A Hope Forever…
When I first got the call to be a part of Pehchaan The
Street School, to be honest I was excited- as it was going to be my first
official writing job not because it was some noble deed I was going to do.
When I attended the induction meeting, I realized the
depth this whole thing carried.
And when I first wrote about Pehchaan The Street
School, I didn’t know that each word would connect me a little more deeply and
start to resonate deeper with time. Its spirit of hope, light and learning is
something which has always motivated me in some or other ways.
I started writing with volunteering as my topic. As it
was first time for me to volunteer as a content writer for an NGO, I thought it
would be nice if my thoughts resonate with those who are willing to but
hesitating to be a part of this cause. I, for sure, had not started writing for
the noble cause but as I said- for each word I wrote, it started to resonate
deeper with time. So, "Volunteering for Change" was something I wrote for people to come be a part of
this wonderful journey of hope and learning.
At first, I was skeptical if I could even write what I
am expected to. Moreover, where I am going to get the content of my articles-
seemed to be an everlasting issue. But along the way, I realized it was never
something for which one has to worry about. As long the purpose is clear in
your mind, the content is all around.
And that’s how I wrote "The Ripple Effect". My train journey helped me realize why the concept
of a hope forever exists. The Phule couple… a hope to turn the fate of
little lives one step at a time has now shaped into Pehchaan The Street School
and a hope to make lives better carries the dreams which will give birth to
more such hopes and the cycle goes on…
Sometimes things seem like magic when you notice the
patterns of how this ‘hope’ turns into greater, meaningful things.
The hopes to achieve greater, helps get through "When life gives you lemons...". Sometimes the idea of pain and suffering is so
deeply engraved in our hearts that we think it’s never going to get better. And
in those difficult times it is the ‘hope’ which gets us through. So, when life
throws lemons at us, we catch it, make lemonade and share at Pehchaan The
Street School. That magic of hope to explore possibilities is something which
holds everything in place and forever running.
For me, it was quite a wonderful experience exploring
something new through Pehchaan The Street School. I could have interned
anywhere else and that would not have made so much difference to my ideologies
and beliefs. But here I am with hopes and dreams for the students all around
who are not privileged enough to be a part of society.
Each life is a book. And in between the pages of what we call life, lives a future…
a future full of hopes, full of life, genuineness, love and care, empathy and
kindness!
But sometimes these hopes and dreams seem to be an
illusion.
What if it’s not what we see?
What if it doesn’t turn out to be the way we want it
to be?
What if all these efforts turn out to be futile?
But is it ever going to happen?
No. Never.
Why you ask!
Because the difference between the dream and reality
is not as wide as it seems to be. While writing, whenever I had doubts if all
this is going to lead to somewhere or all these efforts are indeed going to
change the dynamics regarding education and success for these children in
society- I went to look at their stories. I realized that the change is
happening with each passing time. The children exploring life and education
through Pehchaan The Street School is something which always fills me with
hope.
To every question if it’s “Dream or reality…?”; the answer always is “dreams turning to reality.”
And I can assure you that it has never
stopped being fulfilling to be a part of such an organization where you can
contribute in any possible way and help the dream of the students at Pehchaan
The Street School turn into reality.
In my articles- “Were You Being You?” and “The deadlines of life”; I didn’t just write about change but of hopes which
create magic. In fact, through each story I wrote, it was more of me becoming a
part of Pehchaan The Street School from the depth of my heart.
When I decided to intern at Pehchaan, I expected it to
have a decent initiative with a few volunteers and a handful of children but
what turned out to be a strong drive with over 800 volunteers running the
institute with their own sheer will and trying to make the dreams of over 1600
children come true. I knew it already but realized here that education means
freedom- to express, to achieve, to dream…
It is no lie that education especially today is far
more than just reading and writing. And Pehchaan The Street School helps its
students develop confidence, awareness and have a self- identity, something
they can be proud of. We talk about literacy rates but we forget that educating
children is something beyond classrooms and something more than literacy, something which prepares the students move forward
in life with skills and confidence. Pehchaan The Street School makes it all happen
for its students.
If the future of India lies in the hands of children then Pehchaan The
Street School is not just educating but working to shape India’s tomorrow. It
is working to make it brighter through these children.
And now that I write this farewell during the festival
of Diwali, it feels extremely serene. The festival of lights, the victory of
knowledge over ignorance, light over darkness and most importantly- hope over
despair…
This is what Pehchaan stands for.
Each child on their journey to become the source of light- learning and shining,
getting through every rough patch in life; and the volunteers fuelling them
with their warmth and guidance. It all feels symbolic- the Diwali.
Talking about Diwali, ‘Pehchaan
Ki Diwali’ must not be an unheard event to all of you. This was the
biggest event at Pehchaan The Street School and for the last two months more
than 300 people worked tirelessly to make it possible.
The event held for six days
at eight plus locations of the organization in Delhi where 20+ guests, 30+
collaborators and influencers and 800+ volunteers worked together to make this
Diwali brighter than anything. More than 37000 items were distributed which
included a Diwali Kit consisting stationaries and tasty eatables for over 1600
children at Pehchaan The Street School. The distribution started mid-September
and concluded on 12th of October with celebrating Diwali at different sectors
of Pehchaan The Street School.
These might seem like just
numbers but for the last two months people worked tirelessly for this even to
happen as it had.
--
Along with many
collaborators @pealpet_india gifted hampers of love to over 600 students of
Pehchaan The Street School. This kind gesture of theirs brought smiles to the
children’s faces.
@shreyasree.ghosh feels joys
celebrating her Diwali with the students at Pehchaan The Street School.
It is worth mentioning that
@aajtak hosted a grand promotional event for the upcoming movie Thama and the
students of Pehchaan The Street School were invited as the exclusive guests of
honour. The celebration was filled with smiles, music and energy as the
students got the chance to meet and interact with @ayushmannk,
@rashmika_mandana, @nawazuddin_siddiui and producer Dinesh Vijan. A cherishing
moment indeed!
--
While writing my articles, I
have witnessed how Pehchaan The Street School has redefined the meaning if
teaching. It is being talked about all around with the teaching aptitude and
pedagogical approaches now and Pehchaan makes it come to form. Teaching is
never about the formal structure- the traditional approach we have witnessed
till now but about presence- showing up every day, because you believe in
change. It is about telling a child, “Your existence matters. Your future
matters, you matter.” It’s about restoring dignity to education and joy to
childhood.
Pehchaan The Street School is
not just a name. It’s a promise that every child deserves recognition, every
dream deserves a chance, and every act of kindness can change the world. This
is the hope which keeps every goodness alive and forever…
--
To know more
and help Pehchaan The Street School, here are some links for reference:
Website: https://pehchaanstreetschool.org
Facebook_Page_Link: https://www.facebook.com/PehchaanTheStreetSchoolOfficial/
Instagram_page_link:https://instagram.com/pehchaanstreetschool?utm_source=ig_profile_share&igshid=181sger2fozl7
YouTube_channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXd4gnTazJh3JugKENt5yog
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Pehchaan_School?s=09
To_Donate_via_Instamojo: https://www.instamojo.com/@pehchaanthestreetschool
To_Donate_via_NEFT: https://pehchaanstreetschool.org/donation/
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