“Please! We want you here. Don’t say no! You can take a flight but…. there is a train on these days but a bus is the most comfortable….should we book or you will book?” she kept on saying. I didn’t hear half of it, honestly. There was more than a month before the program- the culmination of the career exhibition and seminar series conducted for the Sandur Residential Girls School and I was being invited as the chief guest, in-person.
“Let me see”, I said. “Let me find out if I can get ..” That is usually how I am. These things- being a chief guest and all, don’t make me excited or proud. I love to travel and have been doing that, though the COVID19 has left me quite cautious, as one should be. And this one? This one had a lot of time to schedule things. I am known to travel at the drop of hat with a notice as short as 7 hours and have enjoyed the adrenalin rush.
So, after a few days, again Madhuri asked, “Did you book tickets?” And that was when I seriously looked into even going for the program. “Let me just get done with the booking of tickets. One thing less to hover on mind,” I said to myself. And I logged into IRCTC- (the Indian train ticket booking website). I gawked as I saw that there is only one weekly train and the day is not suitable. The timing is also 1:40 am! “I can go from Mumbai” I mumbled as I changed the options of stations. And nothing satisfactory came up. Now I “googled” the travel options. And what I got was not something that can be labeled as easy travel- an easy access to the said place. Now I was curious! I checked out various options before I came to the same conclusion that Madhuri had given me – “bus is the only easy option.”
An overnight journey in the bus is something not quite an option to choose from, for me, especially given my prior experiences of washroom halts not always being at hygienic places. Add to it, the schedules usually go for a toss with the uncertain traffic. (The dreaded fear: breakdown of the bus actually happened during the return journey. Where we were stranded at Belgavi from midnight till 6 am!) And here I was seeing this as the only feasible option. And a voice in me said, “if this place has got really limited options of travel, and is remote as was told to me, these girls definitely need as much as exposure and interaction as possible. This is where Educational interventions are needed. And if I can’t be a part of this, why am I even in Education!!?”
This was a tap on the head, kind of a reminder. For myself. By myself. And then, it didn’t take me more than 5 minutes to book the ticket. Because now, I knew why I am doing what I am doing! For me, it is very essential. I guess, it should be for every person. The purpose behind our careers. Money is needed to survive but that alone doesn’t suffice. What makes a person happy is the sense of fulfilment- A PURPOSE.
I am really glad that I went. The heat and the humidity, the language barrier, nothing mattered. The girls I addressed were at grade 10, spoke chaste English, communicated well in Hindi (Thanks to TV and films). They were full of ideas and curious questions as everybody else. Not just about their career choices but also if I watch Korean series (!), latest music bands etc. Not to mention that knowing my major research on social media is an instant connect! And I talk in terms of memes and gifs- it is their language I speak makes it easier to connect. During my interaction with the management, my suggestion of alternative assessments was picked up by the Director, Madam Yashodhara Ghorpade enthusiastically and will see the light of the day, in the upcoming academic year. This is fulfilment. Guiding and advising on the implementation of the policy decisions at the ground level has to be met with such people at the ground for successful implementation.
The grade 12 kids of the co-ed school were also receptive and one of them raised the eternal question of “what is the point of all this competition”. I could tell them about NEP2020, how it is going to impact them, breaking the silos of Arts, Science and Commerce and opening up of various interdisciplinary courses. All these I could back up with real life examples- my former students (now friends) who chose to walk on untrodden paths and are doing extremely well in their careers. This is what the students want. Real life examples. Contemporary stories. A face for the things that we are talking. To make it a real experience sharing and not sound like a distant fairytale.
ajitadeshmukh 
All I can say is, a lot has been done, more yet remains to be shouldered in collaboration with people like you, who are committed to the cause! School level education, specially in areas so remote is a must! Thank you for everything 😌 the visit, the pep talk and the infinite ideas we discussed!
LikeLike