Students from a city school made a pre-Durga Puja trip to a Sundarbans village to share festive gifts with local children.
The visit turned into a lesson in empathy and gratitude for Class XI and XII students of Birla Bharati, who travelled to Bali Purbapara village in Bali Island, Gosaba block, to interact with children and hand over school bags. The idea for the gifts came from the students themselves, who wanted to make a meaningful contribution ahead of the festive season.
Last year, students had taken saris for the women in the community. “They were moved by the condition of the children and wanted to do something for them this time,” said Apala Datta, principal of Birla Bharati.
The children at the local school, up to Class IV, run by the NGO Sundarban Foundation, come from families of migrant labourers, fishermen, or farmers. The children are also given computer training. “We teach them Word, Paint, PowerPoint, everything a child their age in a city would know,” said Prasenjit Mandal, founder of the NGO.
Mandal said the children have limited access and interacting with urban students makes a difference. “When they meet children from the city, it sparks aspirations in them,” he said.
Their school in the Sundarbans often bears the brunt of storms and cyclones. “There’s a calamity almost every year. Last year, we finally received funds for a concrete building,” Mandal said.
For the visiting students, the trips have been an eye-opener. “They saw the school last year when it was made of wood. They realised that some children study in such unstable conditions,” said principal Datta.
But the experience left more than just an impression. They came back with a sense of gratitude and a desire to do more. Some students have now expressed interest in taking online English classes for the children they met, the principal said.
“We don’t want our students to just send things. We want them to spend time, understand, and realise that life is very different, and difficult, for many others,” she said.
The students returned not just with memories, but with a mission.