3.31.2009

March ’09 @ Prayas

This March was the final lap of the year long sprint to get 20 plus children whom we have been preparing for the Nai Disha entrance tests. As I am writing this on the 31st of March 2009, a jittery and anxious set of volunteer-teachers go to sleep. Now as they sleep, the last thought that runs through their minds is - what would be the result of the next two days of entrance sessions the children are to attend.

The preparation towards the vision of building on last year’s success of Sona, Suby, Sabreen, Zulekha & Sajjad successfully getting into Nai Disha, wraps in two days time. The 1st and 2nd of April will see the 25 odd children appearing for the tests. This time with a difference though. Most of the children’s parents will also be joining them along with the volunteer-teachers to the session.

The resilience of Darshan, Kannan & Vikas towards ensuring the admissions of the first batch of 5 children cannot be overlooked as we approach this milestone. If it was not for their perseverance and astute work with the children then this day would still have been a distant dream. I salute them, along with many others who would concur with me today, for their unselfish and full-hearted efforts.

And now, we stand at another pinnacle of achievements at Prayas. We can now boast of proud new set of inspiring, motivated and affirmative individuals – Charu, Sugandha, Nikunj, Rajiv, Tarun; who have made this day a reality. Charu, Nikunj & Tarun have successfully managed a bunch of 4-7 year olds that spread mayhem in the class as they entered. Rajiv & Sugandha then had to use their diligence and a sustained attack on their patience to manage the next set of 7+ year olds. Hats of to them!

With the help of veteran volunteers at AID NOIDA like Darshan, Kannan & Vikas’s directions and support these volunteers, today there is hope of brighter days at Prayas. A few other valuable volunteers of mention, who are also to be noted for their long standing efforts in this endeavor are – Anuradha, Raj, Anand, Prasad & Rajat.

To sign off I would like to keep my fingers crossed and hope by the time you are reading this we already have some good news to party about.

Also, kudos to Anand as he signs off the accounts for the first Financial Year at AID NOIDA. He has diligently & meticulously managed the accounts and his efforts require a candid applause.

- Arun Raj

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