Many parents of children studying in Shradhanand Bal Mandir Senior Secondary School may not actually be delighted with the fact that its principal S.K. Mishra prefers the schoolchildren to stay back after school hours to finish off their homework.

They would rather come back to help with other chores in and around the house as is the norm and convention in rural areas.

And, that?s precisely why Mishra wants the kids should do as much work as possible in school itself.

Running a school in Kamre where most students are not just from poor economic backgrounds, but also the first ones in their families to study, is far different from running urban, elite schools.

Mishra should know. For him, it means not just administrating it, but understanding the psyche of the rural families from where the children come.

While urban children are burdened with books, here the problem is quite different.

?They have immense potential. But they come from poor economic backgrounds, as a result they receive little support or encouragement from their parents,? he says.

Which, he says, is what they try to do in their school.

Not an easy task, considering their parents have never gone to school, and have to be convinced by Mishra that it?s not a meaningless exercise sending them there.

It?s an effort that can tire out the most dedicated of people.

But what keeps Mishra going is his firm conviction that children here are as intelligent as anywhere else, and can excel in any field, be it studies or sports, which he actively encourages. ?After all there may be a next Ambani or Tendulkar among the children here in this school,? Mishra adds with a smile.

What?s really interesting is his foresight in instilling in the kids hobbies like photography, hoping a few of them may even go on to make careers out of it. As we like to see it, perfect outlook.

Arti Sahuliyar