Journalism of Courage
These boys begin their day with chants of Ram-Raksha shloka,a habit that Sumangala Suryavanshi has helped cultivate
Sumangala Suryavanshi,a retired class one government officer,has taken up the initiative of giving the boys in her housing colony a completely new lifestyle. From their behavior to dressing to table manners,she has taught them all. “These boys used to create a lot of chaos and troubled every one during their playtime. So I thought of doing something that would be interesting and also good for the boys,” she says. She started ‘Ram-Raksha’ classes for about 12 of these boys,all aged between five-13 years,in her house. Every morning,when the boys get up,the first thing they do is get ready and head to Suryavanshi’s house,do one hour of Ram-Raksha shloka recitals,and then continue with their day.
The boys and Suryavanshi have developed a very friendly relationship which makes it easier for the boys to come to her with their problems and other issues which they cant share with their parents. “We are friends. I play cricket and football and other games with them during their play time. We talk,joke,laugh and spend good time together.” The students have also reduced their drinking of Coca-Cola and have resorted to a healthier lifestyle – they eat regular meals,they dress neatly,and have learnt to respect people.
Even if a boy enters the class and sees that his friends are missing,he will attend the class with as much interest. “They have picked up the shlokas very quickly and I just help them with the pronunciation,which is a little difficult for them. These boys are gifted and I am just helping them to develop a better mind set.”
