Holiday Cheer from the kids at Shanti Bhavan

Dear friends,

We hope you have enjoyed the holidays and had a wonderful season. The children of Shanti Bhavan have been busy too, and they have plenty to share. So please sit back and enjoy this journey with us as we bring you stories, poetry, photos and a little holiday cheer from the kids!

In this Newsletter:

Be Good for Goodness Sake – by Brinda

The Little Heroes of their own stories – by Shilpa Raj

The Prayer – By Praveen

Be Good For Goodness Sake

It was the 16^th of December — a normal Friday until Vice Principal Miss Beena announced at lunch that there would be no more classes for the rest of the day. The dining hall erupted with screams of happy children, while the 11^th graders began to decorate for the Christmas party.

By early evening, all the children and staff had dressed in their best clothes and went to the school building for the show. Children from various grades performed dances to jazz and modern music. The audience stared in amazement as the 6^th grade and 7^th grade girls moved in rhythm to Jennifer Lopez’s ‘On the Dance Floor.’ Marisa and Nanja, the two volunteers who had trained them, watched happily. Their hours of practice had finally paid off.

The dances ended and the school choir took over in leading everyone to a round of carols. The show was followed by a fun fair. Assisted by the 11^th graders the children went around the school building playing games. Every child was given a coupon that allowed him or her to play three games out of eight. The games ranged from being blindfolded and trying to fix the hat on Santa’s head, to guessing how many berries were in the box, and throwing the ball into the clown’s mouth.

By 7:00 pm everyone started moving towards the dining hall. The pathway leading to it was lined with lanterns creating a feeling of magic and excitement in the air.

The dining hall glowed with colorful lights. A star hung in the entrance. A Christmas tree was placed on the table, and excited children crowded around it to stare at its beautiful decorations. A crib had been set in the corner. In the span of a few hours, the 11^th graders had succeeded in converting the dining place into a party hall.

All were wondering where the good, old Santa was. Had his reindeer lost its way or had he gotten stuck in the chimney?

While the anxiety was building up, Catherine, stood up on a chair, grabbed the mike and led the audience in chanting, “I believe in Santa! I believe in Santa!” Children crowded around her, drowning her voice in their excitement. Everybody waited with baited breath for Santa Claus. Screams of delight resounded in the room as the chubby figure of Santa appeared at the top of the stairs, wishing all a ‘Merry Christmas’!

Santa went around to each table shaking children’s hands and listening to their complaints of who had pinched whom and who had been naughty. After a delicious dinner of nan, rice, chicken and ice-cream, all the children were called according to their grades to the school building to receive their presents from Santa.

The belief in Christmas and magic only grew stronger as the children who had been ‘good for goodness sake’ all year long walked back to their dorms tired from all the merriment. Christmas had been a great time for all.

Brinda, 11^th grade

The New Little Heroes of Shanti Bhavan

On the 3^rd of December, the whole school was treated to a pleasant surprise.

At the school assembly, the new kindergartners stepped on stage confidently and began their well rehearsed performance. Standing in a semi-circle, they went around in pairs introducing themselves in clear English and then stated the names of their favorite animals.

Using lively expressions and actions they imitated their favorite animals. For instance Kishore said, “My name is Kishore. My favorite animal is a dog.” He barked like a dog and left the audience in fits of laughter. His classmate Angel said, “My name is Angel. My favorite animal is a gorilla.” Everybody enjoyed watching her beat her chest with her little fists and growl.

As the audience rose in applause, the four year olds bowed and left the stage elegantly as their teachers and care-takers looked proudly on. Just a few months ago when they arrived, none of them knew how to speak English, brush their teeth, use a bathroom and tell the difference between a fork and a spoon. But today they are bright, energetic children with amazing curiosity.

Their class teacher, Ms. Geetha says, “They are so lively. Every day the first period is spent listening to the children tell me all about what they did in the dorms. When we were learning the alphabets I would say ‘A’ and give examples of words starting with ‘A’ in English. But they would scream out examples of words in their own languages like ‘Amma’ in Tamil and Kannada which means mother.” Smiling, she adds, “I love the children very much. I enjoy teaching small ones. They are a great joy.”

Besides learning their alphabets, the children watch videos, color with crayons, listen to stories, recite rhymes, and take nature walks around the huge campus. Their day begins at 7:30 when they wake up to the sound of music. After a quick wash they make their beds and then exercise. After breakfast, their classes begin at 9 am and end at 1 pm and in between they have a snack break and assembly.

“Three years ago financial restraints made it hard to admit new children. We missed having the little ones join Shanti Bhavan. But this year the fifteen new kindergartners have brought great joy and happiness to us,” says Mrs. Rajeshwari, the Head of the Residential Staff and first grade teacher. The children are very cheerful and confident at Shanti Bhavan.

Hardly three months ago, four year old Jayanthi was sleeping on the floor of her tent among the thirty other tents clumped together in a squalid slum alongside a railway track in the middle of Bangalore. A small well a little distance away from the tents is the only source of water and all the families share a common toilet.

To get to the slum one has to leave the tar road and take a narrow mud lane which is scattered with garbage. Inside the tent Jayanthi’s feeble grandmother sleeps on a wooden cot while her parents, her younger brother and she sleep on the mud floor. The cooking is done in one corner of the room, filled with smoke. Their few belongings lie in another corner.

At Shanti Bhavan, Jayanthi no longer has to lie on the floor, eat just ragi once or twice a day, or shiver in the cold. A big smile shines upon her face as she goes about playing on the grounds, learning in class and shaking her hips to the sound of music.

“Jayanthi is very caring towards others. She will console other children when they cry. She is very bright. She loves to draw faces,” her class teacher Ms. Geetha says.

Her neighbor, Jamuna, who also comes from the same destitute slum, is just as happy as Jayanthi in Shanti Bhavan. Little Jamuna has finally brought smiles on her mother’s face. Ever since Jamuna joined Shanti Bhavan, her father tormented her mother and demanded that the child be returned home. He would ask her angrily, “What kind of a school have you put her in? Bring her back.”

Two months after Jamuna joined Shanti Bhavan, her parents visited her. Jamuna’s father was shown around the school building where the older children were having their prep. He smiled and kept silent. His silence spoke of his acceptance. His wife cried when she saw him return and kiss Jamuna affectionately. Both of them were very happy when Miss Geetha told them that Jamuna was a fast learner, loves meeting new people and is very talkative.

They knew Jamuna was in a good place.

By Shilpa Raj

The Prayer

A little girl on her knees,
Calloused hands clutched;
Eyes scrunched in concentration,
Praying for peace.

She prayed for love,
For her father who beat her;
She prayed for strength,
For her mother who took it all;
She prayed for her own world,
A world where she could win a fight.