Lost childhood in the City of Joy

“Poverty forced me to leave village Ramnanagar and come down to the city to work as a domestic help. I was in class seven when I was forced to leave studies as my parents could not afford it. My ailing father,a bus driver,could hardly support us,” said Moumita Das.

On a note of optimism,she adds: “I am sure that with time I will stand on my feet.”

Pratima Kumari,14,has a similar tale to narrate. Her entire family migrated from Uttar Pradesh and now works at brick kilns in the city.

Experts feel policy makers should keep in focus the needs of these deprived children.

“We need to focus on issues and make policies which are of interest to the child,” said Manabendra Nath Ray of Save the Children,an NGO.

Xaverians pay back their alma mater today
In a novel way to express gratitude to the teachers who made them learn first lessons,the pass-outs of the 1986 batch of St Xavier’s Collegiate School will be donating Rs 2 crore to the school to be spent for the well-being of the teachers.

The alumni of one of the most reputed schools in the city will hand over the fund to the school at a felicitation ceremony on November 14. The amount has been raised with the contributions of over 100 students who passed Class X in 1986 from the institution.

There were about 170 students in the batch that completed its schooling from St Xavier’s in 1986. Tomorrow,a number of them will assemble at the school from various parts of the country and the world.

“It just emerged as an idea to a few among us and now it has turned into a major event. We are all excited for the programme tomorrow. Almost all the batch mates from various corners in the world will join us tomorrow,” said Shyam Sukhramani,a city-based alumnus of the 1986 batch of the institution which is more than 150 years old. “To us,it will be a walk down memory lane,’ said another alumnus. Teachers who have taught these 170 people in any of the classes will also be felicitated tomorrow. The alumni will also remember some of the teachers who have since passed away. It has made all the arrangements for the stay of teachers for the event. A number of alumni of this batch are holding key positions in multinational companies and have contributed generously for the event.