The whole of last semester was spent in different
engagements. I never expected such an experience to come by. One day, in the beginning
of this semester, I heard some of my classmates discussing that some people are going for some kind of voluntary work. I immediately went and
talked to them about it, and they agreed to let me join in. The following
Monday, I accompanied everyone to the Yakshagana Kendra, and introduced myself
to the two students allotted to me – Sujith and Deepak. They were 9
graders, probably 12 or 13 year olds, who, at first, were a little hesitant to
talk to their new tutor. I was supposed to handle Mathematics, and enquired
about the syllabus and other similar things on the first day.
When I first thought of volunteering, I assumed it would be
easy, and fun, and also because of my love for kids, I thought I’d get along
well with my students. My lack of proper knowledge of Kannada, posed some
problems, but we found out new ways to learn. And, because they were from a
Kannada medium school, their course books, note books, and even mathematical
terms were in Kannada. This was a very big challenge, for which the solution
came in a book. A 9th grade Maths text book in English with
exactly the same contents as their course book. It proved to be an extremely
helpful aid for teaching them. In most of the government schools, a lot of
emphasis is not put on the fundamentals, leaving the kids with little or no
knowledge of elementary concepts like Fractions, Decimals etc. This was another
big challenge I faced during the course of these 2 months. There were days when
they could only concentrate on playing, and wouldn’t want to study. Even after
being a Maths lover, and a Maths student for so many years, I used to prepare
for at least half an hour before the class started.
Sujith and Deepak, were very cheerful and jolly kids, who
understood that I didn’t understand their language, and hence, they tried their
best to help me in every way possible, and also to pay keen attention on
whatever I was saying, so that they don’t miss out on anything important.
English, Hindi, hand gestures, use of all kinds of things to demonstrate, and
the assistance of some Kannada-speaking classmates of mine, are some things
that made this easier for both, me and my kids.
I’m referring to Sujith and Deepak as my students again and
again, because over time, I had developed a special bond with these two. On the
days I couldn’t make it to the Kendra and others did, they used to ask for me.
Similarly, on the days Deepak was injured and had gone home, I used to enquire
about his health and family. We used to play mobile games after studies, or
play the Catch Catch game with a ball. They also showed me some of their dance
steps, and were very excited when I took a video of them dancing, and showed it
to them. All the kids at the Kendra, used to gather at one place and say Bye to
all of us collectively. That place gave a very homely feel to all of us. In a
place like Manipal, where all of us are so far away from our homes, I found a
place like Home.
This voluntary work started off by Nadia’s mother, and Nadia
herself, has been a great great learning experience for me. More than what I
could teach my kids, I learnt a lot from them. I used to look forward to the
two evenings of the week I had to spend there, and used to come back to Manipal
with a smile on my face, with a sense of satisfaction and contentment. I am
sure that I am going to go back next semester.
(For those who don't know, Yakshagana is a theater form that combines dance, music, dialogue, costume, make-up, and stage techniques with a unique style and form. This theater style, resembling Western Opera, is mainly found in the coastal districts and the Malenadu region of Karnataka, India.)
No comments:
Post a Comment