Mosamat Budhiya Shiksha Nirman Sangathan

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SUMMER AT THE CENTRE

JUNE – JULY, 2021

This is an update on May and June at the MBSNS centre. Along with the regular study, Dhyan, and sports, the highlights for this month included a workshop for children on understanding good and bad touch and a parents learners (facilitators and students) meeting.

Focus on learning languages

The Hindi Class – In April, children started with reading simple Hindi text and learning to write summaries. In May and June, they began engaging with the language in new ways. Children prepared a song in Hindi, which they chose from the songs they had heard at the centre. They prepared the song ‘tu zinda hai toh zindagi ki jeet mein yakin kar’. They also prepared a play with Abhimanyu’s help. It had been over a month since the children moved into the centre, and they started missing their parents. Due to the covid protocol, children were not allowed to meet the parents while at the centre. Although they were allowed to call home on Sundays, a new activity of writing letters to the family was also initiated. Engaging in these activities gave children a sense of achievement, which they could be proud of. Their previous engagement around learning was restricted to just reading and writing, which did not give them that sense of achievement.

In these months, some concepts of grammar were also introduced like सर्वनाम and विशेषण (pronouns and adjectives). At the same time, working on phonetics is a continuous process as few sounds in regional language are quite intermixed in pronunciation like र (Ra) and ड (Da), स (Sa) and श (Sha).

The English Class- In April children learned the basics of phonetics and vocabulary building exercises in English. We made our first phonetic videos and completed all 26 alphabets by June.

In May and June, the two-hour English slot was reorganized into three parts – immersion songs, the introduction of a new concept, and reading or writing groups or games (depending on what children chose).

The children have come a long way since April. When they came to the centre, they knew alphabets and could read three-letter words without understanding the meaning. In these last two months, they now sing along a selection of 6 songs displayed on a projector screen. This repertoire of songs has 3-4 nursery rhymes like Old Mac Donald had a farm, to anthems like Imagine (by John Lennon), what a wonderful world (Louis Armstrong), the sound of silence (Simon & Garfunkel), and action songs like Ram sum sum. These two months focused on understanding and learning nouns, pronouns, verbs, prepositions, and other parts of speech through fun and interesting activities like charades and other games.

Parents Learners (Facilitators- students) meeting (PLM)

13th June was a special day. It was the first parents meeting at the centre. In some cases, both parents could not come due to financial constraints. For example, Jaikrishnaji could not come because he had to tend to the mango orchard, which they have leased this year. Reeta Devi and Hareram Bhaiya had similar financial constraints, while Sanjay Paswan has migrated to Bengal for work. In other cases, younger siblings came, enthusiastic and clingy, curious about their older sibling’s new home – The Centre.

The centre facilitators shared their idea of holistic education with the parents. Abhimanyu emphasized the need for parents to interact with teachers and caregivers, as this provided a two-way interaction and allowed for a common aim for their children. He shared how all children were bright and a joy to work with. He also reiterated that children enjoyed learning and there was more to learning than just memorization. Mithun further talked about the schedule at the centre and how each child followed the same and sometimes went over and above the schedule putting in additional shram daan (manual work) or study hours. He talked about pedagogy and interactions with respective teachers of English, Hindi, Maths, Science, and Computers. Sangeeta talked about children’s well-being and different learning styles.

Everybody, including children, parents, and facilitators, introduced themselves. This was followed by a skit that children had prepared as part of their Hindi class. Over the last two months, older children have written stories in their English class, which was also typed in their computer class. Each child chose one story which they read in English and then explained in Hindi. This was followed by the children giving their parents a copy of the compilation of stories named “Our First Book” and a letter each child had written to their parents in Hindi class. This session ended with children singing the song “tu zinda hai to zindagi ki jeet men yakeeen kar.”

After the children left, the parents and caretakers sat for an open session, in which parents gave their feedback and discussed their children’s wellbeing at the centre. Most were very happy to see that their children had adjusted well and did not want to leave the centre to go home. They were also impressed by the confidence they saw in their children. All of them were convinced they wanted their children to continue at the centre. We also discussed holidays and the academic calendar, emphasizing that we did not want children to take frequent leaves. Parents suggested holidays during the festive season, and together we have worked out a holiday calendar till 15th March 2022. Mandavi, one of the mothers asked if all parents should contribute to the running of the centre and it was decided that each would do what they can. For example, those who were daily wage labourers would try and give sharm daan at the centre; those with more stable incomes would try contributing financially; and those with farming would contribute in kind.

The Personal Safety Workshop

On 9th June, we organized a workshop on personal safety facilitated by Mithun and Abhimanyu. The workshop used a module from Arpan, aimed at preventing child sexual abuse. It introduced the idea of good and bad touch and explained the need to reach out for help from adults in their trusted circle.

Tree Plantation

Love is a special quality that children have, and their love has no boundaries. This thought is beautifully captured in a famous Hindi song “जो भी प्यार से मिला हम उसी के हो लिए” (becoming one with everyone who meets us with love). The centre has a patch for planting trees and a small plot marked for farming. From the very first day, children have loved the idea of planting, watering, and caring for plants. They have also found different levels of connections with the stray dogs, who have found a home at the centre, by petting, feeding and hugging them. This is their silent connection with nature – plants and dogs. A world dominated by the anthropocentric view has made nature peripheral to our existence; we hope children growing up at the centre will be able to find their connection with nature. It is with this thought in mind that children were part of a plantation drive this monsoon, taking ownership and responsibility of attending to one tree they planted.

And so it goes on … learning in and out of classrooms. In the spirit of holistic education, children continue to engage with physical exercises, sports like athletics, kho kho and kabaddi in the evening, and Dhyan. Though mostly the everyday shram daan involves cleaning and working in the field and caring for trees on campus, but sometimes children find creative ways of doing shram daan. For instance, Rani decided to be the centre barber, styling children’s hair. Not only was it a creative pursuit but it also meant we could limit the outside exposure of the centre inhabitants during these COVID-19 times- one hairstyle at a time!

We are available at Abhimanyu (9460969188) ashekhawat.16@stu.aud.ac.in kamayani (9771950248) kamayani02@yahoo.com, mbsnsbihar@gmail.com

July 2025 – Jeevanshala organised its first-ever cultural program

Through July, teacher-learners worked closely with children to strengthen their spoken English, helping them form full sentences and speak with growing confidence. Alongside academics, Teacher-Learners engaged with ideas of inclusive education through reflective readings from Adharshila.

Teacher-learners guiding children in a group activity to enhance spoken English skills.

Learning extended far beyond textbooks. Children relished Malda mangoes they had plucked weeks earlier, turning patience into a sweet reward. A unique children’s banking system introduced them to saving, depositing, and withdrawing money — nurturing early financial literacy. Our friend Rimjhim joined us online to teach our students in early music skill and began preparing a children’s choir. And for Saturday’s workshop, Nidhi from Ikmann Foundation led a fun body-mapping activity that helped kids understand how movement benefits their bodies.

July also brought emotional transitions and celebrations. The Jeevanshala community bid a warm farewell to teacher-learner Priyanka, with children sharing heartfelt memories of learning Maths and Science from her. A week went into the preparations for Jeevanshala’s first ever cultural program for which children prepared dances, songs, and theatre — including adaptations of Andher Nagri Chaupat Raja and Premchand’s Eidgaah. The month culminated with the vibrant Cultural Program. Children performed with confidence, older students anchored in Hindi and English, and parents watched proudly — many for the first time. It was a powerful reminder that education, when rooted in care and creativity, truly transforms lives.

June 2025 – Learning under the tree and in open air

June at Jeevanshala was a vibrant month of learning that moved seamlessly between classrooms, playgrounds, trees, and community spaces. The month opened with children diving into hands-on activities that blended creativity with curiosity. Children participated in a bunch of things apart from academics from cleanliness drives and waste-to-art projects to counting pebbles under trees and learning English in the open air. Art, colour, and imagination flowed freely as children painted their favourite things and explored history through Bharat Ek Khoj.

Students engaged in a lively outdoor learning session under the shade of trees, showcasing the dynamic learning environment at Jeevanshala.

A total of 15 new children joined Jeevanshala to start a new session and it was a journey to gently push them to open up and engage in the Jeevanshala way of learning. Students, young and old, learnt languages through playful methods, while teacher-learners prepared new entrants to confidently stage short plays on friendship, education, and sports for their saturday workshop. One of the most memorable learning moments came when children climbed mango trees, plucked raw mangoes, and turned them into tangy pickles — a lesson in teamwork and learning beyond textbooks.

Children engaged in a playful math activity using colorful beads at Jeevanshala.

The month was also marked by joyful milestones: Students received new shoes which brought them big smiles, they learnt maths through games and poems, and colours came alive through creative activities. Storytelling flourished after they watched the Oscar-winning film Flow, as part of one of their Sunday binge inspiring children to write and share their own imaginative stories.

Children engaging in a collaborative learning activity using chalk and leaves, fostering creativity and teamwork at Jeevanshala.

Physical movement and science went hand in hand, with mornings filled with sports, seed-sprouting experiments, geography quizzes, and hands-on science lessons. The month culminated in powerful nukkad nataks on social and environmental issues, alongside experiments on refraction, solar energy, and magnetism — reinforcing Jeevanshala’s belief that learning is most meaningful when it is active, collective, and rooted in real life.

Children engage in a hands-on science experiment, exploring concepts of light and shadow with magnifying glasses and everyday objects.

May 2025 – Welcoming New Students to Jeevanshala

May 2025 was a vibrant and meaningful month at Jeevanshala. Our learning spaces were filled with curiosity, creativity, and collective joy as children engaged in a wide range of academic, artistic, and outdoor activities. Through group learning, individual practice, and guided sessions with teachers, the children continued to grow not only academically, but also emotionally and socially. At Jeevanshala, we believe learning thrives in an environment of care, freedom, and participation. This month beautifully reflected that belief.

Students and teachers at Jeevanshala celebrating creativity and camaraderie in May 2025.

Art and creative expression remained a strong focus throughout the month. Children spent time drawing, coloring, and experimenting with shapes and patterns. These activities helped improve concentration, fine motor skills, and self-confidence, while allowing children to express their thoughts freely. Each child worked at their own pace, supported by facilitators who encouraged exploration rather than perfection.

Group learning sessions played a key role in building communication and listening skills. Children sat together in reading circles, shared books, discussed lessons, and supported one another’s understanding. These sessions fostered cooperation, patience, and peer learning—essential foundations for lifelong education.

Children engaged in a group learning session, fostering communication and cooperation at Jeevanshala.

Learning extended beyond the classroom walls as children engaged in outdoor play and exploration. Activities such as climbing trees and playing together strengthened physical coordination, confidence, and teamwork. Outdoor time also gave children space to connect with nature and with one another in joyful, unstructured ways.

Children engaging in outdoor play by climbing trees, fostering physical coordination, confidence, and teamwork.

Teachers and facilitators continued to guide structured learning sessions, ensuring that every child received attention and encouragement. Older children supported younger ones, reinforcing a sense of shared responsibility and community care. These sessions reflected Jeevanshala’s commitment to inclusive, child-centered education.

Children engaged in a dynamic group learning session outdoors, fostering collaboration and communication skills under the shade of a tree at Jeevanshala.

April 2025 – Year ends on a high note with a Patna trip

In April, Jeevanshala halted operations for a Spring Break for the children, but before they went back to their homes, the senior children were beaming with energy for an educational trip to Patna that we organised for them. The younger ones went back home with their parents after the Parents-Teachers Meeting, and a total of 15 senior students, along with the Teacher-Learner (TL) community, packed their bags and got on a train to Patna for an excursion around the city. They visited the Bihar Museum, where they were most excited about the children’s section for its many interactive exhibits and audiovisual (AV) aids. Among the many places they visited were the book fair at the historic Gandhi Maidan, Sri Krishna Science Centre, the zoo, the planetarium, and ending the trip with a mesmerising cultural programme. It was a trip of many firsts for the children as they witnessed the first elevator of their lives, saw rare animals for the first time at the zoo and saw science in action at the Science Center.

Heading to Patna… forst ever train journey for many

While Jeevanshala was on vacation-mode, our teacher-learners Sangeeta, Priti, Rashmi and Suman didn’t take a break and continued their support for the Ambedkar Center – located in the Safai Karamchari Basti of Araria. It is a vibrant informal learning space where children left out of formal schooling system come to learn, sing and play.

Children at the Ambedkar Centre also celebrated Ambedkar Jayanti on April 14 with great gusto. Social activist Tanmay joined them for a special session, sharing stories of Ambedkar’s life and his vision for equality and justice. With bright eyes and loud voices, the children sang songs of equality and chanted slogans of fraternity and constitutional rights.

The TL team also actively participated in reorganising assessment resources, books at the library and making it ready for the children to embark on new learning journeys. TLs also went to the marginalised neighbourhoods near the Jeevanshala to distribute leaflets and create awareness on the importance of education for young children and enrol a new batch of students at Jeevanshala.

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July, 2023 – Ending the semester with a PTM!

As we headed for our break in July, the Parents-TL Meet (PTM) was a major event. We try to meet parents atleast twice a year, at end of a full semester, to talk about the childrens’ learning level. One part of the PTM involves a collective discussion reinforcing for both the parents and children that what we learn at the Jeevanshala, does not remain at the Jeevanshala, infact it is meant to be taken with us, to our villages, and to our lives. The second part of the discussion involves the need for parents to be sensitive to the child and not fall into old habits of scolding, hitting and blaming children for all things that go wrong in our lives. From encouraging healthy eating patterns to practicing non-violent behavior toward children, are shared and reemphasized for the parents and the children are part of this discussion. After this collective conversation the TLs sit separately with each parent, with the children alongside, discussing the children’s individual level in each subject and how they are dealing with collective living.

Meeting parents individually during the PTM …

The two weeks that we had for learning with the children before the break, we had the usual fair of classroom learning, sports, board games and visitors. This month we had one special guest, Sri Shailesh Diwakar, who was the Sub Divisional Officer, at Araria and dropped in to meet the children, before he was transferred from the district headquarters. He inspired the children to think of ways to make the world a better place for everyone. The children had many questions for him including why their village was without roads and why their was corruption in the police stations, but most importantly they could ask him questions without hesitation and its this confidence that we pride ourselves in.

March 2024 – Another successful semester comes to an end!

For us March is an exciting month, as its pleasant weather and brings holi. Like all other fastivals, we attempt to have holi celebration in a caste and gender just way, ensuring we are respectful of each other and play together. In addition trying to be eco friendly dhur khel (the traditional holi of our area in which wet mud is used instead of colours) is encouraged, though children also play abir and wet colours. This month was additionally exciting because in our way of celebrating all fetivities and cultures, we had no fasting but a good iftari, with home grown bananas, eggs and sweets.

Usually sports at the Jeevanshala include kabbadi, atheletics, football, kho kho, dodge ball, but this month saw the introduction of cricket. The children shine like Tendualkar and Mithali Raj. It was wonderful but a photo speaks a thousand words, so here sharing some photos of the day…

2023, had seen the installation of solar panels at the Jeevanshala, by a local araria group called Desi Power. The Desi power team visited our campus and interacted with the children, most inspiring was meeting with Dr Sharan, an Araria local, who has travelled across the world and is now settled in Switzerland, opening a whole new dimension for our children, in terms of where one’s journey can take you.

And we had two small achievements for this academic year, our young ones won a local song competition and Anand, one of our older children made it to Vidya Vihar school in Purnea, on a full scholarship.

February, 2024 – Continuing to enjoy the winter Sun!

The Jeevanshala continued to enjoy the sunshine, as most TLs continued to have classes in the open grounds. English, Hindi, Maths, science and all other lessons in the open sun, sometimes even carrying the board for their class.

There was one such class in the open where children balanced their heavy books on rolls of paper, science is doing! The idea that the rolls of cylinder weighing only a few grams can balance books, much heavier than these because ressure gets distributed in a cylinder was being established by the TL. She had not learned this concept in this way but the new Bihar state text book and she herself being active decided to do and see with the children, while many kids in sub standard coaching and tuitions and Government schools in Bihar continue to rote learn everyday, such concepts.

One of the interesting Saturday workshops this month was on Personal hygiene, coordinated by friends Aashish and Mithun. All children were asked to look at their belongings and then each child sat with a set of TLs and older friends and talked about what they ate and how they kept their belongings. Each child discussed with the adults, the implementation of Ideas about cleanliness which were discussed in previous health workshops, like fighting germs, washing, bathing, eating habits and other such.

Games like always happened indoors and outdoors. One of the interesting games that the TL brought to the games field is ‘musical chairs’ with a twist, in which the chairs are replaced with chappals (slippers), more easily available at the Jeevanshala 🙂

January, 2024 – The lovely sunshine and outdoors!

January is terribly cold, but the day has broad sunshine, which makes it all very pleasant and all TLs tend to have classes in the outdoors, as you can see below …

The winter sun, coming through the tall trees, was a special pleasure we had in the past, as we did many learning sessions in the jungle vibhag (Forest Department land), but then in 2023, a rail line was built in this land, and very little of the forest is now left. We dealt with the illeffects of ‘development’ first hand, as we lost the grassland, the large trees and the birds and small animals that were in the jungle. We now have a ‘man-made’ hillock with a train line.

what has now become of the forest department land, children on a hill of stone chips being used for construction

As always science in the jeevanshala, works on the moto “doing is learning”, children of different groupings made their own measuring jars and did magnet experiments as part of their science learning class.

3^rd January was marked as Savitri Bai Phule’s birth anniversary, usually the Jeevanshala is closed on this day due to severe cold, but somehow this year we were still open and so the children did a little celebration. We talked about Savitri Bai, the first woman teacher who opened the road for girls education.

Celebrating the first woman teacher, Savitri Bai!

This month also saw an unusual visitor, political analyst Yogendra Yadav and advocate Avik Saha. They talked about their childhood and education and how it opened new doors for them. The children enjoyed their interaction with them, and like with meeting all other visitors engaged with them very inquisitively, asking questions and being patient with the answers.

Special friends … Political analyst Yogendra Yadav and Advocate Avik Saha.

Nov-Dec, 2023 – Wishing well for 2024!

We closed on 14th Oct and we came back in action on 25th November. The Teacher Learners (TL) team met to plan the children’s return. We made our day plans for the first week and also chalked out how to ensure the children were well equipped to deal with the cold. We started by watching together Mira Nair’s “Queen of Katwe”, a biographical sports drama about Phiona, a girl who finds chess as her passport to a better world, out of her slum, in Uganda.

This month also marks, enjoying classes in the winter sun and so outdoor learning.

The first Saturday workshop of this session was on Health and nutritious food. This time we had members of SATHI, an organization working on health issues, discuss healthy food with the children. It is interesting that often education gets limited to intellectual development but for the children at the Jeevanshala, physical and intellectual growth are closely tied together, coming from vulnerable families, ill health is often a cause for children loosing out on their lessons and classes. Swapnil and Shailesh, gifted the children a microscope for the Jeevanshala and also helped them see microscopic organisms, through the microscope.

Happy New Year, hope 2024 goes well for everyone. We ended the year, with celebrating Christmas day, as you know we have children from different faiths and communities. Children decorated the mango tree, learned about Jesus Christ, and ate cake, which they baked with Kanika. Also, as part of the last workshop of the year, there was a discussion on friendship. While discussing the meaning of friendship, the children themselves realized how discriminatory some of their friendships can be. After group work, a word map was made, which helped them understand how their friendships are sometimes bound by the restrictions of identity. The workshop emphasized that if they do not try to break these boundaries then it is possible that in the future the difference in their identities may take the form of hatred for each other. As part of the workshop, children were encouraged to make friends, without looking at someone’s caste, gender, or religion.

And yet again our kids said “We can!” Usually we assume girls are physically weaker than boys, my quizzical look when I saw our girls take on a sack to be taken to the kitchen, and the determination “We can” they seemed to have said …

October 2023 – Continuing learning

2nd October, Gandhi Jayanti is always special at the Jeevanshala. Classes are as usual but in the classes we create time to talk about why today is special. Each TL with their group asked children what the word ‘Gandhi’ brought to their mind and they said ‘non-violence’ ‘freedom’ ‘unity of the hindus and muslims’ ‘honesty’ and we thought ‘. The discussion was started after watching Gandhi ji’s favourite bhajan “Vaishnava Jana To, Tene Kahiye Je, Peed Paraayi Jaane Re.”

14^th October, was the last working day of this semester, as we went home for the major festivities of Durga Puja, diwali and dussehra. The whole day the Teacher Learner (TL) team met each child individually with their parents. We talked about the child’s learning learning level, issues of health and hygiene, and preparations needed to come back for the winter session. Each parent was given a letter talking about these issues and the children read these enthusiastically to parents, who have no or very little formal education. Some parents who have been through a number of years of formal education, read for themselves, one of them remarked about how he had lost his ability to read and write because after clearing his twelfth standard, he had to choose to be a ‘bhainswar’ ‘cattle herder’ as there was no paid work he could come by. This opened a new window for his child who was sitting next to him about what education meant.