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.
40 Comments
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
|