“My life has been dedicated to the noblest cause, that of the freedom of the country. Therefore, there is no rest or worldly desire that can lure me now.”These were the words that a resolute 19-year-old Bhagat Singh, the revolutionary freedom fighter for India's independence from the British, left behind in a letter when he ran away from his home in Lyallpur (now in Pakistan) to avoid getting married.
Born on September 28, 1907, Bhagat Singh was sentenced to death in the Lahore conspiracy case, along with other freedom fighters Rajguru and Sukhdev.
Photo Source
Seeking revenge for the death of Lala Lajpat Rai, Bhagat Singh had assassinated John Saunders, the British police officer responsible for the lathi charge on the senior freedom fighter. Soon after, Singh and fellow revolutionary, Batukeshwar Dutt, threw two bombs and leaflets inside the Central Legislative Assembly before offering themselves up for arrest. These were the two charges that were clubbed together by the British Raj as the Lahore conspiracy case. In the last two years of his life in jail, Bhagat Singh and his comrades fought one of the most celebrated court battles in the annals of India's national liberation struggle. Other than using the court as a vehicle for the propagation of his revolutionary message, he also put the spotlight on the inhuman conditions political prisoners faced in colonial jails.And though he died young (he was only 24 when he was executed), his unwavering resolve and heroism made him an icon and figure of inspiration for generations to come.
Photo Source
All this is well-known. What is not so well-known is that Bhagat Singh wrote four books in jail. Although they were smuggled out, they were destroyed and are lost forever. What survived was a diary that the young martyr kept in jail, full of notes, poems and jottings from what he was reading. It was written between September 1929 and March 1931, and was passed on to Bhagat Singh’s family after his death. The recently released book, The Jail Notebook And Other Writings, traces the sole surviving scripts written by Bhagat Singh while he was in jail. In sharp contrast to his popular image as a gun-toting revolutionary, the writings reveal the patriot’s scholarly leanings and love for poetry. A voracious reader, Bhagat Singh managed to procure during his imprisonment a large number of selected works of prominent authors of his choice. He spent a lot of his time reading and making copious notes on what he read while he awaited execution in jail. His interests included both political and non-political subjects, and his favourite authors were Bernard Shaw, Bertrand Russell, Charles Dickens, Rousseau, Marx, Rabindranath Tagore, Lala Lajpat Rai, William Wordsworth, Omar Khayyam, Mirza Ghalib, and Ramananda Chatterjee.Bhagat Singh's 404-page jail diary is filled with excerpts, notes and quotes on a wide variety of subjects that reflect not only his serious study and intellectual insight, but also his social and political concerns.
Photo Source
Ranging from topics like capitalism and socialism to criminology and legal jurisprudence, his diary is a clear indication of how well read and well informed the young Bhagat Singh was - in sharp contrast to the 'trigger happy terrorist' the British Raj portrayed him to be. Here are a few glimpses of the original thoughts and poems jotted down by him during his jail days."I am a man and all that affects mankind concerns me" "Every tiny molecule of ash is in motion with my heat. I am such a lunatic that I am free even in jail." "Lovers, lunatics and poets are made of same stuff.” "…by crushing individuals, they cannot kill ideas." "The sanctity of law can be maintained only so long as it is the expression of the will of the people." "If the deaf are to hear, the sound has to be very loud. When we dropped the bomb, it was not our intention to kill anybody. We have bombed the British Government. The British must quit India and make her free." "Social progress depends not upon the ennoblement of the few but on the enrichment of democracy. Universal brotherhood can be achieved only when there is an equality of opportunity – of opportunity in social, political and individual life.” “Give me liberty or death – is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?" "Life is lived on its own…other’s shoulders are used only at the time of funeral."On page 24 of his diary, Bhagat Singh quotes Francisco Ferrer, a Spanish educator who was executed after the Barcelona riots in 1909. The words reflect his repugnance for self-serving politics and personality cults.
"I also wish my friends to speak little or not at all, because idols are created when men are praised and it's not good for the human race. Acts alone, no matter by whom committed, ought to be studied, praised or blamed. "I desire that on no occasion, whether near or remote, nor for any reason whatsoever so, shall demonstration of a political or religious character be made before my remains, as I consider the time devoted to the dead would be better employed in improving the condition of the living."In another quote, Bhagat Singh bemoans the menace of child labour by quoting Charlotte Perkins Gilman's poem, Child Labour, on page 33 of his diary.
"No fledgling feeds the father-bird, No chicken feeds the hen, No kitten mouses for the cat, This glory is for men We are the wisest strongest race, Long may our praise be sung, The only animal alive That feeds upon its young"A window into the thoughts of the young charismatic revolutionary who was far ahead of his time, the diary also puts forth Bhagat Singh's vision of an inclusive, just and better world. Get the book here.
Also Read: TBI Blogs: Remembering Chunibhai Vaidya, the Hero Freedom Fighter Who Helped 352 Villages Get Water
These are then used by them during functions, and help reduce expenses to a great extent.
Weddings are made of sweet memories for all of us and that’s probably why most of us don’t part with our wedding dresses. No wonder then that Goonj finds it very difficult to get wedding lehengas from urban India. But the organisation has adopted a small Indian-style jugaad to fill this gap, a little spin to the connect the proverbial dots.
To know more about Goonj and its various initiative, click 
Founded by Sreeja Iyer, Sparkling Mindz runs a pre-school and an after-school programme called Young Thinkers and Achievers. “Esha has been a part of our after school programme for four years now. When the TED-Ed club was launched three years ago, we decided to sign up for it because our vision is very similar to theirs – that children have ideas, they need to be empowered, they need to feel heard,” says Sreeja.
In their first class after becoming a part of the club, Sreeja asked the 15 children who has joined in to list down three things that they are passionate about. For Esha, one of those things was cooking and that's what she spoke about -- of how cooking gave her many important life lessons. The students worked hard on preparing their talks and recording them. A few months after the talks were submitted, Sreeja received the information that three of them had been selected for being uploaded on the TED-Ed blog. And a year from then, in August this year, Esha was selected to speak live at their first event.
A shy student from the beginning, it required a lot of perseverance on her part to emote herself the way she wanted to. That was also one of the reasons why her mother, Rakhee Prabhudesai, enrolled her in the programme. “Before joining Sparkling Mindz, I was really shy. I was the kind of kid who would just sit behind in class and act like she is listening to everything. I was so quiet; I didn’t know how to communicate my ideas. I didn’t talk to the people in my class until a good month or so after I joined school. My mom realised that this could be a problem later in life,” she says.
Talking about the after school programme, Sreeja says that it is different from other such classes because Sparkling Mindz works on children’s creative thinking, critical thinking, communication skills, decision-making, managing emotions, etc. It is layered programme with five levels and children have to come once a week for two hours. “It is a completely game-based programme,” says Sreeja, excitedly. “Children come, play games, and in that process, they learn how to shift emotions and behaviours…We work with them on their fears and help them open up and express. Most of the time, children are told that you will grow up and do something. But we believe that they can do something today.”
“It’s a really interesting programme. I really like it. It is different from other schools because children interact with the teachers not just to get the syllabus done and get out of the school. The goals of the teachers are different. They don’t even call themselves teachers. They are called facilitators because they learn with the kids. It is really amazing and fun,” says Esha.
An Indian School of Business alumna, Sreeja worked in the corporate sector for about a decade before starting a career in education, which is her passion. After starting Sparkling Mindz about six years ago, she also went to study at Harvard Graduate School of Education to enhance her knowledge. She feels that Esha’s talk came from a very reflective place and was awesome because she took constant feedback and worked on it for about eight times in a year before the final recording.
The school is located in a slum near the Dairy Complex Area of Hambran Road in Ludhiana. It is housed in a simple hut-like construction, with just one room where classes take place in shifts. “I did not want even one child in the slum to be deprived of basic education. It was important to ensure that kids reach the school conveniently – otherwise they would come one day and be absent the next. So I decided to take education right to their doorsteps. I took an open area in the slum and constructed a hut-like room that now acts as a classroom,” says 50-year-old Hari Om who started the school in May 2014.
Hari Om has a unique way of enrolling his students in school. Whenever he comes across children who are rag-picking or collecting garbage, he stops to talk to them.
One of the best things about Hari Om’s school is that children here learn a lot more than just alphabets and numbers. They are taught about things that will help them in everyday life as well. If one class is about sentence formation, another is about the workings of a democracy; and if they learn about division and multiplication one day, it is all about taxes the next. “What I am doing is helping them get a basic understanding of life. They know all about public property, taxation, governance, voting, the Constitution, their fundamental rights and duties, how we select our representatives, how we can hold them accountable, etc.”
They attend the afternoon classes to learn English and maths. One of the women is Savita. When Hari Om asked her how she feels about her studies, Savita simply smiled and said that she is now able to keep records of her household expenditure. "Hers was a confident answer. She knew that no one could fool her now. This is the kind of change my school has been creating," he says.
“Appointing teachers was difficult because the area is surrounded by garbage dumps. So I decided to hire students from the slum as teachers,” he says. He started looking for students of Classes 10-12 from underprivileged backgrounds, who could teach the younger kids. One of the first teachers he hired was a student of Class 10, whose father works as a tea seller near the slum. The student is happy with this opportunity because it gives him a source of income to save money for higher education. Today, the school has five part-time teachers and one full-time teacher.
Hari Om is speaking with some CBSE schools in Ludhiana to help enrol some of his kids in mainstream schools as well. These are children who are now capable of understanding what is being taught in an English medium school.
Hari Om has also enrolled three of the children into computer classes. "One of our students is Rani. Her mother once told me that I should teach her daughter properly and make her so well-versed in computers that she gets a job in an office. And the best part is she told me she would not get 19-year-old Rani married for the next six years now. In a place where girls are married off at the age of 15, this is a transformation that cannot be described in words," he says.
"I am writing a book about the current situation with respect to children and their requirements in India. For this, I felt it was necessary to understand the ground conditions and also the workings of different policies in the country. Studying law, I think, is the best way to do that."
Apart some contributions from friends, Hari Om has used his own savings to finance the school till now. He provides the students with books, schoolbags and uniforms as well. "When people tell me that they don’t have time for social service, I always ask them -- 'How do you make time for being stuck in traffic jams for four hours every day?' If we work for the country and for those who need help, a transformation will definitely happen." he says determinedly.
You can contact him at 
People in Sikkim[/caption]
M G Marg, Gangtok[/caption]
National Sanitation Awareness Campaign organized at Geyzing[/caption]
Community Sanitation Campaign in West Sikkim[/caption]
It was not easy for him to get the driving licence. The authorities were foxed as to how they could grant a licence to someone who uses his right foot to steer the vehicle and the left to switch between the brake and the accelerator. They gave Vikram a learner’s licence but were hesitant to give him a permanent one. But Vikram made sure the authorities had no reason to reject his application.
As required by law, Vikram had his car modified to suit his physical requirements. He now drives an automatic car that has no clutch pedal. Since Vikram uses his left foot to operate the brake and accelerator pedals, the distance between the two was slightly inconvenient for him. He had to stretch and reach the accelerator with his left leg. But he got this solved by getting a parallel accelerator made in the place where a clutch normally is. This made the pedal operation easier for him and took care of the technical aspect of the vehicle.
Now the authorities had almost no reason to doubt Vikram’s driving skills. He drives like a professional, so much so that he plans to train himself to race. But there are no clear provisions in the existing law to grant a licence to someone who drives with his legs. It took a year of relentless pursuit, including approaching ministers, for Vikram to finally get his driving licence.
He has driven over 14,500 kilometres in the last 15 months. His driving posture might look awkward to others but Vikram says he is completely at ease. He was initially conscious of people staring at how his leg was placed on the steering. But, he says, “Now people do not even notice that I’m driving with my leg. And I completely enjoy driving. I sometimes tell myself, ‘How can you drive so well?’”
Vikram has a great zest for life and he is committed to passing on this spirit to other divyang people as well, he says. He started an NGO called WIL (Winners in Life) to support and guide physically disabled individuals in exploring their potential.
To raise funds for this cause, Vikram is planning to drive on the tough roads of Ladakh next June. He’ll probably create history again by becoming the first man to drive with his legs on the highest motorable road in the world over Khardung La. As he prepares for this ride, he is also pursuing his Bachelor’s degree in law. Yes, he is indeed making the most of his life!
Vikram lives with his parents in Indore. You can write to him at vikram.agnihotri@gmail.com
Next, Sarath Babu approached the elders of Gollapallem village in North Amulur Panchayat, Allur Mandal of Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh, requesting them to spare a piece of land for the experiment that he was keen to conduct to rehabilitate children from the platforms. The villagers gave the land and their consent on a temporary basis so he could go ahead with this challenging task. A hut, measuring 30 x 15 feet, was constructed with some material available in the village.
Sarath does not like to call the CHILD ashram an orphanage. These children, who were off to a terrible start in life are now being slowly transformed again into responsible and contributing members of society. Sarath is a staunch devotee of Shirdi Sai Baba and has dedicated himself to the service of these needy children. When asked if the children who leave contribute to the ashram, his reply is that he wants them to carry on the good work by themselves somewhere else so that society benefits more. Sarath's dream is to see each child become another Sarath!
The system that Sarath has developed is so effective that if he is to leave the organization today, the children would be able to manage the show on their own! Each child is assigned to a group, each group has a function within the ashram. One group takes care of cleaning, and other groups are responsible for cooking, going to the market, teaching the other children, washing utensils, etc. The girls’ quarters are strictly cordoned off to any men and are maintained very well with ample sanitation and privacy. The ashram children also grow their own vegetables and lovingly take care of a cow.
One of the children’s father was an employee at Trirumala Tirupati Devastanam. Due to conflicts within the family, the father committed suicide, the boy left his home and lived on railway platforms, and was involved in petty thefts. This child, under Sarath’s care, went on to pass Class 10 in the 1st division and completed M.Sc. in organic chemistry with distinction. He is now working as a Jr. Scientist at the National Institute of Technology, Suratkal, Mangalore.
A second child was hit hard by his father’s sudden death and mother’s subsequent depression. He fell into bad company and took to living on platforms. After being rescued by Sarath Babu, he has today completed a polytechnic course in civil engineering and is serving as a Work Inspector in the Panchayat Raj Department.
The fourth child’s story is even more heartbreaking, yet amazing. His father lost his arm in a saw-mill and later died. His mother used to sell tea and the child, left uncared for, began to live on railway platforms. He travelled the length and breadth of India and spent three spells in government observation homes in Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad. He started his basic schooling when he was 11 years old, under Sarath Babu’s care. Within a year and a half, he completed Class 7, passing with 1st division. He passed with distinction in Class 10 and 12 too. He went on to complete BTech and higher studies and is now a physics lecturer in a private college.
She says, “After 2001, when Uttarakhand became a separate state and Dehradun became the capital, the city witnessed a huge influx of migrant labourers from various parts of the country like Bihar and Jharkhand. This resulted in a population explosion in the riverside slums. Two rivers run across Dehradun and both of them have been encroached upon by slum dwellers; they live in deplorable conditions. Their plight moved Shaila, who started visiting these settlements to teach, bathe and groom around 30 kids every day.”
Neha says, “The school comes to the children instead of the other way around. The TV screens are used to impart lessons to students who enter the mobile school.”
With its 13 programmes in place, the Aasraa trust manages to reach out to 1,300 children every day. It employs around 100 people, including teachers, administrative staff, and drivers.
Neha says, “We’ve always maintained at Aasraa that the outreach programme is the backbone of our organisation. People from our team form smaller groups and proceed to various slum settlements around the city. And we’ve noticed that on the days we don’t run the programme, the attendance tends to fall. Those who grew up in middle class households would know how their parents would push them to go to school every morning. But these children are not encouraged to go to school by their parents – in fact, they’re often discouraged from going to school and told to either beg or take up some menial jobs. So, it's hard for them to the see the deferred effects of learning. Our outreach team goes from house to house in order to convince parents and make them aware of the long-term impact of schooling.”
So, Aasraa runs a Street Smart programme, under which it educates more than 300 children on a daily basis. Street Smart is an “informal learning program with introduction to basic literacy.”
Any child associated with the Aasraa trust through the outreach program is first enrolled in the Street Smart programme. Here, the children start by learning the basics of Hindi, English and Maths. The children are soon divided into different groups according their position on the “learning ladder.” Neha says, “Our effort is to send them to regular public schools without them having to feel embarrassed about their age or knowledge levels; we attempt to mainstream them. The National Institute for Open Learning (NIOS) holds exams for the learning levels of 3rd, 5th and 8th graders. If a 15-year-old is enrolled under the Street Smart programme, we make him/her prepare for the Class 3 level examination. NIOS is very helpful in letting children learn at their own pace.”
Apart from sponsoring their education, giving them one hot meal a day, taking care of their medical expenses, and providing them with basic study materials, Aasraa also likes to ensure that the children are treated in a dignified manner when they enter classrooms with kids from different financial backgrounds.
Padma Bai and her husband[/caption]
Women Farmers of Medak village[/caption]
He is also a cycling enthusiast and has undertaken cross country cycling trips in his spare time. Which is one of the reasons why he came up with a unique idea after retirement.
His latest mission is a personal homage he wishes to pay to all our fallen heroes and martyrs; numbering over 20,600 since Independence. This homage will be rendered by cycling two minutes for every fallen hero. The journey will see him travel over 12,000 km on his bicycle, touching every state in the country over a period of seven months or so.
The journey will commence on October 19, 2016, from Ambala Cantonment, Haryana, which was his last posting before retirement. He will then head eastwards through the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. After travelling the North-Eastern states, he will continue down the east coast and then up the west coast, all the way to Jammu and Kashmir. And then he will head southwards to conclude his homage journey at the Amar Jawan Jyoti (War Memorial) in New Delhi.
The Tibet Women's Soccer team (left) and Cassie Childers (right)[/caption]
For the young refugee women of the Tibetan Women's Soccer team (soccer is another name for football), also known as the Snow Lionesses, the sport is more than just a recreational activity. It is a way for them to fight for gender equality, and use the sport as a tool to represent their homeland.
[caption id="attachment_71727" align="aligncenter" width="621"]
A Tibetan girl in Dharamshala playing football[/caption]
A high school teacher from New Jersey and a lifelong soccer fan, Cassie first visited Dharamsala— a place where much of the Tibet's exiled refugee diaspora lives — as a tourist. Moved by their struggles, Cassie continued to visit the Tibetan community in India whenever she had time for a holiday. It was during one of those holidays, in 2010, that the idea of Tibet Women's Football was born.
Upon noticing that there were no female football teams in the exiled Tibetan community, Cassie decided to work full time to create a football program for Tibetan girls. Speaking to The Better India, Cassie says,
Lhamo Kyi[/caption]
Describing the historic moment, Cassie says,
Team members at a practice session[/caption]
In 2014, the team lifted the title at the Imphal Ladies' Spring Football festival in Manipur. More recently, in 2015, a seven-member delegation visited Berlin in Germany to take part in the Discover Football International Football Festival, its first ever international tour.
Describing it as a memorable milestone in Tibetan Women Soccer's journey, Cassie says,
The Tibet Women's Soccer Team at Berlin[/caption]
However, it hasn't been an easy journey. After all, change is never easily won in society. The main challenge the team faced came from within the Tibetan community itself - many individuals denounced and tried to shut down the initiative, outrightly saying that football was not important for girls.
However, the players didn't give up and struggled to prove themselves. They knew that every time one of them went onto the pitch to play, it was reinforcing the idea that women are capable of doing anything a man can do, something that was not necessarily accepted in their society. Each time they succeeded, it brought the next generation one step closer to gender equality.
Cassie Childers with Irshal Ishu, the director of a documentary on Tibetan Women’s Football, 'Kicking Boundaries'[/caption]
At the same time, the senior team will engage in a more competitive football environment, hoping to achieve full recognition by FIFA (the international governing body of football) and to eventually reach the very highest level of the game, the World Cup and the Olympics.
“For me, it was about taking control of my life,” says Juli who was born in India and left for Rome at the age of seven when her father was transferred for a job. She returned to India when she was 17. “Farming was just something that made a lot of sense to me. I was always the kind of person who didn’t like the way things are always put into boxes rather than being integrated as a whole. I liked the idea of relating and bringing together different parts of life into one way of living. That was an important motivation for me. Additionally, as a child, I used to be quite sick. I had a lot of bronchial issues and used to take allopathic medicines. I was 14 when I decided that I had to heal my body and it was up to me. It was clear to me that I had to do this by being in contact with a piece of land and being able to make my own decisions.”
At the time, there were only three busses plying on that route and there they were – two people with a dream, starting from scratch. There was no phone or electricity where they lived for about two years and even their closest neighbours were 3 km away.
Except for a few “luxury items” like tea, they don’t need much from the outside world. They also cook food using biogas. Three decades on, it’s not just the two of them in the wilderness. Juli and Vivek have two sons, a daughter, and a daughter-in-law.
As for sustainability and self-reliance, the couple has been trying marketing in many ways over the years. They used to run a small shop and café in Mysore city, supplied to organic shops all over southern India, started the first farmers’ market in Mysore, organised exhibitions, etc. “I think those experiences helped us develop the idea of what an ideal marketing situation would be for a farm like ours, where all our ethical considerations and the way we want to do business are retained,” says Juli. They are currently in business with one of the branches of Orange County Resorts, and Just Clean Cotton.
Ask them what a normal day in their lives looks like, and they burst out laughing. “Every day is a new and special day. There is no normal day. That’s one of the biggest differences between urban living and working on a farm. There are so many factors you have no control over. So you learn to approach each day in an open way,” says Juli.
Other than the customary things that need attention – like milking the cows, irrigation, cooking, sweeping, cleaning etc. – the rest depends on how the day moves forward. “And it also depends on the weather. That’s the boss we have above our heads and we have to keep the boss in context as well,” adds Vivek.
As for her advice to others who want to move towards a more healthy form of living like them, Juli says, “Approach the earth with humility and accept that you don’t know much but nature is there to teach you. If you open your mind, it’s endless what you can learn. And it is important for society to understand that the farmer is not illiterate, even if he/she does not know how to read and write. The people who grow your food have immense wisdom and knowledge, and you need to respect and honour that.” Over the years, she has studied and learned all about homeopathy – it is useful both at home and also for the animals. They have dogs, cats, sheep, cows, goats, and chickens.
“People often ask us: wasn’t it difficult? I say no. This is what we wanted to do and wanted to be. It was positive. It taught us. So live today. Live everyday to the fullest! Live dangerously. Learn more. Don’t be afraid of failure,” concludes Vivek.
The car draws many admirers wherever it goes[/caption]
Prem’s story is unique because of his family’s support in his ambition.
A resident of Kharghar, a suburb in the planned township of Navi Mumbai, Prem comes from a humble background. Even though his father, a rickshaw driver, earns a meagre daily income of Rs. 500-600 ($ 7 – $9), his father was determined to ensure Prem's education.
“My father got me a computer when I was 12. Since then, I have used the internet to learn all sorts of things, including how to make a buggy car,” says Prem.
A car enthusiast since childhood, when Prem expressed his desire to make a car by himself, his parents could have easily cited monetary difficulties. But instead, the family and his grandmother came together and helped him realise his dream. Putting the buggy together cost the Thakurs almost Rs. 2.5 lakh ($ 3800 approximately).
Prem Thakur[/caption]
While the family has spent a significant amount of their household earnings, on Prem’s dream, the machine's roar and speed prove that their investment in his dreams is not futile.
Dr. Chandrani Prasad Verma - India's first female Mining Engineer[/caption]
Chandrani’s father worked as a mining engineer in Western Coalfields Limited, in Chandrapur, Maharashtra. She had always been fascinated by the stories about the mines that her father shared with her. By the time Chandrani was in Class 10, she had made up her mind to pursue a career in mining.
Dr. Chandrani receiving Hirkani Award for becoming the first woman mining engineer, by DD Sahyadri[/caption]
Chandrani receiving her PhD Degree from the Director, VNIT[/caption]
But her determination to continue down this road did not waver for a second and her spirit remained indomitable. She started working as a lecturer in her college. Simultaneously, she continued on her journey to acquire more degrees in mining. In 2006, she completed her Master’s in Mining Engineering (M.Tech) from Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT), Nagpur.
In December 2015, Chandrani completed her PhD on Web Pillar Design in Highwall Mining under the guidance of Dr. N. R. Thote, Professor, Mining Dept., VNIT, and well known Numerical Modeling Expert, Dr. John Loui Porathur, Principal Scientist, CIMFR, Nagpur.
Chandrani working in Rock Mechanics Laboratory[/caption]
Chandrani was the only woman candidate when she went for an interview at CSIR - Central Institute of Mining & Fuel Research. It was a walk-in interview and the candidates had to wait until midnight. Most of the members of the interview panel were hesitant to recruit a female as a research fellow in mining, given the fact that she would have to physically enter the underground mines. But one of the interviewers, Dr. Achyuta Krishna Ghosh, insisted that they recruit Chandrani. He had sensed her passion for mining and was impressed with her determination since she had travelled all the way from Nagpur to Dhanbad and then waited until midnight for an interview.
Chandrani with her mentor Dr. A.K Ghosh (Extreme left)[/caption]
If proof were needed, Chandrani’s courage and dedication show that women can achieve anything they set their minds to. It is just a matter of time before we see more diamonds like Chandrani shining in the mining industry in India.
You can send your wishes to Dr. Chandrani Prasad Verma at 
Meera Sharma[/caption]
Anjali Chandrashekhar[/caption]
Avani Singh[/caption]
Varsha Varghese (left) with co-founders, Rahul and Priyanka[/caption]
Rashi Anand[/caption]
“I did not want my son to have a sick father. I also, wanted running to remain a part of my life.” - Kanishka Lahiri[/caption]
Four months after the treatment began, Kanishka started going for walks. Two months later, he began to attempt running. “I started on a very light running routine and slowly started rebuilding strength and endurance,” says Kanishka.
"Being diagnosed with cancer is not the end of the road. Things have improved dramatically these days in terms of knowledge of the disease and treatment options. I recall my friend telling me to just banish the thought of the movie 'Anand' from my head", says Kanishka Lahiri.[/caption]
“Soon after I was back on my feet, I was yearning to see the mountains again,” says Kanishka, who has restarted his mountain treks. This October, Kanishka scaled a height of 14,000 ft in the Himalayas! Before his illness, Kanishka was a coach at Runner’s High, a community of running enthusiasts in Bangalore. He has restarted his coaching sessions now and regularly trains aspiring runners.
Entering Bhalaswa[/caption]
Although she could barely make sense of the new development in her life, the first thing she acutely missed was a play space. Meanwhile, her father struggled to find work. He tried running a vegetable stall with his wife’s help. It failed. Their savings ran out. The family of eight was on the brink of a serious crisis.
This is when her mother started working in Nizamuddin. She would cook in people’s homes and manage to put together some money to feed her children. Frustrated by repeated failures, Pooja’s father took to tobacco and gambling. Soon after Pooja completed her 12th standard, her father left the family and disappeared.
“My elder brother had just finished secondary school. There were no jobs for him. It is here when Santosh bhaiya told me about this vacancy at Magic Bus,” she recalls.
Bhalaswa[/caption]
It was a difficult area – a resettlement colony of migrants facing some of the harshest conditions of living. Children were exposed to an unhygienic environment, and there was an acute lack of basic necessities like clean drinking water, and a space to play and learn. As families struggled to make ends meet, children would be pulled out of school and sent to do odd jobs.
“I am grateful to my parents to have never taken me or my siblings off school [sic]. We struggled, but my mother was very clear about never compromising on our education,” she says. Pooja became one of the earliest girls to be selected as a youth leader in her community.
“Initially, it didn’t mean anything. I thought it would be an opportunity to get out of my home and do something new. I loved teaching children. When I went through the training and curriculum, I was plumbed [sic]. There were so many things in it even I didn’t know. I was worried I would never be able to teach children. I was so grateful to have Santosh bhaiya guiding me through the entire process.”
[caption id="attachment_73827" align="aligncenter" width="500"]
Pooja during a session[/caption]
For Pooja, her proudest moment as a youth leader was when she would lead a group of girls from a minority community in her neighbourhood, who would never be allowed to step out of their homes otherwise. “Ask a girl in Bhalaswa what freedom means, and they would say, to be able to see the world outside their little homes, to be able to make friends without being asked questions about their character. Magic Bus gave us this sense of freedom and purpose,” Pooja points out.
Before long, mindsets were shifting at the home front too. “My parents were conservative. While growing up, I and my sisters were not encouraged to interact with people outside our relatives. It was mostly safety that my parents were worried of. After I decided to become a Community Youth Leader and lead a bunch of children, both boys and girls, their reservations gave way. They saw how well-respected I was in the community because of my work,” Pooja explains.
[caption id="attachment_73830" align="aligncenter" width="500"]
Pooja explaining the activity to children[/caption]
Pooja and the girls during an activity[/caption]
In the last four years, Pooja has worked with 750 children and mentored more than 27 youth leaders in Timarpur. She has also completed her Bachelors in Social Work and has enrolled in a Masters course with IGNOU. She pays for her education and also contributes to the family income. Her father has returned. But a few months ago, his right leg had to be amputated because of gangrene.
Pooja and her brother Madan stood by their mother during this entire phase. They continue to do so.
Pooja plans to build her career as a development professional. “If you have lived the life of an underprivileged, how can you not work for and with them?” she says, a continuing inspiration for others in similar situations.
You can support Magic Bus by making a contribution 
Tannu[/caption]
This was two years ago. Tannu today is 14 years old, more mature and calmer, but her steely determination remains intact. She continues to challenge stereotypes, and in doing so, is slowly and gradually changing the mindsets of people in her locality.
Tannu is one of the many children who are part of the CRY supported project Saksham in Delhi’s Shahbad Dairy area. A backward area populated mostly by daily wagers and migrant workers, the focus here has always been on survival rather than education for children. The patriarchal mindset is also rampant, relegating women and girls to the role of housemakers. Though Tannu grew up in Shahbad Dairy, she was fortunate to have parents who encouraged her to dream big, and never let tradition and gender come in the way.
Reaching out to children through varied mediums[/caption]
Tannu remembered her parents’ words about the importance of education, and felt very uncomfortable after the conversation. She felt a strong urge to do something for children who were not getting an opportunity to study. Tannu immediately gathered her friends, and together they decided to teach these children after school hours.
She says, “When we discussed our idea with CRY and Saksham members, they were instantly supportive, and also gave us space at the Centre for the classes. Since we all come to the Centre almost every day after school to either study or rehearse for activities, bringing these children here would open a different new world to them.”
Their first task was to get details of children, so the group of eight friends went around the locality and began identifying children who had never gone to school, or who had dropped out because of various reasons. They also came across many school-going children who were weak in a few subjects but could not afford to pay for tuition classes, and decided to take them in. Once they had the details in hand, the group’s next task was to go door to door and convince both the children as well as their parents about the importance of these classes.
Her class in progress[/caption]
Nindi continues, “We spent the first few days getting the children comfortable with us and the surroundings. We taught numbers and alphabets to those who had never gone to school, and age-specific courses to the ones who had dropped out. We often played word games, and conducted group activities and competitions to keep them interested in studies. Getting the children to concentrate and attend the classes regularly was a challenge we faced from time to time.”
Despite the many challenges, the group managed to conduct these classes for several months. Over time, the children also started showing a lot of interest in learning new things. Weak students managed to score better in their exams.
Meeting everyday and studying together also brought the children closer to each other. They started to share their personal lives, discuss their problems, or simply do fun things together.
Wind beneath the wings[/caption]
Tannu reveals that she wants to be a professional singer, and often breaks into song. She regularly takes part in local singing competitions, and has also won a few prizes for the same.
Tannu is currently studying in Standard X, and actively involved in the children’s collective at the center. The collective continues to empower children and spread awareness about child rights in the neighbourhood.