MANIPUR: A young IAS officer in Manipur is creating ‘classrooms’ outside classrooms to promote diverse learning.
Pooja Elangbam, the Sub-Divisional Officer of Porompat in Imphal East district, gained a lot from activities outside classes when she was a student in Dehradun and Delhi. She is trying to replicate those in her home state.
These students are bonding better and keeping away from addiction and other social evils. During the COVID pandemic, the young people in her network willingly stepped forward for social work.
After her training and probation, Pooja returned to the home cadre. This 2018 batch IAS officer launched ‘Book Club Imphal’ in June, 2019. Over 500 youth are drawn to the platform where various aspects, from literature to career options, are discussed.
Pooja has loved reading since her tender age. She wanted to bring alive the idea of reading, writing, literature and art among the youth of Manipur.
“After the Book Club was launched, I started organising meetings during weekends where a lot of young people would show up. We discussed one another’s experiences and activities that we can take up in the state where a lot of youth waste their time because of drugs after falling into bad company. I wanted to help them do something productive,” Pooja said.
A product of Welham Girls’ School in Dehradun, St Stephens’ College and Jawaharlal Nehru University, Pooja says her parents sent her away because Manipur those days was “disturbed” due to various conflicts.
Those were times when schools would close for months, she recalls.
She is the third woman IAS officer from Manipur. Her father Elangbam Priyokumar Singh is serving as an Inspector General of Police.
“My parents sent me to Dehradun so that I could have proper education without any interruption. Welham Girls’ School had an all-round environment. We had games, dance, music, debates, quizzing. I enjoyed the activities and realised that a lot of learning happens outside the classroom. I felt the activities were crucial for my development. I am now trying to replicate those things in Manipur,” Pooja says.
She organised quizzes periodically through the Book Club. Then the meetings suddenly stopped due to the pandemic, but she continued with the online activities.
She meets young people from different ethnic and financial backgrounds. She visits remote districts to organise the programmes.
“I organised two seminars after some of them wanted to know how to crack the civil services exam. I invited some civil servants so that the youth could understand and learn from the experience of successful people,” Pooja says.
Sometime back, she launched an art and literature magazine where anyone can contribute. Members of the Book Club interview authors, social activists, scientists and organise quizzes online. The objective is to make learning enjoyable.
“I have received an overwhelming response from the youth. Many of them are civil service aspirants. They want to learn from me. I try to learn from them. Many come with their parents to attend my sessions. They are from all over Manipur. I operate from Imphal but try to go to other districts,” the IAS officer says.
Currently, the Book Club has around 300 active members. It has a WhatsApp group where activities are planned. Every week, members recommend books to one another.
The idea is that every member should read one book a week. Knowing about how she is guiding the youth and how they are benefitting, families with even mental health cases approach her to seek a remedy.
“I know about a few mental health cases where people were disturbed. They come from difficult families, where the father is an alcoholic. We have psychologists in our team. They help people through counseling. Some parents came to me asking about how to get kids out of depression. I refer them to organisations or make them talk to the psychologists in our group,” Pooja says.
Nandeshori Samjetshabam, a post-graduate student from the state who studies outside, has been a member of the Book Club from the beginning.
She says she tries to organise events as much as possible.
“It is very rare in Manipur that people organise co-curricular activities like quizzes, debates or have competitions in short stories and poems etc. It is more about academic studies and nothing extra. The Book Club has given us a platform to share ideas and knowledge. Our vision is getting broader here,” Nandeshori says.
Pooja is the vaccination in-charge of Imphal East district but she, in her personal capacity, collaborates with local clubs, community leaders and organisations to promote vaccination.
“Various organisations came forward to help. They donated masks, sanitizers, oximeters and oxygen concentrators. We provided these to ASHAs and police personnel. I felt we have to protect our frontline workers, volunteers as they are operating without incentives,” Pooja says.
Organisations like Caruna Helpline, Every Infant Matters, Crypto Relief, NEAID came forward to help with relief.
She says she will intensify her outside-classroom activities when the COVID situation ebbs.
Pandemic duty and other commitments
The pandemic has not dampened her spirits. This IAS officer organises vaccination and community awareness programmes.
To keep activities of Book Club Imphal going, she holds online discussions and quizzes.
The idea is to help children learn outside classrooms, something Pooja experienced in her school days in Dehradun.
As she says, extra-curricular activities are important for the overall growth of students. Her efforts have attracted a good number of youngsters from several parts of the state