I believe the experts ......Seetha passed away

Life in this earth is a visitor and stay for some time and leave to get merged with the cosmos. Seetha came with her young new born to our home about a year back. When she entered our place, children were very happy and fighting each other to adorn her with a new name. Might be she got a name earlier but no one was there to inform us that name  and hence the fight. Finally they all agreed to call her Seetha, a name that brings vibrations in this country, the name that portrays good virtues and qualities like patience, endurance and intelligent. I feel proud of my children who adorned her such a name. Days passed, children started telling the problems they face with Seetha. She did not allow the boys to enter into her arena, even to clean the place and help her  to have a better atmosphere. She was also not friendly with neighborurs and always keep herself away from them. Whenever I visit her she lift her face and just nod the head as if she could understand my presence. I just smiled at her and pat her.

Tamilnadu faced a severe drought and people do not have enough sources even for drinking water and the agriculture had become the least priority. Year before last year, when Seetha arrived we had sumptuous food for her both during her outings and inside her home. Now the question of feeding Seetha became a big problem not only because lack of food but also her adamant nature to have fresh food. We tried very hard to please her not only because we love her but also to protect her baby in the womb. Often the housekeeper blames her for not cooperating him and neglect his care as if she knew how to lead a life.  A week back one of the visitor told me that Seetha is almost ready to give birth to a baby and cautioned me to take care of her. I told my housekeepers to be with Seetha and provide all that she requires.

Suddenly yesterday morning, boys came and informed me that Seetha find very hard to stand and always lying down. I told them may be because it is  time for her to deliver a new one. My ignorance did not go beyond this explanation. I had requested my housekeeper to inform the local Doctor and if needed ask him to visit her. He visited and told that it will take another 10 days for the delivery and provide 2 bottles of Glucose and some medicines and assured me that she will be alright. The next day my housekeeper took leave and asked us to call the doctor if there is any need. By 3 PM, I went nearer to her and pat her and told her that she will be alright.  I believed the experts opinion and went to my room. By 3.15 again the Doctor was called and he visited and informed us that the baby in the womb collapsed and he could save only the mother. Was he not aware of this when he visited in the morning time?  I was bit upset and children were too. We were consoled to some extent on knowing Seetha will be alright. Doctor advised us to make Seetha stand so that the uterus that has come out can be pushed in. We all tried to make her stand but could not and then brought few known persons from the nearby village and lifted her in such a way she could stand with the help of some supports. I enquired about her health and villagers told me that she will be alright and two of our boys were asked to be nearer to Seetha and I went to bed. It was around 11 PM boys rushed and informed me that Seetha could not stand and fell down and the entire uterus came out and they did not know what to do. I too did not know what to do except silently watching the time. Early morning, again we contacted the Doctor who said that some nerve that was responsible to hold back the uterus after the birth of new born got disconnected and now it is very difficult to save her. Even now I believe the experts.......
Dr. P.N.Narayana Raja,
Facilitator, Rajapaliayam Boys Town.
11-3-2013

Feeling of ownership – a step to development

RajKumar's father renovated Name Board

Thirupathi's parents assisted in weeding work in our field

In a development strategy, creating an interest among the stakeholders is a basic step. Such an interest would emerge only when the stakeholder started feeling one with the organization. Feeling of oneness with the organization emerges from both cognitive and affective areas of one’s personality. Stakeholders need to think that the organization in which he is connected offers something good not only to him but to the society at large. Such a thinking would develop a concern in him to be with the organization in all its efforts. It is the responsibility of the organization provide such relevant information, both strength and weaknesses, to all the stakeholders. Of course, the way persons involved in the organization  live and act would make the stakeholders judge the position of organisation by themselves. It is this basic understanding paved a new way of organizing parents, one among the important segment of stakeholders, get together in Boys Towns.  Sharing information with the parents created a feeling of ownership in them. Yes, to day we had four parents volunteers came to Boys town and involved in some activities. Rajkumar’s father came with his painting brush and renovated the entrance name board. Thirupathy’s parents came to work in our agricultural field to remove weed. They could point out some of our mistakes in farming activities, particularly the harvesting of ladyfingers vegetable. We learned from their rich experience.

Dr.P.N.Narayana Raja, Facilitator, Rajapalaiyam Boys Town. 99947 97666.

  

Agriculture – an itching experience

Last year, I was enthusiastic to enter into the venture of doing agricultural work on seeing a vast amount of land without cultivation. My friend Subbaiah told me that we can go for Onion where the work is simple and we can get more profit i.e in an acre we can make at least 10 to 15,000 rupees profit. I made arithmetic calculations with my calculator on the possible expenditure including seeds, manure, pesticides, wages etc and income. At that point of time the rate of onion per Kg was Rs.25. My calculation was almost equal to what Subbaiah said about the profit. We had a meeting with our students and informed them about our plan and they were also enthusiastic to see something grown in Rajapalayam Boys Town.  Things went very well, even we could minimize our expenditure as we could mobilize the support of some of the parents aid for harvesting and weeding. The yield was also good. When we took the onion to the market the selling prize was only Rs. 4 and we were forced to sell as we did not have any storage facilities. Finally the loss was Rs. 11,000/. I could only sympathize with our farmers and decided not to venture further in agriculture.

Our Jasmine Garden

Itching sensation will not allow the hand to keep quiet. This is 100% true to an honest farmer’s attitude. Again this year when the rain started pouring, my boys were enthusiastic to go for agriculture in a different way. Our farm in charge and subcommittee suggested for Makkacholam (a type of gram that will withstand the drought and mostly preferred in the semiarid areas). Of course, the area was fully under agriculture about 10 years back when mother earth was pleased to offer sufficient water.   The change in the climate, intrusion of urban culture in rural areas, westernization,  migration to urban centers, freebies( rice, TV, Electricity, Animals etc) offered by state and central governments, poor price for agricultural products and such other factors eroded the sense of involving in agriculture. After 10 years we again felt the itching sensation to involve in agriculture.

MuthuPandi Chase the Peacocks

We had good rain and we had a discussion to go for Makkacholam. Our farm incharge fixed a tractor and find out the availability of seeds. Today, by 9 AM the tractor arrived and started ploughing. The driver told us that he needs the seed by 12 AM when he completes the first plough and start his second ploughing. Sekhar went to Karivalmvanthanallur but could not get the seed. He was directed to go to Sankarankoil but again he failed. How this happened? Yesterday it was available and not to day. I contacted one of our well wisher Mr. Dhanraj Raja in Kovilpatti who could get 2 bags and transported to RBT by 1 PM. We have sown the seeds in time. It will grow. Will we make any profit? It was Rs.18 per Kg last year and now it is Rs.50 per Kg. For tractor it was 400 last year now Rs.500 per hour. On the next day of sowing, about 100 peacocks assembling for morning breakfast in the field. They will also come for lunch and dinner. How many seeds we will lose? How long the rain will continue? What new pests will enter into the field and dominate the already known pesticides? Will there be increasing of wages? Answers to these questions alone will determine the outcome. It is a gambling but yet itching sensation forces the hand to scratch... What to do?

Vinayagar festival - our Experience

Vinayagar Chathurthi, a festivel that units the people of different background, is celebrated in India in a big way. Lord Ganesha is symbolized in all forms, particularly he is worshipped when a new venture is begun. Boys Town has a tradition of celebrating the Vinayaga Pooja from the very inception. Boys are exuberant from the morning, cleaning the rooms, searching for clay to make the idol of Ganesha, flowers and other decorative things to make the place colorful.  It is in the evening by 3 PM we all assembled in a small Vinayaka temple situated inside our premises. There are five rooms and a competition was announced on the sculpturing skill and I had promised that I will give a special gift to the room which makes a novel Vinayaka.  Kabila, an Indian volunteer who stayed with us accepted to be the judge. The room leaders, under their guidance, brought the Vinayaga Sculture one by one and the boys were jubilant and applause on seeing the idol. The boy who took the charge as a priest conducted the pooja in a ceremonious way and offered the Thiruneer, Santhan, Kukkum (to be placed in the forehead) to all the members. Santhanakumar, our drummer, beat the drum and the boys were dancing to the tunes. Judge had chosen the Nedugam room headed by Ramalingam as the winner of the competition.It was the time the sun slowly disappearing and the darkness started covering the field. 

I thought the ceremony was over. But to my surprise, boys started lifting the idols of their room and dancing to the tunes of the drum towards the farm. I was wondering what was really happening. I asked Rajkumar, a little lad who just waved his hand and asked me to follow him. I just followed him, holding his little finger. They were moving towards the well and the leader took the idol and started going down in the well where half of the wall did not have proper stair case. My heart was throbbing and my pulse rate was increasing. I was literally shouting to Sekhar, our Asst. Director, who was cautiously taking care of others and let the leaders go down the well. My wife was holding my hand and literally closed her eyes and started praying for their safety. The well was so deep and the water level is too low and it is a risk, my city experience repeatedly made me to shout at the boys not to go further. They were laughing and went down and immersed the idol in the water and returned back happily. Their eyes were shining and their smiles were sparkling and their hearts were filed with Joy. All these wonder feeling of fulfillment could possibly be given only by such experience and not the days in the class rooms. I jumped at them and hugged them and expressed by joy by lifting them up.

Dr. P.N.Narayana Raja,

Facilitator, RBT

22nd Sep,2012

They Say it is a Child labour

They Say it is a Child labour----------

We feel it is an early training………Selva

On a Sunday, I was working in the farm land, rather supervising the farm work, trying to make use of the time bound electricity that is being supplied by the department. The worker who promised to return after his meal did not return and I (a retired Principal from a reputed college located in an urban centre and nothing to do with agriculture except boasting myself that I too from an agricultural family) was bit anxious to use the opportunity to water the land that was being prepared for planting onion the next day. I was told that if you miss watering it now then it would be rather waste in getting women to plant it the next day as there won’t be sufficient work for them and we need to pay them full wage. 

The agony doubled – one to save the time to use the opportunity to get the electricity and second to save the wage. I myself ventured into the field and  switched on the motor and watering the field without knowing the technique of breaking and rebinding the bunds in such a way that make the required water fill the particular area of the land. Water was over flowing and bunds were not binding together in spite of my earnest hard effort, already prepared bunds started breaking one by one and merging with one another and I felt irritated and cursed myself and like running out to stop the motor. 

There appeared Selva, a young lad with Saravanan and Satheesh (finished their day exam and came early to the unit) laughing at me and Selva took the instrument ‘Manvetti’ from me and started binding the bunds with ease. I told him better leave it and go to the room. My academic mind from school of social work labeled his action as child labour and suggested him to leave the place stating that it is a child labour. 

Selva laughed and said “Ayya avanga ithai kulanthai tholilali ambanuka ana ithu ennkku aramba payirchi” (Sir, they say it is a Child labour but for me it is a basic training). It was an educative experience and an eye opener which made me to re think about the concept of child labour. Of course Selva is not losing any of his child hood pleasures, he goes to school regularly, doing good academic work, play all games, take part in all activities and also take interest in farm work. He says he would like to be a good farmer in future. Any one who sees Selva only in the farm land would label him as child labour but in reality he is not. Such an understanding requires an overall view on his development which people rarely have nowadays. 

Dr.P.N.Narayana Raja

Facilitator

Parents’ Day with a difference

Parents’ Day with a difference
Dr.P.N.Narayana Raja, Facilitator.

It is common that we celebrate Fathers’ day, Mothers’ Day and not much about Parents’ day in our natural home which itself indicates that there is somewhere some mistake occurred where we have missed celebrating a joint function for both the life givers i.e our father and mother till 1994. In the year 1994 President Bill Clinton of the USA had felt that there existed a void in the absence of a celebration of a day that commemorated the contributions of both the parents in the lives of their children.  It was at his initiative that a resolution was passed that said that the fourth Sunday in the month of July every year would be celebrated as a Parent’s Day. Of course, Indian tradition had certain days meant for celebrating the joint functions for Parents like Sastipoorthi day where entire family jointly celebrate the 60^th birthday of father and the marriage ceremony of parents is performed once again in front of all relatives’ including great grand children. A Similalr programme happens for 80^th birthday also.

What about a Parents day in a Non Governmental Organization where youngsters who have no parents, have single parents, poor parent, have large family where such celebration is a luxury, have separated parents etc. It is the occasion to share the joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain, success and failure of youngsters, caregivers, teachers, parents, systems in practice etc

Boys Town society, a largest Child welfare charity in south India celebrate Parents day with a difference. It serves around 2,000 children, both residential and non residential, in four districts of Tamil nadu.

The day starts with an introduction of project to the parents, guardians or guests by the youngsters in the project, explaining the routine activities, educational system, personality development programmes, parliament systems etc. An in camera dialogue between teachers, parents or guardians and care takers to share the respective view points in the development of the youngsters and the formulation of further programmes for the betterment of youngsters in future. Sharing also includes the bottle necks in the project implementation like non availability of suitable trained staff or technical knowledge on agriculture or deficit budget or behavioral problems of youngsters or need for local volunteers etc. Parents’ day serves as an eye opener and provides exemplary ideas to ease out the bottled necks. 

This year Parents day in our units helped BTS to develop a model of skills mapping among parents or guardians of Youngsters. BTS could obtain a promise from these stakeholders that their skills will be spared for the development of BTS in the forth coming year.

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Phone to 99947 97666