Journalism of Courage
The Sarhad School at Katraj brings in children from the troubled state of Kashmir with an aim to provide them quality education
The term Unity in Diversity has often been used to describe our country,but this city-based institution actually implements this ideology while imparting knowledge. The Sarhad School in Katraj brings students to Pune from Kashmir,and aims to take care of all the various aspects of their educational needs. The children,who face a lot of hardships in their native state,are greatly benefitted by the school’s efforts.
The students from Kashmir initially had a problem adjusting to new surroundings,as the culture there is totally different in all respects. The language was one of the major obstacles,as many of them do not even know Hindi and spoke only Urdu or Pahadi, says the school principal Sushma Nahar. However,the friendship between them and the local students gradually developed,and the bonds amongst all the children are now very strong, she added,going on to elaborate that the Kashmiri students often go to the homes of the local students to spend time,and celebrate their birthdays as well as festivals like Diwali with them.
The school administration had even sent the teaching staff to Kashmir last year,where they stayed at the homes of some of these students.
The children have adapted well to the surroundings and the local culture,and most of them are even well-versed in Marathi now! smiles Nahar.
Nahar points out that they could have started the school in Kashmir itself,but wanted to provide the children with a more secure environment,a respite from the constant strife that the North-Indian state has now unfortunately become accustomed to.
The school currently consists of 770 students from the pre-primary section to the tenth standard,out of which 72 are Kashmiris. The school initially followed the SSC board pattern,and the first ever tenth standard batch will be answering their SSC board exams this year. However,it has now adopted the CBSE syllabus upto class VII,and plans to expand it to cover all the classes in the near future. We feel an incredible unity with our friends from Kashmir,and have become very close to them. We do not consider any distinction between us and them other than the fact that we go back home at the end of the day,while they stay in school, says Siddharth Jadhav of class VII.
Extra-curricular activities like drama and debates,as well as various sports which are played at the school,have strengthened the bonds between the children even further,and the cultural unity is evident in their words.
We actually learn a lot from them,as they work very hard and are usually the ones who top the class,whether it is in studies or sports and other activities, says his classmate Akash Shinde.
The Kashmiri students,who are full of gratitude for the efforts that the foundation has undertaken,express a similar sentiment.
In the region that we come from,there are too many problems in society for us to receive a proper education. We are grateful to the school for giving us an opportunity to learn and study,and are making the most of it, says Rizwan Bashir Khan,who was brought to Pune from Srinagar when he was just three years old.
Lobzang Sewang,who lost his father and was raised by his mother,a housewife,before being brought to Sarhad,says,The teachers and other staff is very helpful,and take care of all our needs. We have also made friends here which will remain strong long after we pass out of the school.
