SMTA: May 2018

Dhruv, a volunteer and Sachin (The director) spent some time (14-18 May) at Jakhdhar with our school students. We had some singing sessions (Lakdi ki kathi, Vande matram etc.). We also had a session to share with students about how every sense has to be involved in learning activities for the best results. We did it through a mindfulness activity: Dhruv gave everyone a peanut (some got pistachio etc.). First it had to be kept on the palm, carefully examined (sight, touch, smell) and explained (is it smooth? Curved? roundish? smells salty or nutty? how big could it be- 1 cm? or more? etc.). Then, it had to be placed on the tongue, rolled about and further explored. Only after 7-10 minutes, it was to be mindfully chewed and swallowed. Dhruv discussed the role of mindfulness in day to day living. He facilitated another session on about climate change and the role children could play. Dhruv has volunteered to help SMTA launch an online crowdfunding campaign.

Year wise Activities of Doon School with SMTA

1983-84

In the year 1983, the Doon School, under the leadership of Mr. Gulab Ramchandani, decided to have an organization within the Dehra Dun District to send their students to rural areas for exposure visits and to plan and take up various rural development activities to the needy people especially the children of the area.

Accordingly the Doon School contacted Mr. Sanjit Roy (Bunker); an alumni of the Doon School, who was Founder Director of Social Work and Research Centre-(SWRC,) Tilonia-Ajmer (Rajasthan) to open a branch of SWRC at Dehra Dun District. From this year onwards the Doon School students’ camps have been held regularly with Society for Motivational Training & Action-SMTA during the mid-term holidays.

In the said year i.e. 1983 a group of students led by Dr. M. C. Joshi based at Lakhwar old tehsil building took up the basic survey work of Jaunsar Bawar and documented it as ‘Lakhamandal Project’. This document has become a resource book for all the development projects of SMTA.

1984-85

During the year 1984 a very active group of students of Dehra Dun came and stayed at a village hamlet called Jakhadar. They took up the work of leveling the hillock which was granted by the state government to then SWRC, to start a campus for the future activities of SWRC. With this hard manual work they laid the foundation to where today stands ‘Samta Niketan’; a well equipped and spacious multi-purpose Human Resource Training Centre.

1985-86

The adventurous students of the Doon School led by Dr. M. C. Joshi based themselves in a remote village Levra of the Jaunsar Bawar during their mid term. The said village was pre-dominant by Harijan (Scheduled Caste) Community. The students had to carry their entire luggage on their shoulders and walk a distant of 10 kilometers through a thick forest to reach this village. In this village they were based in a so called haunted house of the village for ten days and redeem it being haunted. The students cleared a two kilometer village road besides cleaning of the drinking water source of the said village.

1986-87

The students of the Doon School wanted to involve in some technical activities. The students came during their mid-term holidays and were based at a village called Baniyana, one of the remotest villages of Chakrata, where they have to walk up-hill for five to six hours with heavy luggage on their backs. They stayed for ten days.During this camp their major achievement was constructing ‘Smokeless Chulas’ for all the villagers. After ten days stay and work it was a real scene of the physical appearances of students. They all had a disfigured appearance as though they were coming back from an active battle zone.

1987-88

The students were based at Ramtaal Garden-Chakrata. They were given a training course in Youth Leadership. It was a Participatory nature of Training. After these years of activities in the mountains the Doon School Management wanted some active and community participated activities to the students. Accordingly it was decided that they should take up some area within the Doon Valley itself.

1988-89

The Doon School Students based and worked in a Salangaon Village, where they manually cleared and level the ground for the present ‘John Martin School’.

1991-92

This year the Doon School hosted the ‘Round Square International Social Service Camp (RSISS)’. All the students and International delegates were based at Dehra Dun. The Uttarkashi Earthquake had created a major destruction. A group of daring and committed students opted for the ten days relief work. Accordingly SMTA organized a camp at village Natal; Bhatwari block of Uttarkashi District. This was the most devastated village by the earthquake. During this camp the students built temporary shelters for all the families of Natal Village.

1998-99

The students of the Doon School with the ‘Round Square International Social Service Camp (RSISS)’ group based and worked on the construction of ‘John Martin School’ at Salangaon during their ten days mid-term holiday programme.

1999-2000

The Doon School ventured new proposal for their mid-term activities. Accordingly Society for Motivational Training & Action-SMTA, a registered society and sister concern of SWRC unit opened a village centre at Ramgarh. It started various village level activities. Promotion of primary education was the focus of the organization The Doon School sponsored the ‘Round Square International Social Service Camp (RSISS)’ and the group was based at RamgarhVillage Centre. During this camp they took up building of two geodesic domes for Ramgarh Village School.

2000-01

This year too SMTA facilitated the camps of the senior students and the junior section of the Doon School students’ group has been spending their Mid-Term Holidays Camps at SMTA Niketan-Jakhadhar.

2001-02

As in the past years, the Doon School sent its students to SMTA Niketan to take part in Bal Mela, which was organized by the Bal Panchayat members of ‘APNA School’. The young students were led by Dr. M. C. Joshi and Mr. Prabhakar Nair; the two teachers of the Doon School.

During this one-week, the students of the Doon School actively took part in various activities arranged by the Bal Mela organizers. The topic of the Bal Mela was ‘Rights of the Children’.

2002-2003

The children of the Doon School extended their active partnership to ongoing educational activities. They sponsored salaries of two teachers of SMTA run ‘APNA School-Ramgarh’ by contributing Rs. 4000.00 per month towards the salaries of the two teachers. Also the Doon School Social Work group children visit this Ramgarh School regularly to see and interact with the children of Ramgarh village.

2003-04

The Doon School Management has been one of SMTA’s regular partners in development. Every year the Doon School has been sending their students during their mid term. This is a programme to expose and initiate their students in to the rural and social realities especially of the people of remote and underdeveloped areas. The Doon School students have raised funds to build the ‘APNA School-Ramgarh” building with attached hand pump and two latrines. They visited the school regularly and took active interest in the children of this school.

2004-05

The Management and the students of the Doon School has lent a helping hand to impart quality primary education to the children of Boksa Tribal Community at Village Dandapur with their generous financial help of Rs. 1, 50, 000.00. Two class rooms with a teacher’s room, two latrines and facility for drinking water.

Mr. Bajpai, the Head Master of the Doon School with Dr. M. C. Joshi and Mr. Prabhakar Nair has visited this school site to monitor the progress of the said project. Besides, giving required financial support, the Doon School students led by Mr. Prabhakar Nair and Dr. M. C. Joshi, actively participated in the construction works. At present more than 100 primary age group children are studying in this school. The participating community proudly named their school as ‘APNA Vidya Mandir-Dandapur’.

A part from the aforementioned activity; The Doon School students do camp with SMTA during their mid term programme. The junior section camp SMTA Niketan for the duration of five days and the senior section at Ramgarh campus, Vikasnagar. The seniors were involved in the construction work of the new school building at Dandapur (a project financially supported by the Doon School).

2005-06

The Management and the students of the Doon School continued to lend a helping hand to impart quality primary education to the children of Boksa Tribal Community at Village Dandapur and Mulokchand.

A part from the aforementioned activity; The Doon School students do camp with SMTA during their mid term programme. The junior section camp SMTA Niketan for the duration of five days and the senior section at SKCC Hostel campus, Vikasnagar. The seniors were involved in the construction work of setting two water mills at Village Fatehpur (a project financially supported by the Doon School).

Besides these major camps; the Students of the Doon School availed the facilities of the SKCC Hostel, Vikasnagar for their short-term programmes (17-18 September, 2005 and 1-4 October, 2005). During these activities the students of the Doon School interacted with the SKCC hostlers and conducted painting classes and various quiz competitions.

2006-07

The Management and the students of the Doon School continued to lend a helping hand to impart quality primary education to the children of Village Mulockchand. With their generous financial help two class rooms with a teacher’s room and furniture, two latrines and facility for drinking water and a small play park for the school children has been established.

At present more than 100 primary age group children are studying in this school. The participating community proudly named their school as ‘APNA Vidya Mandir-Mulockchand’. The school building was inaugurated and formally handed over to the village community on February 15, 2006.

A part from the aforementioned activity; The Doon School students do camp with SMTA during their mid term programme. On 5-6 March, 2006; 12 students fro the Doon School accomplished by Mr. S. Bali and Mr. Jacob, the Doon School teachers, camped SMTA run SKCC Hostel. During this camp students worked at Fatehpur Village of Vikasnagar block. Similarly, the second batch of the students numbering seven led by Mr. Ambikesh Shukla, teacher camped from September 30-October 4, 2006.

Third batch of thirteen students led by the teachers Mr. Virhal Mohla and Mr. John Xavier camped at SKCC Hostel on 7-8 October, 2006. This was followed by the fourth batch of students camped the SKCC Hostel on 8-17 December, 2006. In the said camp three Canadian students also participated. The team was assisted by the teachers of the Doon School and two Canadian teachers. During the said camp the students took active part in the construction of a Community Hall at Fatehpur Village of Vikasnagar block in the Dehra Dun District.

The students of the Doon School; supported a 13 year old girl BHOLI from Boksa Tribe at Kunja Grant Village of Vikasnagar Block; which is on National Highway 72 (Dehra Dun-Chandigarh Highway). Bholi lost her mother in a road accident and after her death her father too abandoned her. Since past three years she had a massive growth on her upper abdomen; which was started with a small cist below her outer breast. The village quack did incision and the case was made worst. With intervention of SMTA and the students of St. Mary’s Convent Sr. Sec. School, Vikasnagar, the students of the Doon School also contributed for the medical treatment. During the course of three months hospitalization including various tests, ultrasounds, Biopsy, MIR, two surgical operations and skin grafts were made possible. Bholi was also provided with three goats as her livelihood rehabilitation programme with the generous financial contributions raised by the Canadian School Children through the Doon School.

2007-08

As previous years, this year too the students camped at SKCC Hostel. The Doon School brought their junior section for an exposure visit for seven days. During the said year a total of four camps were organized for the students.

2008-09

The Doon School uses SKCC Hostel facilities for their students during their regular village exposure camps. This year the Doon School organized ‘Round Square International Social Service Camp (RSISS)’ at SKCC Hostel Premises from 7-22 December, 2008. All the camping International; students worked at Fatehpur Village where they constructed the houses for the people. The students from Australia, Canada, Germany, Greece, Scotland, South Africa and India attended the said camp.

Apart from this; The Management and the students of the Doon School continued to lend an active helping hand to impart quality primary education to the children of Village Mulockchand and Dandapur. At present 145 primary age group children are studying in ‘APNA Vidya Mandir-Dandapur’ and 101 children are studying primary standard in ‘APNA Vidya Mandir-Mulockchand’.

2009-10

As yesteryears, this year also the students camped at SKCC Hostel. The Doon School brought their junior section for an exposure visit for a day.

2010-11

The Doon School’s Social Work Department brought their Junior Division students for a day camp at SMTA. The students were provided with an orientation on Social Welfare activities including Development with special emphasis on rural and underprivileged belt.

2012-13

The Doon School’s Social Work Department came forward yet another year to improvise students thought and perception of Rural Development. Three groups (14+20+20) of 54 students from Junior and Senior sections visited SMTA-SKCC Hostel on 11-12 August, 2012 and volunteered their labor in uprooting grass and leveling Kutcha road. Three teachers including Academic in-charge accompanied the team.