Report: January 2000 Initial General Impressions After reaching Mumbai on December 28, I contacted Devi Ben, whose number was given to me by Mrs. Vasanti Padte. Devi was delighted that I'd be spending my trip helping out at Bal Anand, and asked me to meet her on January 4. he provided me with directions to Teen Batti, from which Bal Anand was a short walk. I would take a cab from the Grant Road train station to Teen Batti, and then walk to Dongersi Road, near the Elizabeth Nursing Home. On January 4, I arrived at Bal Anand around 8:30 a.m., and was greeted by Devi, the other teachers, and the students. Children between the 1st and 7th tandards attended this morning session (8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.), and it was the 7th standard that I was assigned to. Throughout the next few weeks, I closely interacted with these students and met their families. Furthermore, I was introduced to the ways of life to which they were accustomed. January 4th, 2000 I arrived at the morning session, and was immediately given tasks. I would help educate the 7th standard children, and was introduced to all of them. There were about 20 kids in my group, and I began by teaching them about the human body. I displayed a picture of the human skeleton to the children, nd asked them to repeat the various body parts after me. While I was speaking in English, the children had a hard time adjusting to my accent, but were able to understand what I was saying. We played a game of "Simon Says point to this body part", and everyone enjoyed. Then, I gave the children a geography lesson about India and America. I described the state of Maharastra, and compared it to New Jersey. The children asked me questions about America, and why I had come to India. After this short question-and-answer period, I took the children outside, and we played at he adjacent playground. By this time, it was around 10:30, and time for the th standard children to leave Bal Anand. Then, I sat down with Devi, and the other volunteer teachers. Devi informed me that her mother had established Bal Anand in 1954, and that the school emphasized creativity and the educational philosophy of J.Krishnamurti. ost of what Devi said that morning can already be found at the website: http://www.ashanet.org/berkeley/projects/BalAnand/report.1999.html I asked Devi to confirm/modify the figures on the website, and she gave me the new statistics. Every student is still charged Rs.10 per month plus a one-time registration fee of Rs.10. For the number of children at Bal nand, there are 19 boys and 35 girls in the "Bal Wadi" KG (3 to 5 year olds), and 39 boys and 37 girls in the 1st through 7th standards (6 to 12 year olds). The "teachers salary" listed on the website is consistent with the present situation, but Devi informed me that there's also a music teacher (B.A. usic qualifications) that teaches the children once a week. The music teacher is given Rs. 200 per month. Devi confirmed the "Expenses" (as listed on the website) at Bal Anand, as well as the "Incomes". These figures are consistent with those listed on the Bal Anand website. Devi also gave me the names of the teachers at Bal Anand. They include Anahita deVitre, Gulshanben (fifth standard teacher), Leela Santo (sixth standard teacher), Silu Billimoria, Devi Mangaldas, Smita Kurve (math eacher for seventh standard), Anjali Kambe (computer teacher), Dr.Doshi (medical pracititioner that checks out the students every Wednesday), Dr.Vasanti adte (the ASHA correspondent), Sudha Tantia, Pretna Bagri (teacher at Bal Wadi), Vasumati Mehta, Mrs. Dabolkar (math teacher), Nanda Gurav (keeps Bal Anand accounts and also teaches in the papermaking section), Mangla Tambe, Mrs. Prabha Mohankar, Hemangini Parekh, and Prabhavati Mondhkar. Most of these teachers work as volunteers for Bal Anand, although some are paid (as listed on the website). Devi also filled me in on the types of foods and medicines given to the children. Food is given in the form of one meal per day, and includes eggs, chole, husal, bananas, potatoes, moog, upama, tomato salad, vegetable salad, chana, guava, chikki. Medicines include cough syrup, aspirin, skin ointments, calcium tablets, vitamins, and fever medicines. I was also informed of the various activities for the children and teachers at Bal Anand. Seventeen children were recently taken on a trip to Sanjan, Gujarat. The two-day trip sought to acquaint the children with the Parsi culture. Teachers at Bal Anand also attended meetings at Sophia Polytechnic (a school for training teachers), as well as conventions for voluntary workers. Teachers were also recently sent to the Krishnamurthi meeting in Varanasi. Both teachers and students have participated in yoga workshops, SPCA activities for creating handmade products, and morality lectures for all-around awareness (e.g. anti-tobacco, anti-alcohol). Furthermore, Bal Anand has purchased books for the children, and started a small library collection. Bal Anand also collects donations of old clothes and books. Sweets are bought for the children, during the holiday season. Through hese descriptions it is evident that Bal Anand makes good use of its funds and donations. Moreover, the children at Bal Anand are distinguished in arts nd craftsmanship. Beautiful paintings are displayed at the school, and the children make paper products that are eventually sold. Devi showed me some of the products that were made, including notepads, memos, and diaries. I was astonished that such advanced, recyclable items could be made by small children. I was told that proceeds go towards the purchase of rainwear and woolens, for the children. While I was talking to Devi and the other teachers, the smaller children started arriving for the Bal Wadi. At around 11 am, the session started for the preschool and KG children. Devi informed me that local municipal chools have entry exams for entering the first standard (already mentioned on the website). The Bal Wadi program aims to facilitate the entry of its students into the local municipal schools. I liked how the Bal Wadi session ran. Children were first taught the English alphabet, and then asked to paint and draw, until their parents came to pick them up. Although I had less of a role in the Bal Wadi activities, I observed how the kids were taught and disciplined. January 5th, 2000 I arrived at 8:30, and met the scholarship children funded by ASHA. Nine were present, and one was absent on that day. Before the morning session started, I had a chance to interview Harshad, Meenakshi, Shashikant, Bhageshree, Shweta, Shailesh, Shubanghee, Meenakshee, and Mahendra. All children were of the 7th standard, and assigned to my group on my first day at Bal Anand. First, I asked the children what their aspirations were. The professions mentioned included army leader, doctor, nurse, teacher, government inspector, and lawyer. I planned to ask the children if they ere happy at Bal Anand, but I soon realized that this was obvious. Devi nformed me that the children receiving scholarships were highly motivated and studious. They were generally more focused in their aims than the other children. As the ASHA scholarship funds help make a secondary school education affordable for promising children at Bal Anand, I found the scholarship expenses to be extremely beneficial. After I interviewed the children, they were taken off to play, and I was taken to their dwellings. The children lived a short walk from Bal Anand, and resided in the homes of government ministers, where their parents worked as domestic servants. Each family was given a small room, (approximately 75 to 100 square feet large) where six to seven people would stay. Devi told e that the parents worked as peons for the government officials, whereby labor was exchanged for food and a place to stay. It was common for children to get up at 4:30 a.m., and shower near the sea. As I visited the children's homes, I met with the families, and had a chance to interview them. Interview One. I interviewed the mother of a girl funded by an ASHA scholarship. Her husband was a domestic servant for a government minister. Six family members (three small children, husband, wife, brother-in-law) lived in their approx. 100 square foot home. However, only one earning person lived in the home. Three small kids all attended Bal Anand, while ne of these children earned a scholarship. Scholarship money was deposited in the bank, and was saved for illness and/or education. The mother provided nutritional food and fruits to the children, but they were still very frail (I saw them, and noticed that they were small for their age). The mother as 7th standard educated, while the father was 10th standard educated. Both parents had attended Bal Anand. The mother worked in the home, and took are of the small children, while the husband labored for the government officials. The child funded by the ASHA scholarship had aspirations ranging from nurse to teacher, but studied hard nonetheless. Interview Two. I interviewed the young mother of a boy funded by ASHA. Six family members (four small kids, husband, wife) lived in the home, which was about 100 square feet. The father was a domestic servant for a government official, while the mother took care of the children. As such, there was only one income for the family. Both mother and father were graduates of he 7th standard. The boy funded by ASHA aspired to be a doctor, and studied a few hours a day. Interview Three. I interviewed the mother of a boy funded by ASHA. Seven family members (four small kids, one grandparent, husband, wife) lived in he residence. The father worked as the cleaner for a minister's home, while he mother stayed home and cared for the small children. The family received free lodging in the government home in exchange for labor. The scholarship recipient aspired to be a government inspector. After conducting all three interviews, I realized that it would be very difficult for the families to afford any type of higher-level education. he scholarships partially eased the financial burdens, and greatly motivated he children to continue their academic prowess. As a result, the children had high aspirations and were focused in their aims. They also studied a significant portion of the day. The mothers interviewed claimed that they sat down with their children, and helped them study. I was disturbed by the harsh conditions experienced by each family interviewed. Six to seven members comprised each household, while the average family income was around Rs. 1500 per month (Rs. 7 per person per day). The mothers were unable to look for other jobs, as they had to cook and care for the small children. n retrospect, I feel that the scholarships financed by ASHA are an excellent idea, and reward those that study hard. I asked Devi Ben if there were any other funding requests, and she said that the present funds financed by ASHA are sufficient. This can be contrasted with the strained financial status f Bal Anand during the 1999 site visit (before UIUC involvement). I also checked up on the food, medicines, and educational materials (e.g. otebooks, pencils, erasers, pens) funded by ASHA. The food is nutritious and provides the children with much-needed fruits and vegetables. The aforementioned medicines are also legitimate (and necessary), as are the educational materials supplied to the schoolchildren. During the rest of my time at Bal Anand, I helped teach the kids English, science (e.g. human anatomy, the importance of vitamins and nutritious ood), and geography. More importantly, I encouraged morality and the evils of alcohol, tobacco, and pollution (very fittingly, there was a government-sponsored anti-pollution movement, during my trip to India). evi mentioned that Bal Anand encourages female education, which is often repressed among the poor. Creativity, moral responsibility, and personal growth are fomented by the instructors, in a family-like environment. It as a pleasure working for the school, and I'll certainly revisit Bal Anand in the future. Bal Anand Expenditures for the Past Six Months (as of Jan.5, 2000): Rs. 44185 received in July 1999 Study trip to Sanjan, Gujarat Rs.4576 Scholarship funds distributed among 10 children Rs.6000 Medicines Rs.1420 School Requirements Rs.2558 Feeding Expenses Rs.11945 Rs.26499 Rs. Twenty Six Thousand and Four Hundred Ninety Nine only up to December 999. If there are any questions about this report on Bal Anand, please contact: Sunit Jariwala 33 Teal Court, East Windsor, NJ 08520 E-mail: sunitj@eden.rutgers.edu Telephone Number: 732-407-3978