Two of the schools (School No: 105 and School N0: 103) we were working with got merged with two other schools (School No: 111 and School No: 33) in order to balance the pupil : teacher ratio. The beneficiaries of the project remains the same. Here is the list of schools we are now working with.
1) TMC School No: 21, Gujarati Medium, Kisan Nagar-3 2) TMC School No: 23, Marathi Medium, Kisan Nagar-3 3) TMC School No: 23, English Medium, Kisan Nagar-3 4) TMC School No: 33, Marathi Medium, Kisan Nagar-3 5) TMC School No: 102, Marathi Medium, Kisan Nagar-3 6) TMC School No: 95, Marathi Medium, Kajuwadi 7) TMC School No: 130, Marathi Medium, Kajuwadi 8) TMC School No: 131, Hindi Medium, Kajuwadi 9) TMC School No: 111, Marathi Medium, Shanti Nagar 10) TMC School No: 38, Marathi Medium, Shanti Nagar 11) TMC School No: 42, Hindi Medium, Shanti Nagar 12) TMC School No: 127, Hindi Medium, Shanti Nagar 13) TMC School No: 39, Marathi Medium, Louiswadi 14) TMC School No: 32, Urdu Medium, Hajuri 15) TMC School No: 126, Urdu Medium, Hajuri Continue to contribute. 1) Send/Order books to: Ashik Krishnan K, Kaivalya Education Foundation, B-Wing, 501-Pinak Galaxy, Kapurbawdi Junction, Majiwada, Thane (W), Maharashtra. PIN: 400607 2) Donate: If you are confused about what books to buy, make a contribution via Paytm to 8281948213 and be rest assured. We will take the ownership of getting the perfect books for our kids.
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Project Utthaan is an initiative to set up reading spaces and a book reading culture in Thane Municipal Corporation schools. Phase One of the campaign found success in setting up library in TMC School No: 03, Yashodhar, Thane. Moving ahead, Phase Two the project will be undertaken three Gandhi Fellows namely Ashik Krishnan, Chandrani Roy, Debabrata Saha to organize library and the associated processes in 17 TMC Schools they work with. The 17 schools includes 10 Marathi, 3 Hindi, 2 Urdu, 1 Gujarati and 1 English medium school. A physical library is non-existent in most of these schools and lack in space, infrastructure and money to afford the luxury of one. While some schools have enough books, some have a few and some don't have any. Considering the student strength of each school and the number of existing books, we are targeting to achieve 2000 Marathi, 1000 Hindi, 400 Urdu, 50 Gujarati and 500 English books and provide a library experience to our kids by mid-September. The idea is to provide a book reading space in each classroom and conduct story telling sessions, embark the creativity in them, provide room for critical thinking, inspire them to read more and hence aspire more. You can support the cause in three different ways. 1) Send/Order books to: Ashik Krishnan K, Kaivalya Education Foundation, B-Wing, 501-Pinak Galaxy, Kapurbawdi Junction, Majiwada, Thane (W), Maharashtra. PIN: 400607 We are looking out for children's literature, pictorial and graphic story books that would suit the age group of 7-14 years. 2) Story telling If you are a resident of Thane/Mumbai, drop in by one of our schools and tell a story to our kids. Inspire them to read more and hence aspire more, by story telling. For further details, contact Chandrani Roy on 8583057032. 3) Donate If you are confused about what books to buy, make a contribution via Paytm to 8281948213 and be rest assured that we will get the perfect books for our kids. Also, there will be three official social media spaces where you can see all the updates regarding Project Utthaan. One, this blog: www.utthaan.weebly.com. Two, a Facebook page: www.fb.com/utthaanproject. And third, an Instagram handle: www.instagram.com/projectutthaan. Thank you. Friends, co-enablers and countrymen! I am putting up this post to mention the immense thanks I have towards each one of you who supported the campaign till date and also to solicit your further support and hand holding in achieving greater ideals. As you know, the aim is not just to set up libraries or reading corners in underdeveloped schools, but to provide a learning environment for our kids that embarks the creativity in them. Moving ahead, three of us; Chandrani Roy, Debabrata Saha and myself will be working on to set up libraries and the associated processes in 17 of Thane Municipal Corporation schools across various mediums of Marathi, Hindi, Urdu, Gujarati and English. While some of the schools have enough books, some have a few and some don’t. While some have its own reading space, others don’t. Considering the strength of the school and the number of books the schools already have, we have put up the following target. We are looking out for children’s literature and story books, that too ones that are pictorial and graphic in nature, in the likes of Amar Chitra Katha. Kindly send/courier/order us books to the following address.
Ashik Krishnan K, Kaivalya Education Foundation, B-Wing, 501-Pinak Galaxy, Kapurbawdi Junction, Majiwada, Thane (W), Maharashtra. PIN: 400607 Also, we are looking out for volunteers who are interested in conducting story telling sessions in our schools. Those interested contact Chandrani Roy on 8583057032 or connect to our Facebook or Instagram accounts. Those who wish to donate money for the cause can transact the amount via Paytm to 8281948213. Thank you. Working with the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) schools as a Gandhi Fellow has always opened up multiple learning opportunities for me. It was a revelation upon experiencing the non-existence of libraries or reading corners in the schools I worked with. When I think about it, library and books have been part of my life since childhood and have had a major role in the development of my thoughts and perspectives. It was in December 2016 that I started an online campaign to set up a library in TMC School No: 03, and English medium school located in Yashodhar, Thane. Since then, I had been receiving books from my friends and a few unknown well-wishers whom I address as my co-enablers in the process and conducting book reading and story-telling sessions in the school. I had been carrying different books with me during each of my visit to the school and performing these sessions in different classes. The major constraint in setting up a physical library was that the school wasn’t having any extra room or a cupboard to keep the books safe. Neither did the school have an office room for itself. But it did have a locked room which wasn’t available to the school. Upon constant request to TMC, permission was received to use the locked room as office and another room inside for library. Hence today, 82 books worth Rs. 11046 was handed over to Savita ma’am, the senior teacher in-charge of School No: 03. Also, with the operational restructuring and school reallocation that happened in Thane location, I won’t be working with School No: 03 anymore and Prarthna Mandotra, my co-fellow will be. Now that the school has a separate reading space and books, I wish all the very best to Prarthna in establishing the library process in the school. We all shine on! Friends, supporters and countrymen! Shouting out a big thanks to all.
This is to share with all that 32 new books worth Rs. 4853 and 25 used books worth Rs. 3801 have been received during the past 3 months of the campaign. I had been carrying the books along with me during my school visits and 9 successful book reading / story telling sessions were conducted across the two of Thane Municipal Corporation schools I work with. My field support in the schools for this academic year has come to halt and I express my deep gratitude to each of the contributors who helped in providing to my students the learning environment they deserve. I hope to get functional libraries installed in both the schools in the next academic year which commences in the second week of June. When I'm in need of help and I will, seek from you. May the force be with us. My youngest remembrance of Amar Chitra Katha comics is that of reading them at the Thrissur Public Library as a lower primary kid. My father used to take me to the Public Library at Town Hall, Thrissur on Sundays. And mother, on certain Saturdays. While they searched for books to be taken home, I would sit and read ACKs and Tinkle Digests in the children's section. Even though I never bought any ACK comics as a child, I've always had a chance to read them as I wished.
Time flew by, I grew up and never bothered to read ACKs and Tinkles anymore until recently when there generated in me, a nostalgia for these comics. It started with 'liking' the facebook page of the Amar Chitra Katha Studio. I also happened to win one of the crossword competitions that was held on the facebook page and was gifted with two ACK titles. Starting from the creator Anant Pai selling the first of the comics on the streets to the most subscribed children's comic in India, the ACK Studio has a legacy to tell. I was gladdened at the news that ACK comics will be introduced in ICSE schools as part of the school curriculum. But saddened I was, on being born early and hence missing out on the opportunity. Now that I work with two of Thane Municipal Corporation schools as a Gandhi Fellow, I wish my kids here to gets this opportunity they deserve. Both the schools I work with lack a library environment. And hence I've launched the campaign 'Project Utthaan', an initiative to set up a book reading and story telling culture in my schools. I've now started receiving books from my friends and co-enablers and I hope to receive more of ACK comics. The best part of comics is that the pictorial method of story telling is an everlasting one. I see comics as the best doorway to literacy. It entertains and imparts knowledge at the same time. Kindly support the Project Utthaan Initiative by sending books to: Ashik Krishnan K, Kaivalya Education Foundation, B-Wing, 501-Pinak Galaxy, Kapurbawdi Junction, Majiwada, Thane (W), Maharashtra. PIN: 400607 NB: Kindly send us ACKs in Hindi and English, as the schools I'm working with (No: 54, Patlipada and No: 03, Yashodhar) are Hindi and English medium, respectively. Book reading session as part of #ProjectUtthaan was started in TMC School No: 54, Hindi medium, Patlipada on 20/12/2016. Sonal of class 8 read out the story of 'Puthul aur Dolphin' to her classmates, a story which inspires to have compassion towards other living beings and the ones in need. Once the story telling was done, Chandan Singh then came forward and explained the moral of the story to all. The moral of the story was that if you offer help to someone when they are in need of it, it will come back to you when you least expect it. Also, the class had a photo of Savitribai Phule hanging on the wall. We had a book on her in Marathi and I asked the class 8 kids whom she was. Sonal was the first to answer. She explained that there was a time when girls were not allowed school education and that it was Savitribai Phule who took efforts to provide education to the girl child and started off the social reform. Anjali Jaiswar read out the Marathi book on Savitribai Phule and also explained the whole thing once again in Hindi. Savitribai Jyotirao Phule (3 January 1831 – 10 March 1897) was an Indian social reformer and poet. Along with her husband, Jyotirao Phule, she played an important role in improving women's rights in India during British rule. The couple founded the first women's school at Bhide Wada in Pune in 1848. She also worked to abolish discrimination and unfair treatment of people based on caste and gender. She is regarded as an important figure of the Social Reform Movement in Maharashtra.
Savitribai was taught to read and write by her husband, Jyotirao. As one of the very few indigenous literate women of the time, she played a full part in her husband's social reform movement by becoming a teacher at the schools he started for girls and later for the so called untouchables in Pune. For this task, she had to endure a lot of abuse at the hands of the orthodox society of Pune. The couple were felicitated by the then colonial government of Bombay Presidency in 1850s for this work. During the 19th century, arranged marriages before the age of maturity was the norm in the Hindu society of Maharashtra. Since mortality rates were high, many young girls often became widows even before attaining maturity. Due to social and cultural practices of the times, widow remarriage was out of question in many upper castes and therefore prospects for the young widows from those castes were poor. The 1881 Kolhapur gazetteer records that widows at that time used to shave their heads, and wear simple red saris and had to lead a very austere life with little joy. Despite being required to look austere, the young widows often used to become targets of lust by men and become pregnant. Upon being found out, the widows used to be thrown out of home by their families. To help these women, Savitribai and Jyotirao started a home for widows. [Source: Wikipedia] Hello everyone! Project Utthaan is an initiative to set up a book reading culture in both my schools; TMC School No: 54, Hindi Medium, Patlipada and TMC School No: 03, English Medium, Yashodhar. A physical library is non-existent in both these schools and lack in space, infrastructure and money to afford the luxury of one. With Project Utthaan, I hope to provide my kids a library experience in their schools. The idea is to provide a book reading space in each classroom and conduct story telling sessions as well, which would inspire them to read more and hence aspire more. And hereby, I seek your help. You can support the cause in two different ways. 1) Send/Order books to: Ashik Krishnan K, Kaivalya Education Foundation, B-Wing, 501-Pinak Galaxy, Kapurbawdi Junction, Majiwada, Thane (W), Maharashtra. PIN: 4000607 2) If you are a resident of Thane/Mumbai, drop by one of the schools and tell a story to the kids. Inspire them to read more and hence aspire more, by story telling. Also, there will be three official social media spaces where you can see all the updates regarding Project Utthaan. One, this blog: www.utthaan.weebly.com. Two, a facebook page: www.fb.com/utthaanproject. And third, an instagram handle: www.instagram.com/projectutthaan. Share books. Tell stories. Let a new hope arise. Thanking you, Ashik Krishnan K, Gandhi Fellow 2016-18, Kaivalya Education Foundation, Thane. Mail – [email protected] Whatsapp - +91 8129266665 Phone - +91 8691039332 N.B: Kindly send us books in Hindi or English, which suits the age group of students from class 1 to class 8. Thank you. |
Ashik Krishnan KGandhi Fellow 2016-18 Archives
July 2017
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