25 February, 2024

Let us welcome Abhidnya, Shubhada and Yashodhan to our family. Abhidnya is 7 years old, she was homeschooled and also went to school for some time. Shubhada met us during the Satsangam Yatra.

Few updates from the last couple of weeks.

Satsangam Yatra

This is a group of educators and parents who are interested in alternative education and exploring such spaces. They would have covered about 14-16 spaces in a week’s time. They were a group of 16-18 adults who came on the monday mornings and sat through our sessions till lunch time. Many who came, were out of Mumbai. One of the parent who is from Jharkhand sat through our philosophy session and expressed a different perspective on money and sent us books.

Conference Feb 13-14

We went to the conference on Childhood Politics in India at SNDT University. Nandini had come twice to talk to the kids about what to expect and on what topics we can talk about. Our children had come up with some honest and innocent ideas. They spoke about their vision for cleaner environment, education, money in society and politicians in India. While other speakers were talking few of our kids slept off on the table…:) But they were very well received and many came and spoke to them.

Wall painting

Along with Shree we have decided to paint the outside of the compound wall. For a few days kids cleaned and scrubbed the wall, then they put two coats of primer. This also became a play for them splashing water and spraying white paint on each other. So now the canvass is ready what to paint is the question. For which we discussed what LC means for all of us. What are our values and what does that mean to us? How does one paint freedom and responsibility? What colour depicts community? You will soon see…

Football

Thanks to the gift received at the conference, we can now play football again. But the question is how long till it disappears or comes under the vehicle. When asked can we think of ways to make sure that this football doesn’t meet the same fate, then kids were reluctant to make any rules. They simply said, after this goes missing then we will make rules.

LC fans

So we have fans, not the ones on the ceiling but the ones who walk and talk. Some of you might have met Rohan who is a SIES student. He comes to LC every single day, also on the days when he has exams. First few times we thought it might just be curiosity but now he sits through the sessions and also does his individual time…:) When we asked him why he likes to come to LC, he says, “मुझे लोग यहां इज्जत देते हैं”. He also got his mother to LC. There’s one more boy, Ashish we met him at the ground and asked him if he wanted to play football. He studies at DS high school. After the game he came to LC and was sheepishly moving from one room to the other, all wide eyed with a big smile. He turned again the next day and the next. He saves his dabba and has it with us. 

Movie Club

This time everyone decided to watch Big Hero, which is a Disney animated movie. Thankfully it was not Pathan (me rolling eyes here!) as it also had got equal number of votes. This selection of movies is making us facilitators a bit uncomfortable…but what can we do, except for expressing our feelings (urh!).

Cooking

The theme for cooking session this semester was to make food that is wholesome and can be made in one pot. This month we made khichdi with samo rice, thalipeeth and nachos with veggies. Poorva makes everyone write which vegetable gives what nutrients, carbs or proteins, etc.? It is a sight to see their faces..:) 

Sessions

The coming two weeks will be the wrap up weeks. Yes, we are coming close to the end of the semester. This is the time where we will assess how much academic content they have missed by not attending the sessions. Where they stand and how their goals are wilting away. Just joking…:) 

That’s all for now,

Until next time,