अलग राह

 पाठक, कुछ लोग हर तरह से अलग होते हैं। सभी अनुकूलन हाथ में हाथ डाले खड़े हैं; लेकिन उन्हें एक अलग आसमान बुला रहा हैं। आज हमारी कहानी की नायिका है- मोनिका धवन। बेहद सहज व्यक्तित्व। आसानी से किसी को भी अपना कर लेना। आश्वस्त रूप से, तिहाड़ जेल में किरण बेदी के सुधार अलग नहीं हैं। कुछ अधिकारी ऐसे होते हैं जो कार्य को स्थायी बनाते हैं, अर्थात् वे जो बदलाव किए गए हैं, उन्हें स्थायी बनाने का प्रयास करते हैं। भले ही किरण बेदी का जेल का करियर खत्म हो गया हो ,लेकिन उनका सुधार कार्य जारी रहा ,उन्होंने इंडिया विज़न फाउंडेशन एनजीओ शुरू किया जिसके माध्यम से उन्होंने जेल को सुधारने का काम जारी रखा।

इसके माध्यम से ही मोनिका और मेरी मुलाकात हरियाणा राज्य में एक प्रशिक्षण के दौरान हुई थी। मोनिका इस संगठन की निदेशक हैं और उनका एक अलग रूप है।

उसका काम दिल्ली, उत्तरप्रदेश, मध्यप्रदेश और पंजाब में फैला हुआ है। मूल रूप से दिल्ली की रहने वाली मोनिका ने सामाजिक कार्य का अध्ययन किया है। उसका दर्शन भारत जैसा है। ‘ हमें काम करके पैसा कमाने की जरूरत नहीं है, यह एक वित्तीय स्थिति है’, लेकिन उनके लिए पैसे से ज़्यादा सेवा करना महत्वपूर्ण है यह कहना सही नहीं है कि वह कॉलेज के दो छात्रों की मां है। मोनिका को देखते हुए, वह सोचती है कि वह एक कॉलेज की छात्रा है नित नया सीखना और करना उनका स्वाभाव है।

दिल्ली के स्नातकोत्तर अतिवादी हैं। युवा और उत्साही है। जेल में काम करने के अलावा, मोनिका बाहर रहने वाले उन बच्चों के साथ काम करती है ,जिनके माता या पिता जेल में हैं या कभी किसी अभियोग में जेल गए हैं , इन बच्चों को शिक्षित करना संसथान का मुख्य उद्देश्य है। उनका संगठन विशेष ध्यान रखता है ताकि ये बच्चे माता-पिता के बिना आदी न बनें। बच्चे मेरिट में आते हैं व सफलता प्राप्त करते हैं। इतना बड़ा काम करने के बाद भी मोनिका के व्यक्तित्व में बहादुरी, नम्रता और दृढ़ संकल्प का आकर्षण है।

महाराष्ट्र राज्य कारागार उद्योग हमेशा प्रयोग करता रहा है, और वे सफल हैं। अन्य राज्य हमसे प्रेरणा लेते हैं और उद्योगों का निर्माण करते हैं। इंडिया विज़न फाउंडेशन ने उन सभी राज्यों में समान उद्योग स्थापित किए हैं, जहां यह काम करता है और कैदियों को कौशल और रोजगार मिल रहा है। अगर सरकार और एनजीओ एक साथ काम करते हैं, तो बहुत सकारात्मक बदलाव हो सकते हैं। समाज के हर तत्व को धर्मार्थ संगठनों की मदद से लाभ पहुँचाया जा सकता है, जैसा कि मोनिका के प्रयासों से देखा जा सकता है। अपने लक्ष्य तक पहुंचने के लिए सभी को बधाई।

लेखक:

स्वाति साठे, डीआईजी जेल, मुख्यालय, महाराष्ट्र सरकार। सुधार और पुनर्वास ।

Ma'am आवाज नहीं आ रही (Ma’am, you are not audible) Life in the new classroom

We have been a part of this sit-at-home routine for over six months, waiting for that one day where the news channels say, out loud, "we are safe now, let's go back to our old lives.". The lockdown was Announced so suddenly that it did not leave people witch any other choice but to transition into the 'sit at home and work situation.' While being stuck in this situation, everybody tried to find beneficial ways to pass the time; some learned to cook, some learned to dance, or some painted another Mona Lisa. It began as something temporary, but, eventually, we made this situation our new familiar. People woke up late, ate all the time, and relaxed like a vacation Hawaii. Finally, people started utilizing their time, taking online classes, working from home (including internships), and starting school from home. The relaxed students now have to sit for 3-6 hours every day right in front of their smartphones and laptops to attend classes. The classes are straight-up boring. The teacher usually has a hard time with technology, and the students take an advantage to sleep through the lectures without the teacher knowing. Students are unaware of the strategies and skills while sitting in front of the screen to attend school. While this seems familiar, some students find it hard to avoid the chaos at home and focus on what is being taught in class. The network issues determine the attendance now. Every class begins with one person who could not connect to the previous class and now has to explain to the teacher his absence.

"why didn't you attend your class, Armaan?"

 "Ma'am, Network issues, I could not connect to the class."

 "Everyday seems to be some sort of network issue with you, no exempt given."

 "Sorry, Ma'am"

Even though this situation is a part of everyone's class, it remains more prevalent for those who live in technologically less advanced areas or with less technological resources. I have been interning with India Vision Foundation, an NGO, where I was in interactions with 13 children from vulnerable families. These children don't come from the best and wealthiest households but have families who work hard to battle daily challenges. And one of their new challenges is to provide the children with smart devices (phones and laptops) not just for games anymore, but for schooling. While some of them have managed with the internet and smartphones, many didn't. While I have had many sessions where I met these children virtually, students explained all the difficulties they face while attending online classes. While the network issues remained a common problem, many people expressed their concerns about not understanding the concepts correctly through online media. The amounts of homework increased, and so did the number of distractions. Many of these children live in small houses that may not have multiple rooms or even larger spaces. This tends to devoid the child of his personal space while attending the classes leading to the noise behind. Children who have siblings have a tough time following all the sessions because they tend to clash with their sibings's sessions. This is usually experienced by those who have only one smartphone available to them.

Over the top, these students now have to appear for online examination. Online examination remains similar to in-class exams regarding the type of questions or the correction pattern. The thing that varies the most is how seriously students consider it as their present-day reality. Many students may take It lightly since the invigilation will be at its weakest. Yet some may study seriously to ace the exams.  In present-day scenarios, various schools have switched to online examinations to cope with the lost time and cover the never-ending syllabus. Being at home is not the most suitable, distraction-free zone for the online classes; moreover, giving an exam in such a setting becomes even worse.

Nevertheless, the students still loath the examinations. The idea of exams has always managed to evoke stress and anxiety among the students. While a little tension arises the motivation level, a student may still find smart yet evil ways to benefit from the Covid-19 situation. Conducting these exams varies from school to school, but the teacher tries their best to develop methods for students not to cheat.

Many schools opt for two device examinations where students have to use one device for invigilation and others, which may have the question paper. This sort of invigilation may be feasible for those students who have the luxury of two smart and technologically advanced devices and an excellent working broadband connection. But the students, especially those from the lower financial strata, may not be the best candidates for these exams. Moreover, even if the students may not worry about their preparation for the exams, they will worry about not connecting to the online meetings that too on two different devices. Some schools may opt for sharing screen while students have to leave their camera switched on, but this also remains problematic for those students who use smartphones to connect to classes. While no proper solution comes the way for students and the school, the school refuses to consider formative assessment as an alternative to exams. The child may still learn something new, and writing an essay can help with the language.

Day by day, everyone tried to learn something new to surpass this pandemic situation. They were still hoping for the world to heal. Students will always have to attend school, and exams will never be an escape.

About Author:

Navya Kumar is a student of BA Applied Psychology from Chinmaya University, Kerala. Navya feels that her internship with India Vision Foundation has helped her to experience something that she had never done before, it has not only helped her to be able to recognize & understand her strengths and weaknesses but also enabled her to be able to work on them to achieve her goals in life.

A Day at Bawana

It all started with simple monthly English conversational classes with a laptop screen between me and “my students” that turned into a deeper relationship that I have trouble defining.  I didn’t realize that these six girls sitting in a room in Bawana, Delhi looking at me sitting in my room in Hong Kong through a laptop screen would make me feel so grateful and blessed at being given this opportunity. Our bond grew stronger as we conversed, laughed, muddled through the bad internet connection and my poor Hindi.

My once or at times twice a month sessions began on my return from Delhi in 2017 summers, I had met Ms. Monica at the India Vision Foundation(IVF) office when we went to donate some stationary items collected in Hong Kong for distribution among the children that the foundation worked with. After some discussions in person, and from Hong Kong, it was suggested that I do English conversational classes on Skype. 

My classes with the girls started off tentatively as we really didn’t have a common language between us.  My Hindi was non-existent and their English was insufficient. Adding to that was my “foreign” accent and the poor internet connection, things were not smooth initially.  However, in a couple of sessions, and with my mother by my side translations became a little easy and we established a fair rhythm and good understanding of each other. 

As my sessions progressed I realized that my classes were more fun than actual studies. I showed them videos of the latest K-pop music I was into and they told me about Bollywood. We even had a session when they had to teach me Hindi and that was so much fun! 

So, when plans were made for me to visit Bawana this summer, I was really excited.  I was actually going to see “my girls” face to face, finally! 

I was told I could spend an hour or two teaching or playing games with them.  So I prepared my activities and materials accordingly.  But honestly, nothing could have prepared me for the experience and the emotions I felt at the end of that lovely day in Bawana, the 7th of July 2018. 

I was so excited with the idea of meeting my girls: Mazia, Noori, Shivani, Deepika, Kavita, and Rashida.  When I reached at the community centre, I saw a beautiful Rangoli that was specially made for welcoming me at the entrance of the room. And then Noori appeared with a thali in her hand with Kavita just behind her.  I wanted to reach out and give them a hug but first I had to go through the formal welcome of having a tikka put on my forehead.  I was so touched by this traditional gesture! 

I think the first 10 minutes of meeting everyone was spent squealing and chattering non-stop as I couldn’t contain my excitement. The girls were very shy initially but later they all were chit chatting with me at ease. We talked about whether we looked different than what we appeared on screen across all those miles.  To me they were smaller than what I imagined them to be and to them I was a lot taller in real life than what they saw of me on the screen.

Apart from decorating the room with balloons and streamers, they had made a card and Shivani had written a poem for me.  She read it out and the others translated it into English line by line and I was overwhelmed with gratitude, love and warmth they had for me.  

After a round of hugs and more giggling, we moved on to some activities that I had prepared. We made friendship bands and tied them on each other’s wrists.  At this point, Imran, the only boy in the group, joined us.  By the time we went through the activities and games, we became close friends, and laughed like toddlers in kindergarten.

The fun continued when we moved to the larger hall where more than 30 children were waiting for me to conduct games and activities with them. It was a great afternoon of laughter, play and bonding. 

Adding to this I would like to mention the role that S&P Global played in this whole experience. We had learnt a few days earlier that employees of S&P Global would be there to participate in our exercise.  It was such a coincidence that exactly a year ago they had donated the laptop that was used for my English conversational classes.  And that day, they were donating three more.

I thanked them profusely for this act as without it I couldn’t have connected and made these special bonds with “my girls”.  Also, they were great volunteers helping me run my activities with over 30 people. It was so special that we were there to witness the impact of our joint efforts. 

My learning from my visit was “Sometimes we don’t realize the impact of our small actions. I had certainly not realized the impact of my efforts that I had on these girls.  To them it meant a lot more and held much more value than I had realized. The gratitude they felt towards me seemed undeserved. I felt that my time with them has created a bit of enthusiasm for learning English and perhaps as an extension to that, break barriers that hold them back. This experience has given meaning to my life especially as I go through a particularly challenging time, I realise that I can make a huge difference. Lastly, I would like to thank IVF from the bottom of my heart for this life-changing opportunity. I promise our association will be long and fruitful. 

Ananya Vishwanath

Hong Kong

Water day, action oriented.

Today on Water Day RajNivas has organised a collaborative sharing on Water issues a presentation by CE, PWD on Water issues.

The event shall be conducted in the form of a Panel Discussion to ensure due interaction with audiences comprising a cross-section of society of experts, stake holders and concerned citizens. 

The members of Panel are two Honble Ministers, Agriculture and LAD, besides senior officers of Govt, namely, CS, DC, CE, Sec to LG, CE and Director LAD. 

I will personally moderate the panel discussion and declare the summation recvd from the Rapporteur. 
We hope to arrive at an action plan of individual as collective responsibility to provide for Water Rich Puducherry...

Music Therapy inside Prison

At Bhondsi prison in Gurugram, with the guidance and support of India Vision Foundation, a few of the male inmates have formed a music group in which they compose and perform songs and religious tunes. A few of the inmates believe that joining this group helps them get released earlier since it connects them closer to god. This may be true but what is true for certain is the positive correlation between music and positive effects on the inmates' emotion and behavior. The inmates tend to experience anxiety, depression and poor social relationships. Music therapy has been proven to help with the treatment and feeling of all of those sensations and situations.

The inmates' music groups at Bhondsi Prison rehearse at the vocational training center inside the prison, which is facilitated by India Vision volunteers and trainers. They are provided also with instruments necessary to practice and perform their songs at various prisons. The inmates are also encouraged to partake in the friendly performing arts 'competition' that takes place at Tihar prison in Delhi. Inmates from different prisons and states come together to perform the songs they have been practicing in front of each other as a form of motivation and inspiration for each other.

In my opinion, music therapy affirms positive thoughts in the inmates' minds and gives them something worthwhile and encouraging to concentrate and spend their time on. It is a beneficial practice started by the India Vision Foundation at the prisons they have their jurisdiction in. 

                                            

Author of the Blog - Ms. Smera Bhatia, Student, MilBurn High School, New Jersey, USA

Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and does not reflect the opinion of the foundation. 

My Prison Visit Experience

I didn't know what prison would be like- I'd never been to one. I expected it to be a dull and gloomy place. Instead, once I stepped out of my car to Bhondsi prison in Gurugram, I could see colors, flags, and paintings which the inmates had made. After entering in, I was lead to the male vocational training center through a pathway next to a large region filled with greenery. This center is where a lot of the male inmates learn stitching, art and crafts, dancing, and music. I received an extremely warm welcome from all the inmates and trainers present there. I visited each of the training and practice rooms to understand the benefits the inmates received from these activities. The activities provided them with a goal, hope, motivation, and skill which they could use post release. It was refreshing to see the brave and happy front they put in the face of hardships. I also saw some of the inmates get certified in a beautician course from VLCC- since it is a skill they can use to start a business post their release.

The female vocational training center was smaller due to the population yet had similar activities as the male center such as stitching. They were creating beautiful jute bags and cotton clothes- it is a real and beneficial skill for them to learn for future job opportunities. India Vision Foundation regulates and encourages skills, such as chocolate making, being taught to the inmates. It was wonderful to see the inmates sit in adult literacy classes and sing religious songs to keep them busy and give them goals to achieve. My overall experience at the prison was delightful as I saw the high spirits the inmates held in the face of adversity. 

Author of the Blog - Ms. Smera Bhatia, Student, MilBurn High School, New Jersey, USA

Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and does not reflect the opinion of the foundation. 

Tihar Kala Abhiyaan 2017 : An innovative approach towards sensitizing society & reformation!

Tihar Kala Abhiyaan 2017 :  An innovative approach towards sensitizing society & reformation!

Why do we need those in power or in the business of affecting and impacting other people’s lives to divert their attention to the condition of the prison inmates?

Because slowly but surely the prison inmates, who hitherto remain shut and shunned, by the community they have lived in, are being recognized. A burning question is why do we really need to focus on this neglected and redundant section of the society?

It is because ultimately these very people whom we have relegated to the background from the face of the land on which we so-called pious citizens live, will ultimately, return to this very society that we all love very much.

They are criminals and they deserve to be kept away from the law abiding citizens for the good of the society was our argument. But wait how many of us really believed that? Because, one is only guilty till he is proven to be so (after a court pronounces him/her to be so).

 

So, many of us are very lucky that we escaped the powerful law; we managed to manipulate the system as per our convenience and those unlucky ones caught trapped in the vicious circle of “Guilty till proven to be otherwise”. How many times we have all broken the rules, found means and ways to escape the net of law and found allies who helped us to get respite from the very system about which we have lamented always.

Still, it is a new start, an auspicious beginning that someone at the higher authority has thought to give another view of those who are behind bars and give these men and women a chance to showcase their talent to the society and ask for another chance at re-living their lives. They are repentant and ready to reform themselves and asking their fellow beings to help them in the process of changing themselves. Most of them are very young and have been a victim of the circumstances in which they found themselves and one weak decision and moment of desperation led them to the prison. But now they are ready to redeem themselves. What they want is an opportunity to prove themselves.

They are now reformed and ready!

They feel that their moment of reckoning has come and what more than TIHAR Kala Abhiyaan 2017 - A chance for all of those who have been engaged in the process of changing themselves with the active support of the prison authorities and the NGO’s, who have been striving relentlessly for all these years to help these inmates adopt and learn new behaviour and skills for a new life after their release from jail.

So, it is the responsibility of all the society members and those in power to make attempts of supporting these fellow beings, who were led astray by wrong conscience and choice that landed them behind the imposing walls of the prison. But now, they are ready to break their shackles and want to cross over and make new beginnings in their lives. They are not asking for alms or any sympathy.

They are asking to be accepted, to be recognized for their talent and their willingness to seek a new living. Can we not move ahead from our bias and prejudices and help them seek a life, a chance at seeing them in new light. For this they need the support and empathy of the entire society. They will need love, acceptance, respect and trust from all of us. They will seek another chance of redemption to reclaim their life that they had once wasted for a reason that affected not only their but entire family’s very being.

The prominent society members, policy makers, civil society members, police/prison officials and judiciary members along with common citizens will have to make concerted efforts in this mission of re humanizing and restoring life. The thinking has to change and we have to move beyond the mental bars that we have constructed in our mind set about the prison inmates and come together to reshape the lives that were blemished with poor retrospection.

*Submitted by Ms. Renu Nag, who works with India Vision Foundation (IVF) as a Head Research & Training, IVF is a 23 years old not-for-profit organization engaged in the reformation, reintegration and rehabilitation of the prison inmates and welfare of their children/families of Delhi, Haryana (Gurugram/Faridabad) and Uttar Pradesh (Dasna) Prisons.