Scarves of Friendship...

This is how the Round Table Movement crosses the National and International Boundaries....

Jaipur Pinkcity Roundtable 171 (JPRT) and a Team of students of Charleston High School had visited Jaipur 2 Years back on a social-school project at Bindayaka School. A school being supported by JPRT for 4 years now.

These students had come through the World Challenge Expedition (WCE) and had done some fantastic work then. On return they had promised to raise money for JPRT and the Round Table India Movement of "Freedom Through Education".

This year we got a mail from them, if we could work out a Business for Charity joint venture. After a lot of brain storming by Tr. Tarun, Tr. Pushpendra, Tr. Sanjeev, Tr. Alok and myself, Tr. Alok and his wife Shweta came up with - What if we Export Jaipur Block Printed Scarves to UK?! JPRT members paid for the initial expanse of 250 scarves, which were immediately dispatched to the school in Charleston, Scotland.
In very first week of Pre-Christmas sale we started to get query for a repeat order and by the second week this Charleston Schoolchildren and JPRT tablers Joint business venture was a roaring success! Now we are working out the details on a longer term venture.

JPRT is right now working on an Ambitious Heritage School project in Jaipur. This is a heritage site about 300 years old and had 500+ students studying in this diaplated building.

We have in a record time built a new wing of 8 classroom in this premises, which was inaugurated on 20th of October, 2007, and now the strength has grown from 500 to 900 plus....

We are still working on improving the school's old structure and to add a new toilet and other facilities.

We are now in Last Leg of the Phase 1 of the Parshuramdwara School Project but still short of FUNDS to help us to achieve our target.

Thank you everyone for support in our endeavor...

Naye UMANG Hai...

Yet another achievement but this time time of a totally different level.

This was our first experience with children with special abilities at UMANG - an initiative towards the rehabilitation of children with disability.

The WCE team of 16/17 students from Charleston, Scotland, Tr. Pushpendra, Tr. Tarun and myself visited the school premises on the 9th of July '07. What touched us was the purity of heart and the innocence of these children.

The Boys of the WCE team had brought their National Football Uniform, which they gifted to the students at UMANG, who quickly changed in the gear for some action!

A LAGAAN-estyle Football Match - The 2 teams of UK students and Umang Boys, kicked into action for the duel. Irrespective of their handicaps, the fireblaze kicks from the Umang boys sure made the Angreez boys rethink their strategy. After 45 mins of action from both sides, the match came to a happy ending with the Angreez side willingly losing 11-3 to Umang boys. I think the joy of losing this match was far bigger and overwhelming than any joy of winning.

The WCE team girls on other side, alongwith Tr. Tarun and Tr. Pushpendra, played interactive games with the students and also learned the special qualities of painting that some of the students had.

We all returned with wonderful memories and with a promise to fullfill atleast one wish from wishlist given to us there, donating a PA System required there. Tr. Peeyush Sharma has donated 6 ceiling fans for the New building of the UMANG school on 19 July.

The WCE Team 4 is working at the Parsuramdwara school from 26th July.

Update@WCE Team 3 from Charleston, Scotland, UK

The 3rd team of World Challange arrived at Hotel Jaipur Inn on 4th July, a group of 16/17 students and coordinators. They started work at the Government Upper Primary School -PARSHURAMDWARA, Jalmahal, Jaipur - the site of our ongoing school project.

After Tr. Manish and Tr. Pushpendra introduced the team to the school management and staff, they split into 2 groups. Group 1 started to decorate the Classroom of Grade 8 and Group 2 started work on the corridors and playroom.

After the initial euphoria of the school students upon seeing the angreez work so hard in their school, the students and WCE children started playing interactive games. A novel idea of teaching came to mind of one of the teachers, that they teach each other numbers, poems etc, in English by WCE and in Hindi by the School students.

After 4 days of extensive exhaustive and innovative work the classroom and corridor were handed over to the school...

Press coverage of the World Challange work

We recieved quite good press coverage of the World Challange teams work. Please see the Jaipur Bhaskar of 20th June and HT Jaipur Live of 21st June for coverage on WCE teams work.

As usual, Tr. Pushpendra and Tr. Manish deserve full applause for the hard work that they have put in.

Update@ 19 June

Hey guys,
The work in school is going on course and this week we will be able to cast the Roof of the ground floor.

The GOOD NEWS is that Tr. Lalit has confirmed from Mr. R.K. Mathur that 5 lac rupees have been sent to the School Semiti account but we will have to wait till 25/26 june for the Headmaster to return back to Jaipur (yes :-) he is out town till than); nevertheless as long we get the money a wait for a week is OK.

WORLD CHALLANGE
This is in continuation of working together of WCE and JPRT171 for the 4 th year...

Team 1 of (16+3) from a Swiss School arrived on 15th June and will finish work on 19 June at GOVT. RAJ. UPPER PRIMARY PARSHURAMDWARA SCHOOL!

They have done tremendous work at the school. Not only did they clean up the messy Classroom in the old school block; they have decorated it in a colourful style and have even converted a crow into a peacock! :-)



Team 2 (17+3) of the same Swiss school arrived on the 17 have started work at ALHPABETA/VIBHUTI school at Shanti path, Jawahar Nagar. This is a special school. In the day itis a regular school and in afternoon/2nd session it is run as a school for the under privileged girls (about 150 as of now) from the slum area of Jawahar Nagar and Transport Nagar...

We have been given 1 classroom and a corridor to be decorated in themes relating to nursery school children...

Will keep you posted on the work progress...
aapka,
Manishva

(Ed: Are ye bihari kab se bangava ?)

Update @ 14th June

Hi,
The progress in the school has been satisfactory and we are on track...

One major hurdle - the over head Electricity wires - after a lot Push n Pulls have been able to get them removed!

If we look at the pictures than we can see that the plinth is about 4 feet and the pillars are of good size and can take the load for 3 floors as planned. So with little more masonry work we will be in a position to cast the Ground floor roof within the next 10 days.

Before this we need to look at - the DPEP money, donations and schedule of work and finance... and time !!!

WORLD CHALLANGE

The 1st Group of this year has arrived and will start work on renovation and decoration of the 1 classroom in OLD School Structure by 16th June.