Transform the lives of 3200 children in Hyderabad

Being in class with the 35 fourth graders at Government Public School, Gandhinagar is like a roller coaster ride everyday. From the moment they have to queue up to enter the class till I say goodbye at the end of the day, they're always in some sort of an exuberant hurry to just finish ;things up. They're aces in life in ways that most of us can't imagine. Sai, who would otherwise seem desensitized given how helpless his parents feel due to his reckless ways, takes up the responsibility of talking to Kumar's parents and apologizing for having broken his shiny new pen. Yadagiri, a math whiz who thrives on finishing up his problems way before the others even understand the question properly, responds to an expectant gaze from his didi by returning to his place and dedicating the rest of the period helping his teammates, later on proudly sharing how he 'didn't show them the answers,didi, but helped them with examples'. Vennela, the ever-so-kind one, moves up a rung on the ladder when she shares her problem-solving tactics for fights and conflicts everyday in morning meetings. Eshwar, the class clown, after a long enough period of struggling with keeping his agitation in control, pulls himself out of a much-inviting fight, grabs a book and finds himself a secluded corner in the class. Azghar, who frequently has insecurity issues, takes some fifteen minutes to retell the The Jungle Book to the entire class, event by event, after having watched it in class. And Tagur, Sai's best friend and his companion-in-mischiefs, makes didi a solemn promise to stay by his side and make a better example of a friend, next time they're in trouble.

These are kids who can be troublemakers of the kind I never came across in my own childhood, but ones that also cope with situations in a way that would be equally unimaginable for me as a child. I watch them everyday as they strive to come together, recognize their potentials and interests, understand their flaws and offer ways of improvements themselves. They exemplify grit and perseverance everyday in their lives. All that holds them back is their financial background. Their faces when they're being told of the wide expanse of the world and the amazing things that make it could well make for one of the wonders of the world. And I, as their teacher, hold dearly the vision of expanding their imaginations and honing their capabilities way beyond they believe they can by any means possible in the two years I've got with them.

*Names changed to protect identity of beneficiaries