“Aamra ki aar porashona korbona?” That was the question of a little toddler barely old enough to be a student of the first standard, when we had visited the Jwalaberia Adibashi School for the first time. Neil Armstrong had stated in awe when we had first landed on the moon, “A small step for man, a giant leap for mankind!” Turns out, the statement stands true for a lot of things, not just something as huge as landing on the moon but something may be small as lighting the hopes of the children of a backward lagging village so that they can once again come running with their half-tugged shirts and face full of delight to study and learn something new every day, once again!

The Jwalaberia Adibashi School is a free primary school at Mathurapur in South 24 Parganas within the habitable region of the ecosystem of Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove delta region. The school was given over to Afflatus Foundation by the authorities of the school since they were finding it really hard to grip strong footing amidst financial turmoil and wanted to give the best of education to their students from Nursery to Class IV. It has always been this optimism and fighting spirit of the people of rural Bengal that has been our energy to keep fighting forward against all odds, because if they can keep hustling against all odds for the sake of the future of their children, Afflatus can definitely join hands to strengthen the fight for education of the children.

It was this optimism and hopefulness that after two years, what started as a hope to transform a dilapidated school building into an institution, today runs as a working body where students not only come to study but learn something new every day. We like to believe that our optimism has been our biggest weapon of struggle till date, because we have always come across people who have been more than willing to help for a greater cause. We have been really fortunate to have been supported by humanitarian institutions and organisations like TATA, SAMOBETO, UDYAM and SAMPAN.

Today our school is just not just a dilapidated building with broken ceiling and worn-out walls. Today, we have succeeded to transform it into a full-fledged school with working fans, painted walls, renovated ceilings and a roof over one’s head. Our students today study on a syllabus which is on par with their urban counterparts. Our school’s curriculum aims not only to educate students but also make sure that they have fun, so that at the end of the day, it is these students who shall go home only to wait for the next day so that they come to school once more!

We have succeeded in establishing digital education through computers and projectors as well as recreation sessions through fun videos and cartoons on television as well. It is an age-old notion that comics and cartoons harm children. Everything can be beneficial only if the right stuff is cracked. Our students today start their day with a prayer and the National Anthem, and carry on throughout the day not only through studies but actively participate in extra-curricular activities like singing, dancing, painting and recitation. Fun games and sports activities are also a part and parcel of our school’s curriculum.

What makes our school unique is the fact that not only the students but the parents are also a part of the extended family. Through awareness sessions, orientation on topics like psychological growth and mental health, physical hygiene and home management, we make sure that our parents also become one with the venture so that the students get the best at home as well!

The recent exam days just with the onset of the summer also were quite a show, since our students were more than excited to start the day with health drinks instead of question papers and end it with a boiled egg instead of a frowning mother awaiting to know whether her child had given all the correct answers or not!

Our aim is to make sure that these children too, do not lag behind but catch up with their urban counterparts and can compete with them on the same level. Our sole motive is to make sure that the students learn while having fun, not stress on marks and ranks. Our success gets cemented when the parents come during the meetings and say that their children themselves ask when they shall again go to school, or what song they sing the next day or what song shall they groove to in the next class. This is the childhood we wish to provide for them!

Since these children are also the future of our society, it is upto us as well to make sure, that they get the best of education, which can only happen if you and us come together. The cities have forever ruled with their advanced technologies and efficient supplies while the rural hustlers have struggled with the bare necessities. However, if we want really strong future for our society, and for the sake our children, it is us who have to make sure that even these children get the best of it. If we can’t provide them with the best equipments, we can at least try to level the playing field, right?