Dear Friends,
My school was in front of a slum and as a 7 year old child I used to feel something different seeing that sight but would never understand why or what. I never shared this with anyone and just felt helpless. I always had goosebumps seeing slums and needy people. As I grew up, went to college and was capable enough of doing something for the people of that slum, I went back, back to the place from where the seed of giving back to the society was planted deep in my heart. During these years besides being a student, I worked for different social causes, founded an organization “Youth Alliance” and tried to learn the basic problems of society. At the age of 22, I was there, in front of my old school from where it all started. I asked them about their problems, convinced them to send the kids to school and helped them as much as I could.
But the need was endless, it was just 15 - 20 families in front of school and there are millions of such families in our country. I stepped back and thought why poverty is still prevalent in our country and that too at such a large scale. Why don’t we have clean drinking water? Why can’t we challenge illiteracy and throw it out ? And many other such questions came to my mind. I came up with many answers such as corruption, ineffective policies, corrupt politicians, government, lack of awareness (about our rights) among people etc. What struck me the most was politicians and government. Because it is the place from where policies are drafted and politicians are the people who have to execute them. A politician is elected by the people and hence he/she should be held accountable for their sufferings. I think that a person who has seen ground realities and can connect to the masses, their needs, can better help in framing policies and work for the upliftment of the under privileged.
I joined Teach For India, which addresses the issue of education inequity, the root cause of many problems in India, to enhance my personal skills as a leader and work at ground level to understand the basic issues and address them. I feel that it has provided me a platform to work along with committed, passionate and like-minded young people and I am learning a
lot from each one of them. Currently I am working in a government school and here I have learned a lot about our system, like how difficult it is to change an ineffective and redundant policy; the root cause of failure for great initiatives taken by government etc. And now my beliefs that there is a need to change our policies have strengthened. And I feel that this can be done only by active involvement of youth in politics. We are a very young nation and youth of our nation have immense potential, we have the potential to change our nation and give it a new shape. We can make India a healthy, educated and a safe place to live in. I dream of an India which is free from poverty, hunger, illiteracy, corruption; an India with no urban and rural divide; an India which is a safe place to live in; an India where liberty, equality, fraternity and justice is not just written in the constitution, come let’s make it true, together we can change our nation.
I want to be a part of political system and transform the system that caters to the needs of 1.2 billion people. Let’s change the definition of politics in India, let’s start the politics of development, ethics and values.
I am sharing all this with you because if over a period of time, I get drifted away from why I joined politics, you can support me and bring me back on my track.
“Service before Self”
-Love Bhartiya
Monday, January 17, 2011
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
What should be our "Circle of Affection" ?
As a daily routine my brother was going through the newspaper and analyzing it. In between he made a call to the representative of a news agency which releases the news for all the newspaper of my city. It was about a news in which a student has tried to commit suicide and the agency has included his true detailed identity.
The conversation which later turned into an argument was about the repercussion of that news. The big question was how sensitive a media person should be while using the identity of the person and what can be its repel effect ?
My brother was supporting the view that a media person should avoid using the identity of the person in such cases. He supported it by different examples like how victimized the person would feel, about his family etc. But the person on the other side was unwilling to understand all this and was supporting the view that we should mention the identity.
After a long discussion my brother asked him tell me if it was someone from your family or me, then what would you have done. The person on other side replied I would have avoided using the identity. He explained him because he is from your family or I am close to you and you don't want to spread something bad about us. And then he asked a very emotional and strong question.
What should be our circle of affection : limited to our family, our friend, our street, our area, our city, our state, our country or the whole world. Because at the end of the day it is a human being who is facing the harsh side effects of journalism.
The conversation which later turned into an argument was about the repercussion of that news. The big question was how sensitive a media person should be while using the identity of the person and what can be its repel effect ?
My brother was supporting the view that a media person should avoid using the identity of the person in such cases. He supported it by different examples like how victimized the person would feel, about his family etc. But the person on the other side was unwilling to understand all this and was supporting the view that we should mention the identity.
After a long discussion my brother asked him tell me if it was someone from your family or me, then what would you have done. The person on other side replied I would have avoided using the identity. He explained him because he is from your family or I am close to you and you don't want to spread something bad about us. And then he asked a very emotional and strong question.
What should be our circle of affection : limited to our family, our friend, our street, our area, our city, our state, our country or the whole world. Because at the end of the day it is a human being who is facing the harsh side effects of journalism.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Gandhi and his Philosophy
Politician: This is a mere allegation. The video has been tampered, this is not at all my voice and picture is not that clear to identify whose face it is.
Reporter: But analysts say that it is you only and they have matched the voice with the speech that you gave on Independence Day.
No one knows the truth and we can't trust either of them because one is a politician and the other is a media person. Such is the condition of society in the country of Buddha, Mahavir, Vivekanand, Gandhi etc. These were the people with principles, with values, with discipline and they lead by example.
Today we talk about Gandhi and always try to make distance from his principles of truthfulness and non-violence. We can see Gandhi on the wall of every government office but it is very difficult to find a office free from corruption and following the Gandhian philosophy. I have personally felt that today it has become a trend for youths to abuse Gandhi, people never try to relate to what he has done and start criticizing him.
I would just say that at least try to know the person before u make any judgment against him, be it your friend, enemy or someone like Gandhi.
Reporter: But analysts say that it is you only and they have matched the voice with the speech that you gave on Independence Day.
No one knows the truth and we can't trust either of them because one is a politician and the other is a media person. Such is the condition of society in the country of Buddha, Mahavir, Vivekanand, Gandhi etc. These were the people with principles, with values, with discipline and they lead by example.
Today we talk about Gandhi and always try to make distance from his principles of truthfulness and non-violence. We can see Gandhi on the wall of every government office but it is very difficult to find a office free from corruption and following the Gandhian philosophy. I have personally felt that today it has become a trend for youths to abuse Gandhi, people never try to relate to what he has done and start criticizing him.
I would just say that at least try to know the person before u make any judgment against him, be it your friend, enemy or someone like Gandhi.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
What does Bihar's Poll result teach the nation ?
First of all many congratulations to Mr. Nitish Kumar for being victorious once again. For me this is not a victory for JD(U)-BJP alliance but it's a victory for our nation. This could be the turning point for Indian politics. People of Bihar have shown us the path which is very vital for development of the nation. They came out of their houses to vote for development and for me this is the perfect quintessential of changing Indian mindset. I would like to point out certain lesson that Bihar's poll result has taught us.
1. When Bihar which is considered to be the most backward state of India can go on polls with development as agenda and emerge successful, then why not rest of India. Bihari's have shown the right path to rest of fellow Indians. So, now we can define a beginning of new political system in India: Politics of development.
2. Dynasty politics will not work everywhere. It doesn't matter whether you have ruled us for 15 years or 60 years. You have to be there with the people, work for them to get vote. It's not an election of Lady Shri Ram College where only girls have to vote. Mindset of public is changing and they know who is better for them Yuvraj or a leader from their soil.
3. BJP took the right lesson from Orissa mishap, which happened just before the last general election. (They broke their 11 year old alliance with BJD because of seat sharing issues, which resulted in a landslide loss for both parties) Here in Bihar they understood the charisma of Nitish and followed whatever he demanded. Firstly it was not an easy decision for BJP leadership to keep Mr. Modi out of Bihar and secondly they agreed to the seat sharing formula set by Nitish.
1. When Bihar which is considered to be the most backward state of India can go on polls with development as agenda and emerge successful, then why not rest of India. Bihari's have shown the right path to rest of fellow Indians. So, now we can define a beginning of new political system in India: Politics of development.
2. Dynasty politics will not work everywhere. It doesn't matter whether you have ruled us for 15 years or 60 years. You have to be there with the people, work for them to get vote. It's not an election of Lady Shri Ram College where only girls have to vote. Mindset of public is changing and they know who is better for them Yuvraj or a leader from their soil.
3. BJP took the right lesson from Orissa mishap, which happened just before the last general election. (They broke their 11 year old alliance with BJD because of seat sharing issues, which resulted in a landslide loss for both parties) Here in Bihar they understood the charisma of Nitish and followed whatever he demanded. Firstly it was not an easy decision for BJP leadership to keep Mr. Modi out of Bihar and secondly they agreed to the seat sharing formula set by Nitish.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Happiness .....!!!
Happiness for a child,
When he gets a candy for which he was crying.
Happiness for a student,
When his teacher praises him.
Happiness for a mother,
When his baby takes the first step.
Happiness for a father,
When his son walks with him shoulder to shoulder.
Happiness for a poor man,
When he eats twice a day.
Happiness for a teacher,
When his struggling student stands up and answers.
Happiness for a youth,
When he gets his first salary.
Happiness for a vegetable seller,
When all his vegetables are sold.
Happiness for a rich person,
When his assets are doubled.
Happiness for a lover,
When he meets his partner after a long period.
Happiness can be Success,
Success can be Happiness.
But the real HAPPINESS for me is,
The essence of happiness in my surrounding.
Service before Self
- Love Bhartiya
When he gets a candy for which he was crying.
Happiness for a student,
When his teacher praises him.
Happiness for a mother,
When his baby takes the first step.
Happiness for a father,
When his son walks with him shoulder to shoulder.
Happiness for a poor man,
When he eats twice a day.
Happiness for a teacher,
When his struggling student stands up and answers.
Happiness for a youth,
When he gets his first salary.
Happiness for a vegetable seller,
When all his vegetables are sold.
Happiness for a rich person,
When his assets are doubled.
Happiness for a lover,
When he meets his partner after a long period.
Happiness can be Success,
Success can be Happiness.
But the real HAPPINESS for me is,
The essence of happiness in my surrounding.
Service before Self
- Love Bhartiya
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Aspire, Achieve, Be the Change....!!!
Dear Friends,
It was a hard decision to leave the classroom which was all set and on track but keeping the larger picture in mind I think it was a good decision. A decision to shift to Mumbai and be a part of MCGM (Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai) transformation project. Again starting from scrap but with a year of experience in bag. This year apart from class there were some additional responsibilities of school management. Being a part of transformation project I have to be proactive and reach out to the HM and other teachers to know them better and lend them a helping hand. But all this would be effective only when my classroom is a model classroom.
Learning levels were extremely low; kids were at least 2 to 3 grade level below their current level. There were so many groups within class, few were able to read but a few don’t know ABC… . We started together with a name “Superstars” which later became “Team Superstars”. My basic focus was phonics and numbers. It was challenging but interesting to notice rapid improvement in few of them. Few of the kids such as Adarsh, Jayant, Khansa, Sahil etc have shown tremendous improvement in last three months, their reading fluency has doubled, they can write a short passage and have started talking in broken English. I feel phonics has helped them a lot, apart from this I have tried to cultivate that desire or hunger to study or for knowledge which helps me in pushing many kids. To motivate them I call my friends in classroom so that kids can meet in person and further establish their belief on what they want to become. In our class we have inspiring quotes all around.
When you enter the class these are the words written in front: ASPIRE, ACHIEVE, BE THE CHANGE and kids have to follow the following procedure every day. They have to look at one word and think the following:
1. Aspire: Enter the class, look at it and rethink want you want to become.
2. Achieve: Now look at it and think, are you working hard, to get what you have aspired.
3. Be The Change: Now think what change you can bring in your family and surrounding by achieving what you have aspired..!!!
If I look at my class now, I feel that there are at least 8 - 10 kids who want to study now and work very hard to compete with the top ones and it is really satisfying to push a kid from middle level to upper level. But there is always a flip side of the coin. I still struggle with nearly 10 kids because of one of the following reason: attendance issue, three have learning disability and lack of 1 -1 attention from my side. But I am very hopeful that at least I have authority over attendance and 1-1 attention which I will be solving in coming month. Home visit and investing parent is the best way to address attendance issue.
Visiting community is always a great experience it shows me the background from where my kid is coming, the atmosphere he lives in and thus gives me enough knowledge to plan how I should deal with that particular kid in class and his mindset. They mostly live in hard conditions; a 10 * 10 feet house with 5 siblings is the general trend in my kid’s communities. There is a lot to learn from kids and their community, how they search for their happiness from their daily miseries, how they come school laughing and dancing when they know that they will be beaten back home, when they know that today again their parents would quarrel, when they know that today it is his turn to be awake till late night because few of them have to sleep in shifts due to lack of space….. . Now how can I scold a sleeping kid in my class because I don’t know the reason why is he sleeping. They are with me for six hours a day and I have just one target in my mind to make these six hours special for them, six hours filled with fun, love, energy, excitement and learning. So, that they come next day with same excitement and forget the pain (if any).
This year working in Municipal School’s transformation project gave me an opportunity to work closely with other teachers and HM and through that I have learned a lot about the system and teacher’s mindset. The biggest learning is that there is no one in the system that supports the teachers or acknowledges their problems. It is always top down, instructions come from top and teachers have to follow them. And the result is that they just follow the instructions, nothing else. The teachers have great talent and they are very receptive to feedback, ideas or change but this happens only if you can build trust and a strong relationship with them. I feel that I have a great rapport with nearly all the teachers and HM of my school. Love, humility and empathy were the simple tools that helped me in building this relationship. Now, we have a staffroom, mini canteen and a resource centre working effectively at school. One of the best compliments ever said to me was said by my HM, “Sir, we have started laughing and happiness is around since you have come to the school. Thanks for being with us.”These words were like handing over the baton to me and I personally feel a lot more responsible since then.
I am enjoying my days at TFI, as the time is passing by; my hunger to give more to kids is increasing. At times I feel just six months are left in fellowship but sometimes I also feel six months and then I will be out to do a lot more to bring a systemic change. At TFI and being in classroom my self belief has strengthened that yes “I CAN”, I can see my timeline to complete my plans is shortening. I feel myself to be more motivated, planned and structured. At times I feel overwhelmed and get confused what next but I know in coming months I will chose the best thing for me and my classroom. I always feel privileged to have such great friends in and out of TFI and an active staff who is always ready to help.
Excited for the coming days.
Service before self
Love Bhartiya
It was a hard decision to leave the classroom which was all set and on track but keeping the larger picture in mind I think it was a good decision. A decision to shift to Mumbai and be a part of MCGM (Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai) transformation project. Again starting from scrap but with a year of experience in bag. This year apart from class there were some additional responsibilities of school management. Being a part of transformation project I have to be proactive and reach out to the HM and other teachers to know them better and lend them a helping hand. But all this would be effective only when my classroom is a model classroom.
Learning levels were extremely low; kids were at least 2 to 3 grade level below their current level. There were so many groups within class, few were able to read but a few don’t know ABC… . We started together with a name “Superstars” which later became “Team Superstars”. My basic focus was phonics and numbers. It was challenging but interesting to notice rapid improvement in few of them. Few of the kids such as Adarsh, Jayant, Khansa, Sahil etc have shown tremendous improvement in last three months, their reading fluency has doubled, they can write a short passage and have started talking in broken English. I feel phonics has helped them a lot, apart from this I have tried to cultivate that desire or hunger to study or for knowledge which helps me in pushing many kids. To motivate them I call my friends in classroom so that kids can meet in person and further establish their belief on what they want to become. In our class we have inspiring quotes all around.
When you enter the class these are the words written in front: ASPIRE, ACHIEVE, BE THE CHANGE and kids have to follow the following procedure every day. They have to look at one word and think the following:
1. Aspire: Enter the class, look at it and rethink want you want to become.
2. Achieve: Now look at it and think, are you working hard, to get what you have aspired.
3. Be The Change: Now think what change you can bring in your family and surrounding by achieving what you have aspired..!!!
If I look at my class now, I feel that there are at least 8 - 10 kids who want to study now and work very hard to compete with the top ones and it is really satisfying to push a kid from middle level to upper level. But there is always a flip side of the coin. I still struggle with nearly 10 kids because of one of the following reason: attendance issue, three have learning disability and lack of 1 -1 attention from my side. But I am very hopeful that at least I have authority over attendance and 1-1 attention which I will be solving in coming month. Home visit and investing parent is the best way to address attendance issue.
Visiting community is always a great experience it shows me the background from where my kid is coming, the atmosphere he lives in and thus gives me enough knowledge to plan how I should deal with that particular kid in class and his mindset. They mostly live in hard conditions; a 10 * 10 feet house with 5 siblings is the general trend in my kid’s communities. There is a lot to learn from kids and their community, how they search for their happiness from their daily miseries, how they come school laughing and dancing when they know that they will be beaten back home, when they know that today again their parents would quarrel, when they know that today it is his turn to be awake till late night because few of them have to sleep in shifts due to lack of space….. . Now how can I scold a sleeping kid in my class because I don’t know the reason why is he sleeping. They are with me for six hours a day and I have just one target in my mind to make these six hours special for them, six hours filled with fun, love, energy, excitement and learning. So, that they come next day with same excitement and forget the pain (if any).
This year working in Municipal School’s transformation project gave me an opportunity to work closely with other teachers and HM and through that I have learned a lot about the system and teacher’s mindset. The biggest learning is that there is no one in the system that supports the teachers or acknowledges their problems. It is always top down, instructions come from top and teachers have to follow them. And the result is that they just follow the instructions, nothing else. The teachers have great talent and they are very receptive to feedback, ideas or change but this happens only if you can build trust and a strong relationship with them. I feel that I have a great rapport with nearly all the teachers and HM of my school. Love, humility and empathy were the simple tools that helped me in building this relationship. Now, we have a staffroom, mini canteen and a resource centre working effectively at school. One of the best compliments ever said to me was said by my HM, “Sir, we have started laughing and happiness is around since you have come to the school. Thanks for being with us.”These words were like handing over the baton to me and I personally feel a lot more responsible since then.
I am enjoying my days at TFI, as the time is passing by; my hunger to give more to kids is increasing. At times I feel just six months are left in fellowship but sometimes I also feel six months and then I will be out to do a lot more to bring a systemic change. At TFI and being in classroom my self belief has strengthened that yes “I CAN”, I can see my timeline to complete my plans is shortening. I feel myself to be more motivated, planned and structured. At times I feel overwhelmed and get confused what next but I know in coming months I will chose the best thing for me and my classroom. I always feel privileged to have such great friends in and out of TFI and an active staff who is always ready to help.
Excited for the coming days.
Service before self
Love Bhartiya
Monday, October 4, 2010
Design For Change @ Ganesh Baug Municipal School, Mumbai.
Once again DFC is here...!!! Great minds of Ganesh Baug brainstormed for hours, thought what would they like to change and finally came up to change the cleanliness and hygiene level of school and its surrounding, the medical facilities provided by the one and only government hospital in Kurla "Bhabha Hospital, Kurla" and eliminate the violence from school and their community.
So, to start with kids planned to make hundreds of cards and give them to parents, teachers, patients, shopkeepers, doctors and make their humble request through the card....!!! And feel the Joy of Giving....!!!
So, here we go...!!!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=235591&id=658898491&l=9b198002f5
or Click on "Design For Change" in Links
So, to start with kids planned to make hundreds of cards and give them to parents, teachers, patients, shopkeepers, doctors and make their humble request through the card....!!! And feel the Joy of Giving....!!!
So, here we go...!!!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=235591&id=658898491&l=9b198002f5
or Click on "Design For Change" in Links
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Bair karate mandir masjid, mel karati madhushala .....!!! (Ayodhya Verdict)
Finally a long awaited verdict is out.
Verdict: The land is divided into three parts:
1. One third of land where the idol of Ram is currently placed will be given to Hindus and is accepted as birth place of Lord RAM.
2. One third to Muslims.
3. One third to Nirmohi Akhada.
Finally India wins and I am proud to be a part of a secular nation...!!!
I would urge to each and every Indian to accept the ruling and if they are not satisfied move to SC. Non- violence is the not the way out.
Thanks and Love.
- Bhartiya
Verdict: The land is divided into three parts:
1. One third of land where the idol of Ram is currently placed will be given to Hindus and is accepted as birth place of Lord RAM.
2. One third to Muslims.
3. One third to Nirmohi Akhada.
Finally India wins and I am proud to be a part of a secular nation...!!!
I would urge to each and every Indian to accept the ruling and if they are not satisfied move to SC. Non- violence is the not the way out.
Thanks and Love.
- Bhartiya
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Inspired at InspirED.....!!!
"At Teach For India, we believe that we need a
movement of leaders to eliminate inequity in education. And InspirED -
by bringing together a wide network of educational innovators and
leaders from across sectors onto a common platform - is a ...unique and
crucial step towards building this movement. We are so much more likely
...to transform education in this nation if we work together.”
-- Shaheen Mistry, CEO, Teach For India
These were the words of Shaheen on InspirED conference the first ever Educational Conference in India and I was lucky to be a part of it. It was an amazing experience, experience full of learning's, inspiration and empowerment. One of the speaker Mr. Craig (of American School of Mumbai) explained the concept of how inspiration without empowerment can be dangerous. So, it is important to inspire but more important is to empower with tools to achieve that aspiration.
There were innovative educators from all across the country, even some from abroad. We had discussions on innovative ways of educating kids, how can we make learning more fun for kids and also keep ourselves inspired. It was first time that over 300 educators from different NGOs, Govt, Principals, Teachers, movements came together to fight the inequity of education.
What happened a day after InspirED Conference:
When I went to school today I saw a great change in one of my teacher(Mr. Jitendra) classroom who has attended the workshop. The teacher grabbed my hand and took me to his class to show me the new "avatar" of his class. There were many posters on walls, class divided in teams, a poster saying "What pencil can do ? " , a chart with signature of all the kids.
I felt so InspirED by his enthusiastic voice. We sat down and had a chat on how should we empower our other teachers. Now he will prepare a document of all the workshops he has attended and share his experience with all the teachers.
This was the result of InspirEd. Thank You "InspirEd"
-Bhartiya
"Service before Self"
movement of leaders to eliminate inequity in education. And InspirED -
by bringing together a wide network of educational innovators and
leaders from across sectors onto a common platform - is a ...unique and
crucial step towards building this movement. We are so much more likely
...to transform education in this nation if we work together.”
-- Shaheen Mistry, CEO, Teach For India
These were the words of Shaheen on InspirED conference the first ever Educational Conference in India and I was lucky to be a part of it. It was an amazing experience, experience full of learning's, inspiration and empowerment. One of the speaker Mr. Craig (of American School of Mumbai) explained the concept of how inspiration without empowerment can be dangerous. So, it is important to inspire but more important is to empower with tools to achieve that aspiration.
There were innovative educators from all across the country, even some from abroad. We had discussions on innovative ways of educating kids, how can we make learning more fun for kids and also keep ourselves inspired. It was first time that over 300 educators from different NGOs, Govt, Principals, Teachers, movements came together to fight the inequity of education.
What happened a day after InspirED Conference:
When I went to school today I saw a great change in one of my teacher(Mr. Jitendra) classroom who has attended the workshop. The teacher grabbed my hand and took me to his class to show me the new "avatar" of his class. There were many posters on walls, class divided in teams, a poster saying "What pencil can do ? " , a chart with signature of all the kids.
I felt so InspirED by his enthusiastic voice. We sat down and had a chat on how should we empower our other teachers. Now he will prepare a document of all the workshops he has attended and share his experience with all the teachers.
This was the result of InspirEd. Thank You "InspirEd"
-Bhartiya
"Service before Self"
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Big Tree....!!!
There was a big tree,
Green tree,
Thick tree,
Under which lie,
So many small trees.
Have you ever felt,
What toll it takes to be a big tree ????
- Bhartiya
Green tree,
Thick tree,
Under which lie,
So many small trees.
Have you ever felt,
What toll it takes to be a big tree ????
- Bhartiya
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