MY FRIEND ADITI: A Glimpse Into Delhi Summer Camps

 
By Rukmini Banerji

It is just about eight in the morning. Lots of children are gathered under a big tree in the school yard. Yoga is going on. Two young teachers started the exercises. Then the principal took over. Finally some of the volunteers who had come to help did one or two of their favourite ones too.  In a little while, the neat rows of yoga children merged and a long line appeared that streamed into classrooms in the main building.

It is middle of May.  School holidays have already begun. So why are these children in school on a hot Thursday morning? Ah ha!!! That is the hot news. This year, Delhi Government announced something new – Summer Camps for sixth standard children. Many children all around Delhi go to municipal school for their primary grades. After completing Std. 5, they enroll in the nearest Delhi Government School which usually goes all the way from Std. 6 to Std. 12.  Coming in as the junior-most class in a big school can be intimidating. Therefore, the camp this summer is a lovely way to welcome the incoming new and youngest cohort of the school community. 

The camp seems quite different from usual class during normal school time. Here, children are all in groups. Groups of five. Yesterday was the first day of the camp. Most of the time was spent in getting set up. Groups were formed. Each group chose their own name – Champion, Adventure, Rose, Enjoy Art and so on. In our class there were already six groups but today more children have arrived so there is a new group. Three boys and two girls. Within half a second they named themselves “Genius”.  Each group has made an attendance sheet for themselves and they are keeping track of who is coming and who is not.

Yesterday our class not only made groups but they also moved the furniture around. All the activities in the summer camp are to be done in groups. That means that everyone in each group has to talk to each other all the time. Sitting in desks and benches facing the teacher and the blackboard will not help. Also every now and then, all children get up and do some physical activity. The teacher said that such activities are called “energizers”. Space is needed for that. So desks and benches have been rearranged and turned around to make sure that groups can sit facing each other. Two groups are sitting in the middle of the room on the floor. But this way everyone in the group can see and easily chat with the others.


Today the groups are reading a story. The story is about a girl called Aditi who is always hungry. When she comes home from school she eats a snack but as soon as she comes to play she wants to go and eat something more. Aditi is always thinking about gol-gappas and aloo chaat. The narrator of the story who is Aditi’s friend is fed up with her. So one day she takes Aditi to her grandmother. Dadi gives them both a tasty plate of guavas and cucumbers to eat. Later Dadi makes a plan. The next day, Dadi keeps Aditi back while everyone goes to play. Do you know what they do? Dadi teaches Aditi to make tasty snacks. So now Aditi makes delicious things for herself to eat and for everyone else too. 

In our camp, each group seems to have a different way of reading the story. In one group, each person read one paragraph and the others listened. In a different group, children know who the best reader is and decided that that person will read the whole story aloud. While reading the story, many children chuckled and laughed. Everyone seems to have a friend who is like Aditi. Some “Aditis” are in our groups in the classroom as well. Stories are being told about them too. 

After reading the story, groups have some tasks to do. Every task requires discussions and decisions. First, some words have to be selected – one word to be chosen by each person in the group. Then you have to write the meaning of the word and finally use the word in a sentence.  Selection of words is a tricky business. There are some words that are so common that it is hard to think of how to explain them in other words. One group chose the word “tang” (तंग). “Tang” is “tang”. How can you think of anything else?” Then with much chewing of pencils and scratching of heads, the group decided that you could explain the meaning of “tang” with the word “pareshaan” (परेशान). Another group was struggling with “nichodna” (निचोड़ना). “It is impossible to find another word”, they declared. Think, think, think. Okay .. finally a word came to one of them – “pichkana” (पिचकाना). They wrote “ras wali cheez ko daba kar ras nikalna” (रस वाली चीज़ को दबा कर रस निकालना). Roughly translated it would mean “to press a thing which has juice in it”.
A more philosophical discussion was taking place in one of other groups in the middle of the room. One of the words they had picked was “khatam”(ख़त्म) – finished. First, they agreed that one way to explain this was to say “the end”. A curly haired boy was more thoughtful. Softly he said there are two types of “khatm” – one is like gol-gappas which can get over (बाकी नहीं रहता है) but more can come. Then there is another kind of “khatm” – like when someone dies when they cannot come back.   

Soon it was time to move to the next activity. But before that an “energizer” had to be done. Everyone piled out of their desks and chairs. Those who were on the floor, dusted themselves and got up. There was a demand to play the game that they had learned yesterday. The teacher agreed. Here is how it went. The teacher said “Nagpur” and touched her nose. The children followed her. “Kanpur” and she held her ear. “Singapore”.  Two fingers on top of your head like little horns. And finally, “Jaipur” where you fling out and raise your arm as if you are saying “jai”. The game quickly picks up tempo and of course is very noisy. The trick is to listen carefully to the leader and do what she says rather than follow what she is doing. One wrong move and you will be out.

The children return to their groups but alas I have to leave. Through the main gate and into the narrow crowded lane, past the stretch where there are more wires and electric cables than anyone can count. Soon I am on the main road. On the other side is the main gate of JNU. What happens inside JNU is so much in the news. But just across the road, in my school, only a few people know how much fun the new sixth standard class is having this summer.