Thodi Masti, Thodi Padai

 

 By Karthik

 I had a slightly rocky start to my participation in the Delhi Summer Camp this May – I couldn’t locate my school!! After going through the back lanes of East Kidwai Nagar and South Extension I finally reached my destination – Govt. Boys Senior Secondary School, Kidwai Nagar. Frantically I ran in to the school not knowing what to expect and who to meet !

Then I came across a group of boys (20 odd) doing exercise in the school courtyard instructed by the School Principal (Mr. Malhotra) and the Guest Teacher (Pankaj Kaushik). After introducing ourselves, we proceeded to the classroom. The classroom walls were bare, with few charts showing the grouping that had been done. The boys were looking at my inquisitively, wondering if I will play a game or let them play their favourite games – Carrom and Volleyball. The summer camp material had not been photocopied and all the shops were shut at 8:30 AM and so Mr Kaushik and I contemplated what to do next!

As the boys had already grouped themselves based on their favourite IPL teams, we decided to tell them to make Flags representing their group for the next 3 weeks. The kids were kicked and immediately started conceptualizing their flags. Most of the students were meticulous about how they would design their flags. Majority used scales and pencils to get the exact image right, all selected different colours and started designing their flags. What came out was surprising, most kids drew some variation or the other of the Indian Flag! Regardless, each flag was unique and represented something about each student in each group. By the time this activity was done the material for each group/ student had arrived and we were off with the Summer Camp activities.
Food was the theme for the week and kids immediately started relating it to their own favourite foods at home and around Delhi. Some of the kids were quick to pick up and some took time to understand the material; however all of them had dogged determination to complete the activity and get a rank based on who completes the activity first! Whatever may be the motivator, the kids enjoyed the activities, discussed quite a bit with one another. All along screaming and shouting at the top of their lungs! After every activity we discussed what we learned and related them to real life experiences. Overall the day was hectic but made enjoyable by the kids unlimited energy and curiosity!

I was able to visit the school for the next two days and we did a range of activities based on the summer camp material. Even though the activities went as planned and the kids were able to easily understand and solve most of the problems – the biggest takeaway for me was that the kids discussed a range of interesting things with me, the guest teacher and each other.

Although I attended only a few days at the beginning of the camp and the last two days, I did develop a certain rapport with few of the kids. There was Dipankar – a naughty, shy kid who all the other kids hadn’t really opened up to. He would also not take part in the activities and would be disinterested in what the other kids were doing. I would chat with him and try to involve him in all the activities when I was there. When I came back after a gap of ten days, Dipankar was still naughty but showed more interest in the activities and was chatting with me as if I hadn’t left. On the final day when kids were performing for parents, Dipankar (although not part of any group) decided to recite two small English poems in front of a packed class. His delivery was flawless. He had attended almost every day and I am sure just being around his classmates in a fun and easy-going environment led to him opening up!

Other fun experiences that I had with the class was when we made a chart with all the different types of food items we find in “Hamari Dilli”. I asked each group, if I would come over to their house, what they would offer me. I got the most diverse answers ever. Some limited their offerings only to drinks – water, juice, tea, coffee, cold drinks and some decided to convert their house in to a sweet and chaat shop offering Jalebi, Aloo tikki, Samosa and the works. Another fun activity was when the kids made the chart showcasing the different usages of an Umbrella. Besides stating the obvious usage of an umbrella, they also demonstrated how it can be used to shield themselves from external threats.

Although I wished I had attended the camp longer; the time spent with the students was memorable. Mr Kaushik was also very helpful and invited us (another team member had also visited the school on days I didn’t attend) to his home in Kurekshetra.