Tips for Current and Upcoming i-Help Volunteers
Help is about giving back to society, helping the underprivileged, providing them with education they otherwise lack access to, and raising their voices. Volunteers at i-Help take on various roles, such as teaching, media PR and outreach, and human resources, all working together to support those in need. For people volunteering at i-Help for the first time, it can feel challenging. However, a few tips can help new volunteers overcome these obstacles and work more effectively.
Some tips for new volunteers at i-Help:
Since mentors assign work to volunteers, who are already experienced in their fields, volunteers should stay updated with relevant real-time resources and software to complete their tasks more efficiently.
Managing multiple tasks simultaneously can take time, so volunteers should practice punctuality and learn project and time management skills. It may be challenging at first, but once you have a plan, things become much easier.
Volunteers receive various tasks, so having a clear understanding of each assigned task will help avoid ambiguity when performing them.
For volunteers in Media PR and Outreach, understanding how to create posts, stories, and blogs for social media is essential to effectively raise awareness.
Teaching volunteers should have a solid grasp of teaching principles as they engage with students.
Communication plays a crucial role across all areas at i-Help. Volunteers should communicate effectively not only with mentors but also with the people they are helping, fostering empathy and compassion.
In conclusion, volunteering at i-Help allows participants to give back to society while developing new skillsets, broadening their perspectives, and building themselves up as they support others.
Skills that Stay Learnings of an i-Help Volunteer
At i-Help, we associate with various schools and NGOs to encourage, promote, and inculcate education in the lives of those who are unfortunately unable to access such resources. We offer different volunteer positions for volunteers to work in and provide to the best of their abilities. I-Help provides opportunities for volunteers to work in areas such as Human Resources, Media, PR, outreach, and Teaching.
Hard skills:
Volunteers gain experience in working with real-time resources and software. They are assigned work and are led by competent mentors well-versed in the field. Volunteers are encouraged to be creative and provided with multiple opportunities to perform and refine their skills. In the Media, PR, and Outreach team, volunteers are expected to develop an understanding of how to create posts and stories for social media platforms like Instagram and LinkedIn. They also understand the principles of teaching when they participate in visits.
Soft skills:
Participants are provided with regular deadlines and thus learn the essential ideas of punctuality, dedication and project management. Volunteers are expected to communicate with the underprivileged from different backgrounds and as a result, they develop a sense of empathy and compassion. Moreover, a good deal of projects are team-based and thus volunteers learn teamwork and leadership.
All volunteers at i-Help are involved in imparting knowledge in one way or the other. The key takeaway is that an i-Help volunteer not only works for the social motive but also they learn a skill set that is useful in real life. I-Help volunteers are energetic, empathetic, and envisioning individuals who are self-determined to perform for the cause of the less fortunate.
Hindi Diwas The language that binds us together
Celebrating Hindi Diwas at iHelp IIM Indore
As we at iHelp IIM Indore celebrate Hindi Diwas, it’s a great time to reflect on the significance and lasting impact of Hindi, a beautiful language that connects millions of people in our country and serves as a bridge for culture and emotion throughout our diverse community. At iHelp, we understand the power of education in forming futures, and Hindi is the language that will help us unite people and build our nation’s destiny.
Hindi: A Unifying Thread
Hindi, spoken by over 600 million people across India and abroad, stands as one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. Its influence extends far beyond mere communication; it is a testament to the rich tapestry of our cultural and social heritage. The language has evolved over centuries, tracing its origins back to Sanskrit, and with years of influence from the country, it has become a symbol of our national identity. Hindi serves as a common thread that weaves together different linguistic communities. It is often the language of choice for government communication, media, and educational materials, ensuring that people from various backgrounds can access information and engage in national discourse.
The Role of Hindi in Education and Social Integration
At iHelp IIM Indore, we recognize the importance of language in education. Hindi, being a key medium of instruction in many schools and colleges, plays a pivotal role in providing educational opportunities to students across the country. Our mission to educate and empower students for competitive exams often involves preparing them in Hindi, helping bridge the gap between complex concepts and ease of understanding. Beyond just exams, Hindi is invaluable in social integration, and proficiency in Hindi helps students from different regions feel more connected to the broader Indian context. This unity promotes a sense of belonging and enhances the cultural richness of our incredible country.
Looking Forward
As iHelp experiences yet another Hindi Diwas, reflecting on its impactful 12 years, we hope that the futures of every student we support are as bright and beautiful as the rich history of the language they learn. For the next 12 years and the subsequent Hindi Diwas, we sincerely wish that these occasions are characterized not by grand milestones or elaborate ceremonies, but by the joyful sounds of laughter, unity, and happiness from the lives we’ve touched and those we will continue to help.
Padhenge Bache Badhenge Hum
The Ripple Effects of Education on Underprivileged Children
Education is a fundamental right, yet millions of underprivileged children worldwide remain deprived of this essential tool. Ensuring that these children receive a quality education doesn’t just impact their individual lives; it has profound ripple effects on their community, the larger society, and the world at large. Here’s how:
1. Impact on Their Community
When underprivileged children receive an education, they become empowered to break the cycle of poverty that often traps families for generations. Educated individuals can access better job opportunities, leading to increased income for their households. This financial upliftment often translates to better living standards, access to healthcare, and the ability to support the education of younger siblings, thereby creating a positive feedback loop within the community.
Moreover, educated children often become role models and advocates for change within their communities. They are more likely to engage in community activities, promote the importance of education, and inspire others to pursue learning. As more children in the community get educated, the collective mindset shifts, paving the way for a more informed and progressive local population.
2. Impact on the Larger Community
The benefits of educating underprivileged children extend beyond their immediate surroundings. As they enter the workforce, they contribute to the economy, bringing in new skills, ideas, and innovations. This influx of talent can drive local businesses, enhance productivity, and contribute to regional development.
Furthermore, educated individuals tend to be more civic-minded and socially responsible. They are more likely to participate in democratic processes, understand their rights and responsibilities, and advocate for the rights of others. This active participation fosters a more engaged and cohesive larger community, where diverse voices are heard, and collective progress is prioritized.
3. Impact on Society as a Whole
At the societal level, the education of underprivileged children is a crucial driver of social equity and justice. By providing equal educational opportunities, societies can bridge the gap between different socio-economic groups, reducing disparities and promoting a more inclusive environment.
Educated populations are also better equipped to tackle global challenges such as climate change, health crises, and technological advancements. They bring diverse perspectives and solutions to the table, fostering innovation and collaboration on a global scale. Additionally, societies with higher education levels generally experience lower crime rates, better health outcomes, and greater social stability.
Impact of Technology in Education
There have been days when education was only limited to a few elites. Those days, only those students who were well off were able to afford home-schooling. A few others were to travel long distances to get access to schools/schooling. Soon came the era of computers, which was optimized to build affordable technology to make everyone avail the facilities of the same. With the beginning of the smart classrooms in 1985 at San Diego State University, the aim of innovative digital classrooms equipped with smartboards, and projectors, to provide students with an interactive learning experience was fulfilled. Soon this was brought into schools and received tremendous response from the students regarding their enthusiasm and interest in attending schools. As the internet was also evolving at this stage, the ability to access the internet through smartphones was primarily focused. This slowly appeared as mobile networks proliferated from the first generation to the fifth generation. The impact it had in terms of education is enormous. From the vast amount of resources in terms of e-books that are free of cost to the recently developed audiobooks, the accessibility of education to students has increased manifold. This reduced the dependence on physical materials to learn something and induced the concept of self-study among students. The recent developments in E-Library are a cherry on top of the technological advancements in the field of education. Gone are the days when schools declared holidays due to unavoidable circumstances like bad weather, while now we have ‘online classes’ close to how learning happens in the presence of physical classrooms. People used to walk and travel long distances to coaching institutes to prepare for competitive exams. We now have several E-learning platforms with Learning Management Systems for the same, easing the process of competitive exams preparation and drastically increasing the number of students appearing for the same every year. The impact of technology in the future of education will encompass the power of AI incorporated into the learning tools to provide performance reports to the students to get their SWOT analysis and recommend measures to enhance their learning process. Thus, there is no doubt that the field of education has a vast potential to grow with the support of emerging technologies.
About NTSE, NMMS, and JNVST
To empower underprivileged school children with primary and secondary education by guiding students in cracking scholarship exams like NTSE, NMMS, and Navodya, i-Help undertakes its operations with pride and devotion. Let’s examine in detail the scholarship exams that i-Help prepares its students for:
NTSE
The National Talent Search Examination (NTSE) is one of the most esteemed scholarships in India. The NTSE test is renowned for its examination standards and well- designed question papers. Students undergo a two-part assessment procedure. The Mental Ability Test (Stage 1) evaluates students’ deductive thinking and problem-solving capacity. Math, Science, and Geography questions are included on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (Stage 2). Students who qualify in stage 1 can appear for the stage 2 assessment. Both papers consist of 100 questions for 1 point each, and students are given two hours to complete them. An NTSE Scholar is entitled to a scholarship of Rs 1250/- a month in Class XI and XII. It increases to Rs 2000/- a month in undergraduate and post-graduate courses. An NTSE scholar also gets a scholarship for Ph.D. as per the UGC norms.
NMMS
The Central Government offers the NMMS (National Merit-cum-Means Scholarship) examination for Class 8 students interested in acquiring financial help for their secondary education. The initiative was started in May 2008 for academically gifted children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The application period for the NMMS Scholarship examination runs typically from July to December. Its objective is to encourage kids to continue their education and lower the dropout rate in Classes 8 and 9, raising India’s total literacy rate. INR 12,000 worth of the NMMS Scholarship for four years will be deposited as INR 1000 monthly for students who qualify for the exam. The NMMS exam comprises two sections - The mental ability section and the scholastic aptitude section.
JNVST
JNVST (Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Selection Test) is the test held for class VI admission in Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas throughout the country’s 28 states and seven union territories. The Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti administers this exam to select the best students to attend JNV schools in India. The children gain access to quality government schools and a good standard of education by clearing the exam. Each Navodaya Vidyalaya is a co-educational residential institution providing free boarding and lodging, free school uniforms, textbooks, stationery, and to and fro rail and bus fare to students. Currently, there are 661 Navodaya schools. 80 Class VI students may be admitted based on this screening test for each Vidyalaya. The exam is given at the start of the year, and the admittance year’s JNVST results are typically made public by the end of May. The exam provides gifted students from rural locations access to high-quality education and serves as a focal point for education across the nation’s districts.
The Roots Of i-Help - How It Started
How does something big and successful get created?
It is often a result of a small step by someone who dared to dream, think differently, and bring about a change.
A visit to the rural areas around Indore to study and understand the problems of the denizens and prepare a project report was the task set for the IPM students that term back in 2012. While everyone collected data to understand the various problems faced by the people, one boy questioned if the students could help resolve the problems of underprivileged children.
And that is how i-Help was born – as a student-run initiative to help improve the mathematical and linguistic ability of the children and help them prepare for scholarship exams. The professors were interested in helping take the idea forward as it served a noble cause. The first step they decided would be to visit the under-privileged-yet-eager children during the weekends and teach them basic arithmetic and verbal ability. And in the subsequent years, it expanded to teaching the kids scholarship exams. Soon, i-Help also had four wings – Academic, Human Resources and Operations, Media and Public Relations, and a Projects Team – to perform various functions effectively and increase the reach of i-Help’s operations.
Since then, i-Help has come a long way – growing in size, the scale of operations, and vision. But the focus has always been on the dreams we could help fulfill and the smiles we could help bring to the kids’ faces. Cheers to a more significant cause!
i-Help's Online Transition
‘A child without education is like a bird without wings.’
~ A Famous Tibetan Proverb
Before volunteering for i-Help, I hadn’t given it much thought.
I had just volunteered for it because many of my batchmates were doing so. I would have never imagined it to be such a memorable experience.
Regrettably, because of the pandemic caused by COVID-19, the only option available to the volunteers was to take online classes. As a result, the overall teaching experience was negatively impacted. We, the volunteers, had to find different ways to teach in order to ensure that the students were able to comprehend the concepts.
Before the operations began, I was wondering whether the lack of technological infrastructure on the students’ part would pose a problem.
The i-Help team helped us resolve this issue by connecting with the students’ parents. The team checked if each student’s household had at least one smartphone and decent internet connectivity. This was the case with 80% of the households.
The i-Help team came up with the idea of using Zoom or WhatsApp Video calls to teach the students. They suggested the use of a digital on-screen whiteboards as a substitute for classroom blackboards. Whenever the students faced connectivity issues, we would record the lectures. These lectures would then be sent to the students for them to use, once their internet connectivity stabilized.
Despite the ‘online nature’ of the classes, the student (whom I was in-charge of) did her absolute best to comprehend the concepts taught and turned in her assignments on time. This motivated me to do my level best.
Despite the numerous challenges owing to the transition to the online medium, the i-Help team exerted tremendous effort to ensure that the teaching process remained unhindered. I deeply admire their dedication to this endeavor.
Being a part of i-Help, I felt a sense of accomplishment and pride. Doing something which might potentially make a big difference in someone’s life gave me overwhelming joy. A famous Tibetan proverb rightly says, ‘A child without education is like a bird without wings’. I am thankful to i-Help for giving me this opportunity and giving these children, their wings.
The need for audio visual aid in learning
Audio visual aid in learning is a form of instruction where comprehension and retention of a particular topic is increased by introducing audio and visual presentation of the material. As this form of learning employs more than one sense therefore the children or even adults are able to learn and retain the information presented to them better. For example, you can remember things that you see for a longer time compared to those that you have only heard and this method of teaching can involve both therefore it is much more effective than our conventional method of teaching. In India, we can observe that the students struggle with understanding topics and they just simply mug up their prescribed texts. This issue is prevalent in most of the schools in India. One of the major reason for this is lack of good teachers, this leads to children not understanding things that are taught to them and end up simply mugging everything up. The solution to this can be audio-visual aids, they enhance teacher’s ability to present the lesson in simple, effective and easy to understand for the students. Also this can be an effective solution for a large scale easily, if one good video explaining a topic is made then that can be used across all schools. Another problem that students face is concentrating during lectures. If a teacher simply reads out from a book, all the students might find it hard to concentrate continuously on it but in its place if they are asked to see a video on the same thing with animations and sound effects, it will help them focus much more compared to normal readings. Use of audio visual aids improves student’s critical and analytical thinking because they get better understanding of the topics. It helps to remove abstract concepts through visual presentation. There is a strong need to implement audio visual aids in all the schools of the country. A lot of schools in the country are already using these methods and can see the results clearly. Implementing this in all schools will give each child of this country a chance to actually learn and be educated rather than just mug up to pass for exams.
How the gap between rural and urban schools can be bridged
The difference between urban and rural students are not in terms of intellect, but due to their surrounding environment, learning ability, availability of infrastructure, skills, and access to different facilities. Considering these factors, the curriculum for rural students must be curated. But it is also equally important to ensure that students are taught in a manner that is easily comprehensible in their given capacity. Currently, the dominant task of primary education in India is to universalize compulsory education, especially in rural areas. On this note, let’s look at the ways we can upgrade primary level education in rural regions to close the gap. • Access and quality of education must go hand in hand. Quality of education rests upon its infrastructural facilities such as classrooms, water and sanitation facilities, availability of electricity, provision for digital learning, sports equipment and facilities, availability of chairs and desks, access to books and learning materials, among others
• The infrastructure in schools must also be maintained. The current initiatives of having smart classrooms in public schools could go a long way in addressing this need with features and facilities like digital content, broadcasting classes conducted by experienced teachers, interactive classes through video conferencing, etc.
• An efficient teacher brings about all the difference to a child’s education. Teachers are key to ensuring that students get the required readings that keep their minds kindled for seeking proficiency. In fact, students’ like or dislike attending classes or interests in a particular subject can be developed because of their teacher and his/her quality of teaching. • In modern times, we see more digital tech making its way into the classroom. The introduction of technology to the classroom offers vast opportunities to enhance learning and improve data collection. Digital learning can also help develop critical thinking skills. This requires the installation of wi-fi and smart board equipment in classes.
At the end of the day, it is imperative that the government plays an important role in improving educational outcomes for both urban and rural students. Over the past years, we have seen priorities being set for empowering education to females all over the world, for the simple reason that girls deserve education no less than boys. Take in consideration the schemes by the Arunachal Pradesh government. The Girl Hygiene Scheme aims to empower female students by providing sanitary napkins to adolescent girls on DBT Mode, and CM Vidya Scheme ensures Rs. 10000 to be deposited in every female student’s bank account who passes Class V.
Also, under Acharya Dronacharya Gurukul Yojana, meritorious students in class VI and class IX were given scholarships in the recent past. Similarly, career counseling facilities and a stipend of Rs. 5000 per month were given for science students studying outside Arunachal Pradesh. Under the scheme, 460 meritorious students were also given laptops to encourage them in the field of science in 2018. The scheme also promises 100% scholarship to meritorious students who seek to coach for civil service exams through ALS IAS academy at Itanagar.
There are certain things that can be improved in both urban and rural settings. Academic curriculums must also adapt to the needs of the learner, so that students are able to become the best version of themselves. On this note, academic textbooks and learning methodologies must be made interesting. For rural students, information related to their culture, traditions, and values can be incorporated into their textbooks to maintain their interest in studies. To widen access to education, three pathways to learning should be considered, including formal, non-formal, and informal approaches. Also, career counselling should be provided to help students choose a field that is in sync with their skills and job expectations. In conclusion, “Rural and urban schools are much the same when it comes to resources and learning environments” (EQR, 2003, p.45). But there are various variables that can affect individual students’ achievement. Enhancing the quality of education with career decision-making variables in both rural and urban sectors can considerably impact an individual’s ability to efficiently enhance individual well-being, become economically productive, develop sustainable livelihoods, contribute to peaceful, democratic societies and growth of employment opportunities.
One hour, every Tuesday
It is Tuesday. Even after 6 hours of continuous lectures, my day is not yet over. No, I am not talking about my assignments. Instead, I am supposed to teach 3 bright students Mathematics for their National Talent Search Examination preparation.
When I was first told that I was to teach NTSE aspirants, I was a bit skeptical, for I was quite out of practice with the material. Regardless, I gathered myself, reviewed the material for the day in brief. I contacted the students and set up a time to meet through google meet. Looking back, I am not quite sure what I expected, but without a shred of doubt, my experience teaching them was far more positive than whatever my expectations were. I was supposed to teach for one hour, and according to my clock, I did not teach for much longer, but to me, it felt far longer. The students were clearly not satisfied with me just providing them the formulas for them to apply. Their curiosity ran far deeper, and I had to spend quite a bit of time explaining them the why and how behind the formulas.
The first day, I was disappointed and a bit worried at not being able to cover all the problems provided in the materials. After about half an hour, I realized that my worries were in vain, for I received text messages from all of my students, either asking me to check their solutions or letting me know about the problems they’ve faced. By the next day, all of them had completed most the of problems I was not able to cover last day. I do not know about others, but I for sure was not this dedicated myself.
In a way, this dedication has inspired me to do my best myself, to help them. It is clear to me that these are extremely bright students, with huge potential. All they need is some guidance. The short hour I spend with them leads to noticeable improvement in their abilities. I can take no credit for this. It is because the activeness of these students in asking questions and clearing up little doubts in their conceptual understandings that our short sessions end up being so productive. They are not just interested in doing well in the NTSE, but they are equally interested in learning.
Looking back, I am not quite sure what I expected, but without a shred of doubt, I did not expect to learn so much myself.
A Strange Feeling
Childhood friendships usually end up following one of two paths. Either the friendship is an enduring one that stands the test of time or the two playmates simply grow apart over the course of adolescence. Friendship to me became more of a chore with every new address once every 2 years. Friendship became seasonal and at the end of every season, I had to sow a seed of friendship at another place with another person. Friendship became unrewarding with every friend I left behind over the years. The beginning and end of each friendship streaked from misguided faith in the phrase “History repeats itself.” I knew all my friendships would end even before they started making me numb towards the nostalgia of childhood memories with my pals. The emotions of friendship occupied a very blurry corner of my heart. They were neither real nor fake. I couldn’t tell which it was. I remember my so-called friends not through shared moments but through class photos.
My whole experience at i-help elucidated the importance of treasuring every little laugh, squeak, tease, cry, yell, hoot felt together as friends. The friendships of these extraordinary kids in the classroom made me realize I never tasted the sweet fruits of the glories of childhood. These children gave me the power to reset and kill my fermenting feelings of hopelessness towards friendship. Every visit of i-help gives me a jolt of positivity and hope to foster better and more intimate connections with the people around me. These kids have taught me something that no other person in the world could have; to live in the moment. Learning with friends makes learning fun, living in the moment with friends making living worthwhile. I have missed a part of childhood that I can never get back. But I am not going to miss the memories and moments to come with my beloved friends. Yeah, it’s cool that I teach them Math and English, but they taught me about the importance of friendship and restored my faith in it.
Why I joined i-Help
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela
It has been almost two years when I first signed up for i-Help after coming to IIM Indore. My mother was the main reason I decided to join this organization. She is a government schoolteacher and has been teaching since 1995. As a kid, I used to accompany my mother to her school because she wanted me to understand the hardships that underprivileged children face in terms of quality and availability of education, especially. Seeing all that, I believe, had a powerful impact on my social responsibility as a citizen endowed with privileges. Therefore, i-Help will forever hold a special place in my heart.
I have realized from my teaching experience so far that conventional methods of teaching will not be 100% efficient in tackling the issues we see today. These issues are but not limited to, high dropout rates, performance below par, addictions. I have mostly taught in classes 2nd and 3rd grade, and I believe if we start imparting these social values as early as possible, we will see a significant positive change in the current scenario plagued with such issues. Additionally, we need to shift from the orthodox pedagogy to have a more substantial impact on the students. This is important because education is not just about gaining knowledge to be successful in life. Still, it has deeper nuances which moulds how a person will have a positive effect on this world.
In my journey so far, I have always tried to think outside the preconceived notion of what a classroom means to students. Usually, towards the end, I try to interact with them personally and share stories about our lives, our hobbies, and our family. On some days, I teach them how to draw commonly used household items and try to connect them with what they have learned on that day. Occasionally, I show them short films dealing with social issues in our society and discuss what course of action they should take in case such things happen. Although we have the Right to Education, there are still innumerable kids who do not have access to quality education. That is where i-Help plays a vital part in contributing to society by providing education to the underprivileged section of Indore.
Mujhe Hindi Nahi Aatee
I was playing Badminton well into the night and went to bed around 3 30 in the morning. I had forgotten about my i-Help visit the next day and slept. It was then at 9 in the morning my roommate reminded me of the visit as he was coming as well. I got ready and rushed to the Cricket Stadium with my roommate.
I didn’t want to go for the visit. One major reason was I didn’t know Hindi then, not that I know now too but still I didn’t want to make a fool of myself in front of those little kids. My partner assured me that it would be fine and that he will handle it. I was supposed to take Math and English for Class 4 students. I read the modules that I have to teach on the way to the school and also downloaded Google Translate in case I needed it. We reached there when the students were assembled for their morning prayer. We waiting for a few minutes until they went back to their classes. My partner and I decided that he will be teaching orally and I will be assisting him by writing on the board when he wants me to.
We decided to start with Multiplication. I would write on the board as my partner explained it to them in Hindi. Seems like they already knew the basics and so we decided to give them problem questions. Easy ones. Some were so fast in solving them that we had to give multiple questions to them at once before we could attend others who were slow. We then explained the problems on the board for the ones who couldn’t get it. Then we gave some more problems for them to make sure that they got the concept. It was really fun doing those Math problems with those little kids. It was English then. I opened the app and starting typing in words for the translation. It was either that I was too slow or they were too fast, I was not able to cope up with typing and reading and then telling it out loud. We went back to the same arrangement as we had for Math. My partner would ask me to write a book on the board, I would look up the Hindi word for ‘Book’ from the app, and then I would write the word ‘किताब’ on the board. It was fun trying to keep up with my partner and the kids. I learned a lot of Hindi words that day and earned a whole lot of respect for Google Translate.
Then we took photos with the kids. Then we said bye and came back to the campus. As I said, I didn’t want to go at first but then I enjoyed the visit. The kids laughed with me rather than at me for my inability to speak Hindi and that is the reason why I’ll go back the next chance I get.
The Bhaiya Didi Of Future
In my past two years of association with i-Help with several visits completed, every eye speaks a story that inspires and motivates me to do something better.
During a visit to class 5 in the Umariya school where I was teaching them to introduce themselves in English, a phrase allowed me to interact with all of them individually asking about what they wanted to become in the future. I could sense a lot of emotions and a sense of inhibition to display their ambition amongst others. I took the opportunity and asked each one of them to speak-up confidently about their aspirations and hopes. Some confident bunch of kids started speaking one by one on the top of their voice with full confidence about their ambition to become a doctor, businessman, engineer, teacher, actor and what not.
But a girl in the corner grabbed my attention. I was forced to ask her what she wanted to become in the future. She was a bit hesitant at first, but after her friends supported her to speak-up, she gained up all the courage and said, “I want to become a Didi in the future”. To which everyone started laughing, and I was not able to understand what she meant by it. After I asked the class to be quiet and not laugh at it, I asked her what she meant by it, and “I want to be the Didi to small kids as you are the Bhaiya to all of us” was her reply. I then interjected, saying that she wanted to be a teacher as I thought she might be lacking the vocabulary. She quickly interrupted me saying, “No, I want to become Didi. You are not our teacher. You are the Bhaiya to us, and all the bhaiya-didi of IIM not only teaches us the subjects but informs us of something or the other interesting thing every time they visit. You call us to IIM do play sports, do drama on stage and everything that I wanted to do. You not only teach us, but you all also motivate us to do something good, my elder brother cleared NMMS because of your help, and everyone in our family is pleased about it. I want to be just like you and help small children, once I grow older and motivate them to do something which they feel is impossible to them”.
It took me time to comprehend all of it, and the first thought that hit me was if we deserve this much amount of love, affection and respect. But that visit completely changed my outlook towards the organisations. I added to my contributions to the organisation as much as I could and made sure to go for every visit scheduled. Now, whenever I feel If my efforts are impacting anyone, I refer to this incident and start working in my best potential.
The "sorry" That Made My Day
Perhaps it’s because I’ve always been fond of kids that I have looked forward to all iHelp visits with great anticipation. Well, I have to give up on a few extras’ hours of sleep on a free Thursday, but I can live with that. I’ve made a handful of visits up until now and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every one of them. Until my last visit, if someone had asked me to pick a favourite, I would have brushed the question away with a diplomatic answer. But my last visit changed my mind. My friend and I were allotted an eighth-grade girls’ class. Rumour has it that these girls are the naughtiest of the lot. It only took a few minutes in the class before we realized that it was not a rumour, after all. Don’t get me wrong, they were not the kind who’d set off a firecracker under the teacher’s table. When I say “naughty”, I simply mean they were a little more than we were used to handling. Now, if they were all the same kind of naughty, we might have hoped that one strait-jacket solution would put them all in place at one go. But of course, they wouldn’t want to make things that easy for us. Each of those girls contributed their own flavour to the naughtiness that was sizzling hot in that class.
There was one girl – clearly the brightest of the lot – who was so enthusiastic to learn something new, that after a point it seemed as if she was sucking away our enthusiasm in order to keep up her effervescent demeanour. And she had to display her excitement at the most high-pitched of tones that was starting give us a headache. By the end of the class, she decided that she’d had enough to learn and was hell-bent on getting us to dance and sing. Then there were these two other girls who were determinedly chewing away at their pieces of gum almost as if their life depended on draining the last bit of juice from it. Of course, they threw it away when I told them how inappropriate it was for a classroom but I’d only be fooling myself to believe that that was the last time they would be chewing gum in class. For some bizarre reason, most of these girls just had to leave for the washroom in pairs. I still don’t know why they looked so disappointed when they were only let out individually but I do want to find out, someday, the story behind these visits-in-pairs. And of course, in every class there will be those few children who refuse to part their lips as if they are afraid of some forbidden secret escaping their lips. And most insulting of all, they kept picking at my Hindi! I know that the language isn’t one of my strong points, but did they really have to point fingers and laugh at me?!
My friend and I taught and tried to maintain discipline till our throats were dry. It was very hard for me to hear my own voice over the clamour they were making. We watched the clock needle moving slowly; totally unempathetic to the pain we were enduring. Finally, when it was time to leave, we scrambled to pack our bags. Just as I thought I was done for the day, I found myself swarmed by all the girls. I couldn’t even see my own feet! They were all screaming and holding out pens to me. My friend who had managed to escape stood at the doorway and mused that they wanted me to sign their hands. So, I set out drawing smileys and stars on their hands. And if one line was out of place, they’d be back for me to perfect it. Finally, when all the madness was over, the overenthusiastic girl (who by then we had decided deserved an award for being the naughtiest in class) came to me and with a look of pure innocence on her face said, “Didi, mujhe lagta hai ki humne apko bohot pareshan kiya. Sorry didi.” That was it. The she ran off to God-knows-where to cause more trouble I’m sure. But that one line that she told me melted away all the weariness that I had felt from before. And I looked back at the events from the classroom in a new light. Now, signing their hands didn’t seem as drudgerous as it did before; in fact, I felt like a celebrity that they looked up to. And I realized then that the time when they were in that class was perhaps the happiest hours of their day – no matter whether they were studying or talking or chewing gum – it was their time. All it took was one “sorry” for what I thought was one of the most tiring visits to turn into my favourite visit.
The Team You Need
The primary goal of i-Help may be to help young school students become the best versions of themselves, but in reality, it does so much more. It helps the volunteers too. Going on visits opens up a new world to me. They say that in the service of others, you can find yourself. This statement resonates with me every time I am around these precious little kids.
Sometimes being a college student gets too much - The academic rigour, the all-nighters, and just constantly having things to do and places to be, get the best of all of us. That was precisely how it was for me, in the middle of term II. To take a break from the stress and academic pressure, I volunteered to help out at the i-Help Sports Day. And now, I can honestly say that it was one of the best days of my time here at IPM.
Seeing the kids in their natural element is supremely heartwarming. They have so much joy in their hearts just from playing simple games with their friends. I remember one incident in particular from that day. After running around and playing with children all morning, a fellow volunteer took charge so that I could get some rest. He had organized the children in a team for group activities and called them Team Tiger. While I was sitting in the middle of the field and basking in the sun, a small group of young boys from the group came to me and said, “We want to make a team with YOU. What do you want to call it?”
My heart filled with warmth. These young boys, who had only known me for a couple of hours, made me feel like I was not alone. Like I had become an integral part of their playgroup. Children are a gift of nature, and they should be cherished and treasured as much as possible. Their gesture was modest yet overwhelming at the same time and for someone like me, who more than often felt like an outsider in social situations, it meant more that it seems on the surface. Even if it was for a couple of minutes, I finally felt like I belonged…