Lets Honour The 'Kartavya'

“The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems” M.K. Gandhi

A wonderful thought by one of the most thought provoking leaders of the century…

As we celebrate the 60^th Republic day of our country will full gusto, I do not intend to ponder  over  the hits and misses of my countrymen (& women), I do not want to go ga ga about the glorious past or not express my utter dismay over the current scenario !

All I want to do is to celebrate….celebrate the ‘people’ and their work, which has been commendable. It gives me a hope that we will continue to be a Republic Country as long as we have the potential leaders among us who serve selflessly and who will lead the society out of the din!

In this post I write about ‘Kartavya’…the alternative school in my University and ‘Kartavya’…The duty!

While many groups desperately try to garner attention of the students’ in the University , this particular lot of students remain ever dutiful! No hush - hush about their genuine endeavours. Niranjan, Sharat Chandra and other students from the Special Centre for Integrated Studies(SCIS) University of Hyderabad have been manoeuvring an alternative school for the children of the migrant labours since 2007.

T he story goes like this…In 1999, students of Indian School of Mining University (ISMU) Dhandbad, started teaching five students in the premises of a temple.  Over the years, the number has reached to 700 students in numerous centres in different states of the country. Niranjan, an ex ISMU student, determined to carry forward the legacy, joined hands with some of the spirited friends in the University of Hyderabad to help out the dispossessed children of the campus.

In 2007, this group of enthusiasts built a small shed behind the integrated hostel, with the help of few labourers. This place was once the seat of learning for about 120 students. There was a dedicated lot of volunteers and the teacher to student ratio was also encouraging one. There was one teacher for every 25 students.

Now the school is in a dilapidated condition .The building is no more in use and the present school has been shifted to a place next to the SCIS building. This school consists of two rooms   and two permanent teachers. The volunteers take classes in the evening for two hours and the present strength of student is 35 students. The decline in the number of students has been mainly because of the frequent migration of their parents due to the change in the work site. The Kartavya volunteers make sure that even if the children move to new place, they must continue with their education. They try to place them in the alternative schools in the new habitat.

 Meanwhile the good news is that Kartavya has also been recognised as the alternative school.

In the first year of its functioning Kartavya had its moment of glory when four of its students cracked the entrance and got admission in the various residential schools of Andhra Pradesh, Next year the number rose to nine.

But the students settling in the residential schools do not stop their engagement with the Kartavya people. The volunteers make sure that they keep monitoring the progress of the child by remaining in touch with the teachers, school authorities and parents.

The funding for this endeavour comes through voluntary donations and the resources pooled from selling socks of old newspapers and selling paper bags and other goodies crafted by the students in the school.

Kartavya is not just a humble initiative to impart education to the deprived kids, there is more to it. There is a constant effort towards involving the parents too. The volunteers have a vision wherein they want to work with the people in the slums and try to improve their lives by providing means of livelihood.

Kartavya suggests, the work done is the ‘Duty’. The volunteers make no claims of doing extraordinary service… it is an inner calling…for the greater good!