Skit 4: Non-Violence

Part of a series about skits produced for the Ramavaram children.

Skit 4: Non-Violence

Narrator: Karthik is a boy in his teens. He has just recently moved, and he is very excited by the prospect of going to a new school. However, his experience at the new school does not turn out as he had expected it to.

Karthik: Wow! This school is amazing. I think I’m going to have a fun time here.

(Karthik enters the classroom, and the teacher introduces him.)

Teacher: Everyone, this is a new student to our school. His name is Karthik. Say hi to him.

All Students: Hi, Karthik.

(Karthik takes his seat)

Narrator: Karthik sits right next to the class bully, Rajiv. Karthik minds his own business and tries to focus in class. However, Rajiv keeps disturbing him.

(Rajiv throws a small paper ball at Karthik)

Karthik: Please, stop throwing things at me.

Teacher: Karthik, pay attention. Don’t talk while I am teaching.

Karthik: Yes, Ms. Chandra. But Rajiv keeps disturbing me.

Teacher: Rajiv, leave Karthik alone.

Rajiv: Yes, Ms. Chandra.

Rajiv (whispers): You think that will help you?

(Rajiv throws another paper ball at Karthik. This continues until Karthik gets very angry and yells out.)

Karthik (In a loud voice): Stop throwing things at me!!

(All the students look at Karthik because they are surprised by the outburst.)

Teacher: Okay, Karthik that is it. Sit outside until you can remain in class calmly.

Karthik: But Ms. Chandra it is Rajiv’s fault. He was throwing things at me.

Teacher: Karthik, I saw only you misbehaving. Go outside now!

Narrator: Karthik sits outside for the rest of the class and goes through the rest of school in a dejected mood. He is disappointed by his experiences in the first day.

Sathya (Dad): Hello Karthik. How was the first day of school?

Karthik: Not good

Maya(Mom): Why? What happened?

Karthik: Someone in my class was bothering me, and I ended up getting kicked out of class.

Sathya: What did you do?

Karthik: Rajiv was the one bothering me, and I asked him to stop, politely. He kept on going, and then finally I screamed at him while the teacher was talking. The teacher kicked me out of the class because of that.

Maya: Rajiv, when someone is bothering you, you must never lash out at them. Stay calm and don’t get angry. I f someone bothers you, just ignore them.

Raja: Okay, mom. I will try that tomorrow morning.

Narrator: The next day, Karthik goes to school with what his mom said in mind.

Rajiv: So Karthik, did you have fun outside in the classroom yesterday?

(Karthik doesn’t reply)

Rajiv: Did you go and cry to your parents last night?

Teacher: Rajiv don’t talk while I’m talking!

Rajiv: Yes mam.

(Rajiv throws a ball of paper at Karthik just as the teacher turns around)

Teacher: Who threw that ball of paper? Rajiv, it was you wasn’t it? You have been bothering Karthik ever since he got here. Go outside. And tomorrow you will sit next to me.

Copyright © 2008-2009 Sangam India. All rights reserved

http://www.sangamindia.org

Download the Skit

Written by: Krishnakanth Chiravuri, Srikanth Chiravuri, Vidhi Makanji, Neil Mithal, and Abhiram Gunturi.

Movie Clip: Teamwork

In this movie clip, Nazneen tells the kids about the importance of teamwork. From our April 11th, 2009 visit.



Lesson Planning: Our Objectives

New PR team

Hello, this is your new reluctantly titled Public Relations Director for the United States division speaking. My name is Priyanka Boghani and I am a complete stranger to most of you. I became involved in Sangam India through my really good friends, Nivedita and Sriram. Having completed an undergraduate degree in Psychology at Tufts, I then made the mistake of thinking there's a future in print journalism and just recently got my Masters degree from Boston University. This position at Sangam India for me will be 70% fumbling in the dark and 30% learning from those far wiser than me.

For now, I have set up a twitter account for Sangam India so that we can easily connect with other NGOs that have twitter. It is not the most efficient tool, but it does grab attention, and within one short week we have managed more than 100 followers. Our blog updates will automatically be posted on twitter, and I would love any "live" information from Chennai that I can update on the account. We also have the facebook group to connect with our supporters and we will be updating regularly with news of our progress with the website redesign. Our friend Tina from Tufts University is working on the site design right now.

In addition to getting the word out through twitter and facebook and our website itself, it is also important to network with other NGOs who have similar interests and websites that list non-profit organizations (i.e: idealist.org, change.org). Of course, we might have to wait until we get official registered status in India and 501(c) 3 status in the US to register for some of these sites, but if any of you come across such listings, please let one of us know.

If any of you would be interested in helping out in the Public Relations section, please let me, Nivedita or Sriram know. Looking forward to getting to know all of you and hope to hear your ideas soon!

Skit 3: Determination

Part of a series about skits produced for the Ramavaram children.

Skit 3: Determination/Perseverance/Dedication

Narrator: A little girl named Saraswati lives in a poor neighborhood across the street from a very renowned doctor’s house. One day on his way to the market, he sees a doctor treating his patients.

Saraswati: (In the market, she observes the doctor for some time.) Wow! What great service this man is doing. His life’s work is to help other people. What higher calling can there be?

(She buys what he needs from the market and then goes home.)

Lakshmi: (Upon Saraswati’s arrival) Saraswati, what took you so long? Were you dawdling at the candy shop again?

Saraswati: No, mom. Today, I saw one of the most amazing things.

Lakshmi: (Confused) You saw an amazing thing in the market?

Saraswati: Yes! I saw a man performing service. But this was no ordinary service. His whole life is filled with service.

Shyam (Saraswati’s Dad just walks in): What are you talking about, Saraswati?

Saraswati: Dad, the man that I was talking about he is a doctor. He was taking care of his patients near the marketplace, and I couldn’t help but watch him. It was amazing. I want to be just like him. Do you think I can do it?

Shyam and Lakshmi: Of course you can do it. Bangaru, you can do whatever you put your mind to.

(Then, Saraswati runs to her room ecstatic with the hope of new opportunities.)

Narrator: The next day is Saraswati’s first day of school.

Ms. Gupta: Hello class. My name is Ms. Gupta. Please introduce yourself and tell us what you would like to be when you grow up.

Shekar: My name is Shekar. When I grow up, I guess I will be an engineer like my mom.

Chandu: My name is Chandu. I’m not sure what I want to be

Devi: My name is Devi. I’m not sure what I want to be either.

Saraswati: My name is Saraswati. I want to be a doctor, a great doctor who always cares for her patients with love.

Narrator: After school, Saraswati gets onto the same auto that she always rides in. Saraswati has known this auto driver, Raj, almost all her life because they’re from the same neighborhood.

Raj: So Saraswati what did you do in school today?

Saraswati: We introduced ourselves to the class and the teacher and told everyone what we want to be when we grow up.

Raj: So what do you want to be when you grow up?

Saraswati: I want to be the most caring and compassionate doctor in the world.

Raj: Hahaha. You want to be a doctor?

Saraswati: Of course

Raj: You must work very hard for a long time. Even top students have a tough time in medical school.

Saraswati: But I know that I can do it.

Raj: Whatever you say, Saraswati. We are at your house.

Narrator: Later Saraswati is lying in her bed, thinking about whether she can really become a doctor. The next morning before going to school she voices her concerns to her parents.

Saraswati: Mom, Dad, do you both really think that I can become a doctor?

Lakshmi: Of course you can. You can do anything you set your mind to. Who said you can’t do it?

Saraswati: Raj, the man whose auto I ride in, laughed at me when I told him that I wanted to become a doctor. He said that I have no chance of succeeding.

Lakshmi: Saraswati, you must understand. There will always be people who will tell you that you cannot do something. You must not listen to them. As long as you believe in yourself and are determined to achieve your goal, nothing can stop you. Also Saraswati, know that both your Dad and I believe in you completely. We know that you will achieve great things.

Shyam: Your Mom is absolutely right. As long as you work hard and persevere, you will definitely achieve your goals. Do you understand, Saraswati?

Saraswati: Yes, I think so.

Narrator: Saraswati learned that determination and perseverance can help anyone achieve any goal no matter the obstacle.

Copyright © 2008-2009 Sangam India. All rights reserved

http://www.sangamindia.org

Download the Skit

Written by: Krishnakanth Chiravuri, Srikanth Chiravuri, Vidhi Makanji, Neil Mithal, and Abhiram Gunturi.

Global Education Committee Established

As you may already have heard, we have now established a global educational committee. Members of this committee are from India, Australia, and the United States, and will be working to create an educational model and curriculum to be used in Sangam India projects, both current and future. The following message was sent to members of the Facebook group "Sangam India Educational Committee" by Vasundhra Jain, our Director of Infrastructure, part of the Groundwork division.

"Hey guys, I'm vasundhra and I head the infrastructure committee under which the education department operates. Now I want to get started on the lesson plans of the education program that happens every week. Basically for people who haven't attended the education program, we conduct lesson plans for the kids. The lesson plan usually consists of a educational activity and a health lesson. We need help in planning out the educational activities for the kids. Keep in mind a couple of things when planning out an activity:

1) It should be educational. by this I don't mean academic oriented. It can incorporate things like creativity, team building exercises, values, ethics.
2) Easy to understand and execute
3) Entertaining for the kids

There are certain goals that we want to reach with the educational program which are listed on the blog and on the facebook group.

We also need help in coming up with activities for the elder boys( 10-15 yrs). we haven't been able to get them involved and it's really important because the little boys look up to the older kids, and some role models would play a great role in their lives.

If you have any other ideas or suggestions please feel free to share them.
It's really important that we get this program going because we can really make an impact in the lives of these kids. If we can succeed in this goal we can use these models and lesson plans in other communities in need.

Thanks a lot,
-VASUNDHRA"

If you are interested in joining the committee, please email vasundhra@sangamindia.org or nivedita.gunturi@sangamindia.org, or visit the Facebook group here.

Movie Clip: Teachers

In this movie clip from our April 18, 2009 visit, Yogesh tells the kids what teachers do and the kids get a chance to write on the whiteboard.



Lesson Planning: Our Objectives

Initiatives: Healthcare and Nutrition

an excerpt from our upcoming website
written by Sriram Ramgopal

Healthcare: Problem Statement
Healthcare - and the lack of easy access to it - prevents people from upward social and economic growth in India. The lack of healthcare stems from two important issues:

The first issue is a lack of access. Healthcare facilities in India are difficult to access. Government hospitals, though technically free, are so burdened by a massive population of patients and a deficiency of qualified medical staff that they simply cannot cope with the load. They have a perpetual shortage of essential medicines and are simply unable to do essential diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Corruption in such hospitals also plays its role in limiting access to ordinary people. Thus, people are unable to utilize these hospitals in their time of need. "Experts and the general public perceive public hospitals as inefficient, dirty, unhygienic and their staff as rude, negligent and callous," writes Ratna Magotra, for the Indian Journal of Medical Ethics¹. However, while 'free' government hospitals are unusable, impoverished people in India simply cannot afford to go to more expensive private hospitals, where the costs of treatment are exponentially higher than what they might earn in a year - or even in several years. The long-term costs of treating chronic ailments such as diabetes and hypertension put a heavy, often unbearable burden on people with a limited income.

The second issue preventing access to healthcare is a lack of knowledge, awareness, and initiative and an ignorance about the importance of health. Such a statement is not intended to allocate blame to these people. However, they are unaware that treatment is available for many conditions, that it is affordable and easy to obtain. They do not know that many diseases - such as debilitating complications of diabetes - can be prevented by simple and inexpensive means. Perhaps more ominously, we have found in our short work here at Ramavaram that patients are unwilling to receive treatment, even treatment that they perceive as necessary and that our group has been willing to sponsor. This can be attributed to a cynical attitude towards the healthcare system and the importance of good health in their lives.

The economic and social toll that lack of proper healthcare takes in such urban communities cannot be calculated in any straightforward way. Children suffer in school because of undiagnosed refractive problems. Adults suffer from bone aches due to osteoarthritis. Acute trauma such as fractures from road traffic accidents, when improperly treated, prevents adults from being economically productive in the future. Death tolls in children due to untreated diarrheal and respiratory diseases are also distressingly high. The tragedy is that many of these people suffer from conditions that can be treated easily - and often inexpensively.

The Importance of Healthcare in Community Rehabilitation
We have chosen to work on heath care for several reasons. Most of our members, being students and workers in the healthcare field, grasp the vital importance of health in the chain of human suffering and poverty; we share a keen sense of empathy for their pain. Our belief is that ethically, the choice of providing health care when we have the power to do so is a matter that requires little deliberation. We see it as a clear responsibility with few shades of gray to complicate the issue. Helping those who are sick serves additional advantages as well. It allows people to get to work and to school and to become productive - thus breaking a chain in the disease-poverty-disease cycle. Socially, it shows our solidarity with those who need help and creates a strong bond with them based on our concern for their welfare. This leads to trust, and over time, it allows us to work with these people in other arenas as well, such as education and vocational training.

Our philosophy of health care is that of 'self care.' When someone is sick, we believe that the immediate course of action is to help them get better. However, this is not the end-all of health care as it does not provide a long term solution for health problems that are an inevitable part of life. People from impoverished backgrounds lack access to healthcare for a number of reasons. But armed with information and support, they can make the right healthcare choices and play a positive, active role in their health.

Our Approach to Health Care
Our approach to health care has a number of facets. As the axiom says, "An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure," and this certainly applies to underprivileged communities. Health education is an important part of this process. Teaching children and adults alike the importance of basic hygiene and sanitation is critical to combating common infectious diseases. Preventing children from using drugs forestalls long term, chronic health problems ranging from alcoholism to lung cancer. Informing women about contraception and its importance decreases complications associated with excessive and frequent childbirths. Thus, health education is the cornerstone to our approach in underdeveloped communities. It is the cheapest and the most effective way to avert disease and debility.

Prevention, though better than a cure, by no means replaces it. It is also important to develop ways to treat patients who are in need of curative therapy. We plan on increasing access to health care by two means - bringing health care to those afflicted with minor conditions, and for more serious conditions, taking them to centers for definitive treatment. Bringing health care to the community involves running health camps and bringing qualified medical professionals to help the residents deal with their medical complaints. By eliminating the cost of treatment and bringing doctors to their own neighborhoods, we can surpass many of the barriers that they face in getting treatment. By individually assisting the patients, we help them overcome their fear of what seems to them as a complicated and menacing system and get them the treatment they deserve as human beings.

To finish the rest of this article, check back on our upcoming website, releasing June 2009.

---

1. Magotra, Ratna. "Revitalising public health care." Indian Journal of Medical Ethics. 1995. Forum for Medical Ethics Society. 14 May 2009 <http://www.ijme.in/034ed068.html>.
   

Skit 2: Humility

Part of a series about skits produced for the Ramavaram children.

Skit 2: Humility

Narrator: Vishnu was a smart boy of 11 years. He did very well in school and became very proud and arrogant of his intelligence. Let us see what happens as a result of this.

Teacher: Okay students. I will now give you some practice problems which you must finish before class ends. If you do not finish, you will receive a bad grade. If you finish early, you may help your classmates.

Narrator: The teacher had given very hard problems, and very few students were able to finish early. All of those who finished early tried to help their classmates. All except Vishnu. Several of his friends asked him for help, but he just made fun of them. Meanwhile, his best friend Keshav is struggling, and he decides to ask Vishnu for help.

Keshav: Hey, Vishnu can you help me on this problem? I do not understand it.

Vishnu: Hahaha. That is the easiest problem Keshav. If you cannot do that one, then I cannot help you. Haha.

Narrator: After saying this, Vishnu goes to sleep even though he knows that many of his friends need help finishing the problems. All of his friends are angry with him for his attitude and try to finish the problems on their own. Later after school, Vishnu catches up with his friends.

Vishnu: Hey guys! Wait up for me. (His friends look back at him and keep walking.) Why didn’t you wait up for me, guys? (None of his friends answer him, and they all keep walking.) Hello?? Are you all not talking to me now?

Vivek: What do you expect Vishnu? All you did today was make fun of us.

Sandeep: All we wanted was your help.

All the other friends: Yeah

Vishnu: That’s not true. That’s not true, is it Keshav?

Keshav: Yes, that is absolutely true Vishnu. You were completely arrogant and selfish today. All we wanted was your help. And how did you respond? You made fun of each one of us. Now you expect us to be your friends? No, Vishnu. Not until you change your attitude. I hope you learn your lesson.

(All of his friends leave, and Vishnu is left alone.)

Narrator: After this, Vishnu goes to ask his parents.

(Vishnu enters his house)

Shiva (Vishnu’s Dad): Hello Vishnu. Did you do well in school today?

Vishnu: Yes.

Uma (Vishnu’s Mom): That’s great!!

Shiva: You are saying that you did well, but you look upset. Did something happen?

Vishnu: Since I understood the lesson, my friends came to me for help. However, instead of helping them, I made fun of them for not understanding.

Shiva: It sounds like you thought that you were too good for your friends.

Uma: What your dad is talking about is humility. You must never be arrogant or too proud of your deeds. You must never brag about your abilities. How do you think your friends felt when you made fun of them? You do not like to be made fun of do you? Why then would you make fun of your friends, Vishnu? That is very wrong. Do you understand?

Vishnu: I understand. I’m very sorry.

Uma: We are not the ones that you insulted, Vishnu. You must go apologize with sincerity to your friends.

Vishnu: Do you think they will forgive me? Will they talk to me again?

Shiva: Well Vishnu, that is up to them. What you did was very wrong. Tomorrow, go to your friends and apologize to them. Hopefully, they will forgive you.

Uma: But that is only the first step. Next time they ask for help, give it willingly. You must always help others, Vishnu.

Vishnu: Okay. Thanks, Mom and Dad

Narrator: The next day at school Vishnu sees his friends before school on the cricket field. Vishnu decides to follows his parents’ advice.

Vishnu: Hello guys. (No one responds.) I know what I did yesterday was not correct. I am sincerely sorry for my actions.

Keshav: We will only be your friend on one condition. You must promise to be humble, and you must not treat those who know less than you badly.

Vishnu: Yes, I promise to be humble in the future.

Keshav: Okay, then let us put this behind us and play some cricket before school starts.

Everyone: Yeah!!

Copyright © 2008-2009 Sangam India. All rights reserved

http://www.sangamindia.org

Download the Skit

Written by: Krishnakanth Chiravuri, Srikanth Chiravuri, Vidhi Makanji, Neil Mithal, and Abhiram Gunturi.

Movie Clip: Staying Healthy

In this movie clip, Vandhana and Nazneen tell the kids how they should healthy so they don't fall sick. After this, one of the kids from the slum tells the rest of the group what to do again. From our April 11th, 2009 visit.



Lesson Planning: Our Objectives

Promotional E-Packet

We have compiled the Promotional Packet into an e-version which allows it to be viewed easily, on the computer. A sample is included below but you can view it in full-size if you would like.

Click here to view the e-packet as a separate window.

Viewing requires Adobe Flash 8 or above. This feature is powered by Issuu. These e-format pdfs are a great way to incorporate the content onto a website - and we hope that we'll be using more of them when our new site launches.

The Promotional Packet contains the following:

• Sangam India English Flyer
• nXG: "Youngistan in Action" article
• Times of India: "Coming Together for Health"
  
• Times of India: "Sangam India holds health camp for kids"
• The Women's International Perspective: "Students in India Take Social Change into Their Own Hands"
• Kumudam article, in Tamil and with English translation
• Anand Charity: “Building a better India, slum by slum"
• A selection of photographs from the last year.

It is still available as a .pdf here.

Movie Clip: Using a Stethoscope

In this movie clip from our April 11th, 2009 visit, Dr. Thinesh tells the kids how to use a stethoscope.



Lesson Planning: Our Objectives

Perspective: Making a Difference

ARTICLE BY SRIRAM RAMGOPAL

We have been going to the Ramavaram slum for over a year now, and our goals and objectives for the community are maturing in many ways as we learn more about the people there as well as about ourselves. The educational programme that we started from March of this year has been working well, but perhaps not in the ways that we expected it to. We worked hard to elucidate the goals of what our program were going to be; and we decided on a number of objectives. These were based on the information that we had about the children from numerous visits, from their parents, and from a visit to their school that some of our members made earlier this year. As Bhavya described, these were health education, teamwork and trust, values, etiquette, citizenship and creativity. These goals were selected because we thought they would help these children become responsible, hardworking adults, who had careers and a bright future ahead of them.

It remains too early to know whether or not we achieved our objectives. We have tried hard to develop and carry out activities teaching these values, but whether or not they learn something from it is not so clear. It is difficult to change the way people are. It’s hard to make people, especially a group of children, realize the importance of things like handwashing and hygiene when their parents and surroundings tell them otherwise. Likewise, it’s hard to convince children that with hard work and with a positive mindset that they can indeed be doctors, cricket players and policemen, when everyone and everything around them seems to contradict that notion. The effects of health education, etiquette, citizenship and creativity are hard to impart to a group of children who have been taught that such things are meaningless. Thus, though we have tried very hard and will continue to do so, we may or may not reach our objectives. Nonetheless, we will do our best to reach them because we strongly feel that these things have value and are important.

However, I have realized over the last several visits to Ramavaram, that we are making a difference here, though in an unexpected way. Though we may or may not be successful in reaching arbitrarily stated objectives, something is changing, though slowly and subtly, in this group of children. Every time we go to the slum, the children rush out and are excited to see us. They are excited when we sit them down in groups, and though they quickly grow tired of being lectured, they are immensely excited by the prospect that young adults, coming from entirely different walks of life, take time, every week, to go and see them.

For a group of children who receive little attention from their parents, the adults in the community, or from their teachers, the fact that we come there for the sole purpose of spending time with them carries great meaning for them. We sit down with them in small groups, and they take great pleasure in sitting next to us. Many of our members speak little or no Tamil but despite this, the children love to talk to us about everything they can possibly think of. They love the thrill of communicating with somebody who cares about them. Some of our members are especially successful at talking to the kids there and finding out what their problems are, and by listening to their problems with a sympathetic ear, we can connect with these kids on an emotional level and produce more positive change than we could by merely following orders on a checklist.

On Saturday evenings, as we come home from another day at Ramavaram, we wonder whether or not we were able to teach anything to the kids, and whether anything will change there as a result of it. No doubt that progress comes slowly and it is too early to expect dramatic changes. No doubt that the things we are teaching the children there will slowly but surely change their behavior, as long as we are consistent and clear with them. Of course, we will continue to refine our lessons and our plans in the community as we gain more and more experience with the people and from other organizations. I strongly believe that we can make a difference here and break the cycle of poverty and hopelessness for at least a few families here at the Ramavaram slum. However, after spending time with these kids and showing them that we care about them, I’ve come to realize that there is more than one way to define success. By sharing happiness, compassion and goodwill in these children, I believe we can give them something more meaningful but less measurable: hope. And for this reason we will keep trying to make a difference here despite the odds we face.

Update at Sangam India

These are a few of the things that have been going on over the last week:

• Exciting new plans for a website are in the works. The website will be designed by Tina Ye and the content will be written by our board members as well as by several guests who've generously contributed their time and expertise. We're all looking forward to this site and we'd love your input on what you think should be included in it.
• We are working hard to achieving Non-Profit Organization (NPO) status in the United States. We have written our mission statement, as you can see in a previous post.
  
• We are continuing planning of our Educational Programme and Vasundhra is doing research on Vocational training programmes that we can implement when we get started again in June.
  

Skit 1: The Giving of a Rakhi

Part of a series about skits produced for the Ramavaram children.

Skit 1: The Giving of A Rakhi

Narrator: The day of Rakhi is approaching. Swati, a young girl of 8 years, has been looking forward to this day for many weeks. She and her elder brother are very close to one another, and she loves him very much. She wishes to buy him a rakhi, but she does not have any money of her own. She does not wish to trouble her parents for money, as she wants this to be her gift.

Swati: (Talking to herself on stage) What will I do? I do not have any money to buy a rakhi for Vijay anna. I really want to buy him a rakhi. (She ponders for a while before she comes up with an idea.) Aha! I have a great idea. I will sell my doll and use that money to buy a rakhi.

Narrator: With that sweet thought in mind, Swati set out to the marketplace to sell her doll and to buy a rakhi.

Shopkeeper: Good afternoon beta.

Swati: Namaste Mr.Krishnamurthi.

Shopkeeper: What can I help you with today?

Swati: Well, I want to buy a rakhi for my anna, but I don’t have the money to buy one. I was hoping to sell my favorite doll.

Shopkeeper: Are you sure you really want to sell your favorite doll? I’m sure if you asked your parents to help you out they would.

Swati: But Mr. Krishnamurthi, I want this to be a gift for my anna from just me.

Shopkeeper: Hmmm, I see. Well, if you’re really sure that you want to do this then I will be happy to give you a rakhi in exchange for your doll.

(Shopkeeper goes to help other customers)

Swati: (Reaches for the doll)(Talking to herself on stage) Do I really want to give up my favorite doll? Maybe I can give away one of my other dolls in exchange for anna’s rakhi. But, if I get the other doll I won’t have enough money to buy anna’s favorite shiny, blue rakhi. I guess I should sacrifice my favorite doll so that anna can get his favorite rakhi.

(Swati exchanges her favorite doll for her anna’s favorite rakhi and starts to walk home.)

Swati: (Walks in the door and sees her brother watching the cricket game.) ANNA ANNA LOOK WHAT I GOT FOR YOU!! It’s your favorite rakhi, come let me tie it for you.

Vijay: Oh thank you Swati. The rakhi looks amazing. I love you.

(Swati happily ties the rakhi for her brother.)

Narrator: Swati learned the importance of sacrifice by giving up her favorite doll for her anna’s happiness.

Copyright © 2008-2009 Sangam India. All rights reserved

http://www.sangamindia.org

Download the Skit

Written by: Krishnakanth Chiravuri, Srikanth Chiravuri, Vidhi Makanji, Neil Mithal, and Abhiram Gunturi.

Mission Statement

Sangam India is a not-for-profit organization
dedicated to developing self-sufficiency
in underprivileged urban communities in India
by improving education, healthcare and sanitation
and by fostering leadership
to motivate and empower adults and children alike.

Facebook Message and Call for Help

This message was sent to all of our facebook members today:

Hello Sangam India Members!

I hope this message finds you well. Thank you so much for joining our group and extending your support for our mission.
Sangam India is undergoing a lot of exciting changes this month.

1. We are developing a new, updated website with exciting features and brand new content. For this, we need people who have creative ideas, writing ability, or experience with other non-profit organizations.

2. We are also working on getting non-profit status, registering in the United States. For this, we need people who have some knowledge of legal procedures, experience with other non-profits, or is ready to learn something new!

3. We have recently started a new Educational Programme focusing on positive thinking and values-based education, and we are working on curriculum and material development. For this, we need people who are creative, like games, and may have experience working with children, especially underprivileged children - in any country.

We would like everyone to get involved with these activities, since it is a chance for everyone who is not in Chennai to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty!

If you are interested in helping us with any of these activities, please contact us on Facebook, or you can email me at nivedita.gunturi@sangamindia.org, or Sriram Ramgopal at sriram.ramgopal@sangamindia.org. We look forward to hearing from you, and we'd love all the help we can get!

As always, we encourage you to join the mailing list for our monthly newsletter at http://list.sangamindia.org, and keep an eye on the blog at http://blog.sangamindia.org, since it is frequently updated and you can stay tuned to everything that is happening!

Thanks!

Nivedita Gunturi

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Skit Synopses

Part of a series about skits produced for the Ramavaram children.

About a year ago, we started thinking about how teaching the children skits, and having them perform them in front of an audience, would be a great way to teach them the importance of positive thinking, health education, and human values. The plan was to design short, simple, skits that would be simple to learn but that could impart these values to the kids as they learned them and performed them. Now that our educational programme is rolling, we hope that we can use these skits soon.

We asked a group of our volunteers from Dallas, Texas to come up with ideas for such skits. Here's the skit synopses:

Honesty/Truth

Some kids are playing a cricket match when the best batter is apparently run out. The only people who know whether it is out or not are the kid who threw the ball, the kid’s best friend, and a group of younger kids who aren’t old enough to play but watch (the extras). The fielder who threw the ball is best bowler, and he has a personal rivalry with the batter who appears to be out. Since everyone playing trusts each other, they ask the kid who threw the ball whether he thought it was out. He says yes even though he knows it was not. The younger kids watching know that it is not out, and they make a commotion. The game continues. After the game, his friend confronts him and tells him that he knows that the batter was not out. His friend asks him whether he felt what he did was right. The kid who threw the ball expresses guilt and remorse and agrees to play fairly next time. He plays fairly in the next game, and both the bowler and the batter do very well in the game.

Non-violence

For the past few months, Karthik has been bullied by a senior. Karthik always reacts angrily which gives the bully great entertainment. This continues for quite a while before Karthik tells his parents his ordeal with the bully. His parents advise him to remain calm and to take no action against the bully. They emphasize that taking any violent measures is especially wrong. Karthik thinks about the advice his parents gave him and decides to follow their suggestion. The next day the bully makes fun of Karthik, but Karthik does not react. This continues for a few more days until the bully leaves Karthik alone.

Love

A family lives in a village which depends on a well that is almost 8 kilometers from their house. The parents are older, so their oldest son dutifully gets the water every single day. But the parents do not know that he is also getting water for the neighboring families. When the parents find out about this, they become concerned that their son might be straining himself and angry at their neighbors for taking advantage of him. Then, the son explains to them that no one asked him to bring them water. He just noticed one day that most of the neighbors were elderly and were having trouble bringing water from such a far distance. He went and asked his neighbors if he could perform this one service for them. He also reminded his parents that he had grown up beside these same neighbors; he told his parents that many of them were like family to him. In this way the son taught his parents the importance of love and the great impact it can have.

Right action

A shopkeeper in the local market sells statues of important people in India’s history. He is a man of excellent character and always tries to do the right thing. He has a family that he has to support, and he has a very hard time of doing it because he does not make much money. However, he and his family have always been able to get by. One day a man comes to his stall in the market and decides to buy a statue. The shopkeeper charges 50 rupees for the statue, but the man gives him 500 rupees accidentally. When the shopkeeper realizes this, he asks a friend to watch his shop and runs after the customer to give him back his change. The thought of keeping the 500 rupees which would have sustained his family for an entire month never crosses his mind. He finally catches up to the man and gives him back the money. The man was very thankful, and he asks if he can reward the man. However, the shopkeeper refuses the reward knowing that he was only doing what was right. The customer then asks if he can buy the rest of the statues that the shopkeeper was selling. The shopkeeper, who is very surprised by now, almost refuses, but the man insists. In this way, the shopkeeper is rewarded for his right conduct.

Peace

A brother and sister have a heated argument while their parents are not around. The brother runs outside to cool down and takes a walk down the street. Some of the houses he walks by are very calm, but others are very loud. The people inside are arguing very loudly. The boy realizes their mistake and takes it upon himself to try to keep a more peaceful environment at home. While the boy was walking outside, the girl talked to a friend. She told her friend the argument that she and her brother had. Her friend advises her to try to control her anger next time; she tells her to seek a more peaceful solution to the problem rather than yelling and arguing. The next time they have a disagreement they peacefully resolve it without raising their voices at all.

Sacrifice

The giving of a rakhi: A girl wants to give a good rakhi to her brother whom she loves very much. But the one that she has in mind is expensive, and she does not have the money to buy it. So, she decides to sell her most prized possession. With the money, she buys a beautiful rakhi for her brother. Her brother is very happy, and this makes the girl very happy.

Determination/Perseverance/Dedication

A kid in a poor house and a poor neighborhood while traveling to the market sees a successful doctor who has a clinic near the market. He observes the doctor for a long time and notices that he treats all his patients with love and compassion. He also notices that the doctor charges very little for his services. The boy then realizes that he wants to be successful like the doctor, and he goes home dreaming of becoming a doctor. He then perseveres and achieves his goal.

Responsibility

A family of five lived in a modest home. The father went to work everyday, and the mother took care of the children. The mother was very devout and performed a pooja everyday. One day when she had to go to the market she asked her 3 children to offer prasadam to the Lord. She told them how important it was. However, after she left the 2 eldest children went off to play disregarding everything their mother had told them. The youngest child, however, wondered what the Lord would eat if prasadam was not offered. She understood how important it was to her mother that prasadam be offered, and she went to her 2 siblings and convinced them to help her. Together, they offered prasadam to the Lord and felt very happy.

Respect

A very new teacher is starting to teach a very rowdy class. All the students are making fun of the teacher, except Krishna and Ram, 2 brothers whom all the students look up to. After the class, Krishna proposes an idea to Ram. He suggests calling all of their classmates (extras) together and asking them to behave better the next day. They call everyone together and tell them that they must be respectful to the teacher since she is an elder and is trying to help them. On the next day, to the teacher’s surprise all the students are obedient and respectful to the teacher.

Humility

Vishnu was a very good student in school, and he was also very proud of his successes. His parent would advise him not to get overconfident, but he did not listen. Vishnu used to score higher on tests than all of his friends, and he would routinely brag about his scores to his friends. He would also make fun of his friends who scored lower than him. One day his friends grew sick of his arrogant attitude and did not talk or play with him. Vishnu was sad, and when he went home, he complained to his parents about his predicament. His parents told him that this was the result of his own actions. They told him that it is not good to be too proud or overconfident of one’s successes. Instead, they told him to be humble about his grades. They told him not to brag to any of his friends and not to make fun of them either. They also told him to help those who were really struggling. Vishnu followed their advice, and soon his friends were talking to him again. Also, he was able to make many more friends through his humble demeanor.

Download the Skit Ideas

Thanks to the authors for their time and for giving this project such careful consideration. They are Krishnakanth Chiravuri, Srikanth Chiravuri, Vidhi Makanji, Neil Mithal, and Abhiram Gunturi, all from Dallas, Texas. They really put a lot of work into this project and it was inspiring to see their efforts.

Sangam India Newsletter, May 2009

Hello!

Sangam India brings to you its newsletter for the month of May. Before we leave for our summer break in May, here’s a synopsis of the last month.

For starters, the Education Programme for children has gained an exhilarating momentum. With every visit the kids learn new lessons - and make sure we learn from them too. Simple activities from colouring to role playing are used to make learning fun. Currently Bhavya and her team are hard at work to create more lesson plans, and any help associated with this will be more than appreciated. An Educational Committee has been made to develop the curriculum. The details of this can be procured from our website: http://www.sangamindia.org

Legal intricacies are being worked on by the Legal Team of Sangam India. Hopefully our efforts will lead to the much desired consequence of acquiring an NGO status as soon as possible.

Anand Charity (a California-based NPO) has been kind enough to recognize our cause and mention our work in their quarterly publication News@Anand (http://blog.anandcharity.org). We thank them for this appreciation.

While most of the Sangam Team will be away in the month of May, the regulars will keep up their diligence. Rest assured that the “away team” will work on the necessary research to create better plans for the coming months, so distance is just a number.

With summer at its peak, we hope the team that has headed home has some respite from the agonizing heat and will come back in June, rejuvenated and ready to work!

Happy Holidays everyone!

Rifa Khan
Sangam India
http://www.sangamindia.org
info@sangamindia.org

To join our mailing list and get monthly updates into your inbox, please visit http://list.sangamindia.org.

Skits: A Note From the Authors

Part of a series about skits produced for the Ramavaram children.

As mentioned in a previous post, a couple of students from Dallas, Texas wrote some skits to teach the kids of Ramavaram.

The authors of the skits are Krishnakanth Chiravuri, Srikanth Chiravuri, Vidhi Makanji, Neil Mithal, and Abhiram Gunturi, from Dallas, Texas, USA.

Here is a short statement by Srikanth Chiravuri about the skits - what they were aiming for, and why they chose the values that they did.

The reason that we made these skits was so that the kids would understand the necessary values in life in an entertaining fashion. If we made them sit down and listen to someone lecture about these values, most of them would probably not pay attention, so that was why we planned to make skits. We picked these values because they are some of the basic traits that we thought children should learn. It was really satisfying when we were making the skits because we felt we were bringing a little peace and happiness to these children.

Updated Flyer

Our English Flyer has been updated with some information about our Educational Programme. We also changed one of the pictures to include the Educational Programme as well. We use these flyers to show people when we explain to them what we do. In addition, we hope that you'll print them out and hang them up in your workplace where people can see them.

There are both color and black and white versions, available below as Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) files; they are approximately 250kb in size. There is a Tamil version which has also been updated. Thanks to Uma Krishnakumar for her help with the Tamil version.

Color Flyer	Black and White Flyer
தமிழ் சிற்றேடு (Color)	தமிழ் சிற்றேடு (Black and White)

The Promotional Packet has been updated with this flyer as well. The flyers can always be downloaded on the contribute page.

Summer Visit - Day One

Here is a short statement from Sri Nandini, one of our members, about yesterday's trip to Ramavaram.

In the aftermath of everyone’s leaving to vacation, Safwan rallied the troops. Four of us showed up; including one of my schoolmates, Chendur, from Carleton University, Canada. Knowing that it takes an army to actually control the kids, Shubha, Safwan, Chendur and I decided to follow their example for a change, and found our inner children. Between playing cricket, flying kites and having the usual horde attacking us, I realised that in the next month, I’m really going to miss these kids.

It turns out that many of the children at Ramavaram will be going home to their hometowns over this month. Depending on how many kids are there, we'll schedule another summer visit.

Click here to view the rest of the photos.

Photos: Summer Visit - Day One

Here are some photos from today's Summer Visit. Thanks to everyone who came out and we'll have a few words about today by one of our members tomorrow.

Click here to see the rest of the photos.

Upcoming Visit - Summer Visit Day 1 - May 2, 2009

Summer vacation has begun and most of Sangam India's members from Ramachandra are now scattered around the world, spending holidays at home with their families. We would like to do our best to continue our weekly visits to Ramavaram to spend time with the children, so we have asked Safwan, one of our members who is a resident of Chennai, to take charge for the next one month. Since we do not have a lot of manpower right now, we have decided to put the lessons on hold and have games, storytime, and other such activities that are easy to carry out and enjoyable for the children. The first such visit will take place tomorrow, Saturday, May 2.

If you are interested in attending, please email us at nivedita.gunturi@sangamindia.org or sriram.ramgopal@sangamindia.org. We will put you in touch with Safwan.

Happy May Day to all of you!