Saying Hello To Teachers From Rajauri In Rajauri, Just 6 Km From Indo-Pak Border!
As I arrived to Jammu from Delhi on an overnight train, I was very warmly received by a couple of Indian Army personnel. They escorted us to Rajauri Military Base Camp. I felt very very proud and grateful throughout my trip, while I conversed with some amazing people. Right from Jawaans and officers, to families of army and the drivers, I learned so much about their chosen life-path, where their life is forever in service to our nation!
We were allocated guest rooms, which were just 6 km from the Indian border to Pakistan!!! Because we were guests of the Major General, I was overwhelmed by the hospitality and the care we received.
Once we freshened up, we entered into a meeting with the Major General himself and his core team.
The Gramonnati team, led by Retd. Maj VP Sharma, shared their holistic plan on improving the education system in this area, where we, Tarkeybein Education Foundation, are their education partner.
Gratitude To Team Gramonnati & The Indian Army
I was invited to share our proposal to improve the education and learning outcomes. I took this opportunity to share our gratitude for giving us a chance to work with 100 teachers from the Army-supported schools in Rajauri. Post this meet, we were introduced to all Army officers at the lunch hosted in honour of us! I spent a lot of time sharing about our journey in education, explored questions on learning, and tried understanding their reading of the Rajauri pulse.
During lunch, I asked one of the officers what his routine looks like; he says — “There’s no routine- there’s hardly any time not being alert because of the situations….no day.. no night…” I stop eating for a moment, my eyes tear up, and my heart fills up with so much gratitude. This was indeed a very special lunch!
The Gramonnati team deserves a special shout-out for the holistic approach they are taking towards entrepreneurship, skill development, and job creation in rural India, especially in Rajauri. For me, time spent with their core team consisting of Retd Maj VP Sharma, Suresh Sir and Shyam was such a learning experience. These gentlemen, with close to 75 years of industrial experience, are so delightful to work with!
Orientation Workshops And School Visits
The highlight of this trip was the purpose I was there for; to work with 100 teachers from 5 schools supported by the Army. I conducted the orientation workshop of the 4-month teacher collective program, which we have now extended to Rajauri!
Bagpath, Bangalore and now, Rajauri- what a delight to spread our wings in these wonderful spaces.
Our first teacher workshop was in the Valley School for close to 50 teachers. Six teachers had come travelling 20 km, which takes about 150 min because of the sharp curves of the hilly terrain! I was amazed at their dedication. Lot of things went in my favour- all my jokes flew, deep connections with teachers got built, and there was such great energy in the room. Teachers got on-board with pleasure and were very excited to co-create methods to improve the learning outcomes in their schools.
Next day, I went to Army Goodwill Public School for the second workshop. This is such a beautiful school, that as soon as I reached there, the first thing I did was ask the Vice Principal if I can get admission there! I made friends with teachers and got to know them better. Of course, I was very very inspired by their principal who migrated from Iran to serve here.
The Power Of Positive Spaces & Positive Intentions
My aha-moment of the day was when 4 teachers who had attended previous day workshop also shared that they found 80% new content in this workshop, where as I had actually planned the same session for both the days!
Pat in the back for the facilitator in me and the power of collective intelligence that manages to emerge in every session. So grateful to the journey I’ve had the opportunity to live, which has helped me cultivate this power to tune into the audience, because every gathering is so unique. It’s impossible to go in with a one-size-fits-all mindset! :)
While I enjoyed the Army hospitality, food, etiquette, and the Kashmiri apples; what really made me so happy was all the stories I came across- from teachers to locals! The work that the Indian Army is putting in to keep us safe is just commendable. It’s beautiful to see how the locals love and respect them.
In conclusion, I can only give a big thanks to the teachers, the Army and Team Gramonnati for doing what they are doing. For building strength in kids who come from homes that are just 500m away from the border! I find myself looking forward to the exciting journey that we have set out on; working with 100 amazing teachers from Rajauri!
If you resonate with our work, want to implement this model in your community, want to support this initiative, or just want to drop in some encouraging words, we invite you to write to us at tarkeybein@gmail.com :)
