Lun 3 Oct 2011 16:50
VEDANTA pas que du mauvais ...
Tuesday 27 Sep, 2011It was an early morning and I had to catch a bus from Udaipur to reach Chittorgarh to visit the fort. The bus was crowded and I was desperately searching for a window seat. Amidst the noises of local tea vendors and the bus conductor, I could finally find a window seat. I could see a most gorgeous lady dressed in Rajasthani attire sitting close to me. We greeted each other and then went into our own shells. The bus had started and we were heading for Chittorgarh, which is about 120 kilometers from Udaipur and it will take us about 2 hours to reach.
One good thing about Rajasthan is their roads. The highways are extremely good. But as it had to happen, due to some repairs the traffic was diverted through a village, a very small patch. Traveling on a bus on a rural road with all the bumpy rides was indeed an experience. The early morning feel of nature, with chirping sparrows and the smoke coming out from the chulahs of the village houses; I was passing through a true rural village. My grandmother always used to tell me, if you hear the chirping of sparrows in the early morning hours, believe that your day is going to be excellent.
While passing through the village, I could hear some thing more, more to just chirping of sparrows. Oh yes, these were the voices of small children who were singing their morning prayers on top of their voices Humko Mann ki Shakti dena, mann vijay kare dusro ki jai se pehle khud ko jai kare. The prayer was touching the heart of sky and it just resisted my further traveling and I got down from the bus. Following the sound and passing through small lanes between the trees, I was amazed to see a small school, written over there 'Vedanta Bal Chetna Anganwadi Centre’ and about 30 to 40 children, folding their hands singing the prayer.
I was very happy, this was the first time I had seen an Anganwadi Centre. It was amazing to see these children, probably all of them below 5 years to 6 years well dressed in uniform with their hair properly combed and their faces glowing. Their prayer was finished and the teacher was lining them up to be taken inside the Anganwadi Centre. My curiosity had no bounds and I could not resist meeting these children. I could meet one of the teachers Lakshmi who I came to know was an Anganwadi worker. Lakshmi informed me that this is an Anganwadi Centre and every morning about 40 children from the village come here without fail to have nutritious food and to learn through creative games. Lakshmi also informed me that there is a regular health check-up of these children and their growth is closely monitored.
Suddenly I could hear a loud laughter of these children. It was a play time for them. A teacher dressed like a lion, wearing a mask of lion, was teaching these young buds about the animal kingdom. I could see a lot of teaching happening through colorful toys, colorful books and recitation of poems as the day progressed. Ms Priyanka a child of 4 years, whose name I came to know later, is the star performer at the Anganwadi. Whether it is a small skit or a poem recitation or even a beautiful dance on a latest bollywood hit, I could see Ms Priyanka on top of the charts.
You can only enjoy all this once you either become a child or you go back to your childhood. I was missing both. The teacher rang the bell and it was time for the lunch. With the careful hand wash of all the children, they were made to sit in a circle and were served the hot poha with groundnuts on a clean steel plate with a spoon, a diet which is understood to be a healthy diet for these children.
My eyes were admiring the way these children were finishing off their meals. But my eyes rolled and stopped on a girl who was busy in something else. She was very meticulously sorting out groundnuts from the poha and keeping them aside. Every groundnut was picked up delicately and kept on one side of the plate. As she segregated the groundnuts from the meal she very religiously started eating poha. I was surprised, how come she did not like groundnuts. I asked Ms Lakshmi and she could not control her smile, her name is Mumal. She is an amazing child, very selective in eating. She will first eat poha and then she will relish groundnuts, one by one’. Indeed, she did the same. After finishing the poha Mumal enjoyed every nut of the groundnut. It was amazing to see such sharp intelligence and liking in a rural girl of just 4 years old.
But who has set up these Anganwadi Centres, I asked Lakshmi. These Centres are being run by Hindustan Zinc which is a company of Vedanta Group and these Centres are known as Vedanta Bal Chetna Anganwadi Centres. Ms Lakshmi also informed that Hindustan Zinc has been running 1500 such Anganwadi Centres in Rajasthan under their CSR commitment and through this program 50,000 children are being attended from the deep rural areas.
While I was interacting with Ms Lakshmi, I noticed a small girl pulling my kurta and asking me to eat some of her meal. I was just touched by her gesture. A very naughty child who has already had her pohas and because her stomach is full, she is asking you to finish it off’. I smiled at her and questioned. Without uttering a word, she showed me her tummy which actually looked completely full. I could not stop laughing. I knew the memory of being with these children would travel with me a long way. It was a strange feeling. The innocence of these children did not make me realize how the time was passing and my heart was never allowing me to leave.
It is unexplainable how my heart felt when 40 children wished me a Good Bye and asked me to come again. It was a joy that also brought some tears in my eyes. I wished if I could stay with them some time more. You call them Anganwadi Children but I will recognize them as Vedanta Sparrows. I decided to alter my program. I had come to visit the famous monuments of Rajasthan but now I am inclined to see the glimpse of development of rural people in Rajasthan.
(Sourced from ToI)