THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Nirmala teacher of Bhavan’s Munshi Vidyashram, Thiruvankulam believes that children need to be taught social commitment from a tender age. This is why she did not hesitate to take her troup of tiny tots to the old age home at Thiruvankulam during Onam, where she and the children spent time cooking Onasadhya for the old and abandoned. “It was a great sharing experience for the children last year. It was touching too since students as young as six-year-old were showing a lot of interest in chopping vegetables for the sadhya. This year, however, I took the kids to a fishermen colony at the heart of Thiruvankulam. There was no road to where these people stay and we had to cut through all the overgrown grass. The children were surprised that people still lived in such inaccessible areas. After spending nearly a day there, the children concluded that we needed to build a house for one family which was living in dire circumstances under a thatched roof. We have received approval from the school principal. The students and myself will begin collecting the fund for the house soon. This is our latest project,” she said.
These are just two of the innumerable social commitment initiatives Nirmala teacher and her children have been involved in for years. Every few months, they buy clothes, essential items like rice, wheat, sugar and vegetables and gift it to old age homes and orphanages.
Apart from this, Nirmala teacher has initiated ‘gift a child’ programme where children from the school donate items into a box. By the end of the year, these boxes are distributed to children in need. Many of the programmes were part of ‘Young Indians’ network.
However, Nirmala never had it easy. “There was a lot of convincing to do because children were involved. Even though it is for a good cause, parents are a bit apprehensive to send their children for activities outside school hours. Some days, I had to personally make visits to these children’s homes. However, I was succesful in taking parents into my confidence and soon my house became the spot for all the charitable activities. I believe that children need a holistic education rather than just studies,” says the mother of a ninth grader.
For her activities, Nirmala has received a number of accolades including the National Jindal award for best teacher by Shikshan Bharati, award for excellence in teaching by Vidyodaya Institute among others.
Nirmala credits her sense of social commitment to her parents who taught her about charity. Her in-laws amd husband have been equally supportive.