Category: Khushali Ketan Chaliawala

The Bal Mela- The day we made masses smile, and we smiled as well!

Education is just not about gaining knowledge but also about giving and sharing knowledge. This event gave  me the opportunity to share all the knowledge I had in a form of a Mela. A Mela where children of the city from the government schools and local communities, normally children who aren’t privileged were given access to various activities.

The Bal Mela, on 13th February 2016, was a notch apart, especially for the Grade 7 to 11 students since this time, they were the volunteers.  It was a unique and fun experience as well as a learning experience. We, Hetvi, Naomi and I, the organisers of the event positioned ourselves as the head of the event, which included planning the activities, allocating those activities, selecting the volunteers, planning the schedule, ordering the resources, calling government schools, arranging the food for around 1500 children from government schools, and what not. Student volunteers positioned themselves at  every stall, tattoo making, face painting,  mask making, puppet making, science experiments, the running stage, and many more.

The under-privileged students from all over Surat, as well as the neighbouring villages, visited our school. The smile stretched on their faces, was really priceless. It made me realize the real worth of so many things of our daily life, we took for granted. It made me realise how I could use my skills to make them laugh, and most importantly to make them enjoy. It made me feel positive about my developing skills, as a person and as an organising head as well.

After the schools had visited all of the stalls, the students also got a platform to showcase their talent in front of the whole school and other children, giving them a lot of inspiration and motivation. From, dancing to awe-inspiring stunts, the children were capable of everything. They became very friendly with us, and we were also very delighted to get these many new friends. I captured all these memories through numerous photographs and videos, with them. I was left amazed, by their talents and gifts. When we asked the teachers and students the best part of the Bal-Mela, we more or less got the same answer- The contagious and innocent smile, by the children.

The Bal Mela ended with all of us, the students, their teachers, the volunteers, the helpers and our teachers, ALL dancing freely with each other. From Garba to the latest Bollywood songs, we danced and sang along at the top of our voices without any boundaries. Any outsider wouldn’t have guessed that the under-privileged children just met us today; we got together that well. The thrill and the enthusiasm in the air was really intoxicating.  The time just flew by when we were with them, teaching them, talking to them, dancing freely with them and enjoying ourselves. And then they left and the school fell silent as there wasn’t the chatter, the buzz and the over-all jolly atmosphere. This once-in-a-lifetime memory is going to be etched on our minds, forever.

There are always many ups and downs in an event. Our team was truly disappointed when some of the volunteers didn’t turn up on the D-day. However, I believe that it was my commitment, it was OC team’s commitment and perseverance that made the event a big success. Because of this event, I have learned to work under pressure. A day before the event, nervousness had trapped me from head to toe. However, on the 13th of Feb, I have learned to be prepared for the worst and the best.

I started working with my team a month ago. Out team, Falguni ma’am and Aayushi ma’am have had several meetings so that we make sure nothing goes out of way. This event taught me the importance of working collaboratively and the need to be patient and tolerant because in a team of nearly 100 volunteers and 1500 children, success can be achieved only if people work together. Our team and I have cooperated with all the volunteers at least twice before the D-day by inviting all the volunteers for meeting. This made me feel connected with all the volunteers, and also made me realise how much vital it is to interact with volunteers well to make the event go well. The meetings centred around the activities give to the volunteers and the issues related to the same. We made sure that the volunteers are satisfied with their events. Google forms had been submitted earlier, so that we act fairly, and unbiased with the volunteers as it was against our principles, against our ethics. While deciding food, I strictly followed the school policy as junk food wasn’t allowed on that particular day. This was an ethical decision made by me and the team. I believe that if renowned schools from all over Gujarat start organising activities like these, it will have a huge impact on the minds and bodies of underprivileged children. The number of students getting opportunities to discover new things in their life will develop them personally and professionally. Slowly by moving from Gujarat to other states and then to the countries, will have a global impact on the mindsets of people. We would be able to find more positivity and optimism in the world around us.

If I get a chance to organise the event again, I would definitely make sure to get as many volunteers as I can, because I have realised, that without sufficient volunteers, the event is highly likely to fail miserably. I remember, that while the teachers of our school were taking an interview of mine for the organiser of Bal Mela, I told them about my past experiences with many activated I conducted. I also shared my records of being punctual with all tasks and how I promise them to do everything on time even for this event. I am glad they felt I had the potential to organise this huge event.

We had also changed the logo of the event after a long time.

Here are some evidence from the event:

 

Bal Mela’16

To sum up, I would like to say that this event gave me the skills to manage different tasks at a time, conduct meetings with volunteers, guide them to the right way, communicate with teachers, staff members and underprivileged students, ensure the availability of resources on time, checking all tiny details one day prior to the event, cooperating with volunteers, working as a team and not loosing my temper. I have developed a lot as an individual.

As  Kahlil Gibran  truly said “You  give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself and your time  that you truly give.” I got to experience the real joy of giving.

Every year, Teachers’ Day is celebrated in our school on the 5th of September. Since the past 3 years, I’ve been a part of this event. It is the perfect, most accurate day to exhibit our affection and care for all the teachers of the school. This year, the teachers’ day was celebrated on the 4th of September, 2015. We, Disha, Aarsh and I planned to organise this auspicious day.

I developed my organizing skills, learned how to juggle with time management, and also improved my communication skills with my co-partners. Moreover, it was difficult to coordinate with all grade, ranging from Grade 8 to Grade 12. To collaborate with all the grades effectively requires a lot of efforts.

This time, and it was the last year for Grade 12, we, (Disha, Aarsh and I) decided that Grade 12 should do something unique, innovative and special for their subject teachers. Whereas, for students of Grade 8 to 10, it was decided that they would be appointed a section of a grade ranging from Jr.Kg to Grade 7. Here, I faced a lot of challenges. To keep track of the practice of Grade 12 performances, and allocating different section to the senior year students was burdensome. Thus, organising such an event requires commitment and perseverance.

I would like to appreciate the support of my partners, Aarsh and Disha. Without them, this event wouldn’t have been so successful, impactful and ecstatic. The three of us had struggled a lot during giving the allocation of junior grades. We tried our best to be fair to all the students of Grade 8 to Grade 11. Giving equal rights to everyone during allocating the classes to the students from Grade 8 to 11 was our another aim besides making this event a successful one.

Lastly, the thought of giving all the teachers a card with a rose (colours: yellow and red) was remarkable. This day will be a memorable day for all the teachers that because of such an exclusive idea.

If I evaluate my performance, I’ll be giving myself a 9 out of 10 because I have worked really hard, developed my decision making skills and gained confidence in organising huge events. I have also learn to accept new challenges and work on my weak areas. As far as I know, I have not received complaints regarding the collaboration with the volunteers or the event. From the beginning, till the end, I have tried my best not to be unfair to any of the volunteers or teachers. I believe, that the event was successful because of my perseverance, my coordination with Disha and Aarsh, and the support of all the volunteers and teachers involved.

 

I participated in the district level football tournament on 16th July 2015. It was a different experience for me, because I was playing a new position. I was the goal keeper of the the team, and I have never felt so much responsible while playing a football match.
I developed goalkeeping skills, which helped me develop physical strength (endurance, stamina). I gave in my lots of hardwork and efforts to develop this new skill. I attended morning camps to practice all the new skills of goalkeeping. Hardwork and determination was my main focus during the camps.
Moreover, I developed a new bond with my team, that helped me in synergizing with the team both, on and off field. The coordination between my team helped me focus more while playing in the match.
As I was the goalkeeper, the team was a lot dependent on my participation and activeness. If I lose my concentration during the game, the team can suffer. I had to make sure that I didn’t let the opppnent team score a goal.
Football is a team game, and in this sport, being and playing fair is a vital part. Anwer Sir, our coach, always taught us to play fair during the game. I had always kept in mind not to hurt anyone intentionally during the game.
This activity helped me build my physical strength, as well as my mental abilities to be strong and stay focused. It also helped me in learning how to synergize with my team mates. Cooperation with the team members is a signicant ascpect of football.
To conclude, I would like to say that it was a thrilling experience. I enjoyed playing for my team. All the hardwork didn’t go in vain as we won the competition. Therefore, I was glad that I was a part of the team.

Dancing is something I have always loved. To attend Garba classes has been my dream since a long time. After attending garba classes, I have always felt rejuvinated and fresh. I believe it is really difficult to manage school time with garba time. I managed to attend the class at 7:30 to 8:30 pm for about 3 months, starting from July 2015.

I have always been passionate about dancing. I have won many prizes for dancing, and therefore, I have been confident about dancing since a young age. These classes helped me in my developing my previous dancing skills. Moreover, learning such a dance form has taught me how to express beautifully. I have improvised on the way how I danced on every beat. Attending garba classes, so far has been the second best thing about Navaratri Festival. The first best thing is undoubtedly going to different places, and play Garba. I would like to credit these classes for my grace in dancing. I’ve started enjoying dancing more than ever. Dancing continuously (specially Garba) requires a lot of stamina and endurance. Collaboration plays a significant role here. Unless a person doesn’t coordinate with the people around her/him, it is very likely that everybody will bump into each other. Thus, having perfect coordination with ever is a must.

Garba is all about dancing, sharing happiness and enjoying with the colourful lights surrounded by us. This form of dance gives me pure satisfaction and contentment.

It eventually hepled me maintain my fitness, and also gave me the opportunity to dress up beautifully by allowing me to wear traditional garba clothes, also known as, ‘Ghaghra Choli’.

Some beautiful moments:

Below are the glimpses of me doing garba at the “Surat Tennis Club”