalakshetra, Chennai

The Riot of Colours at Dastkaari Crafts Bazaar – Kalakshetra, Chennai

The Speechless Beauty of Village Hurlung where Dream of NEEV began : The Need to Protect our Villages

A corn field of a small farmer against the backdrop of the majestic Dalma Mountains in Hurlung Village

 

Village Hurlung is a stone’s throw away from my house in River View Enclave, Jamshedpur. It is the village where the NEEV Herbal Handmade Cosmetics Unit is located. This little hamlet exists, rather sleepily, anonymously, benignly just three kms away from my house. In the sixteen years of childhood I had spent in Jamshedpur, I never came to know about it’s existence. This speaks of how tremendously insulated we urban dwellers are from the villages.

Like a Columbus, I discovered Village Hurlung ten years back when I just let my instincts take over and I followed a dirt track road to wherever it would lead me. Of course I did not have any nefarious designs of colonization as Columbus had. In fact I was so enthralled by the beauty of this village that then and there I vowed to start NEEV and come to this village to protect it. It took us ten years to fulfill this dream. This road to Village Hurlung, again, lies on a bend, barely a few hundred metres from my house. Ten years back when I went on that road, there were barely any shops, traffic or signs of civilization. Today the road has become a thoroughfare for trucks, tractors, cars and all sundry vehicles. The ugly scars of civilization have pock marked both sides of the road. Shops have come up, residential complexes have arisen and now there is even a big warehouse. Fortunately, these are still hugging the city precincts. Our herbal cosmetics soap unit is tucked away, 3 kms deep. But I don’t know how long is it before the grasping, clawing hands of civilization shall devour this amazing Hurlung Village. Before they do, I wanted to post a few pics of the speechless beauty of this village.

Environmental science is taught in schools; almost every day we have newspaper articles on degradation of environment and effects of environmental pollution, and all of us nod in agreement that something must be done to save the environment. But let us admit that these are all peripheral concerns in our life. What matters to all of us is to make careers, make money, fill our lives with gadgets of every conceivable variety, go on expensive vacations………………..all of which create a big carbon footprint on earth. Talk about down-scaling our needs to live sustainable lives and we all start humming and hawing. We are in love with our gadgets, our huge carbon footprint lifestyles.

The impact of our lifestyles are borne by villages like Hurlung, where nature in her resplendence was otherwise ruling supreme. Open skies, vast swathes of green, thundering stillness and rolling fields get swamped and devoured by artificial neon lights, snarling jungles of concrete and the blaring noise of vehicles. Even when the city has not physically moved into the village, it’s pollution reaches through all the sewage and debris collected by the rivers.

Being a sentimental fool that I am, I thought that I can save my beautiful Hurlung village by doing what I am best at – writing and educating young minds. The children are more gullible, more innocent. They buy into my sense of poetry, my love for nature, for trees, fields and stars. The elders are more hard nosed. They want facts and figures, data and statistics and power point presentations on how the environment is being damaged. They would spend aeons of time researching and piling data about how and how much the environment is being damaged. Since I have joined the ranks of uneducated, foolish and unscientific villagers, I prefer the simple way of knowing nature – just take a walk in the village fields, breathe the village air, wet one’s feet in the water collected in the fields and get oneself muddy with the slush. But amidst all this, I carry a deep pain in my heart. Someday this beautiful village is going to vanish. Can I save this village? How I can save it? Is there anyone interested in saving this village?

My Hurlung village does not add to the GDP of India. What can farmers with small fields, and a few ducks, goats and chickens add to the GDP. Perhaps they rightly need to be extinguished from the face of the earth. I write this article and post the pictures of my beloved village with a vain and sentimental hope that there may be a few souls in our NEEV family of supporters who still love poetry of nature, who can put the calculations of GDP aside and dance with the butterflies in the fields and the unworded music of their souls. We are opening NEEV CIL School in Hurlung Village so that I can collect around me more children who see the enormous beauty of their village and protect it. Supporting the school is the way you can help protect nature and a way of living that is in harmony with it.

In our vanity, we protect the creations of man, by declaring monuments of man as heritage sites and investing all our time, energy and resources in them. For me Hurlung Village is a heritage site – a place of everlasting and living beauty……a place where I find God. Would any of you like to help me in this endeavour ?……………

You may decide after seeing these pics of raw nature which were taken with my mobile phone taken in a single day during an early morning walk amidst the fields of Hurlung Village

 

Harvested Cobs of Corn lying in a farmer’s field

This single cob of corn was lying like a jewel in the field

Water lilies growing in a small village pond

Lush green paddy growing in a farmer’s field. I set this as my mobile screen background and my mobile became like a paddy field 🙂

I don’t know the name of this plant but it’s large leaves fascinated me. These were growing opposite to the village pond

The fascinating geometry of a patch of ladies finger field blossoming with yellow flowers

Bundles of paddy waiting to be transplanted in the fields

A farmer cultivating his field with hand plough and ox, the way it has been happening for five thousand years

A paddy field flooded with water

The shimmering paddy fields of Hurlung

Villagers making their way through the paddy fields for work – photo taken by zooming the mobile camera so there is an unexpected, beautiful painting like effect

Another flooded paddy field with amazing colours reflected on it’s glassy surface

A butterfly posing for the camera

Since the butterfly obliged us with a photo portrait, the brilliant red dragon fly did it too 🙂

The road on which we take a walk and from where all the pictures have been taken : a road less traveled 🙂

That’s Shikha – all smiles : nothing gives her more happiness in the world than a silent walk through the fields of Hurlung

That’s me with a foolish grin plastered on my face

And that is Babu – one of the five NEEV CIL Members : Aspiring to be a farmer, holding aloft the green flame of revolution

NEEV Vidyalaya : Creating Leaders to Change the World – Blog on Leadership by Harshal (Student of NEEV Vidyalaya)

Harshal (centre) in a meeting with her class mates

Dear Friends,

The world today is in a crisis. Bad news pours in at such a steady rate that the effect is paradoxically numbing. We can trumpet the fact that we have the world of knowledge at our fingertips : indeed we do. Unfortunately, knowledge is no guarantee of wisdom. Knowledge can be stored, transmitted, acquired, bartered and sold across internet: but not wisdom. The trend of current world events are quite clear; no amount of mere knowledge can save the world tethering on collapse. Knowledge is value neutral. The question is whether we are motivated to do anything after all the knowledge we acquire. Merely knowing about oppressive inequality, global environmental degradation or terrible ethnic massacres in the world does not initiate in us the seriousness or the sense of responsibility to do something for changing this world. What we require is the awakening of wisdom – an Integral human being.

Wisdom is a fusion of the head, heart and the hands – not just mere analytical skills of the intellect, but the compassion of the heart, and the humility and skill of the hands. It has to be nurtured intricately in an environment of immense care and patience. It has to be a space where minds are allowed to flower in intelligence without moulding them into a preconceived agenda of a system, state, economy or religion. Do we have spaces in our world today that incubate such wisdom?

Our schools have become places of mere knowledge transfer and training in technical capacity. What our ailing planet and humanity needs today are children who shall be leaders : healers and warriors; not second hand, trained, unquestioning, docile human beings. And this is what we are trying in NEEV Vidyalaya.

As I mentioned in my post on 15th August Celebrations – The Tricolour Unfurls at NEEV Vidyalaya, all the programs above Std. 6 till Std. 10 were managed by the children entirely with no teacher supervision. Harshal Jain, the Head Girl of the school (and my daughter), a student of Std. 10 was given the responsibility of managing the program. Managing such programs is one of the crucibles for building leaders at NEEV Vidyalaya. These are events where the entire human reality crowds in. The same reality is played out by humans in a global arena constructing the world we live in.

Throughout the fortnight I saw Harshal grappling with issues cropping up every day. As I mentored her through the process I saw that the issues leaders face are the same, just the scale changes. So after the program got over and Harshal breathed a sigh of relief, I asked her to pen down her thoughts on what she learned about leadership. I am presenting the article written by Harshal. The language, thoughts and composition are entirely her own. I have not made a single correction. The only help she received from me was a set of questions as a feedback after she finished writing the first draft. So the article stands entirely on her own merit. There is a noticeable chauvinism at the end of Harshal’s blog for NEEV Vidyalaya. I left it unedited because I found it as a quintessentially charming love of a student for her school : a school where she has spent ten most formative years of her life, ripening from a toddler to a self assured adolescent ready to face the challenges of the world.

I am providing her article below, interspersed with some photographs.

The article in Harshal’s own writing

MY LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE

So it was August and like every year, we had to start our preparation for independence day in school. But, this time it was different for me. I was the head-girl of the school and had been given the responsibility of conducting the entire program of the senior school.

Harshal leading the march past at NEEV Vidyalaya

Harshal – Flag Hoisting at Independence Day

I used to love participating in various programs and  enjoyed the happening environment of the school during independence days, but now, instead of participating in some selected programs and perform them on stage, I had to organize and conduct the entire independence day function.

Harshal participating in dancing in a previous function

Harshal singing and anchoring in previous functions

It was a bit scary for me in the beginning, but then I started taking it as a leadership lesson of my life. I could feel the sense of responsibility for all the programs which had to be put up on stage and could just not be as carefree as I used to be during the earlier independence day practice in my school. There were a vast number of fields where I had to bring my attention to. I was slowly starting to get more confident of myself… In the beginning, I tended to find out a lot of flaws in the selection of children and the kind of song/dance/speech which were chosen and had a pre-notion of the in-capacities of children. But then, my principal taught me that if I think of my team to be having limited capacities, my team will also think of themselves to be the same. He also taught me to be positive and how to manage all the programs together.The first thing I did was ‘try’ to remove my preconception for the students. I started to make them realize their potentials and flower them by giving a lot of positive energy and encouraging words. It so happened that slowly they started seeing me as their teacher and would on their own come to me and ask for advice. They started taking interest in their programs and would practice even after the practice time was over. A girl of class 8, Anamika, had been selected for dancing. She was facing a lot of difficulty in coordination and had been discouraged by her companions. I tried to set aside my irritation and be patient with her. I would spend a lot of time working on her steps and coordination, praise her, give her a lot of words of encouragement… Slowly, she started working hard and would come to me for remarks every time after performing on stage for practice. Now, she has really improved a lot and is able to keep up with the other dancers. Thus, the greatest thing I learnt was that a leader can never be negative, he/she has to be positive as this energy would be flowing through his/her team.

Harshal backstage giving last moment tips for the English speech to Tannupriya

However, being positive does not mean that you don’t have to be strict or be soft all the time. There are times when you have to scold them or make them work hard and bring them in discipline. Your team may not always be ready to work, but you have to bring energy to your team and drive them to perfection. You may not always achieve what you wanted, but what matters is how you take it and how you team takes it. My greatest challenge during this whole event was to  train students for march past. I tried for hours and hours to make the children match their hands and legs and the right leg to lift when I say ‘ek’, but I failed. I later let them get on with their own pace of learning. Again, I had been helped by my principal to train the students for march past patiently and effectively. Another thing which I learnt was that you can’t handle everything on your own. You have to create a team of good followers as well as good leaders. They should have the ability to think for themselves and to have their own brains as well. Thus, I would like to state the following qualities of a leader which I learnt during this short ’15 days’ period of time :

1. A leader has to take care of the ‘whole’ and has to have an open and vast mind

2. He/her should not be led by a preconception about his/her team

3. He/she must realise the potential of his/her team and the way to flower it

4. He/she must not be negative and always have a positive energy

5. He/she should be ready to take blame on behalf of his team

6. He/she should know the art of communicating and coordinating the various functions

7. He or she must be able to develop good followers along with good leaders in his team

               I am really thankful to my school and my principal to show their faith in me and to give me this huge responsibility. This has helped me a lot in developing my leadership skills which will be of great importance in my life. It has taught me to handle situations and to take initiative and not to follow others blindly. I has brought me a lot of self confidence which will help me in following my dreams which I have yet to discover. Our world is in a desperate need of leaders. It cannot function without them. Majority of people in the world are confused and don’t know the purpose of their life. They blindly follow those who are in power and are leading the world through their power. So it is very necessary to have right leaders. Right leaders, according to me, are those who work for the entire mankind and nature. They seek to establish peace and freedom and love in the world. I can proudly say that Neev Vidyalaya is a place where such leaders are being created. There is so much of misery, poverty, jealousy and hatred in our world. If this continues, then our world will soon be in pieces. I think, God has created Neev Vidyalaya as the avatar of the saviour of this world.

Harshal with her comrade Shilpi : All smiles after successful completion of Independence Day Program

The NEEV-NIOS Revolution in Education : Visit of Prof C.B Sharma (Chairman NIOS Board) to NEEV

Prof C. B Sharma – Chairman NIOS Board, India being shown the Aloe Vera field of NEEV by Shikha

Dear Friends,

Last weekend we had a surprise visitor to NEEV – Prof. C. B Sharma, who happens to be the Chairman of NIOS Board India. He was on a tour to Jamshedpur for his work when one of our NEEV friends Jayashree, an ardent supporter and customer of NEEV Soaps talked to Prof Sharma about our work. Piqued by this, he graciously decided to pay us a visit. Unfortunately or fortunately, it being a Saturday, NEEV Vidyalaya was closed, so he came to visit us at our NEEV Herbal Cosmetics Unit in Hurlung.

For us it was a bolt from the blue but something that could not have delighted us more. Given our penchant love for NIOS, his visit, like so many incidents in NEEV was a godsend – an event that happened at the right place and at the right time, with a precision that can be manufactured only by the cosmic will.

What followed after he came was a freewheeling discussion on issues relating to education, the aims and objectives of NIOS as well as the unique vision of NEEV’s education. There was also an interesting discussion on how NIOS faces the daunting challenge of providing education at such a low cost of Rs. 1500/student for registration and Rs. 1800 as exam fees when the operating costs per student is much higher.

Our daughter Harshal who is due to appear for her NIOS Board exams in October 2016 as well as our five teachers – Anjali, Babu, Simi, Sourin and Suraj who just passed NIOS Secondary examinations and due to appear for NIOS Senior Secondary exams in 2018 were also present in the meeting. They got the rare opportunity to raise questions and discuss issues about NIOS first hand with Prof Sharma, who answered all their questions with remarkable patience and concern.

It is rare to come across a man of such humility. Not only was he a proactive and eloquent speaker but also a great listener. The NIOS website gives a brief of the amount of work he has done in education. I am just culling a certain portion from it.

“Dr. Chandra B. Sharma the Chairman is Professor of Education on deputation from the School of Education, Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi. He has recently been on a three member committee constituted by the Government of India to draft the Distance Education Council of India Bill 2015, likely to be placed before the Parliament . This Act will set the future of distance education in India. He has been the Director of the Distance Education Programme of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan (DEP-SSA) an MHRD-IGNOU project. DEP-SSA was a national project of the Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD) Government of India. The project assisted all Indian states in preparing master trainers for quality improvement of Elementary education. He has served the open distance learning (ODL) system for nearly two and half decades. Before joining the ODL he taught at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) New Delhi. He has been on various statutory bodies (Academic Council, Board of Management/Board of Governors etc. and also the Visitor’s (President of India) nominee on selection committee) of various ODL as well as traditional institutions. He has been nominated by IGNOU as well as invited to national committees on various areas like 11th Plan, Sarva Siksha Abhiyaan (SSA), Rastriya Madhyamik Siksha Abhiyaan (RMSA), National Mission on Education – Information and Communication Technologies (NME-ICT), UGC Visiting Committees, National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) teams, National Council for Teacher Education planning as well as visiting teams, DEC-UGC-AICTE inspection committees etc. He has written as well as taken part in many national as well as state level educational planning discussion and brainstorming. He has also been invited to be Visiting Professor at various universities, besides been invited by international agencies like the World Bank for research studies.

Prof. Sharma was invited by the Linnaeus University (Sweden) to deliver the key note address on Entrepreneurship and Education in India, and half a dozen other Nordic Universities to lecture on educational collaboration with Indian universities during March-April 2014.”

There were three more short paragraphs describing the work he has done, but I stopped short of quoting them because I guess this is more than enough to give an idea of the breadth and depth of work Prof Sharma has done in education. But despite this, I could see how keenly he listened to my views on education.

After our discussion, we took Prof Sharma around to show around the NEEV Herbal Cosmetics Unit and the land site where the new NEEV CIL School is being constructed.

                                          Above:  Prof Sharma being shown the Herbal Fields around NEEV Herbal Cosmetics Unit, Hurlung by Shikha

            Below: Prof Sharma visiting the land site where the NEEV CIL School is being constructed

The trip of Prof Bhushan ended with a cementing of relationship between NEEV and NIOS because there is a great communion between the vision of these two organizations. Both of them are concerned about a revolution in education. The communion of visions was manifested into a concrete reality when Prof Sharma suggested that we become an accredited centre for NIOS Board’s OBE (Open Basic Education) course. This would provide NEEV with accredition to teach, conduct exams and certify children as well as adult neo-literates at three levels – upto Class 3, upto Class 6 and upto Class 8.

This morning we received a letter of invitation from the Regional Director of NIOS Ranchi, to become an accredited institution for NIOS OBE Program. We see this as a step in a direction to cause a revolution in education. Below is a write-up on why we require a revolution in education and how the communion of NEEV and NIOS can cause such a revolution.

REVOLUTION IN EDUCATION – NEEV + NIOS

Education and revolution are perhaps two words that do not seem to share much in common at first sight. While education springs up images of children with their heads buried in books, revolution conjures images of flags, protests and angry mobs charging at barricades. We hear of social revolutions, political revolutions, religious revolutions and cultural revolutions but we have yet to hear of something that the world today needs the most – an education revolution.While the word education evokes the goodwill and empathy of most thinking people and there is scarce a soul that does not nod his head in agreement for the need of educating children, very few are willing to find what education is all about. What seems to be an innocuous activity of mere transfer of knowledge, actually holds the key to the transformation of man and world. This is because education mirrors the state of society – it’s priorities, it’s politics, it’s economics, it’s culture and it’s religion.

Is education today a mere appendage of an industrial, capitalistic regime churning out selfish individuals interested in mere self advancement and serving the system or education retains the right to create minds that can question and lead a life of freedom and self reliance?

Looking at the four roomed enclosures we call classrooms, stuffed with benches and desks in neat rows, one cannot miss seeing how it resembles the production line of a factory where products go through various stages of finishing by applying standardized procedures. Not a grain of autonomy is afforded to the ‘products’ of the classroom. Everything is predetermined, standardized, assessed, measured and waste products discarded as in a factory. The skills and capacities of children are attended to like the wrapping and packaging of products, intended to lure people by looks and outward gloss while the real thing inside, the soul, the heart, the love remains slumbering.

And then what about the politics of education? Is it mere transformation of knowledge and information to all or is it mired in consideration of class and wealth? Is there universal access to education or on the contrary, education has become the machine for engineering class distinctions, where the rich can buy degrees and rise up the socio-economic ladder.

So what we need today is education which is democratic, flexible, holistic and all inclusive. We need an education that cuts across barriers of age, class, that is sensitive to the needs of an individual, that nurtures and cares for him rather than make him cower with fear under the cane of a teacher. We need an education that can happen anytime anywhere at any pace, without mounds of investment. We need an education that teaches self reliance as a way of living rather than giving the message that it is your class, status and money that determines the life you are going to lead. And last of all we need an education that confers equal respect to the work of hands, head and heart so that we can bring about a world without inequality.

And we get all of this in NIOS.

Considered to be the largest open schooling system in the world, the NIOS Board conducts exams for about 5 lakhs students every year.

The certification given by NIOS is at par with two National Level Boards – CBSE and ICSE

Now lets consider the vision and mission of NIOS. I have highlighted in bold the key points which match with NEEV’s philosphy of Integral Living

Vision

• “Sustainable inclusive learning with universal and flexible access to quality school education and skill development.”

Mission

• Providing relevant, continuing and holistic education up to pre-degree level through Open and Distance Learning System.
• Contributing to the Universalisation of School Education.
• Catering to the educational needs of the prioritized target groups for equity and social justice.

Let’s take a look at the NIOS song

To fill our lives with light
And illuminate our path
Let’s be our own light
And choose the road to tread upon

The school free from constraints of time, resources and coffers
Offers to read anytime anywhere
With plethora of choices at any age
Friends let us arise and awake
And discern the destination

The door is always open at NIOS
With the options of learning and getting assessed
Not once but again and again
Of the many centres on the globe
Let’s opt for one of them

The song abounds with a sense of generosity, an inclusiveness and care. Rather than being a system of elimination, one can see the spirit of invitation and great patience. The thrust here is not to fail you as an individual but to provide you with every opportunity to empower yourself. The song talks about being self reliant, about helping oneself rather than relying on on infrastructure, money and teachers.

Textbooks that raise fundamental questions – Snippets from NIOS Text Books

Not only does NIOS have a grand and noble vision, it also has absolutely amazing course content. Unlike text books of other boards which a blind worshipers of human progress, unquestioningly hailing advancements in science and technology as the ascent of man, the NIOS text books raise fundamental questions for children to think about the direction man has taken. The NIOS books

In fact I read some paragraphs to Prof. Bhushan to show the subtlety and nuanced nature of questioning that NIOS brings about. Here I am providing two examples of questioning done in their social science textbook of secondary level.

Look at the respect accorded to the life of Paleolithic people. Look at how progress is not just blindly assumed. Look at the respect that has been accorded to nature. And all this has been done in the form of an open ended question. To me this is revolution !

And here there is another example

Look at how progress has not been hailed unanimously and pompously. Look at how the luxuries of the few have been contrasted with not even basic amenities lacking for many. Look at how the text makes us realize that we cannot be resting on our laurels of science and technology. There are many, many problems to be addressed in the world and these problems are about things as fundamental as water, health and education.

And the next snippet I am providing is the clincher. It is enough fuel for a true educator to engage children with for the whole of their life. A school like NEEV which wants to develop leaders, social entrepreneurs and change agents who shall help the world towards Integral Living cannot find a better check list of tasks they need to undertake. Those who feel that there is nothing that needs to do in the world and everything is hunky-dory can dip into this list and try solving at least one of these problems. I haven’t seen anything like this in the text books of ICSE Borad which I used to teach earlier.

There is a line which almost entirely states Integral Living philosophy – “The relationship of humans with self, society, and nature should inspire us to create a society in which all of us rather than only a few could lead a gainful life” Just this one sentence is enough for me to be a die-hard NIOS fan.

I do have a different view on Nationalism and love for country. I believe we can substitute it with Global Family and love for the whole earth. Leaving this, I think the list is brilliant.

I could go on and on with one brilliant snippet after another from the Social Science as well as Science, English and Hindi Textbooks of NIOS pointing to the Integral Living philosophy of NEEV. But I guess, I shall reserve this for future posts hoping that I have sufficiently made my point of the unique nature of NIOS Textbooks to spark questioning and self inquiry in students. For me it was pure joy teaching Social Science to my kids and for Shikha, teaching Social Science became a life changing experience. Hopefully she can write about it someday.

Not only Social Science but also Science, English and Hindi books have gem like material to develop an Integrated, sensitive human being with leadership qualities. For example take a look at this exercise. This is a kind of situation that I have seen actually developing in our school.

Other student friendly features of NIOS

• From classroom to anywhere
• Freedom from the tyranny of schools who hold the power of certification
  
• From teacher centric to learner centric
• Students can pace their learning and appear for selected subjects in their board exams
  
• From teacher as an instructor to teacher as a facilitator
• From fixed time to anytime learning
• From “you learn what we offer” to“we offer what you want to learn”.
• From education as one time activity to education as life long activity
• Equal stress on vocational education
• Free access to learning material from website. No buying of expensive books from different publishers
  

To sum it up : in NIOS we have a board which is inclusive, inexpensive, universal, flexible, generous , responsive and with an amazing course content. I consider it a matter of great ignorance that parents and children are stuck with the notion that good education comes by paying money and getting children admitted in schools with glossy buildings. I consider it a matter of great shame that parents who consider themselves ‘educated’ are not able to discern the enormous intelligence and opportunity for learning that is embedded in NIOS.

Despite my having written this article, I know that the trenchant class divisions shall still rule, that parents will still bother about status quo rather than true education in choosing for their children. When I decided to switch from ICSE to NIOS Board, I faced difficulties from all quarters – teachers, students and parents; several teachers left school, 40 children were pulled out by their parents. But I remain wedded or perhaps welded to the democratic vision of NIOS Board. What is at stake is a movement, a revolution to make this world a better place through education.

At least I shall depart with the sense that I left no stone unturned to do my bit in this great cosmic drama.

Love,

Anurag

The Tricolour Unfolds in NEEV Vidyalaya: 70th Independence Day Celebrations

Dear Friends,

The 70th Independence Day was celebrated at NEEV Vidyalaya under a blue sky and warm sunshine. For yet another year, the rain gods spared their downpour on August 15th; unleashing their waters a week before and a week after this day.

Amidst parents, ex teachers, ex students and well wishers from NEEV the programs unrolled with characteristic simplicity and charm; the greenery of NEEV Vidyalaya providing a backdrop for melodious notes, frolicking dances and solemn speeches.

Just to give you all a real feel of how the program of that day, this time I am intertwining the photos with the anchor’s speech. The text of the anchor along with the pictures captures the collage of humble school celebrating a great day, not forgetting the solemness of the occasion. It also brings about the philosophy of NEEV Vidyalaya.

All the programs from Std. 6 to 10 were entirely conceived, practiced and presented on stage by the children themselves with absolutely no teacher supervision and guidance.

Love,
Anurag

Introduction, Welcome, Hoisting of National Flag and March Past

Good morning everyone: Our esteemed Principal Sir, parents, guests, teachers and our lovely students. We have assembled here, in NEEV Vidyalaya, on this solemn occasion to celebrate the 70^th anniversary of India’s Independence Day.

How different is this morning? You shall discover this yourselves as the events of the day unfold just like the tricolours of our national flag.

I now request our school’s Head Girl, Harshal to escort our Principal Sir Mr. Anurag Jain to hoist the National Flag. I request all of you to please stand up for the national anthem.

1. Aazadi ke Rakhwaale – Poem by NUR, LKG and UKG

Highlighting the duty of every Indian to protect and preserve the hard earned freedom of our country, let’s begin our day’s program with an innocent yet patriotic performance by the tiny tots of Nur, Lkg and Ukg, who shall sing – Aazadi ke Rakhwaale

Thank you children. I hope we have taken the message given by these young children and let’s take a resolve to never take freedom for granted but to protect it with all our energy.

2. English Speech – Tannupriya Std. 9

Now I would like to invite Tannupriya of Std. 9 on stage to deliver a speech in English

Thank you Tannupriya for such a wonderful and inspiring speech about the sacrifice made by our noble leaders of the past. Do we have such noble men in our society today who are willing to devote their lives for the development of our country? I would like to leave you with a question, “Freedom comes with a responsibility of preserving it. Who shall take this responsibility?

3. Mera Desh Mahan – Song by Std. 1 and 2

Carrying on, our next program brings out the great spiritual and cultural heritage of our country. We must be proud to be a citizen of such a great and ancient nation. To honor this pride, the students of Std. 1 and 2 are going to present the song Mera Desh Mahan

Thank you children for giving us the message of being proud about our country. How many of us actually feel fortunate to have taken birth in a nation of such greatness, today?

 

4. Woh Kisna Hai – Dance by Std. 4 and 5 Girls

Now I would like to call upon stage the Radhas of Std. 4 and 5 expressing their love for Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna was not only the prince charming but also a great teacher who showed the path to real freedom from ignorance through the immortal words uttered by him in the Bhagavad Gita.

Thank you girls. What a lovely and graceful dance that was. When the spirit of freedom throbs in the minds of the citizens of the country then it find expression through the myriad forms of arts and dances. Like Krishna, I hope the youth of today develop the seriousness to defend freedom and at the same time develop the grace to rejoice in it, the way Lord Krishna did.

5. Hindi Speech – Riya of Std.7

Now I would like to welcome Riya, a student of Std. 7 on stage to deliver a speech in Hindi

Thank you Riya for your thoughtful words. Truly education forms the backbone of freedom and independence. Young minds and bodies twisted and tortured by a thoughtless and inhuman education system can hardly be the fore bearers of freedom. We need to bring a radical change in our education system so that children can flower in freedom and self responsibility.

6. Andher Nagri – Drama by Std.6 to 10

And now lets come to the theatre of life. Actually life is a drama when led in ignorance. Our next program is a skit which depicts how an ignorant leader creates darkness in the life of all. Please gear yourself up to watch a tragic yet humorous masterpiece of Drama – Andher Nagri

Thank you boys for an admirable performance. I hope all of us have taken the crucial message that when we blindly follow our leaders, there is chaos, darkness and ignorance. Unfortunately most of us are scared to question those in power. Therefore we have to develop the capacity to question and not merely follow authority. In a democracy, it is the people and not the government that rules. It is in our hands to create an Andher Nagri in India or an India that shows light to the world.

7. Yeh to Sach Hai ki Bhagwan Hai – Song by boys of Std. 2,3 and 4

Indian culture is steeped in God and religion and this can be seen in it’s 33 crore Gods. We have built grand temples since ancient times to worship statues of God, bestowing our faith in his infinite wisdom. But, Where is God? Who has seen him? In what form does he exist? To answer these mysterious questions we have students of Std. 2, 3 & 4 singing the song “Yeh to Sach Hai ki Bhagwan Hai”

Thank you boys for a truly appreciable performance

8. Dance on Sau Dard Hai by Std. 4 and 5 boys

Next we have a power packed dance performance by Std. 4 and 5 boys on the song Sau Dard Hai

Thank you boys for a truly thrilling performance

9. Hai Preet Jahan ki Reet Sada – Song by Std. 6 to 9

After receiving an education in the western model, the youth and children of today are blinded by the developments of science and technology of the west. They look down upon Indian culture and fail to recognize it’s profound wisdom as well as the enormous contributions it has made in the development of mankind.

So, to bring back the pride in the achievements of our country by understanding it’s glorious past, the students of Std. 6 to 9 are going to present a heart-warming song – Hai Preet Jahan ki Reet Sada

Thank you boys and girls. I hope after listening to this none of us shall remain ignorant about the immense contributions of our country. It was our country which realized that more than machines, gadgets and bombs what humanity requires is love. The greatest gift India has given to the world is the possibility of living on this earth with Truth, Freedom and Love.

10. Chak Dhoom Dhoom – Dance by Std. 2 & 3

Next we have on stage the students of Std. 2 & 3 to delight us with an energetic dance performance of getting soaked in the rains, now that we are in the midst of a rainy season.

Thank you students for entertaining us with your light hearted dance on a truly melodious song.

11. Mohe Rang do Laal – Dance by Girls of Std. 6 to 9

India is a land of numerous dance forms. One of them being the classical dance form called Kathak. Classical dance and performance arts, states this ancient Hindu text Natyashastra, are a form of expression of spiritual ideas, virtues and the essence of scriptures. Our next performance by girls of Std. 6 to 9 brings alive the delicate nuance of Kathak dance on the song Mohe Rang do Laal.

Thank you girls for a really graceful performance.

12. Tribal Dance by Std. 6 to 10

Continuing our exploration of various dance forms, we have a totally refreshing Tribal dance of Saanthalis of Jharkhand. Characterized by delicate, graceful and extremely co-ordinated steps of a group of dancers, tribal dances celebrate communion with each other and nature. The tribals have been custodians of nature since ancient times. They have protected the trees, rivers and forests for centuries. But with the onslaught of modern science and technology, the tribals are losing their culture and wisdom. This dance is a way of honoring their great culture and contribution to mankind.

Thank you students for such an adorable performance. I am sure we can all feel the beats of the drum still vibrating in our hearts and our feet just waiting to dance to the tribal tunes.

13. Gaaye Ja – Song by Nisha of Std. 9

The last program of the day is a truly amazing song sung by Nisha – Gaaye Ja. The song starts out with a sad note, about difficult times that lie ahead in a person’s life. There are times in all our lives where we face a sea of difficulties. The world we live in today is not an easy one. Numerous challenges lie ahead, especially for people who want to live their dreams.

Thank you Nisha for a deeply emotional and heart stirring performance. I hope we all receive the positive message at the end of this song which begins with a sad note. We do not have to stop dreaming. We have to dream as well as develop an unbreakable spirit that can withstand all challenges that lie in the way of completion of our dreams. To get up after getting knocked down by every challenge of life and to move again in the direction of our dreams is the path of the brave.

14. Speech by Principal Sir

The freedom fighters who gave up their lives for their country had seen a dream of a free and independent India. They did not give up till India got free. What dreams do we have for our country and the world? To talk about this I invite upon stage our Principal Sir to end today’s Independence Day celebration by his speech.

14. Thanksgiving

Thank you sir for your thoughtful words. With this we come to the end of today’s Independence Day Celebration in NEEV Vidyalaya. I would like to thank our guests and parents who took out their valuable time to watch the program. Your presence does a lot to motivate us. I would like to thank all the teachers who trained the students for the various performances. Last but not the least I would like to thank all the students who worked hard to put up a delightful performance today and made the 70^th Independence a memorable day for all of us.

Teachers of NEEV Vidyalaya

Our Chinese Intern – Lin, trying Tribal Dance with the Children after the Program

Shikha with our Friend Manjeet from Bangalore enjoying the programs (Lin – Chinese Intern and our friend Monica in background)

The Youngest Spectator and and a Proud Indian at NEEV Vidyalaya Independence Day Celebrations – Akshat (Son of our friend Ashish)

A Man Is As Good As His Word – T G Sathish and the Dream of NEEV CIL School (A Temple of Learning)

T G Sathish – My Friend Who Is Helping in Building NEEV CIL School through his financial contribution

 

Construction activity being carried out for NEEV CIL School

“I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. He will put some things behind, will pass an invisible boundary; new, universal, and more liberal laws will begin to establish themselves around and within him; or the old laws will be expanded, and interpreted in his favor in a more liberal sense, and he will live with the license of a higher order of beings.” That is what I think freedom really is.

This is what Henry David Thoreau wrote in the concluding chapter of his classic Walden.

He concludes the paragraph by writing

“If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.”

When I began envisioning a different kind of education system a year ago, I was building my castle in the air. I say so because there was nothing in my visible world that indicated towards any materialization of this vision that was unfolding in me.

But as Thoreau says, when a man advances “confidently” in the direction of his dreams and “endeavours to live the life which he has imagined”, he will meet with a success in “uncommon hours”. Again and again this maxim has been validated for me in the journey of NEEV.

In our normal lives we barter our dreams for the corroded shell of security. We never “pass the invisible boundary” that Thoreau talks about because we do not want to put old things behind, even though we know that we have outlived their significance. We do not dare to dream for a new world.

When I started seeing the limitations of the present system of education, it became an imperative for us to create a new school where the vision can be lived. But the “uncommon hour” had to come. It finally came one day when I received a call from a place as uncommon as one could expect – from my college friend T. G Sathish.

T. G Sathish, myself and Shikha were batch mates in college – REC Kurukshetra. At the time Sathish called me up, I could have added just another line to this pithy introduction; Sathish had recently become a sponsor in NEEV’s Rural Kid Sponsorship Program. Though he was on NEEV’s mailing list for the past ten years, his sponsorship had started quite silently and mysteriously a year before in 2015.

While in college, I can’t recollect having not more than two conversations with him, so I could safely describe our relationship as nothing more than an acquaintance. But of late, towards the end of 2015, I started observing an increasing frequency of donations by him. In 2015 he became the largest donor to NEEV by donating Rs. 3 lakhs in a single year. I felt that some boundary was being pushed, the relationship was shaping up to be something more than an acquaintance. Sensing this, I went beyond my customary thanksgiving for the donation to share the vision of new NEEV CIL School.

A few rapid fire mail exchanges took place between us as Sathish tried to understand my new vision. Then finally the invisible boundary was surpassed. A new, universal, and more liberal law began to establish itself around and within. The confirmation of it came to me when I got a mail from Sathish with the following lines

“I believe in destiny and God has his mysterious ways in telling me what to do. Many years back an astrologer predicted that I will help build a temple in my 40’s. Now based on your mail, I realize that there is no greater temple than the temple of learning”

Within a few days of this mail, Sathish booked his flight tickets to Jamshedpur to visit NEEV.

At Jamshedpur, Sathish stayed at the NEEV Soaps Unit, spending time with the NEEV CIL members (Anjali, Babu, Simi, Sourin and Suraj) having dialogues with them, visiting the land site that I was proposing for the new school and also visiting NEEV Vidyalaya.

We all were struck by Sathish’s sense of candour, humility and genuineness. In one of the many conversation we had, Sathish asked me, “Tell me Anurag. What assurance do you require from my side that I shall help you in every possible way to bring up the new school?”.

“Nothing”, I replied.

In my two score years of life on earth, I have met and interacted with thousands of people, from the poorest to the richest. So I know when I am in the presence of something pure and genuine. But the financial sum involved here was no joke. We were talking about Rs. 30 Lakhs of donation for the land and the construction.

Seeing and interacting with Sathish, I put my trust in him the way a baby puts in it’s mother. But I must admit that having received so many knocks from the world, there was still an iota of doubt remaining. And this iota of doubt too got obliterated when we got the first transfer from Sathish for the land purchase. On 2nd June, 2016 Sathish made the first transfer of Rs. 16.25 Lakhs for the land purchase. A dream of a lifetime (something which I had held for 20 years) became a reality in a single second.

Not only this, as the school construction work starts, there are requirements of funds at a weekly basis. I just have to ask once for my requirement and the funds are transferred by Sathish at the speed of light. With every transfer I receive, I see the dream shaping up into a reality; the borewell digging, the handpump installation, the boundary wall construction…..forms dancing, whirling and coming into existence from empty space.

There are times when my eyes become moist with gratitude and I try to express my heartfelt thanks to the one whom God sent and this is what Sathish has to say

But despite the tremendous contribution of this one man, we still need to raise Rs. 15 Lakhs more to finish construction of our unique school.

If one man can do this much, I wonder what we all can do together to bring forth a new kind of school – a temple of learning. I am sure that all friends of NEEV have the capacity to raise half the amount of what one man has committed to this vision. And I know Sathish is not a multi millionaire 🙂

Help us build the temple of NEEV CIL School. These kids are waiting for it……………………………………………..

Children of Hurlung Village – Eagerly waiting for the new school to come up

NEEV Interns Finding the Space in the Open Sky !

Interning at NEEV has been a life transforming moment for many of the interns. Their experience with us is not something that just leaves them with a certificate of internship to be used for getting jobs, but something much more deeper and vaster. It leaves them with a profound dissatisfaction with the current world, based on technology and consumerism. Once they go back, the dissatisfaction is not quelled. In some cases it seethes and even grows, finding expression in their communications with me.

NEEV is about creating a psychological revolution in the brain of man so that he sees the monstrous falsities of current world that are perpetuating conflict at global, social and environmental levels. And such a revolution does not come about by “adjusting” to society, but questioning all its values. The process of questioning requires enormous hard work. All the forces of society exert an immense gravitational pull to give in to to its prevailing values of ambition, competition, power seeking and consumerism. Questioning this enormous whirlpool of ideas that construct society requires one to stand completely alone psychologically. There are no gurus, no experts, no texts, no guides, no scriptures to lead you. One has to walk this path alone, in immense solitude. All comfort from every form of authority has to be put aside and one has to meet life afresh with one’s own intelligence and questioning. Whole life long we have been ‘schooled’ by our parents, schools, temples, science and governments to not think but follow. To throw aside this enormous burden requires unceasing intelligence.

In the midst of our busy lives, locked in the gridlock of job, family and entertainment, where does one find space for such questioning? Or have we become so docile that all questions have died down (read dumbed down)? An unexamined life is not worth living – Socrates had said this at a time when the world was still not caught in the vice like grip of techno-economic forces. How true would this maxim be today? A mind that ceases to question, ceases to learn. It becomes mechanical – a mechanical race for acquiring power and pleasure. Can we find and create spaces for questioning life?

I would like to share with you some beautiful pieces of communications with two of NEEV Interns – Abhishek and Lisa. Both interned with NEEV in 2012, that is four years ago. They still carry the perfume of questioning in their lives, a questioning that disturbs but nonetheless makes them alive.

Abhishek studied engineering at Manipal Institute of Technology. A few days ago, in response to one of my postings on facebook, he shared with me this :

“I think most of the people have become slaves of the machine. They think what it wants them to think, see what it wants them to see, teach what it wants them to teach, like what it wants them to like and may be the most dangerous knows and learns what it want them to know and learn. Our media, economy, even cultural and social values are being dictated by the machine. And gradually as time is flying by, I am realizing that I have also become one of the slaves. But the good thing thing is I still find out the time to watch the open sky at night and for that small span of time I leave this world and go to a place which give me my daily quota of peace. And I think travelling to that place is very simple and everyone should find a way by which they could travel to that world and muster the strength to return and live in this world for one more day.”

– Abhishek

Lisa, was another intern from Belgium who studied economics from Gent University Belgium and then later went on to become President of AIESEC Belgium. Some time ago, responding to one of my articles she wrote

“Thank you for sharing this with us. (Water Woes and the Rich, Educated Sin-gineers (Engineers)) I’m going through similar frustrations at the moment. Last night I couldn’t sleep, I haven’t been fully able to concentrate the last couple of days actually, and I was thinking about the world we are living in. I really hope with all my heart that we will start evolving into a more aware and thoughtful society, where real things start mattering more, like water, air and earth instead of TV, cellphones and other technology.
 
A couple of weeks ago I was still in South Africa (and in Namibia), and even though you also have educated sin-gineers and other rich people living there and not caring enough about the scarcity of natural resources, I somehow have the feeling people, or at least my friends, are still more in touch with nature there. In Belgium we mostly live in and around bricks and concrete. A friend of mine recently posted a research outcome of the % of the country which was concrete and I don’t remember the exact amount but I remember it was a lot. And it makes me a bit confused because my heart is yearning for that touch with nature but I can’t seem to escape the bricks here. Of course there is a lot of nature still present, and every small flower and bush can bring me joy too. I just need to still adjust from my trip to South Africa and appreciate nature in a different way here (or appreciate the different type of nature we have here).”

– Lisa

Lisa also sent me a couple of photographs from her trip in Namibia. I am sharing one of them (I am sure Lisa, you would not mind this). This is the one in which Lisa is sitting on the rocks with a star shining brightly in the background of open sky. She seems to be finding that space in the open sky which Abhishek talked about : a space for contemplation on the immeasurable that rises beyond the world. Co-incidentally Abhishek and Lisa were able to meet each other at the time when they were interning in NEEV.

I finally end with sharing a few pics of Lisa in the NEEV Soaps unit. Lisa had a special love of all the children living in the village in which NEEV’s Herbal Unit is located. They used to all crown around her like bees hovering near a hive 🙂

Of all the kids, Lisa had a special love for one of them called Kishan, who was the son of a very dedicated lady Jasomati who works in the NEEV Herbal Unit in Hurlung Village. At the time Lisa met Kishan he was not going to any school as his parents could not afford to send him.

Lisa’s love for Kishan finally manifested in the form of sponsoring Kishan to NEEV Vidyalaya, a commitment she has preserved through all challenges for the past four years…..till today !

Today Kishan is a happy, confident and proud student of NEEV Vidyalaya 🙂