Name of the School: Abhyudaya Nagar Mumbai Public School (Akanksha)

Address:

Abhyudaya Nagar Kalachowky, Parel Tank Road Mumbai – 400033 Maharashtra Ph No. (O): 022- 65282106

(M): 9833297631

School Leader: Purvi Vora

Tel.: 9920553251 E.mail: purvivora@gmail.com

Mentor Teacher: Yash Kumar

Student Information

1) Priyanka Gupta Age: 8 Grade 3

2) Manisha D Jain Age: 8 Grade 3

3) Shagufta Age: 8 Grade 3

4) Mariya A Chowdhary Age: 8 Grade 3

5) Suraj L Gupta Age: 8 Grade 3

Title of the Story: The Search of Joy

Week of Implementation: September 6th to 11th

1 FEEL

We saw a video that Bhaiyya showed us in class. We were studying about sense organs in science and didi told us about how some people have to live when something happens to their sense organs. Then bhaiyya showed us a video of a handicapped person Nick Vujicic. The person did not have any legs or hands. We felt very sad about it. In the video he had to try very hard to stand up. When he stood up we felt happy.

Then we started thinking about the how are the lives of people who are blind or don’t have legs. Bhaiyya told us about a blind school and we asked him to take us there. After some days Bhaiyya took us there. We saw blind people learnt how to read using Braille and they also learnt how to run a computer, make envelopes and play chess. We learnt a lot from them but still we were feeling sad that they had to lead their lives alone and need so much help.

2 IMAGINE

We started thinking how can we make the students of blind school happy. We thought of different things that give us happiness. We told bhaiyya that we can give them some money. But bhaiyya said us to think more. He asked us to think different things which can make them happy. Manisha suggested that we can give them cards. Bhaiyya said to think more. Bhaiyya told us to think what makes us happy. Suraj said that when he plays with someone he feels happy. Mariya said that she feels happy when she does drama. Manisha said that she feels happy when she is a leader. So Bhaiyya helped us in writing down what makes us happy:

1) When we spend time with someone (playing/ doing drama)

2) When we do something for others (being a leader)

Thinking about all these we made a final plan. In a week we will go and spend some time at the blind school. We will make them happy by letting them teach us how to make envelopes. And we will do drama with them. All our class will go and mix with them. We will make mixed groups, make small stories and perform the dramas.

3 DO

So we assembled our whole class. A class of 29 students and decided a week to go to blind school. With help of Bhaiyya, we went to the blind school. There were 25 students in the blind school. So we made

partners with the students over there. We spent time with them. We asked their names ad about their families and we talked to them about various things.

We saw how they were making envelopes and asked them if they would teach us how to make envelopes and they all agreed. So we made groups of 4 or 5 and sat down with them. They taught us how to make envelopes. When they were teaching, they didn’t seem to be blind. When we did mistakes they corrected us also. We were wondering how they can know all this just by touching. We put sequences on the envelope to make it look beautiful. They told us that they learn making envelopes to earn money. When we made the envelopes, we sat down in a circle and chatted with them. They said that they felt really different. They felt that they are not blind and they can also teach someone. We were very happy to see them saying all this. Priya, who generally doesn’t talk much, stood up and said, “You taught us making envelopes, Thank You.”

The other days we decided to do some drama activities with the blind people. We did whatever bhaiyya had taught us in school. We did lots of activities. We taught them how to become elephants or lions. As some of them had not seen these animals, so we helped them in making the shape of these elephants. They were happy to become these animals and enact a jungle scene.

Then we prepared for a performance. We made groups with the blind students and we started making stories. We taught them how and where to stand and how to enact

different things. We practiced after making the story. We called all the blind students and the blind

school teachers to look at the performances. While performing they would not know which way to walk. So after saying our dialogues, we would take their hands and help them act during the performance. It was a lot of fun.

After the performance, again they expressed how happy they were.

“An old student said that it reminded him of his childhood being with us children.”

“One didi asked us to come again. She felt very very happy.”

We received many more such complements.

About us: We were happy to see them so happy. We thanked them to participate in the drama. We were happy to take care of them while doing the drama. We learnt a lot from them. We learnt that in spite of their difficulties they are trying and working so hard. So we put a chart in our class, “If I try, I can …….” And filled it in with different things what each child felt for himself.

When bhaiyya asked what we changed over the week, we said that we made ourselves and the blind students happy.

Bhaiyya said that you changed the gross happiness index of 54 people. Although we didn’t understand what that meant.

Thank You.