Walk in Chandini Chowk
I am attaching a few snaps which I had taken on my visit
to the old Delhi, the soul of the capital city.
Its just amazing to see the contrast when one walk in the old city
area, to be specific the area which is beyound daryaganj. It is
somewhat close to what I have experienced in Mumbai during my visits
to Bhayander by lanes and comparing it to Colaba...what a stark
comparison!!
Old Delhi on a Sunday evening is laid back from outside but as you
reach Daryaganj you are hit by a storm of book worms stampeding at the
footpath where many a makeshift book stalls sell books from Quantum
Physics to Victoria's Secret catalogue to Jack Welch biography....and
I was surprised to see Calvin and Hobbs series in just Rs.100/-. What
a steal but my friend disagreed who thought KamaSutra for Rs.250 was
the best buy. Choices to suit all tastes- that's what is Daryaganj
Sunday book market is all about.
After traversing through the book market one gets into the Sunday shoe
market which on the day was stripped off because of some police
raid...but mind you even Nike n Reebok would not be able to find the
fake ones out which are sold here at throwaway prices.
After the shoe market (actually this market has all kinds of stuff
selling but basically second hand) you find yourself near to the Jama
Maszid......I saw a large crowd next to the compound and fought my way
inside to be a spectator to the grand MENDA Fights--a Menda is a Bakra
which is prepared for such head banging fights. I was quiet taken away
by the enthusiasm of the public who had turned up in numbers to be a
part of the fight. The money on stake was decent--Rs.16,000 for the
winner---the winner being the Ram standing on the four after as many
bangs. One could see such a sport?! only in this part of Delhi.(image
18 & 20) It was fun watching this...but I was growing impatient as I
was more keen to taste the lazeez non veg Mughlai cuisine at the
famous Kareems. I started walking towards the Jama Maszid compound
-(image 1 & 9) where I was cornered by a group of wonderful kids and a
dog wanting me to click their snaps ...(image 2 & 15). They were just
amazing kids enjoying every moment of the photo shoot...boy they had
the looks and the pose...poor doggie boy who seemed to be least
interested to be the part of the entire affair was also dragged in the
centre of the group photo.
(Image 5 &4)...the market is full of interesting shops selling in
unique stuff....one can't get bored in here....I had the best Kheer
(image 3) and the Shahi Tukda (image 8)....mouth watering
dishes......its so cheap that u just can't help stopping urself for
another plate.

All in all it was a fun get away as I got some good shots, good food
and good fun. Bliss cannot be more ful than this!!

Parvarish - A Museum School

Urban slum children who have never been to / or have run away from school, jump around with joy in the environs of knowledge and learning.
Using experiments and science models as toys, swinging in the rain among trees, using colours of leaves and flowers to paint the world, writing on the slate of sand, playing with pebbles to learn mathematics, dropping them into water to understand how sound travels, and playing treasure hunt in tribal habitats to understand culture and architecture, are the many ways of learning, the children enjoy.
That is Parvarish – The Museum School.

Getting started
Watching tiny feet bruised by glass pieces, walking bare on hot tar roads, carrying back full of garbage, with hardly a meal in their sunken bellies and forced to snort local drugs, was a pathetic site in rag pickers colonies.
These were the children of a lesser God, born to suffer the wrath of the privileged, and turn into law breakers to settle scores later. Neither the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyans, nor the mid day meals could divert them from their regular grind and the dark future.
Taking it up as a challenge, Organisation for Awareness of Integrated Social Security (OASiS) steered its focus to find an alternate path to mainstream these children with society, and get them their right to a decent living.
The search took OASiS to Shantiniketan (Guru Rabindranath Tagore’s dream), International Centre of Education, Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry and a few other non-formal education models.
Combining their best practices, and designing a curriculum that could enable complete transformation of the child, OASiS collaborated with 3 Museums of Bhopal to create a new environment of learning and development for the children.
Based on the belief that ‘Nature is the Best Teacher’, and ‘Exposure is the Best Learning’, PARVARISH – The Museum School was conceived and designed by OASiS with the collaborating Museums .
With blessings of great academicians, teachers and learned people, Project PARVARISH started on September 5, 2005 in Bhopal.

The Initial Days
As we dodged filth and garbage to make way to their homes and register children aged 5-10 years for our project, we faced a lot of abuse from their drunken fathers, who thought we were out there to deprive them of their child’s earnings.
The strength of 50 on the first day might have been only a picnic for the children, as the numbers soon dwindled to 20.
But as the teachers cared for each child, cleaning them, combing them and showing them their real self, the children started showing remarkable changes in their appearance, cleanliness and behaviour. The sudden exposure to a strange and knowledge filled environment, the warm company of well groomed people, and the new world of alphabets and numbers, were enough to influence a change in personality of the children.
As the children started taking back the learning to their families, the abuses changed into appreciation and the numbers started swelling.
As word spread, non-school going children from nearby slums started ogling the school bus on the surreal road to a bright future.
Starting from 20 children from 1 slum, the project reached 70 children from 3 slums in its journey of 18 months.

A Day at Parvarish - The Museum School
A Typical Day in Project Parvarish starts with the Teacher Volunteers fanning out to their allocated slums at 2 PM to collect the children. This gives the teachers an opportunity to meet their families and enquire their well-being.
The children take a short walk with the teacher to the bus stop, and on the way describe their jaunts in the morning at home or at work.
The bus is filled with greetings and giggles as it picks up children from 3 slums on the way and glides through traffic and scenic landscapes.
At the scheduled Museum, the children fall in line, disciplined and well mannered for the prayer song. Following that, the children separate into groups (by age) and led by their respective teachers to different spots.
The teachers conduct their sessions as planned using objects from nature to teach the children through games. The session is followed by a group meal, and then its time to roll on the grass & play.
The return trip in the bus is known to every passing commuter, as it resonates with songs sung by the children.
Then its time to go back home and share the learning they had today.

Milestones

1. In 18 months, the children have learnt:
2. To read simple text and sentences.
3. Basic mathematical operations
4. All about the 5 senses and anatomy of the body.
5. Basics of Science, environment, evolution and habitat.
6. Terracotta and clay modeling. In their words “A new way to play with mud”.
7. Handicrafts, Paper crafts, Card making

Contact:

Pradeep Ghosh (Ashoka Fellow)
President - OASiS

Organisation for Awareness of Integrated Social Security
Address: 158, Sector - 1, Shakti Nagar, Bhopal - 462 024, MP, India
Tel: +91 (755) 4274407 Mobile: (+91) 98932 74407
Email: oasisorg@airtelbroadband.in , oasisorg@connect.to
Pers: ghosh.pradeep@gmail.com , ghoshpg@yahoo.com
Web: http://connect.to/oasisorg