Trip to Rajgurunagar - Part I
Went to visit a project at Rajgurunagar - a taluka place near Pune (used to be called Khed).
The project is run by Bombay Mothers & Children Welfare Society. It works on integrated rural development. In and around Rajgurunagar, we saw the following:
1. Their hospital - they treat patients at a reduced rate. Also have specialists visit from Pune and see patients once a week. Have a pretty good operation theatre and dental chair. Power is a big problem in that area, so they have a diesel power generator to deal with the frequent power cuts. A hospital forms a pretty good base for any charitable organization, because it gets them instant credibility.
2. Went to see a primary school in a village near the place. The principal and teachers were very dedicated and wanted to do the m0st they could for the students, but you can quickly see that kids in villages have way less exposure to the world than even street kids in Bombay.
Here are some photographs of the school :
Kids doing a prathna for us. They were sitting on the hard stone floor for at least 30 minutes while we were there - and that on a Sunday morning!
The principal and a village elder. Note the charts on the wall. The teachers have created these charts to match their lessons and create new ones periodically. Unfortunately, no paper charts that can be created once and pinned up every year (not sure why - possibly cost and material issues).
This is what most of their classrooms look like. Note the walls full of charts and the absense of any tables or chairs. Guess where the kids sit!
Conclusions drawn: Kids in villages, even with very dedicated teachers are at a huge disadvantage compared to kids in cities. I am teaching at a couple of shelters in Mumbai, but the kids there seem a lot more fearless.
That said, one of the kids from this town topped the 10th standard exam statewide!
