CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu, even as far back as the 1980s, had mastered most development indices when compared with the rest of the country. This was evident, especially in the field of literacy. The numbers from the 1981 Census Data perfectly captures the point. While the male literacy rate for India stood at 56.38 per cent, TN's was 68.05 per cent. The female literacy rate was also skewed. While India's was at 29.76 per cent, the state's was pegged at 40.43 per cent.
However, there were a few pockets in TN where children had never had the privilege of sitting inside a classroom. One such pocket was very close to Madras (it hadn't yet become Chennai). In a place called Kasuva — a good hour's drive from Ambattur — and it's surrounding areas (approximately 35 villages), parents just did not have the resources to put their kids in school. In fact, these villages had an entirely different claim to fame.
“100 per cent child labour,” V Muralidharan, founder and managing trustee of Sevalaya, a charitable trust, claims. If that was the story then, their transformation is even more fascinating. Sevalaya's home page now has this. “100 per cent academic success.”
Focus on sports
The Mahakavi Bharatiyar Higher Secondary School (recognised by the government of TN) is the trust's crown jewel. It is now home to many first-generation learners, most of whose parents are agricultural labourers or brick kiln workers. Many children have completed class 12 and gone on to study further at reputed institutions. In fact, the school has shifted its focus in the last four to five years. They decided to refocus their attention on a different branch within the school ecosystem — sports.
While giving underprivileged kids a meaningful education remains the school's priority, they have a burning desire to produce sportspersons. “If not state and national champions, at least enough to get into college through sports quota,” says volleyball coach S Saravanan, one of the two SAI-trained visiting sports faculties. That fact is impressive in itself because do keep in mind that the school's primary motive is to provide basic education. Everything else is a bonus.
The powers that be decided to inculcate sports into the minds of the students, and this speaks volumes about their bigger picture. “Sports gives people a lot of incentive and a motivation to grow,” says the school's physical director A Sankarapandian, “If a class 9 kid sees another play netball well, there is a natural inclination for the other kid to try and play it as well. It is that simple.”
Fourteen-year-old R Archana, finished third in an 80 m hurdles competition at a state-level meet in 2017. The school hopes she will act as a totem who might inspire other kids. She has won medals at various district meets and also excels in long-jump, another discipline where she has won awards.
Other kids have also shown interest. A total of 210 children (75 from athletics, 40 from basketball, 30 in volleyball and 60 in handball) have been shortlisted for special sports-based training. The advantages of this are manifold. They train twice daily — 6.30 am to 8.30 am and 4.30 pm to 6.30 pm. “These youngsters are also given a nutritious diet containing ragi balls, dates, and oats in the morning,” says Sankarapandian. These 210 kids are also given essentials like tracksuits and running shoes.
Building dreams
Considering all of this is free of cost, one is bound to ask how Sevalaya, an umbrella organisation which houses the homeless among providing other services like free healthcare, managed to fund their school's sports programme. Muralidharan has the answer. “The annual budget for 2016-17 was Rs 13 cr. We set aside around Rs 75 lakh from that for sports.”
And it's being put to good use. Take for example the construction of a small 110 m track to enable the likes of Archana and R Punitha (400 m runner) to get proper coaching from P Elanchezian, another SAI-trained mentors the school has tied up with. “We wanted to build a proper 400 m track but we couldn't find a place to do that,” says Thomas T Abraham, an advisor for Sevalaya. “When we couldn’t find 400 m, we decided to focus on getting a clearing of around 100 m as that would be enough to get these kids to train properly,” says Thomas. Once they identified the land, it was made ready. The abrasive surface was raised by several inches to protect athletes from serious injury in case they fell down during training sessions. Elanchezian has also taken a few of these kids to the JN Stadium in Periyamet to give them a chance to visualise what it would be like to perform in a setting like that.
Archana has just finished an impromptu 80 m run and is feeling happy. It's the end of the academic year and she can now focus only on running, the ‘thing I like best’, over the next two months. The Kasuva native, who idolises PT Usha and studies Usain Bolt videos on YouTube, has only one dream — to win a medal for India. She may never be able to realise those lofty ambitions but for students like her, sports has acted as a balm. It has allowed students of the school to dream.
A tranquil setting
Getting to Sevalaya is a challenge in itself. It’s just off the very busy NH 716 — an important connection between Chennai and Kadapa. A narrow, meandering road, think sand and not tarmac, which has more peaks and troughs than a budget paper, is the only motorable road to the place after leaving the highway. Once there, the tranquility hits you. It is a place with over 2,000 students but the silence suggests you have arrived at a meditation convention. It used to be like that in 1988, the year Sevalaya was founded. Over the next three decades, the men and women in charge have helped it grow. In the early days, they even embarked on a door-to-door campaign to convince parents to send their kids to school. “It's not like that anymore,” Muralidharan smiles. “Why will any parent say no to free education?”
The attrition rate, he says, is less than 1.5 per cent. That has contributed to their ‘100 per cent academic success’. It's also obvious that Muralidharan, Thomas, and the coaches are held in high regard. As they leave the administrative block, a few of the students bow. The scene replays itself a few minutes later as they enter the senior citizens block.
But it hasn't always been like that. In August 2012, Palanisamy, a former Physics teacher at the school, was convicted of sexually abusing a girl. The girl, who had reportedly been abused six years earlier, had to fight to get the conviction. She was reportedly asked to drop all charges and move on. Undeterred, her mother lodged a complaint before the district collector. Even as the case was dragging on in the Magistrate Court in Tiruvallur, a German donor of Sevalaya heard about the matter. The case picked up steam after this. The Madras High Court, in a ruling in November 2017, acquitted the teacher. It held that Palanichamy had been convicted erroneously. It allowed for a revision petition.
However, other donors, both corporate as well as individual patrons, have been contributing handsomely to help the trust grow. Muralidharan's ultimate bucket list has also grown since the late 1980s. It was getting the kids in and around Kasuva to a classroom then. That has changed to opening a university now.
Values and virtues
While the school follows state board, their syllabus is named BGV after three prominent personalities — Subramania Bharathi, Mahatma Gandhi and Swami Vivekananda. “Students study their values and teachings from a very young age,” a teacher says in a video promoting the trust. That borders on hyperbole till it plays itself out on the basketball court (thanks to a recently completed project) two hours later. Kids of all ages take part in an impromptu match before Sankarapandian's voice restores some order. “You will get your chance,” he says to a bunch of them. The students disperse in an orderly fashion to wait for their turn. These kids may face an uncertain future, but they at least have a chance to have a shot at a better tomorrow.
Sports activities
● Students shortlisted for sports training: 210 (athletics—75, basketball—40, volleyball—30, handball—65)
● Students get specialised training from 6.30 am - 8.30 am and 4.30 pm - 6.30 pm
● Nutritious food is provided every day — ragi balls and dates in the morning,
milk in the afternoon
● They are also given sports gear and kits free of cost
● In addition to a Physical Education director A Sankarapandian, and Physical Education teacher M Kalirajan, the school has hired SAI-trained coaches
S Saravanan (volleyball) and P Elanchezian (athletics), who train the kids three days a week
● It is compulsory for students to take part in at least one event in the annual sports, which is held over a week
● The school has two rudimentary grounds for handball. A narrow 150 m running track and long jump pit are under construction
● Gymnasium to become functional soon
Achievements
● R Archana won bronze in 80 m hurdles in U-17 state championship
● Four from the school represented Tamil Nadu in handball in games conducted by School Games Federation of India
● Kavita (400 m hurdles) and Pradeep (handball) have been selected for
state scholarships
● Students from the school have won medals at the district, zonal and state level