The first impression

Day 1- June 9th 2009

When I got there, as I entered the narrow lanes…I started to first know what to expect…I knew that this was it…the real deal…the actual experience. I first met Gangadhar…the administrator… he showed me a documentary on the schools achievements and main goals….

Then we went to the founders house where I met Gayathriji and Zohar…. And a load of kids….I felt so comfortable in the house around the kids….they were so nice and immediately friendly and could speak to them freely. We went around the community…house by house… and observed while Gayathriji asked questions and conducted a survey…of the main incomes of each family, number of kids and whether they were schooled. It was quite a wonder to see that so many mothers didn’t know the ages of their children, husbands and even their own ages. The different reactions we saw were also really interesting. Some people are happy and very much interested in educating their children…some people are least bothered…some are angry with our questions and get irritated…some our too arrogant…. Different reactions….

Walking through the slums actually made me a little angry…. someone has to see this place and do something about it…horrible conditions… that actually can be improved if we try….

Another thing was to see how some people were so happy and content in the little space they had…. We should really learn from them… our world is so materialistic compared to theirs and we feel so guilty and useless for having so much and wanting more whereas they hardly have anything but are still content and live as neat and happily as they can in the place they have…..