Photo Bulletin December 2025

This was not just a trip; it was an experience that would open new doors of reading in the children’s lives.

The journey began by visiting the children’s homes. I asked each child, “Do you want to go to the Books Exhibition in Nagpur?”
As soon as they heard this question, excitement sparkled in their eyes. All of them answered in one voice, “Yes!”
But I knew that the children’s readiness alone was not enough; getting permission from their parents was equally important.

Some parents seemed hesitant at first. Their concern was natural. I spoke to them calmly and explained what the children would gain from this program how they would be introduced to books and how their interest in reading would grow. Gradually, the hesitation on their faces began to fade. Some parents were extremely positive in their response. “Children should go out and experience such things,” they said. That trust and support brought immense happiness to my heart.

Then the day finally arrived. We all reached the Books Exhibition. Surrounded by book stalls, colorful covers, and a vibrant reading atmosphere, the children were thrilled. While walking around the stalls, a child would sometimes pick up a book and happily say, “Sir, we have read this book before!”
Hearing that proud tone filled my heart with joy.

The children wanted to buy many books, but there was a financial limitation. They bought only a few books, yet the happiness in their eyes was priceless. Holding the books felt as if they had discovered a treasure. After returning home, they read the books they had bought aloud to me. There was confidence in their voices and joy on their faces. At that moment, I realized that this journey had truly been meaningful.

This day, this experience, and the joy shining in the children’s eyes made the entire journey unforgettable and deeply meaningful for me.

Due to a life of migration, there was no continuity in the children’s education. Migrating to different places every year did not allow the children to gain stability in school and studies. Keeping this in mind, Lala Kaka decided to stay at one place in Champa so that the children’s education could continue regularly and they could become part of the mainstream.

About three to four kilometers away from Champa village, Lala Kaka settled the beda. At this place, both of us fellows Navnita and I regularly visit to teach the children. Here, we had to begin a new educational journey. Conducting daily classes, implementing new activities for the children, and developing their interest in learning became possible at this location.

Compared to the Chakrigat settlement, the children in Champa appear more focused and actively involved in learning. The main reason behind this is that they have been kept here specifically for education. As a result, a sense is developing in their minds that “we are staying here for education, so we must study.”

While staying at the Chakrigat settlement, conducting classes for the children was a major challenge for us. Many times, the children would not attend the classes or would be occupied with household work. In such situations, maintaining continuity in education was difficult. However, the situation in Champa is completely different.

As soon as we reach the settlement, the children gather at one place, complete their work quickly, and participate in the classes on time. This discipline and enthusiasm reflect a positive change in the children’s education. A noticeable improvement can also be seen in their learning levels.

In this process, the active involvement of parents is also evident. Lala Kaka gives homework to the children at night, especially asking them to solve mathematics problems, and checks their work the next day. Due to these joint efforts of parents and teachers, continuity, confidence, and discipline are being developed in the children’s education.

This educational journey that began in Champa is not limited only to the children’s education but is also shaping a new direction for their future. This new beginning is hopeful, and it gives confidence that more positive changes will take place in the coming time.

When she opens her eyes in the morning, it is not a study notebook that lies before her, but a list of responsibilities. Household chores, taking care of the animals, and looking after her younger siblings are all part of her daily life.

In the community where she lives, adolescent girls are not allowed to go for education. Education is not considered necessary for girls. Instead, saying “now responsibilities have increased,” they are confined within the boundaries of the home. Girls’ lives are bound by work, duties, and responsibilities from a very young age. Home, cows, and calves become their everyday world. Learning remains a dream, but reality is quite different.

Every day, Riddhi takes the calves out to graze. Whether it is sunshine or rain, the work never stops. Time does not belong to her. Her day is guided not by her wishes, but by the demands of work. Yet, from this continuous flow of responsibilities, she manages to carve out a little time. This is not time she has asked for from anyone; it is time she has claimed for herself.

For Riddhi, learning is not about a fixed time, a fixed place, or fixed hours. Whenever she gets a chance, wherever she gets it, she learns. When she sees me while grazing the calves, a different glow appears on her face. She gathers the calves in one place, takes out her notebook and book nearby, and learns as much as she can in fifteen to twenty minutes. In between, she keeps an eye on the calves and then turns back to her notebook. Her gaze shifts between the book and her responsibilities, but her effort to balance both continues constantly.

She knows this well if she does not learn today, tomorrow will again be filled with work. Time will not stop, but if she stops learning, her dream will fall behind. No one has forced Riddhi to sit and study. No one has told her, “You must learn.” Still, her desire to learn is deeply rooted within her. It comes from within the urge to do something for herself and to change herself.

Today, Riddhi can read and recognize CVC words with all the vowels A, E, I, O, U. Words like cat, bat, pen, sit, top, and run were not learned by sitting in a classroom, but during those fifteen to twenty minutes snatched between work. These words may look small, but for her, they are a big step toward confidence. With every word, her confidence grows a little, and her dream comes a little closer.

This story is not only Riddhi’s. Even today, many Riddhis are searching for small windows of learning under the burden of work. Given an opportunity and a little support, learning is possible in any situation Riddhi shows this every day, quietly yet firmly.

Everyone looks at how much work has been done and what has been achieved; but deciding what exactly parents should expect their children to learn and what they should not is truly difficult. I have conducted many parents’ meetings so far, but this one felt different and meaningful to me.

In this meeting, I asked the parents what positive changes they had noticed in their children over the past two months. Even though the responses were somewhat broken and hesitant, they were very insightful. The changes in young children were clearly visible. Children have started writing and reading. Most importantly, even children as young as one and a half years old are coming to school, sitting properly, playing, and adjusting to the environment.

I have been doing this work for years. This journey, which began in July, now feels like it is coming to a pause somewhere. For the past few days, this realization has been settling in. Everything that I have learned here is coming back to me. Every moment feels more and more unforgettable.

The parents’ meeting lasted for nearly one and a half hours. At one point, a didi immediately said,
“Bhaiya, don’t you trust us?”
I replied, “No, didi, it’s not like that. But it is important that everyone knows about the work we are doing. And you must ask me questions. When questions are asked, the work gains momentum and becomes more effective.”

But the parents did not stop there. They said, “Bhaiya, our children should be able to read everything and write properly. The children should not fight.” I explained to them, “Didi, we provide an environment where children begin to understand their own needs. If they want something or need an object, they ask for it, and sometimes they even fight. This is all part of their physical, mental, and intellectual development.”
To this, they replied, “Yes bhaiya, but they should understand what we say.” Parents’ expectations do not end here; they gradually continue to grow.

The parents checked their children’s notebooks. Janvi, who earlier used to avoid writing, has now started writing. Children like Dhuli and Vishal, who earlier could only read letters, have now begun reading matras as well.

There was also a complaint about one incident. But Janvi had already told me earlier, “Bhaiya, today I watched mobile and didn’t study.” After the meeting ended, Janvi’s mother said to me, “Bhaiya, my daughter doesn’t do anything, please explain to her a little.”
I told her, “Didi, Janvi has already told me about this.”

This journey is unfolding through such amusing and memorable moments. It was clearly felt that parents have now become more aware. This meeting reflected warmth, affection, and care. As the year moves ahead, a feeling arose that this journey is about to take a pause somewhere. My bond with the children is growing stronger, and I, too, am gradually becoming more connected to them. Understanding all of this might take more than a year that is the learning I am gaining here.

Without realizing it, we have become a part of their lives. We have done a lot of work, and faced just as much embarrassment too. But this journey is not yet complete. Many more moments of fun and learning are still waiting.