"We're all made of stars, and the future's ours"
During an assembly in around September, I remember our principal announcing the opportunity for Avasara (my school) students to participate in a conference called Kids Education Revolution (KER) It is an organization that enables teenagers to work with educators and creates a partnership between educators and students to work together and improve India's educational system. I had attended a regional summit in my city and the idea certainly intrigued me. I was expected to fill out a looooong form in which I had to write about my contribution to the educational system and why I wanted to attend KER week. Unlike a lot of students, I didn't have my own project, but I did do an internship and taught 70 students English from low-income government schools which had very tangible positive results. I really doubted my chances of getting accepted, but after a month of waiting, in October, I finally received an email saying that I was accepted! I was overjoyed. I couldn't wait for the 3rd of February. The countdown started in October itself. I didn't realize when 4 months passed so quickly and I was packing my bag on the afternoon of the 2nd February and checking for everything with my parents.
Finally, I drowsily woke up on the morning of the 3rd of February and my parents dropped me at Pune airport. 2 different groups were traveling from Pune and I was in Sachin bhaiyya's group. He seemed like a nice person. It was kind of intimidating to see so many new people, but there were a few familiar people from my school, so I didn't feel that lonely after all. After we were done with security and baggage, we had some free time, so we wanted to buy something to eat from the airport. But as soon, as we realized that it was a rip-off and not worth the money, we decided to eat the food KER was going to provide us in the flight, (Come on, I'm not spending Rs. 250 on chewing gum!). We boarded the flight and I sat with 2 girls from my school itself. The flight was more or less boring. We got a sandwich (that practically had no taste, but our rumbling stomachs forced us to eat it) and a can of Coke.
We finally landed in Delhi airport at around 9:30 and got into our bus to take us to our hotel; Zorba the Buddha. Once we reached, (we and the Delhi kids came first), we were given our tent or dorm numbers, mentors, and group numbers. I was relieved to know that 2 of the girls were from Pune, but was distraught to see our tent. It was small with 10 mattresses in it and no extra space for our luggage which I somehow had to cram in. After all my roommates had arrived from various cities, we spent a little time chatting and talking about our projects. In the evening, we had an introductory session that was rather light. We just sat and spent some time with our group members. My mentor was Adelene didi. She was from Chennai. Thankfully, 2 more guys from Pune were in our group and I didn't feel lost. Then we had dinner time. It was freezing cold. I could not bear it. I was shivering and the heater in our tent wasn't working either which annoyed all of us. The next morning was the first day of our revolutionary retreat and we all looked forwards to 4 days of learning. We had around 4-5 sessions every day led by many different people. Some of my favorite sessions were:
1. The Canvas Activity: It was an activity we were supposed to do with our group and mentors. We were given placards to paint and we had to make an addition to the KER logo by adding a small figure that represents what we want in our education. We came up with a star as it represents recognition of potential and shows how bright and valuable each kid is. I really enjoyed this activity as it gave me some time to unwind at the end of the day and still kept me thinking about "What change matters to me the most?"
2. The Mandala Activity: This was also a session conducted by Shaheen Didi (the founder of KER). We had to represent our dreams in any way we want and arrange them in a Mandala. After that, we were forced to think about what problems will stop us from overcoming those dreams. Then we thought that if there are so many things barring us from pursuing our dreams, why have them? Then we were made to destroy the Mandala. This was a disheartening part for all of us as we realized how pessimistic we were. After we destroyed it, we were made to think that what if we mold those hardships that came into our paths as a stepping stone for success? After that, we were told to rebuild the mandala from all the bits and pieces of torn paper to show that obstacles can be molded into success too. My biggest takeaway from this activity was that your failures can be turned into success if you view the situation through that perspective.
3. The role of love in a revolution: This session was conducted by Nimo Bhaiyya. He is a close friend of Shaheen didi. He raps and writes songs that promote love and harmony. What really stood out to me from the session was the notion that at the heart of every revolution must be love. He showed us 2 of his songs; His version of "We shall overcome" and another song called "Superhero". Both those songs gave out the message of love and togetherness. At the end of the session, we had some time for revolutionaries to spread love among each other. This could mean, hugs, shaking hands, high fives, writing notes on each other's hand, anything. It created bonding and closeness between all of us. I really enjoyed that time.
4. KER Chronicles: KER Chronicles isn't a formal session, but a program that happened every evening for revolutionaries to showcase their talents in a completely safe and judgment-free setting. It could be anything. Dancing, poetry, singing, rapping, beatboxing, stand-up, storytelling, etc. It was organized by 2 revolutionaries, Danish and Jyoti. and was completely voluntary for the audience and performers. This meant that people could sit watch it if they wanted to and participate if they wished to. It provided us time to relax productively and also made me know other revolutionaries more as I realized their talents.
To my surprise, I made many new friends. Some of them being from Avasara. I realized how we never spoke to each other despite being in the same school. Some of my friends were Sayali, Priya(darshini), Saumya, Muskan, Abbas, Sandy, and many more (missing them so much:( ). I am generally introverted and take a long time to make friends but the culture here was so welcoming, that I couldn't help but make new friends. I didn't miss home even once and was least bothered about my studies.
On the morning of 7th Feb, we headed to the Red Fort. We all had mixed feelings that day as it marked the end of the Revolutionary Retreat, but the National Summit was about to start. It had even more educators coming from Delhi, who were exploring education further. I enjoyed a lot on the bus. All my friends (Muskan, Saumya, Payal, Shweta, Abbas, Afsaar, and Rutik) were on the same bus. When we reached the Red Fort, we looked around a bit, I got into a minor argument with someone and even though it was a beautiful place, I couldn't enjoy much because of hunger, exhaustion and the heat. We were finally the first bus to leave at 1 pm, but the last ones to reach thanks to the Delhi traffic, we reached last and had "lunch" at 4. After some hustle, we got our rooms and we had only half an hour before KER night. It was a program in which there were multiple performances, TED talks, and a panel discussion all relating to the topic of "voice" and "partnership in education". It was attended by educators and students from all over India. I wish I was more attentive to what was going on but my exhaustion didn't allow me to. Once we got back in our buses to go to our hotels, that was probably the best part of the whole day. We were "singing" Dhinchak Pooja's songs and annoying everyone. When we reached the hotel, I was tired but at the same time, I wanted to spend more time with my roommates. We ordered some room service because none of us really had proper dinner and we chatted over food.
The next day, the National Summit started. It had 20-25 sessions that spoke about how changes can be made in the education system and 500 more educators from Delhi attended it. The day started off with the "Museum of Grey Sunshine". It was a simulation in which we were made to relive all the negative experiences a student in India has to go through such as overly strict teachers, corporal punishment, taunts from family, and society. The experience left me with shaking legs and it took a while for me to come to terms with what had happened. I am going, to be honest here and say that the National Summit was not exactly up to my expectations. I had expected far more energetic and fruitful sessions, but that was not the case. Maybe it was because I was anticipating the end of KER week, but even staying in the moment didn't help. One session which I did enjoy though was the session which taught frisbee. The motive of that session was to show that a sport such as ultimate frisbee teaches self-accountability and teamwork. I enjoyed that session because it was something different and not in the same classroom setting, so it gave me a chance to explore something new.
The last day was the worst. We all woke up in a morose mood because we knew that today is the last day. We headed to the American Embassy School (where the summit was taking place). We somehow trudged through the sessions and finally reached the dreaded part of closing. At the end of the closing, all the revolutionaries came down and performed the KER anthem. After which we were given some time to say "bye" to each other (Even though we were leaving the next day). It was a miserable scene to see everyone crying, hugging, saying "bye" to each other. Much to my dismay, the Pune people had the first flight to catch the next morning. I spent the night talking to all my friends, missing the Delhi people (they left before us) and we ordered room service again ;).
Groggily, I woke up the next morning and realized that it's time for us to leave. I simply wished that I could stay here for a day more. I didn't want to go but I had to. I said "bye" to all my friends and we promised to stay in touch but I knew that it won't be the same.
That 1 week has created memories that I will cherish forever. When I speak to my friends even now, we all promise each other to attend the National Summit next year (but I am not sure because of my IGCSEs). The only thing I can do right now is hope that I will be able to meet everyone sometime soon as I created the kind of bonds with them in a week which I couldn't even make in 2 years. That's how much they matter to me!
Finally, I drowsily woke up on the morning of the 3rd of February and my parents dropped me at Pune airport. 2 different groups were traveling from Pune and I was in Sachin bhaiyya's group. He seemed like a nice person. It was kind of intimidating to see so many new people, but there were a few familiar people from my school, so I didn't feel that lonely after all. After we were done with security and baggage, we had some free time, so we wanted to buy something to eat from the airport. But as soon, as we realized that it was a rip-off and not worth the money, we decided to eat the food KER was going to provide us in the flight, (Come on, I'm not spending Rs. 250 on chewing gum!). We boarded the flight and I sat with 2 girls from my school itself. The flight was more or less boring. We got a sandwich (that practically had no taste, but our rumbling stomachs forced us to eat it) and a can of Coke.
We finally landed in Delhi airport at around 9:30 and got into our bus to take us to our hotel; Zorba the Buddha. Once we reached, (we and the Delhi kids came first), we were given our tent or dorm numbers, mentors, and group numbers. I was relieved to know that 2 of the girls were from Pune, but was distraught to see our tent. It was small with 10 mattresses in it and no extra space for our luggage which I somehow had to cram in. After all my roommates had arrived from various cities, we spent a little time chatting and talking about our projects. In the evening, we had an introductory session that was rather light. We just sat and spent some time with our group members. My mentor was Adelene didi. She was from Chennai. Thankfully, 2 more guys from Pune were in our group and I didn't feel lost. Then we had dinner time. It was freezing cold. I could not bear it. I was shivering and the heater in our tent wasn't working either which annoyed all of us. The next morning was the first day of our revolutionary retreat and we all looked forwards to 4 days of learning. We had around 4-5 sessions every day led by many different people. Some of my favorite sessions were:
1. The Canvas Activity: It was an activity we were supposed to do with our group and mentors. We were given placards to paint and we had to make an addition to the KER logo by adding a small figure that represents what we want in our education. We came up with a star as it represents recognition of potential and shows how bright and valuable each kid is. I really enjoyed this activity as it gave me some time to unwind at the end of the day and still kept me thinking about "What change matters to me the most?"
2. The Mandala Activity: This was also a session conducted by Shaheen Didi (the founder of KER). We had to represent our dreams in any way we want and arrange them in a Mandala. After that, we were forced to think about what problems will stop us from overcoming those dreams. Then we thought that if there are so many things barring us from pursuing our dreams, why have them? Then we were made to destroy the Mandala. This was a disheartening part for all of us as we realized how pessimistic we were. After we destroyed it, we were made to think that what if we mold those hardships that came into our paths as a stepping stone for success? After that, we were told to rebuild the mandala from all the bits and pieces of torn paper to show that obstacles can be molded into success too. My biggest takeaway from this activity was that your failures can be turned into success if you view the situation through that perspective.
3. The role of love in a revolution: This session was conducted by Nimo Bhaiyya. He is a close friend of Shaheen didi. He raps and writes songs that promote love and harmony. What really stood out to me from the session was the notion that at the heart of every revolution must be love. He showed us 2 of his songs; His version of "We shall overcome" and another song called "Superhero". Both those songs gave out the message of love and togetherness. At the end of the session, we had some time for revolutionaries to spread love among each other. This could mean, hugs, shaking hands, high fives, writing notes on each other's hand, anything. It created bonding and closeness between all of us. I really enjoyed that time.
4. KER Chronicles: KER Chronicles isn't a formal session, but a program that happened every evening for revolutionaries to showcase their talents in a completely safe and judgment-free setting. It could be anything. Dancing, poetry, singing, rapping, beatboxing, stand-up, storytelling, etc. It was organized by 2 revolutionaries, Danish and Jyoti. and was completely voluntary for the audience and performers. This meant that people could sit watch it if they wanted to and participate if they wished to. It provided us time to relax productively and also made me know other revolutionaries more as I realized their talents.
To my surprise, I made many new friends. Some of them being from Avasara. I realized how we never spoke to each other despite being in the same school. Some of my friends were Sayali, Priya(darshini), Saumya, Muskan, Abbas, Sandy, and many more (missing them so much:( ). I am generally introverted and take a long time to make friends but the culture here was so welcoming, that I couldn't help but make new friends. I didn't miss home even once and was least bothered about my studies.
On the morning of 7th Feb, we headed to the Red Fort. We all had mixed feelings that day as it marked the end of the Revolutionary Retreat, but the National Summit was about to start. It had even more educators coming from Delhi, who were exploring education further. I enjoyed a lot on the bus. All my friends (Muskan, Saumya, Payal, Shweta, Abbas, Afsaar, and Rutik) were on the same bus. When we reached the Red Fort, we looked around a bit, I got into a minor argument with someone and even though it was a beautiful place, I couldn't enjoy much because of hunger, exhaustion and the heat. We were finally the first bus to leave at 1 pm, but the last ones to reach thanks to the Delhi traffic, we reached last and had "lunch" at 4. After some hustle, we got our rooms and we had only half an hour before KER night. It was a program in which there were multiple performances, TED talks, and a panel discussion all relating to the topic of "voice" and "partnership in education". It was attended by educators and students from all over India. I wish I was more attentive to what was going on but my exhaustion didn't allow me to. Once we got back in our buses to go to our hotels, that was probably the best part of the whole day. We were "singing" Dhinchak Pooja's songs and annoying everyone. When we reached the hotel, I was tired but at the same time, I wanted to spend more time with my roommates. We ordered some room service because none of us really had proper dinner and we chatted over food.
The next day, the National Summit started. It had 20-25 sessions that spoke about how changes can be made in the education system and 500 more educators from Delhi attended it. The day started off with the "Museum of Grey Sunshine". It was a simulation in which we were made to relive all the negative experiences a student in India has to go through such as overly strict teachers, corporal punishment, taunts from family, and society. The experience left me with shaking legs and it took a while for me to come to terms with what had happened. I am going, to be honest here and say that the National Summit was not exactly up to my expectations. I had expected far more energetic and fruitful sessions, but that was not the case. Maybe it was because I was anticipating the end of KER week, but even staying in the moment didn't help. One session which I did enjoy though was the session which taught frisbee. The motive of that session was to show that a sport such as ultimate frisbee teaches self-accountability and teamwork. I enjoyed that session because it was something different and not in the same classroom setting, so it gave me a chance to explore something new.
The last day was the worst. We all woke up in a morose mood because we knew that today is the last day. We headed to the American Embassy School (where the summit was taking place). We somehow trudged through the sessions and finally reached the dreaded part of closing. At the end of the closing, all the revolutionaries came down and performed the KER anthem. After which we were given some time to say "bye" to each other (Even though we were leaving the next day). It was a miserable scene to see everyone crying, hugging, saying "bye" to each other. Much to my dismay, the Pune people had the first flight to catch the next morning. I spent the night talking to all my friends, missing the Delhi people (they left before us) and we ordered room service again ;).
Groggily, I woke up the next morning and realized that it's time for us to leave. I simply wished that I could stay here for a day more. I didn't want to go but I had to. I said "bye" to all my friends and we promised to stay in touch but I knew that it won't be the same.
That 1 week has created memories that I will cherish forever. When I speak to my friends even now, we all promise each other to attend the National Summit next year (but I am not sure because of my IGCSEs). The only thing I can do right now is hope that I will be able to meet everyone sometime soon as I created the kind of bonds with them in a week which I couldn't even make in 2 years. That's how much they matter to me!
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