Bhartiya....!!!

Learning from U.P. elections !!!

2012-03-06T16:26:00.002+05:30

People say that politicians don't have to face consequences but I have mostly been against this(rather IAS officers don't have to undergo a test once they are selected, they might get transferred but they still remain IAS where ever they go). For a politicians who wants longevity in his political life he has to face results.

As the poll results are being announced in the recent elections held in five states, there is a very peculiar phenomena going around but the big question is "Will our national parties reflect on their acts and learn from the results ?" As said earlier, this election is going to set the mood for 2014 Parliamentary election. It is time for our national parties to come strong on their agendas and of course with strong leadership.

Here I would try to summarize the important message that are being unfolded as the ballot is counted:

Clearly people have expelled Mayawati for the work she has not done. UP needed development not public parks. How can a hungry man go and enjoy in the park ? Mayawati forgot that statues dont vote & voting does not happen in well carved public parks and kept constructing more and more statues, parks. She missed getting voter ids for all the statues, might have got few more seats. People want development and that has truly reflected in the result. She should have learned from Bihar's poll result but she did not.
SP emerged the strongest, reason being the only choice among all, amazing work done by Akhilesh and the connect that the party has with ground workers. Assembly elections depend a lot more on local leaders rather than big names or rather surnames. Akhilesh had emerged as the new face among the youth leaders but probably Mulayam will take oath as the new CM and the challenge ahead for Akhilesh would be to keep a check on the famous Gundaraj of SP in their last government (SP fielded nearly 90 candidates with criminal records.)
Congress has done a satisfactory job, it has got much more than it deserves. All involved in corruption, playing the communal card with Muslim reservation, bringing their biggest face Rahul Gandhi and even using "beauty" Priyanka to get the votes has not worked for them. This shows voters are mature enough to decide on whom to vote, they might come to see the duo but that doesn't mean that they would vote for them. Now the important thing is that whether the much hyped chopper campaign and the man behind it will once in his life come forward and take the responsibility.
The party which came into existence as "Party with a difference" has to rethink on the way ahead. Completely lost without a credible leadership, they need to take a break and think on how to move ahead for 2014 election. The only party that "seems" democratic in our country has to restructure itself otherwise they will repeat similar performance in 2014 also. It will not be the failure of BJP but it would be their dis-service to the nation of not giving the people a choice other than Congress.
Both Congress and BJP have to respect the regional parties like BSP, SP in UP; AIDMK, DMK in Tamil Nadu or Trinamol Congress in WB. It is very clear from current political scenario that there will a coalition government in 2014 also. BJP needs to partner with Mamta(Trinamol Congress) and Jayalalita (AIDMK) to enhance their chances of forming government in 2014 and the good thing is that both these leaders are not very happy with current disrespect they have got from Congress. This is a chance for BJP to strengthen their alliance with regional parties.
We cant say that movements like "Jan-Lokpal" had any effect on the election but for sure Hazare should be given the credit of spreading the awareness among masses which resulted into large turnouts of voters.

All the best to the new governement !! Let's hope for developmental work from this government.

U.P Hungry for Change !

2012-02-28T19:36:00.001+05:30

U.P. has always been the hotspot of politics in our country. The party that governs UP has remained largely at Centre with ease. But since last two decade we have witnessed a change in this and the result has been coalition governments at centre. BSP and SP emerging to be the largest in last two decade have played a big role in formation of government at centre. The counter effect to this is that both Congress and BJP are forced to form coalition government. BJP came to power only after sweeping in UP election and the day since it lost its hold in UP, it has been struggling to form a government at centre.

Both BSP and SP had been playing politics of caste, liquor and goons. BSP playing the cards of lower caste (dalit) vote bank and SP getting the privilege of backwards and Muslims votes have dominated in UP in last few elections. Rewinding five years and going back to 2007 elections Mayawati came up with a magical formula of Dalit-Brahmin coalition, she made S. C. Mishra party secretary and a new slogan was coined “Brahmin Shankh Bajayega, Hathi Badhta Jayega”. She gained huge advantage and came to power but the upper caste voter has alienated BSP and once fooled in 2007 is now looking for options in Congress and BJP.

Congress which has been under pressure due to alleged role of its leaders in high level corruption and the Jan- Lokpal movement is waiting for its Yuvraj Rahul Gandhi to do the magic in 2012 election. BJP on the other hand has been a party largely without focus, without leadership (but many leaders) and with an anti- Congress agenda rather than an agenda of developmental politics. One more thing which has always been against BJP is their communal image and their Hindutva agenda. In UP Muslims don’t turn out to vote for BSP, SP or Congress but they vote the party that can win against the BJP candidate. Jan- Lokpal movement was a lifetime opportunity for BJP to mend its basics and emerge as a strong alternative in front of people but they have lost this opportunity badly.

The recent voter turn-out in UP election clearly shows a huge increase in percentage voting in comparison to 2007 election. This can be majorly due to two reasons, firstly the increase in awareness among voters and secondly they are fed up of current government or system. We can’t deny both because we have witnessed huge public movements (protests) against the system not only in India but also in different part of world in last one year.

Hopefully we will elect a better government in UP and it will follow the pursuit of development as seen in Bihar and few other states of our country. March 6 will also decide the trend for 2014 general elections in our country.

Lead The Change – Igniting Hearts (6 weeks… 5 issues… 30 Changemakers… 9 Role Models…)

2012-02-13T00:32:00.003+05:30

Youth Alliance has come up with a new program “Lead The Change”.

Apply Now: http://youthallianceofindia.org/lead-the-change/apply-now/ (Last Date 28 February)

Presentation: http://bit.ly/zCCbGf

“There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” – Nelson Mandela

Lead The Change (LTC) is dedicated to developing social leaders; well-rounded youngsters who are equipped with leadership skills to solve the challenges faced by their communities. Its core aim is to ignite young hearts with holistic concern for their society and nation.

LTC Program will involve upto 30 youngsters in a six week program. The program will expose them to pressing issues of our societies such as human dignity, education and rural immersion. They will study solutions offered by role models, personalities and get a short experience in leadership education. They will be expected to apply this experience to come up with solution for a small local issue and in the process, understand how to set up an enterprise. They will emerge with the wealth of a rich network and a sound understanding of systemic social change.

LTC’s Core Purpose:

Youth wants to contribute but often finds it hard to figure out the right way to go about it. We believe that by exposing passionate young people to these issues and giving them opportunities to interact with role models, we can sensitize them and sow a seed deep in their hearts. It will also help them in making informed choices of how they shape their future.

It will change the outlook of young people towards issues surrounding them and enhance their skills and knowledge to address them
It will provide the young with the ability to seek holistic long term solutions and provide them great alternate career choices
Turn the direction of conversation among youth groups from mere discussion of problems to solution oriented talks, and eventually action oriented plans
Develop a pool of social leaders and build a strong network
Create a community of youth who could serve as role model for their contemporaries
Inspire to act, cause attitudinal shift in mindset

About Youth Alliance:

Youth Alliance is an organization working with a vision to “Connect EACH Youth With a Cause”. We believe in the philosophy of sensitizing young people towards the society by showing them the real picture and connecting them to ground reality.We also have a range of programmes like “Samarpan”;”Come Alive” meant to create awareness as well as bring change in society. It is an initiative of a Teach For India alumni from 2009 batch.

Apply Now: http://youthallianceofindia.org/lead-the-change/apply-now/

Agnipath !! Agnipath !! Agnipath !! अग्नि पथ! अग्नि पथ! अग्नि पथ!

2012-01-27T18:50:00.000+05:30

Just loved this poem...A lovely composition !!!

वृक्ष हों भले खड़े,
हो घने, हो बड़े,
एक पत्र-छॉंह भी मॉंग मत, मॉंग मत, मॉंग मत!
अग्नि पथ! अग्नि पथ! अग्नि पथ!

तू न थकेगा कभी!
तू न थमेगा कभी!
तू न मुड़ेगा कभी!
कर शपथ! कर शपथ! कर शपथ!

ये महान दृश्य है, चल रहा मनुष्य है,
अश्रु श्वेत् रक्त से,
लथ पथ, लथ पथ, लथ पथ !
अग्नि पथ! अग्नि पथ! अग्नि पथ!

--हरिवंशराय बच्चन

अगर नींद से प्यारा है सपना...तो यह जगह तुम्हारी है ....

2012-01-23T15:52:00.001+05:30

अगर नींद से प्यारा है सपना,
और ज़िद के साथ ले सकते हो जोख़िम
तो यह जगह तुम्हारी है ...

अगर शुरू कर सकते हो अकेले,
और बढ़ने के लिए नहीं ढूंढोगे सहारा
तो यह जगह तुम्हारी है ...

अगर भरोसा है खुद पर,
और अविश्वास नहीं है जग पर
तो यह जगह तुम्हारी है ...

अगर चल सकते हो अनथक,
और छाव का इंतज़ार नहीं है
तो यह जगह तुम्हारी है ...

अगर भूख लगे और याद आए भूखा,
और प्यास पर, तालाब एक सूखा
तो यह जगह तुम्हारी है ...

अगर आँख नहीं है पर दृष्टि है,
तन का एक भाग नहीं है, पर मस्ती है
तो यह जगह तुम्हारी है ...

अगर नहीं चाहते आग लगाना,
और चिंगारी है एक मकसद
तो यह जगह तुम्हारी है ...

अगर नींद से प्यारा है सपना,
और ज़िद के साथ ले सकते हो जोख़िम
तो यह जगह तुम्हारी है ...

- अंशु , 1/1/12
By Anshu Gupta (Founder GOONJ.. )
I and many of us at GOONJ, believe in it and we want the community to grow !!

Ups and down before I came to this world...B'day Special ; )

2012-01-09T23:56:00.001+05:30

My life was in danger when I was in my mother's womb, being the fourth child she never wanted to bring me to this world. As my family belonged to a typical Indian village family having four siblings was a common thing. She was in the cart on the way to hospital for abortion but my Grand Paa was the one who fought against everyone to bring me to this world. He had a great vision that there would be a baby boy and claimed that he had three sons so my son will also have three sons. As far as I know he hated girls. Luck was on grand Paa's side and he won, mom did not go to hospital and came back with a heavy heart.

Soon my father got transferred to Kanpur city and I was the first among my four siblings to be born in a city. Finally after all those ups and downs I was there before this mighty world. Youngest one in the house, I have been the most loved one since then. My upbringing has been done in the best possible way, whatever may be the financial situation, I was admitted to best convent school of the city. As I grew up I saw my family dreaming with me, they have dreamed big and always believed in my potential. Today also they have such high hopes from me.

Till date I have never been able to give them their desired happiness(be it IIT or job or MBA), they have always compromised by finding happiness in my happiness. Sometimes I feel that our(me and my family) goals(success parameters) in which we see happiness are really different. But I am really sure that one day they would see the larger picture and understand what I have been working for !!

Nevertheless I will make them really proud one day : )

"Service before Self"
Prakhar Bhartiya

Vipassana: Look within : ) {May all be Happy }

2011-12-25T20:05:00.002+05:30

Its hard...one of the toughest time I ever had but at the same time its a great learning experience.

Getting up at 4:00am in the morning, no meal after 12pm (just tea and two bananas in the evening), meditating for 12 hours a day and to practice silence(maun) for 10 days . All this seems tough but getting up at 4am, practicing silence and hunger wasn't an issue at all. The difficult part was mediation where I failed miserably, it was really hard for me to focus for 1hr in these 12 hours everyday. My mind was so unstable, it used to think so much, making future plans, thinking on topics that have bothered me since long.

I used to enter the Dhamma Hall(meditation hall, where everyone used to sit together to meditate) with complete focus that today I will surely meditate. First 5-10 min. used to go well and then again, the planning used to start. It was a good reality check for me, I don't know whether to take this in a negative way. But as the teaching of Vipassana says take it as it is, nothing is permanent, "This too shall pass". Every minute when the music was off, my mind was full on and when music(direction by the Acharya ji) were on I had a great focus. After 4th day there was a rule to sit for 3 hours(in three shifts of one hour each) in a position where you can't move your hands, leg and sit like an idol with eyes closed...ohh this was tough. One hour was like so hard, it seemed a day, I hardly managed to do it twice out of 18 opportunities ; )

All this apart I had planned a lot during these 10 days, streamlined all my messed up ideas, now I have concrete goals to work on, no more deviation, time to deliver. These 10 days have really helped me a lot to know more about myself, to streamline and prioritize the things I need to do, to make some tough decisions and the best part was the scenic beauty(no other beauty to look for :) ), I have never lived in such a beautiful place before. This course has strengthened my belief in "Dharma" and Gandhiji's and Buddha's saying "Truth is God".

On the way back to Delhi, I witnessed beautiful snow capped mountains, it looks just incredible, I have never seen such beautiful mountains before. But I dont know whether my grand children would be able to see this !!!

As from the plane...they just look magical !!!

"Bhavatu Sabb Mangalam"

- With Love

"Service before Self"
Prakhar Bhartiya

Freezing Kathmandu !!

2011-12-25T19:56:00.001+05:30

As I got down from bus, thoughts were that there would be some checking and all but nothing was there. I just walked through the border and reached Nepal. On the other side I went to the bus ticket counter to take the ticket for Kathmandu, I gave him 1000Rs. and he returned me 1150Rs.(ticket was of 300Rs(NC)), I thought he did some mistake but then realized that INC is around 1.6times NC. Was happy to have more money : )

The bus stopped twice on the way for tea break, it was chilling cold. We reached Kathmandu at around 7am and it was freezing there, had a coffee and then took a taxi to Vipassana City Centre office at Kanthipasth road.

Journey from City Office to Vipassana Centre:

I am just loving the journey from the city centre to the main Vipassana centre situated at the foothills of Shivpuri National Park. I don't know about the experience but one thing that I surely know is that I will love this place, actually I am loving it. Kathmandu has a chilling weather but hot and decent girls.

We are sitting in a small van with around 20 students, 16 facing one side and four towards other 16. I am in the four and as I look towards their face I feel as if Vipassana has started, none of them have any expression on their face. Everyone is so quite like something has happened to them.

So, we are at our destination and this place is really very beautiful, its so green and the Kanthmandu valley looks amazing from here.

Time to get down : )

- With Love

"Service before Self"
Prakhar Bhartiya

My First ever foreign trip : )

2011-12-25T19:16:00.000+05:30

I have been talking to my friends about my first ever foreign trip. They also laughed, when I say "foreign trip". So, finally the day came !!!

My train is from Delhi. Oh! I forgot to tell you where I am going, I am going to Kathmandu, Nepal. I am not very excited about going to Nepal but I am quite excited about my purpose of going there. I am going for a ten day meditation course, famously known as Vipassana. As per the schedule send by them, I had to get up at 4:00am and sleep by 9:30 pm and more importantly no diner only breakfast and lunch would be served. These things were enough to make a hogger(: )) bit nervous. I have heard that it would be freezing cold in Kathmandu, my father has called me several times to remind me of keeping warm clothes. I was finally set with my bag of woolen clothes and my most trustworthy "Lalimli" shawl(it has been in my rescue several times).
I was telling you that my train is from Delhi.

Journey Begins:

As usual after doing all the preparations beforehand, I managed to leave home just on time, then come the Delhi traffic which is always there to haunt you. My train to Gorakhpur was at 8:25pm but I managed to reach station 20 min. earlier. So, thought to have my dinner, went to the Jan Ahaar at platform no 16, ordered to give a packed Veg-Biriyani, he took 5Rs. extra to pack it. As I took it in hand a thought peeped in mind that I have nearly 18 min in hand, did some calculations in mind and started eating there only. Now 10 min left to reach platform no 7, rushed through the ever increasing population of our country and reached the platform.

There was constant announcement since last 10 min that Gorakhdham is arriving on platform no 7 and it went on for 20 more min after I reached the platform.

Isse acha to khana araam se khaya hota... ; )

Finally train came and guess what it reached Gorakhpur nearly 5 hours late. Then I took a bus from there to Sanauli border !!!

Yippee !!! About to step in a foreign nation: )

- With Love

"Service before Self"
Prakhar Bhartiya

Connecting The Dots: The Role Of Youth In India’s Progress

2011-11-23T23:38:00.000+05:30

When we talk about “Nation Building” on the basis of policies, politics and (old) people; we miss a very important critical role which has to be played by the youth. But thanks to the changing scenario of our country – people have started realizing that the youth are not useless, but are just used-less.

I am a firm believer of the youth power and feel that if it gets connected to the society, a lot can be changed. But this connection has to be a deep rooted one, it can’t be a superficial effort to bring in bigger changes; it has to be at an emotional level. During my graduation days, I was trying to grab opportunities to work for various social causes and also connect my friends to them. What I realised at that time was that there were many people who wanted to work for a good cause but the problem was finding the right opportunity.

I was fortunate enough to get a few opportunities during college days and then, Teach For India happened. Teach For India gave me a chance to work at the ground level and understand the problems pertaining to the people belonging to the bottom of the pyramid. I joined Teach For India because I wanted to understand the need of “Bharat- The Real India”. I wanted to connect to these people, be with them, be a part of their lives and eventually find a way to connect youth and make it the solution of ever growing problems of this nation. Teach For India is the place where I met like-minded, committed and passionate people who were ready to come out of their comfort zones to make a difference. These young people made me realise that we all have the capacity to challenge the challenges of the world; they gave me hope and empowered my belief in the power of youth.

My classroom and community gave me the opportunity to learn more about the basic issues that are ignored not only by our government but also by the so-called civil society. Every day was a new lesson for me. The under resourced classroom taught me to be resourceful, 52 kids in the first year and 38 in the second year taught me perseverance, patience and sense of possibility. It actually made be believe that yes, “I Can” and “I Will”. The love showered by the students and community gave me the strength to work harder even in the gravest situations. Being a teacher is a phenomenal experience and one of the toughest ones.

Working in a government school for two years has immensely helped me understand how the government system is made dysfunctional. Education, which is one of the most important tools of our nation’s progress, is given least importance in a school. Today, I can say that in most of the government schools where focus should ideally be on its students, it is in fact on completing attendance registers and admin work. The system is made in such a way that the officials give least importance to studies; the teachers are engaged in so many other things that they hardly have any teaching time.

As an example, this year in the month of February and March, teachers were pulled out of classrooms to conduct population surveys. Classrooms were without teachers for more than a month and nobody cared. Why were only school teachers selected? Why were bank employees not selected or new people hired for this project? The answer is that the profit and loss of banks is easy to assess and is tangible. Our education system is made in such a way that there is no accountability check at any level. The first check, in case of the schooling system in India, is at Grade 10. Till then, a student has been under at least ten different teachers who can’t be held accountable in case of failure. Banks and PSUs are also government departments but they are profitable because they regularly check their profit-loss statement.

The big question is – why is education, especially primary education, ignored in our country? For a kid – the first profession that s/he witnesses is teaching, then why don’t we make our primary teachers the real role models?

Here is where I feel the role of Teach For India alumni strengthens; the journey actually starts after the two years of Fellowship. The two years of Fellowship, for me, are the learning period that equip one with tools to come out and be the change. To sum it up in a line,“Empower yourself to a position from where you can bring in the desired change.” I strongly feel positive about the potential of youth and hence, I am currently working to connect the youth to a cause under the flagship of Youth Alliance. Youth Alliance is an organization that I started during college and now it serves as a platform for youth to work for different causes.

Teach For India has taught me to question my actions before pointing out to other’s follies. Hence, at the end what matters is, “What will I do about it?”

-With Love

“Service before Self”

PrakharBhartiya is currently working on connecting youth to social causes through Youth Alliance and on NGO Reach Program with NIIT Foundation. He taught for 2-years, full-time at a Municipal School in Mumbai as a part of Teach For India’s first cohort of Fellows (2009-2011).

I wrote this article for "Youth Ki Awaaz" and it was published a month back !!!
http://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2011/10/connecting-the-dots-the-role-of-youth-in-indias-progress/

The Youth Alliance:"Featured as Inspiring Story by Microsoft India"

2011-11-18T13:09:00.000+05:30

The ‘youth’ of a country is the faction that is a time-honoured scapegoat and never fails to be a source of disapproval to someone at some point. They don’t have focus; they don’t wear too much, they smoke too much, they don’t do too much, they don’t participate politically, they ‘participate’ way too much socially – the list is endless! Even in calmer times, there’s a sword of Damocles hanging over them as a reminder that a slump in positive feedback isn’t too far behind.

The Youth Alliance, initiated by Prakhar, should keep that slump well at bay! Youth Alliance was visualised as a website that would serve as a comprehensive database of the social sector and that’s what it has turned into. Its mission statement – ‘Connect Each Youth With a Cause’ is completely understandable in a world where people are often blindsided by the amount of information there is out there and by the prospect of having to spend time going through it.

A highly motivated person, Prakhar who is a consultant with NIIT, spends a majority of his spare time on the Youth Alliance and the load of work that accompanies it, though he informs us that he should begin working on the endeavour full-time in a short while. The organisation has as strong an offline presence with projects being undertaken (such as volunteers heading into a village near Kanpur to replace all bulbs with CFLs) that would put high-level NGOs to shame.

“I have volunteered with Janaagraha when I was in my second year of engineering in college and later even became a fellow with Teach for India. Post attaining my fellowship, I went on the Jaagriti Yatra (an 18-day train journey that takes hundreds of India's highly motivated youth on a national odyssey to awaken the spirit of entrepreneurship). Through my experiences, I found that even though I wanted to help, there wasn’t a cohesive platform to go to. I wanted to create such a platform,” says the activist earnestly.

What has the response been like, we ask? “(The response)...hasn’t been very high but it’s all relative. We had a seminar for Mass Communication and MBA students recently and about 150 people turned up. They were quite interested and asked a lot of questions,” says Prakhar.

If you ask who’s behind the Youth Alliance, Prakhar eagerly tells us that Youth Alliance is a family of 7 to 8 core members with 55 volunteers in Delhi alone. They have a host of volunteers in Kanpur and Lucknow and are looking to expand to the south of the country, if possible.

Endeavours like the Youth Alliance should be supported fully since the goal that they’re furthering is too important to be allowed an indecent burial under the aegis of being ‘a lost cause’ or even worse - ‘unattainable’.

Contact details

Official Website

Mail : info@youthallianceofindia.org

Telephone:

Divya - 09868638883

Vibhuti: 09582870628

Prakhar: 07838540546

Note: We were featured by Microsoft India as an inspiring story on the eve of Gandhi Jayanti. Thanks to all our supporters.
Original Link: http://specials.msn.co.in/sp11/india365/archives_story.aspx?ID=9793705d-860d-419d-8a4e-9f007d220942&index=36

Youth Alliance: For the cause of India

2011-09-06T01:51:00.001+05:30

By: Unnati Narang | August 16, 2011 "The Better India" http://www.thebetterindia.com/3918/youth-alliance-for-the-cause-of-india/

Prakhar Bhartiya

Youngsters are always standing at the crossroads of life, constantly taking decisions and shaping their careers. It is very rare for modern day youth to think beyond the nitty-gritties of their own lives and take up the service of their nation as their primary goal and endeavour. And hence, when I met Prakhar Bhartiya, who seemed like any other youngster at first, I was surprised to see the kind of initiatives he was leading – all in the interest of our great polity. On our sixty fourth independence anniversary, I can’t help but take note of this young man – a consultant by profession – who has been the inspiration and fountainhead of a youth organisation called Youth Alliance.

The aim of his organisation is to connect youth with a cause. It acts like an information portal for youngsters to work in the social sector, keep them updated about issues of national importance and help them become the future torchbearers of our nation. Recently, in order to support social activist Anna Hazare in his campaign against prevailing corruption in the country, Youth Alliance led motorcycle processions at Shaheed Stambh in Motijheel, Kanpur. The procession was flagged off by freedom fighter Manwati Arya.

Apart from their ongoing offline drives, the Youth Alliance group is highly active on Facebook and can be seen posting updates several times every day. It is an encouraging platform for youngsters who want to make their voice heard.

Every now and then, when I get updates from this Facebook group, it serves as a constant reminder of the need to reclaim India’s lost glory, and not let greed and corruption overpower our patriotic fervour. In many silent ways, Prakhar has been able to connect to millions of youth across India. He has also previously worked as a Teach for India Fellow in Pune, apart from being involved with the Jaago Re! movement.

Anti-corruption rally organized by Youth Alliance

Recently, as part of Youth Alliance, he has also started an initiative called Samarpan under which youth can volunteer with an NGO and try to be a solution to India’s ever growing problems.

“Youth Alliance has come up with this initiative (Samarpan) with a dual objective of providing human resources (volunteers at the beginning stage) to NGOs and at the same time raising the emotional quotient of the youth who are still under the shackles of ignorance which eventually will enable them to be a change maker in the long run. The idea behind the initiative is to make each youth contribute to the social development of the country. As it has been seen that today’s youth is aware and has a will to give back to society in a corner of their heart. BUT there is a section of youth who is still unaware of the gravity of all social issues from poverty to illiteracy to corruption and some who are aware do not get the right platform to contribute to nation building. We believe that the ground level exposure at an NGO will help them in understanding the magnitude of the social issues/concerns our country is facing today and thus will in due course make them realize the need of the hour,” says Prakhar.

Youth Alliance believes that by coming in contact with the under-served people and by being there in the moments of pain or joy, we can look forward to augment their lifestyles. This initiative provides the young people of our country with the opportunities to have their careers inclined past the welfare of the society and to have a look towards their life in a much more sensible way. Once they are out of their college, it provides them with the responsibility of being ‘Agents of Change’. As these volunteers have been a part of the community, they can empathize with them and help them in a significant way.

In its own big and small ways, Youth Alliance is playing a pivotal role in bridging the gap between the needs of our nation and the capabilities of the youth. So if you are a young Indian, looking to make a difference, you know where to start now.

Visit http://youthallianceofindia.org/

And Join http://www.facebook.com/groups/youthalliance/

Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/changeagents

Click like on this link if you liked it: http://www.thebetterindia.com/3918/youth-alliance-for-the-cause-of-india/
This was published by "The Better India" on the eve of Independence Day.

Don't Act Pricey ; ))

2011-08-29T20:17:00.000+05:30

Dear Friends,

Its been very long since I have shared something with you. Life after TFI has been very hectic, the days are passing like hours. Family and friends are being annoyed and they say that since you have come to Delhi you are being very busy or acting pricey ; )

What should I say.....don't have any words. I was always in love with her but never thought that it would also love me so much. Now we are mutual lovers, me and my sweet Delhi. My lover has embraced me so well that I don't get time for anything else. With so many plans in mind I came to Delhi on 6th of May this year. Joined my new job at NIIT Foundation and started working on the next project of Youth Alliance.

Just to remind you all Youth Alliance is something that was started during my college days. It has been desperate to move ahead but the two wonderful years at TFI gave it the time to mature and do something significant. Two months in Delhi and it launched its new initiative,"Samarpan" and a brand new website. Friends now you could have guessed where my time was going, why was I (rather am) so busy with my work. The idea behind Youth Alliance is to connect youth with a cause and Samarpan has already started doing it. Thinking what is Youth Alliance, what is Samarpan all about, today I will not tell you this, go visit the website find it out, there is a lot more for you(th) to explore there. (http://youthallianceofindia.org/).

At present I don't have any personal life, I take the work of YA as my personal work but all this apart the life has to move on, learning and unlearning have to continue. I thought who else knows me better than you, so thought to share it with you. In this fast track life between NIIT Foundation and Youth Alliance, I am preparing to plan it in a better way.

Here is my daily routine that I will follow from now (unless in case of a meeting or any emergency). You have to keep a check on it, whether I am following it or not because you want me to grow, you want me to prosper so this is important for me as well as you.

‎7:00 - exercise, newspaper
---- OFFICE----
6:30-7:30 - internet, email
7:30-8:00 - practice silence
8:00-9:30 - food, phone, entert.
9:30- 10:00 - internet
10:00-11:00 - YA/ study for GRE
11:00- 11:45 - Read
11:45 - GN - internet,calls, write diary etc.

If you want to suggest something and improve do comment or contact me, would love to do so.

Love
- Prakhar

Youth Alliance: Connecting Youth With A Cause

2011-07-14T18:17:00.001+05:30

I would like to share with you about “Youth Alliance” (Click like on Fan Page and do promote us, we need your support) with a mission to “Connect each Youth with a Cause”. The idea of one of its initiative, “Samarpan” came to my mind nearly one year back. Being a Teach For India fellow I got a chance to be with the community,see, feel and be a part of their lives. Two years in classroom and community gave me a very clear picture of what is the basic need at ground level. At that time I thought to start a program that can connect youth and cause together and eventually raise their emotional quotient for the society because one can’t know the real picture till when he/she has been there on ground to feel it. Books and movies gives the perception of the author and direction of the director. If one wants to know the real picture he/she has to be on ground with the people and be a part of their lives.

What we are trying to do ? (About Samarpan)

Youth Alliance has come up with this initiative with a dual objective of providing human resources (volunteers at the beginning stage) to NGOs and at the same time raising the emotional quotient of the youth who are still under the shackles of ignorance which eventually will enable them to be a change maker in the long run. The idea behind the initiative is to make each youth contribute to the social development of the country. As it has been seen that today’s youth is aware and has a will to give back to society in a corner of their heart… BUT there is a section of youth who is still unaware of the gravity of all social issues from poverty to illiteracy to Corruption and some who are aware do not get the right platform to contribute to the Nation Building… We believe that the ground level exposure at an NGO will help them in understanding the magnitude of the social issues/ concerns our country is facing today and thus will in due course make them realize the need of the hour.

Philosophy of Change:

We believe that by coming in contact with the under-served people and by being there in the moments of pain or joy, we can look forward to augment their lifestyles. This initiative provides the young people of our country with the opportunities to have their careers inclined past the welfare of the society and to have a look towards their life in a much more sensible way. Once they are out of their college, it provides them with the responsibility of being ‘Agents of Change’. As these volunteers have been a part of the community, they can empathize with them and help them in a significant way.

What else we are trying to do ?

Apart from this we are trying to setup a web-portal that will help youth to find their best fit in social sector, from education to employment:

Fellowship (Collecting Information about all the credible fellowship models for youth )
Youth Connect( Space where youth can find different NGOs working with youth across India)
Budding Entrepreneurs (A section where in youth can share the crux of his business model and get feedback from different personalities who have a good exp. in social sector; also find mentor for himself, for this we are in talks with different social leaders and are asking them to adopt young entrepreneurs and nurture them to be the best)
I Change (A section wherein youth can read about different rights which we have as the citizen of India and information about various govt. department; RTI, RTE, CVC, Passport Authority etc. )
Careers (This section would show different opportunity available in social sector)
Social Consultancy

Now feel free to shoot questions, critically and constructively analyze the whole model and surely HELP us grow!!!

No copyright anyone is free to copy the whole model !!!

And please, please ….click like on our Fan Page (http://www.facebook.com/changeagents), participate in discussion….share on your page and profile….promote us !!!

Together we CAN and WE Will !!!

- “Service before Self”

Prakhar Bhartiya

Testimony From a Brother

2011-06-28T12:39:00.001+05:30

My elder brother mailed me these lovely lines on 15-December 2010. It was a lovely day.

खुशियों की सौगात हो तुम
सबसे अलग कुछ खास हो तुम
इसीलिए एक पावन एहसास हो तुम
जिनसे बहुत दूर उनके भी पास हो तुम
मेरी सोच का अंदाज हो तुम
हर बड़े सच का आधार हो तुम

And these are the lines from the days of orkut, when people used to write testimonials. He wrote these for me in 2008. I just love these lines and read them when ever I feel some low point in my life !!!
Everytime I read the below testimony, I cant stop being emotional....Bhaiya u rock and really make me feel special !!!

"prakhar.....
mera bhai... bole to ummeedon ka samandar...
aur haan isne ummeedon se mujhe jodne aur unhen poora karne mein koi kasar bhi nahin chhori hai....
woh smart bhi hai, inteligent bhi hai aur.... sweet-sweet to hai hi....
ho bhi kyun na akhir mera chhutka jo hai.....

love u beta.....
bahut aage jao.....
itna aage ki swabhimaan ke saath meri pehchaan bano....

main jaanta hoon....
hoga bhi aisa hi......
akhir woh PRAKHAR jo hai "

These are one of the most lovely lines ever said to me.Thank you Bhaiya (Sanjiv) for making me what I am and believing in what I have been trying to do. You have been inspirational for me, a mentor, a guide and a really cool friend.
Thanks for being with me in every walk of my life.

Peace

2011-06-22T16:34:00.000+05:30

According to Wikipedia, Peace describes a society or a relationship that is operating harmoniously and without violent conflict. But I don’t think that the end of violence means peace. Peace has a much larger meaning. It has many aspects; it can be mental peace, physical peace, peace of living in safe environment.

When I think about peace the first thing that comes to my mind is mental peace. For me this is really important. It is one the hardest thing to get. One can be in the safest place, have all the luxuries of life but still not live in peace. For example: For a daily wage earner who doesn’t know about his meal next day, mental peace is nearly impossible if doesn’t get work. So, mental peace comes from security for future which includes a lot more than just financial safety.

I think the meaning of peace, varies in different strata’s of society. For middle class peace is when they are assured that their old age is financially secured but this is not the same for upper class. If we observe a changing scenario, then we notice that the upper class of people are transitioning towards spirituality to attain peace because they have can fulfill all their financial needs and hence want to gain mental peace.

I believe that relation between desire and peace is inversely proportional. As our greed increases, we start losing our peace and start to grumble for small-small things. I know it is hard to control the desires but still if we benchmark our needs it becomes a lot simpler. We should define our needs and try to limit them and once that is done, life becomes easy. We feel the fun in life and start enjoying it and which eventually gives us immense pleasure and peace.

The environment in which we live also contributes to our peace. Physical safety is man’s first priority and the place where we live contributes a lot to it. If we have fear for our lives, it becomes very hard to live in peace. Take examples from our countries only; can we live peacefully in Taliban affected Afghanistan or SWAT valley of Pakistan or Kashmir valley in India or Naxalite hit red corridor in India or flood affected region of Bangladesh ? The answer is “NO” because our first priority will be to save ourselves and our loved ones life. The living environment can be affected by terrorism or by flood or by criminal activities but if our lives are unsafe it is hard to live in peace.

Lastly I would say being a follower of Gandhian philosophy I believe in non-violence, truthfulness and simplicity. So, if we have these attributes in us, we can easily live a peaceful life.

* This is the answer to the question (What is Peace ?)asked to me while I was applying for South Asian Youth Conference, which took place last month in IIM, Bangalore and I was selected for the conference.

"Hello"

2011-06-10T15:17:00.000+05:30

“Hello”, “Good morning......!”

Every morning when she gets up, she calls me and that is the best moment of my day. Her sleepy voice makes me feel as if she is standing next to me; the time comes to a standstill and all my desires get fulfilled. There is a big smile on my face and I don’t want to hang-up, it’s all so romantic.

It’s been so many years with her; we know each other so well. I know she loves me like anything and the same is for me. She knows everything about me, my habits; what faces I make at what instances; what I like to eat, drink etc. and even what I do when I get up in morning or before sleeping. She understands me truly and respects my emotions.

Today we are meeting after a very long time. She would greet me with a very big shy smile on her face. And we would forget everything around; we would get a chance to be real and being understood. As the time ticks in the clock my heartbeats are going up and down like desperate sea waves, the desperation to see the beloved is evident. And here comes my sweet angel for whom I have been waiting for so long to complete my barren life. For some time we remained quite but still said everything to each other. Her hands are clasped to mine as if she is afraid of losing me. As we walk down the road we share our time that we had spent without each other. She is the best gift I have ever got, the best thing that has happened to me. Its like made for each other and we know that we are the best couple ever. After a long chat I started feeling as if she was always there with me, in me, we were never away. Over the conversation she asked me what next and I was quite, dumb......

Buzzz...... Oh !!! Its 8:00 O’clock time for office. Sometimes we wish that the dream should come true because I can still feel her fragrance in air.

"Logo Says it All"

2011-05-23T23:27:00.001+05:30

The Logo Says it all:

1. The chakra - This reflects the continuity of process and color blue is for process with peace.

2. Two people icon (attached and flying):

- even though they hold differences (two different colors) they are "face to face".

- the different colored icons shows people with differences - their idea of change may differ but the motive is same.

- the flying posture is reflecting their spirit - their flying to no limits.

3. The colors of logo refer to Secularism

4. Alphabet in small-form are symbolising no-dominance.

This beautiful, lively logo is designed by Naveen bhaiya and we team Youth Alliance is really thankful to him for his contribution for us not just for this but for assistance since last four years from the days when we started the "Power Saving Campaign" in college times.

To know more about YA follow: http://www.facebook.com/changeagents

Happy Women's Day

2011-03-08T18:53:00.002+05:30

Our nation is really full of diversities mixed with orthodox cultures.....at one end we worship so called goddess "Durga/Kali" and at the other end nearly everyday a women is raped in Delhi or physically assaulted in each and every corner of our country..... ...at one end both our President and (actual) Prime Minister are women but literacy rate for women is 54.5%.......and then we celebrate womens day....!!!

I would rather say "All the Best" to all the females of this so called shining and self obsessed, male dominated proud nation....to be prepared and empower themselves in each and every field of life because you have the capability to be ahead of every other species.....!!!

And then one day together we will say "Happy Women Day"...."ALL THE BEST"...!!!

- प्रखर भारतीय

"Classroom: An Experimental Lab.”

2011-02-01T08:19:00.006+05:30

As I am writing this note I would just hope that I don’t read about one more scandal in our country tomorrow morning. Inefficient government, corrupt politician and bureaucrats, selfish business houses, inflation at its peak and dying common man. This is the situation of our country.

Things need to be changed but how, who will do it? The onus is on us but it is very hard for a young passionate Indian to think of a change and get started with it. I was lucky enough to get this opportunity. Teach For India gave me a platform where I can work at the bottom of pyramid, work with hundreds of other passionate, committed youth.

Not only I, my close ones also feel tremendous personal transformation in me over this period of fellowship. Today rather than just debating over a problem, I feel like providing or finding a solution to it, I feel myself to be more a responsible and proactive citizen. The classroom and the community has been a testing laboratory for me, there is a great deal of learning here. A simple thing is that if I need to find a solution to the problems of the half a billion Indians, I need to have spent time with them, seen them closely and should have the ability to connect to them. An elite who has been to such places only after a disaster or any natural calamity can’t give solution to their problems because he can’t connect to them. My classroom and community gave me the opportunity to learn more about them and strengthened my personal belief towards being a part of the political system.

Working in a government school for two years has helped me a lot to understand how the government system is made dysfunctional. Education which is one of the root causes of our nation’s problem is given least importance in a school. Today I can say that in most of the government school where the focus should be its student, the focus is on completing attendance register and the students are the last item in their priority list. Here I would like to share an incident from my class. One of my “Superstar” Shahid was categorised as mentally challenged by the school authorities and I was told about it during the beginning of the academic year. I tried to notice him and yes he behaved in some unusual manner, he was a very quite child but always had a big cheeky smile on his face. What I found over a couple of months was that he lacked in self confidence and was afraid of people around him. I had many one to one conversations with him, met his family and went out for partying with him. The change was evident, I used to praise him for his smallest accomplishment in classroom, he started gaining confidence and one day I told the longest word in English language in class and Shahid was the first one to spell it correctly. This was the day when he really gained his confidence and I was the happiest teacher on planet. In the next term examination he secured 13^th rank in class and I believe that in future he would be a different person due to this gain in confidence. This is the story of one such Shahid and there are many more such Shahids in Indian classrooms who need the right direction and some love. There are many such stories of transformation which I have witnessed in my classroom and I feel blessed to be a teacher because these small smiles give me the confidence to move ahead and take the bigger challenge.

The level of confidence that I have in me is immense, now I believe that yes “I Can” be the difference because I have seen things changing. Personal transformation is not a small thing, it happens only when something challenges your belief every day, breaks you down and that happens in a classroom every day. I love being in my classroom, my real life experimental lab where my kids are my teacher, teaching me the important lessons of life before I take the bigger challenge.

Thanks “Superstars: The Leaders of Tomorrow” and thanks “TFI Family”….!!!

“Service before Self”
- प्रखर भारतीय

Why I want to join Politics ?

2011-01-17T09:56:00.000+05:30

Dear Friends,

My school was in front of a slum and as a 7 year old child I used to feel something different seeing that sight but would never understand why or what. I never shared this with anyone and just felt helpless. I always had goosebumps seeing slums and needy people. As I grew up, went to college and was capable enough of doing something for the people of that slum, I went back, back to the place from where the seed of giving back to the society was planted deep in my heart. During these years besides being a student, I worked for different social causes, founded an organization “Youth Alliance” and tried to learn the basic problems of society. At the age of 22, I was there, in front of my old school from where it all started. I asked them about their problems, convinced them to send the kids to school and helped them as much as I could.

But the need was endless, it was just 15 - 20 families in front of school and there are millions of such families in our country. I stepped back and thought why poverty is still prevalent in our country and that too at such a large scale. Why don’t we have clean drinking water? Why can’t we challenge illiteracy and throw it out ? And many other such questions came to my mind. I came up with many answers such as corruption, ineffective policies, corrupt politicians, government, lack of awareness (about our rights) among people etc. What struck me the most was politicians and government. Because it is the place from where policies are drafted and politicians are the people who have to execute them. A politician is elected by the people and hence he/she should be held accountable for their sufferings. I think that a person who has seen ground realities and can connect to the masses, their needs, can better help in framing policies and work for the upliftment of the under privileged.

I joined Teach For India, which addresses the issue of education inequity, the root cause of many problems in India, to enhance my personal skills as a leader and work at ground level to understand the basic issues and address them. I feel that it has provided me a platform to work along with committed, passionate and like-minded young people and I am learning a
lot from each one of them. Currently I am working in a government school and here I have learned a lot about our system, like how difficult it is to change an ineffective and redundant policy; the root cause of failure for great initiatives taken by government etc. And now my beliefs that there is a need to change our policies have strengthened. And I feel that this can be done only by active involvement of youth in politics. We are a very young nation and youth of our nation have immense potential, we have the potential to change our nation and give it a new shape. We can make India a healthy, educated and a safe place to live in. I dream of an India which is free from poverty, hunger, illiteracy, corruption; an India with no urban and rural divide; an India which is a safe place to live in; an India where liberty, equality, fraternity and justice is not just written in the constitution, come let’s make it true, together we can change our nation.

I want to be a part of political system and transform the system that caters to the needs of 1.2 billion people. Let’s change the definition of politics in India, let’s start the politics of development, ethics and values.

I am sharing all this with you because if over a period of time, I get drifted away from why I joined politics, you can support me and bring me back on my track.

“Service before Self”
-Love Bhartiya

What should be our "Circle of Affection" ?

2010-12-21T15:51:00.010+05:30

As a daily routine my brother was going through the newspaper and analyzing it. In between he made a call to the representative of a news agency which releases the news for all the newspaper of my city. It was about a news in which a student has tried to commit suicide and the agency has included his true detailed identity.
The conversation which later turned into an argument was about the repercussion of that news. The big question was how sensitive a media person should be while using the identity of the person and what can be its repel effect ?

My brother was supporting the view that a media person should avoid using the identity of the person in such cases. He supported it by different examples like how victimized the person would feel, about his family etc. But the person on the other side was unwilling to understand all this and was supporting the view that we should mention the identity.

After a long discussion my brother asked him tell me if it was someone from your family or me, then what would you have done. The person on other side replied I would have avoided using the identity. He explained him because he is from your family or I am close to you and you don't want to spread something bad about us. And then he asked a very emotional and strong question.

What should be our circle of affection : limited to our family, our friend, our street, our area, our city, our state, our country or the whole world. Because at the end of the day it is a human being who is facing the harsh side effects of journalism.

Gandhi and his Philosophy

2010-12-20T17:15:00.001+05:30

Politician: This is a mere allegation. The video has been tampered, this is not at all my voice and picture is not that clear to identify whose face it is.

Reporter: But analysts say that it is you only and they have matched the voice with the speech that you gave on Independence Day.

No one knows the truth and we can't trust either of them because one is a politician and the other is a media person. Such is the condition of society in the country of Buddha, Mahavir, Vivekanand, Gandhi etc. These were the people with principles, with values, with discipline and they lead by example.
Today we talk about Gandhi and always try to make distance from his principles of truthfulness and non-violence. We can see Gandhi on the wall of every government office but it is very difficult to find a office free from corruption and following the Gandhian philosophy. I have personally felt that today it has become a trend for youths to abuse Gandhi, people never try to relate to what he has done and start criticizing him.
I would just say that at least try to know the person before u make any judgment against him, be it your friend, enemy or someone like Gandhi.

What does Bihar's Poll result teach the nation ?

2010-11-24T19:24:00.001+05:30

First of all many congratulations to Mr. Nitish Kumar for being victorious once again. For me this is not a victory for JD(U)-BJP alliance but it's a victory for our nation. This could be the turning point for Indian politics. People of Bihar have shown us the path which is very vital for development of the nation. They came out of their houses to vote for development and for me this is the perfect quintessential of changing Indian mindset. I would like to point out certain lesson that Bihar's poll result has taught us.

1. When Bihar which is considered to be the most backward state of India can go on polls with development as agenda and emerge successful, then why not rest of India. Bihari's have shown the right path to rest of fellow Indians. So, now we can define a beginning of new political system in India: Politics of development.

2. Dynasty politics will not work everywhere. It doesn't matter whether you have ruled us for 15 years or 60 years. You have to be there with the people, work for them to get vote. It's not an election of Lady Shri Ram College where only girls have to vote. Mindset of public is changing and they know who is better for them Yuvraj or a leader from their soil.

3. BJP took the right lesson from Orissa mishap, which happened just before the last general election. (They broke their 11 year old alliance with BJD because of seat sharing issues, which resulted in a landslide loss for both parties) Here in Bihar they understood the charisma of Nitish and followed whatever he demanded. Firstly it was not an easy decision for BJP leadership to keep Mr. Modi out of Bihar and secondly they agreed to the seat sharing formula set by Nitish.

Happiness .....!!!

2010-10-22T01:19:00.000+05:30

Happiness for a child,
When he gets a candy for which he was crying.

Happiness for a student,
When his teacher praises him.

Happiness for a mother,
When his baby takes the first step.

Happiness for a father,
When his son walks with him shoulder to shoulder.

Happiness for a poor man,
When he eats twice a day.

Happiness for a teacher,
When his struggling student stands up and answers.

Happiness for a youth,
When he gets his first salary.

Happiness for a vegetable seller,
When all his vegetables are sold.

Happiness for a rich person,
When his assets are doubled.

Happiness for a lover,
When he meets his partner after a long period.

Happiness can be Success,
Success can be Happiness.

But the real HAPPINESS for me is,
The essence of happiness in my surrounding.

Service before Self
- Love Bhartiya

Aspire, Achieve, Be the Change....!!!

2010-10-13T20:28:00.001+05:30

Dear Friends,

It was a hard decision to leave the classroom which was all set and on track but keeping the larger picture in mind I think it was a good decision. A decision to shift to Mumbai and be a part of MCGM (Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai) transformation project. Again starting from scrap but with a year of experience in bag. This year apart from class there were some additional responsibilities of school management. Being a part of transformation project I have to be proactive and reach out to the HM and other teachers to know them better and lend them a helping hand. But all this would be effective only when my classroom is a model classroom.

Learning levels were extremely low; kids were at least 2 to 3 grade level below their current level. There were so many groups within class, few were able to read but a few don’t know ABC… . We started together with a name “Superstars” which later became “Team Superstars”. My basic focus was phonics and numbers. It was challenging but interesting to notice rapid improvement in few of them. Few of the kids such as Adarsh, Jayant, Khansa, Sahil etc have shown tremendous improvement in last three months, their reading fluency has doubled, they can write a short passage and have started talking in broken English. I feel phonics has helped them a lot, apart from this I have tried to cultivate that desire or hunger to study or for knowledge which helps me in pushing many kids. To motivate them I call my friends in classroom so that kids can meet in person and further establish their belief on what they want to become. In our class we have inspiring quotes all around.
When you enter the class these are the words written in front: ASPIRE, ACHIEVE, BE THE CHANGE and kids have to follow the following procedure every day. They have to look at one word and think the following:

1. Aspire: Enter the class, look at it and rethink want you want to become.

2. Achieve: Now look at it and think, are you working hard, to get what you have aspired.

3. Be The Change: Now think what change you can bring in your family and surrounding by achieving what you have aspired..!!!

If I look at my class now, I feel that there are at least 8 - 10 kids who want to study now and work very hard to compete with the top ones and it is really satisfying to push a kid from middle level to upper level. But there is always a flip side of the coin. I still struggle with nearly 10 kids because of one of the following reason: attendance issue, three have learning disability and lack of 1 -1 attention from my side. But I am very hopeful that at least I have authority over attendance and 1-1 attention which I will be solving in coming month. Home visit and investing parent is the best way to address attendance issue.
Visiting community is always a great experience it shows me the background from where my kid is coming, the atmosphere he lives in and thus gives me enough knowledge to plan how I should deal with that particular kid in class and his mindset. They mostly live in hard conditions; a 10 * 10 feet house with 5 siblings is the general trend in my kid’s communities. There is a lot to learn from kids and their community, how they search for their happiness from their daily miseries, how they come school laughing and dancing when they know that they will be beaten back home, when they know that today again their parents would quarrel, when they know that today it is his turn to be awake till late night because few of them have to sleep in shifts due to lack of space….. . Now how can I scold a sleeping kid in my class because I don’t know the reason why is he sleeping. They are with me for six hours a day and I have just one target in my mind to make these six hours special for them, six hours filled with fun, love, energy, excitement and learning. So, that they come next day with same excitement and forget the pain (if any).

This year working in Municipal School’s transformation project gave me an opportunity to work closely with other teachers and HM and through that I have learned a lot about the system and teacher’s mindset. The biggest learning is that there is no one in the system that supports the teachers or acknowledges their problems. It is always top down, instructions come from top and teachers have to follow them. And the result is that they just follow the instructions, nothing else. The teachers have great talent and they are very receptive to feedback, ideas or change but this happens only if you can build trust and a strong relationship with them. I feel that I have a great rapport with nearly all the teachers and HM of my school. Love, humility and empathy were the simple tools that helped me in building this relationship. Now, we have a staffroom, mini canteen and a resource centre working effectively at school. One of the best compliments ever said to me was said by my HM, “Sir, we have started laughing and happiness is around since you have come to the school. Thanks for being with us.”These words were like handing over the baton to me and I personally feel a lot more responsible since then.

I am enjoying my days at TFI, as the time is passing by; my hunger to give more to kids is increasing. At times I feel just six months are left in fellowship but sometimes I also feel six months and then I will be out to do a lot more to bring a systemic change. At TFI and being in classroom my self belief has strengthened that yes “I CAN”, I can see my timeline to complete my plans is shortening. I feel myself to be more motivated, planned and structured. At times I feel overwhelmed and get confused what next but I know in coming months I will chose the best thing for me and my classroom. I always feel privileged to have such great friends in and out of TFI and an active staff who is always ready to help.

Excited for the coming days.

Service before self
Love Bhartiya

Design For Change @ Ganesh Baug Municipal School, Mumbai.

2010-10-04T19:14:00.006+05:30

Once again DFC is here...!!! Great minds of Ganesh Baug brainstormed for hours, thought what would they like to change and finally came up to change the cleanliness and hygiene level of school and its surrounding, the medical facilities provided by the one and only government hospital in Kurla "Bhabha Hospital, Kurla" and eliminate the violence from school and their community.

So, to start with kids planned to make hundreds of cards and give them to parents, teachers, patients, shopkeepers, doctors and make their humble request through the card....!!! And feel the Joy of Giving....!!!
So, here we go...!!!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=235591&id=658898491&l=9b198002f5

or Click on "Design For Change" in Links

Bair karate mandir masjid, mel karati madhushala .....!!! (Ayodhya Verdict)

2010-09-30T17:00:00.000+05:30

Finally a long awaited verdict is out.

Verdict: The land is divided into three parts:
1. One third of land where the idol of Ram is currently placed will be given to Hindus and is accepted as birth place of Lord RAM.
2. One third to Muslims.
3. One third to Nirmohi Akhada.

Finally India wins and I am proud to be a part of a secular nation...!!!
I would urge to each and every Indian to accept the ruling and if they are not satisfied move to SC. Non- violence is the not the way out.

Thanks and Love.
- Bhartiya

Inspired at InspirED.....!!!

2010-09-01T21:32:00.001+05:30

"At Teach For India, we believe that we need a
movement of leaders to eliminate inequity in education. And InspirED -
by bringing together a wide network of educational innovators and
leaders from across sectors onto a common platform - is a ...unique and
crucial step towards building this movement. We are so much more likely
...to transform education in this nation if we work together.”
-- Shaheen Mistry, CEO, Teach For India

These were the words of Shaheen on InspirED conference the first ever Educational Conference in India and I was lucky to be a part of it. It was an amazing experience, experience full of learning's, inspiration and empowerment. One of the speaker Mr. Craig (of American School of Mumbai) explained the concept of how inspiration without empowerment can be dangerous. So, it is important to inspire but more important is to empower with tools to achieve that aspiration.
There were innovative educators from all across the country, even some from abroad. We had discussions on innovative ways of educating kids, how can we make learning more fun for kids and also keep ourselves inspired. It was first time that over 300 educators from different NGOs, Govt, Principals, Teachers, movements came together to fight the inequity of education.

What happened a day after InspirED Conference:
When I went to school today I saw a great change in one of my teacher(Mr. Jitendra) classroom who has attended the workshop. The teacher grabbed my hand and took me to his class to show me the new "avatar" of his class. There were many posters on walls, class divided in teams, a poster saying "What pencil can do ? " , a chart with signature of all the kids.

I felt so InspirED by his enthusiastic voice. We sat down and had a chat on how should we empower our other teachers. Now he will prepare a document of all the workshops he has attended and share his experience with all the teachers.

This was the result of InspirEd. Thank You "InspirEd"

-Bhartiya
"Service before Self"

Big Tree....!!!

2010-08-22T14:38:00.000+05:30

There was a big tree,

Green tree,

Thick tree,

Under which lie,

So many small trees.

Have you ever felt,

What toll it takes to be a big tree ????

- Bhartiya

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY

2010-08-15T10:01:00.000+05:30

As the patriotism is on high today, lets build on it and pledge to connect each one of us to a cause and "be a change". Lets pledge to act and stop criticizing. Lets pledge to be proactive. Lets make this day special not by saying Happy Independence Day and remembering the freedom fighters but also by acting proactively. We are free from foreign regime but we are still plagued and enslaved by various other things such as poverty, hunger, health issues, corruption and infinite other issues. Today we all should pledge to choose any one cause and try to minimize it to our potential. Lets act together....!!!

If u will truly connect to a cause and work for it for next 365 days, then u will really celebrate the next Independence day and be a proud Indian..... HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY...!!!!

Service Before Self
- Bhartiya

Letters To My Friends 9 "Towards the End of Year: 1"

2010-08-11T01:49:00.000+05:30

Dear Friends,

I wrote this letter on 13 April 2010 in Pune, when I was about to complete one year as a teacher. It was a sad period of time as I have to leave my current class "Superstars" and shift to Mumbai for another project within TFI.

13 April 2010, Pune.

In the last few months I have learned few basic things which I think a teacher should know and especially those who are teaching kids with challenged back ground. These kids suffer with few basic problems or the word “problem” is not correct it should they don’t know what they are capable of. They are fond of love and attention. They need a helping and caring hand and a shoulder on which they can rest their head when in problem. As they come from diverse and challenged background their exposure to the modern world or facilities of the world is nil. So, in this case extrinsic rewards work like anything. What I have observed and noticed in my class and by talking to other fellows around, small rewards to kids increase their confidence level to a new high every time. (But one should be very specific while choosing the kids for the reward; it should never hurt other kid’s DIGNITY)

I would like to share a few examples from my class. Preeti was a very shy girl at the starting of the year but was capable of doing much better. I had few conversation with her, went out for field trips etc. and her interest in academics kept increasing. She became a role model for others in class, she improved so much that in the last exams she ranked 1st in class. Pratap, Mustafussdin were two boys who tried hard but were unable to deliver what they were capable of. Regular mentoring, 1 – 1 conversation gave them the required confidence and they started delivering in the class. Nikita a very quite girl and was very weak in academics, gained her confidence in class when she secured good marks in a class test and I personally greeted her and boosted her in class. Then I took her to a field trip to a Bookshop (Landmark), discussed few things over there with her. And her investment in class rose to a record high, now she is doing very well in class. I called her mother and told her about the improvement in her.

This is one of the biggest successes for me related to any individual kid. Abhay was a very naughty boy, always engaged in mischievous acts with other boys of class. But I always believed in him that he is capable of doing wonders in class. I changed his seat and allotted his seat with Preeti(as a part of buddy system in my class), then took him out for lunch. We had a long chat and I felt that this boy can do wonders in class if he focuses properly in class. He secured good marks in one of the test, which boosted his confidence. During my differentiation strategy in class he was the one who completed the work first. One day I was telling them about series, so, as a challenge problem I gave them to find the next two nos. in the series of square of natural nos. (this happened just before lunch). All kids were playing around but a few were busy in class solving the challenge problem. Abhay came up to me with a solution, it was correct. I was very happy but the most amazing thing was that he did it in a way I have also not thought and it was correct. Now, in the last exam he was among top 5 and he also works as a role model for others.

But there is always a flip side of the coin, I have few kids in my class for whom I feel that I have not done enough justice to them. It can be due to a large class size of 50 kids or due to a fact they were far back then their grade level. Moin, Imtiyaaz, Umar, Sohail are a few who were unable to show great change in their academic level during the past year. Yet I would say that they have changed a lot in their behavior. Moin and Umar being mentally challenged are still few grade levels below class 3. I think I should have made a separate investment plan for these kids during the starting of year but as it was my first year in teaching I was also not so expert. But now I plan to make a separate investment plan for such kids in my next academic year.

I am of the thought that it is better to improve the system rather than criticizing it. For me school should be a place where the focus should be on kids and they should be the centre point. It is place that if the system over here is changed and it runs with sole motto of proving learning to kids then it can change lives of hundreds of thousands of kids passing through it. I started interacting with teacher and Principal of my school once I was well set. I started going to different classes, interacted with them. Slowly I came to know that it’s not only the fault of teachers here, they are over burdened with clerical work, that has been given to them by the government. For a newly appointed teacher the salary is 3,000/ Rs. for next 3 years. How can someone work with great efficiency and commitment when his daily needs can’t be fulfilled by his salary. He will take tuitions, avoid teaching in school and I personally don’t think that it is wrong in such case. These are the things that provide him extrinsic motivation and so they go for it. I had 1 – 1 conversations with different teachers and they came up with different issues or the loop holes of the system. A teacher has to pay 2 – 3 lakhs as bribe for getting the job after he/she is selected in the merit list of exam and after that they get a salary of 3,000/ Rs. for 3 years. Nearly all the teachers at my school have paid that, just for the sake of government job.

I would like to share an incident with a teacher at my school. The teachers are with so rigid mindset that corporal punishment is very important. So, once I was having a chat and the other teacher was not ready to accept that kids can be taught without corporal punishment. I gave him the example of my class, Aniket’s(other fellow from TFI) class told him that we are new to this field but still manage our class with it. I stressed on set consequences rather than beating them. Talked to him about the background from where these kids come, the love they want and deserve from us. And finally he promised me not to beat kids and I hope he follows in class.

As the days in class are passing by I am finding myself to be a much more matured and responsible person. I feel as if the targets that I have set for myself are changing and are becoming much harder, as I push my kids in class, something pushes me also to achieve more than what I had desired previously and that to in less time. I feel as if I have developed a teacher in myself which teaches my soul of what is right or wrong. Now I try to practice what I preach. I am more open towards feedback and readily accept and try to change myself if required. Now I reach out to someone not only to take something from him but also give him or help him in the way I can. My friends find a matured person in me and ask for my views on different issues.

Finally once again I would say that it’s an incredible journey. I enjoyed my first year and as I move forward in the second year of teaching I have set new benchmark for myself and my kids. Together we will reach the places never travelled before. Looking forward to the next year….!!!!

Thanks a lot for support.
With love "Service before Self"

-Bhartiya

Welcome Common Wealth Games....!!!

2010-08-09T01:19:00.000+05:30

Nearly two months to go for the world’s second largest sporting event and where we are, what we are doing. Today we as a nation need to be together, welcoming the event rather than criticizing it. After all it is our Nation and an issue of National pride. If it is a successful or a flop event, the world will not remember the scandals that took place, it would just remember that 2010 CWG were hosted by India. So, it is time to work together and build on from where we are currently.

There are people who have started criticizing the CWG , they doubt on our capabilities to host such a massive event. I have read somewhere that, Australian coach has said to his athletes to be prepared of the low standard facilities in the coming CWG. He has even said that there can be scarcity of drinking water, electricity cuts, mosquito etc. We have to prove these people wrong and show them that we are not only the superpower of IT industry but we can even host such events and provide world class facilities. India is no more a country of beggars and snake charmers but it is developing nation which has the capability to do anything. We should keep our internal feuds, internal only. These things happen everywhere but our priority over here should be the games nothing else. We should work on how to provide the best facilities to our guest, who would be coming from different nation. I would urge each and every Indian to remember the philosophy of “ Atithi Devo Bhavah”, which means guest is equivalent to God.

Come on Delhi prove your potential, I believe that our nation can make the coming CWG the most successful CWG ever. The world is watching and we have to prove our credential like South Africa has done in FIFA.

What people need...???

2010-07-26T02:41:00.002+05:30

There are election in few states within an year or so and political parties have started their melodrama of wooing the voters. I don't know when will they start campaigning on the basis of developmental issues. One party fights the election on the issues related to the drawbacks of the other.

Few days back I saw the news that Mulayam Singh Yadav was apologizing to the Muslims on the issue that he has taken the services of Kalyan Singh in the last election. Mulayam's trick to take Kalyan in his party just before the election was in order to get the support of O.B.C.'s in U.P. but he failed because Kalyan Singh was the C.M. during the Babri demolition in 1992 and so the Muslim who supported S.P. , left S.P. and went with Congress. So, now he is preparing ground for Assembly election in 2012 and hence apologizing to Muslims.

Similarly there was as such no big issue in Bihar for opposition (LJP & RJD). So, they took the issue from the CAG report that showed financial irregularities. But they ignored the fact that the time period in which these financial fraud took place has the major portion of time when Rabri was C.M. The MLA's of LJP & RJD disrupted the proceedings of the house and vandalized it, which resulted in great drama.

Where is Raj Thackerey nowadays ? People like R.T. come into picture only during the elections. They pick up a radical issue, which is well thought and have sentiments of public attached to that issue. They remain in news for 3 - 4 months of election and then hide themselves in woods. He fought his election on the Marathi Manoos issue, got support of emotional public. It doesn't matter to people like him whether the sentiments of crores of other will get hurt or not because they are not the part of the voter list which is important to him. And if in future he wants to fight the election from North India, he will apologize to the people of North India and play his card there because voter's forget everything very soon.

There are numerous such incidents in Indian politics where political parties want to gain from short comings of the other parties rather than thinking of what people need. In Indian politics it is a very rare occasion when one political party praises the other. Be it Congress or BJP or NCP or any other regional party all are waiting for a issue.

My question for the politicians is that when will they start the politics of development and behave like an effective opposition ?

- Bhartiya

Letter to My Friends- 8 " Lead by Example"

2010-01-09T03:40:00.000+05:30

Dear Friends,

Happy New Year...!!! May the year and life ahead bring about positive changes in your life and you achieve all what you deserve. Today I would share my thoughts about inspiration, what changed me as a human being and will hope that you read through till last and give back your responses.

“INSPIRATION” which means a lot and has a great impact on anyone’s life. It is like a flash of lightening and can come from anywhere even a small child can inspire you or a very small incident that occur in our day to day life and sometimes you might see a lot happening around but nothing effects you. For me it is a process which continues inside us and keeps reforming through various things happening in our life. It happens through internal reflection and that can be done only if you give time to yourself. Sometimes we see a movie and are highly inspired by it or we read a story about someone and get influenced, we get inspired in numerous ways. BUT the big question is, “FOR HOW LONG DO WE KEEP OURSELF INSPIRED OR MOVING FORWARD?”

I think to keep ourselves inspired we have to undergo the process of reflection regularly or have a co-investigation with our inner self. We have to find out meaning in our actions, not just to satisfy us but to give us the pleasure or energy or an internal boost to face the challenges that occur in our day to day life and to keep ourselves motivated to work for our BIG GOAL. During the past couple of years I have learned to thank each and every person or thing around me, that I am related to or sometimes not. In October I met Geet Sethi (Billiard Champion), he is an incredible man. He shared something, that I would like to share today. He told me that after every match he plays he thanks to each and every person related to him from the man who has made the billiard table to the man who has designed the stick for him and that too no matter what is the result of the game.(Thanks giving doesn't actually mean searching for that person and then saying Thankyou, it is often internal). His wife Kiran Sethi (runs a school RIVERSIDE) told us that after the construction of their school building they hosted a party for the workers and each and every person involved in building that school. Think how many of us would do so. So, these little things inspire us and show us the right way of approaching the life.

I would like to share my greatest inspiration after which I thought to give back to the society in whatever way I could. It was an incident that has changed me a lot. During my first year of college I was a very arrogant, over confident guy. People called me “NETA” and my friends gave me a title “SARKAR”. I had some quality of inspiring people around me but never actually realized this before this incident. One day I was sitting with my friends and then a guy came he was a bit irritating and showy and I was an arrogant guy, so, suggested my friends to do something against him and came up with a horrible idea of stealing his mobile, just like that without thinking anything I suggested this to my friends. I was mature enough to think that this is not right but I don’t know what happened I suggested this. But I was not pretty serious about it that we will do it because we were talking in a funny atmosphere. After sometime I went to a friend’s room on another floor and slept there. After a couple of hours news broke in the hostel that a mobile has been stolen. As it came to my ears I was shocked and went to my friends and found that it was true, they did this. For a moment I felt as if what to do. But again I ignored it and without taking the responsibility of the act just passed it away.

But that incident had left an impression in my mind that I was responsible for it because I was the one who suggested them, it doesn’t matter whether I was serious at that time or not but the truth was that I have suggested them to steal. I was not having the courage to take the responsibility of the act. But my mind was unstable for many days after that and I went under constant internal reflection and finally realized that if I have good leadership skills and can motivate anyone around me then why not do something good for society or my college. And here began the change in me. In the coming years I tried to develop myself as a humble person and learnt humility, which I think is the most important value for a good leader. I tried to become a very good listener, observer and respect others feelings. By the end of college life I think I was a totally different person, there were people around who were with me and lastly I was pleased with whatever I did in the last couple of years of college. I had a way to convince even the toughest person and had patience to tolerate the most difficult situation.

Today on the occasion of my 25^th birthday, I am relieved sharing it openly with all because it has caused a lot of pain in my heart. I learnt a lesson from this act which has changed not only me but has affected many persons connected to me and I promise you all that it will change many more lives in coming years. So, this is a small story of “How Change Begins” or “How One Can Be Inspired” by small incidents. I don’t know what you all must be thinking after reading this. But in a way I am thankful to that guy and all my friends who did that and without them I would have not changed a bit. Thanks a lot, I owe you all. Thanks for supporting me for whatever I did and suggested.

“Be the Change you want to see in the world” -- Bapu

--
With Love

Prakhar Bhartiya

"Service Before Self"

Letter to My Friends-7 " Don't be a leader, be a ladder"

2009-12-30T04:49:00.000+05:30

Hello Friends,

How are you all? It’s long since I have written my last letter. There were two reasons for the delay, firstly I pretended to be very busy to myself and hence follows the second that I did so because currently I am working on a project.

You all will feel very happy as you go down the page. To start with I would like to tell about the project I am working on (I am very eager to share with all my friends). Together with two TFI fellows, I am working on to establish a model school for low- income community. It would be a family school and will address all the problems of low income community. In the morning it would be a learning centre for kids and later in the afternoon it would be a Community Learning Centre where we would conduct various workshops and training such as Nutrition, health, sanitation, child abuse, alcoholism, ways to augment their income and literacy training for elders. During our recent exposure to slums we figured out few reasons of why kids lack behind despite of our tremendous efforts in the classroom. One of them is that they are with us for 6 hrs. and for remaining 18 hrs. they are either with their family or community which completes their whole world. So, we felt important to change their world outside the classroom and hence came up with the idea of model school. Our future plan is to replicate the model in other cities of country, if it is successful.

So, regarding our project we were meeting many educators, social workers and visiting best schools throughout the country to get an insight of what is learning. As a part of this process we reached Ahemdabad- The City of Gandhi. We met Kiran Sethi of Riverside School, Sunil Handa of Eklavya, Amitabh of Yuva, Madhusudan of Mammovies etc. and the most inspiring one Jayesh Bhai of Manav Sadhna & Anar Behen of Gramshree.

For me Jayesh Bhai is today’s Gandhi, he operates his NGO from Gandhi Ashram at Sabarmati, keeping alive the principles of Truth and Ahimsa. It was Christmas Day and the best Christmas of my life. We worked with 70 leprosy patients. We accompanied them to Akshardham in the morning and there took place an incredible incident which moved me from head to toe, the patients who were mostly beggars took out 10 -15 Rs. from their pocket and gave them as offering in the temple. I was startled seeing this and their belief in God, inspite of their sufferings. Then we served lunch to the patients, after the lunch we sat down to have a discussion. They were so happy and all were saying that it is their happiest moment of life. After that we went to Science City in Ahemdabad, saw a 3-D movie at IMAX with them, it was a great exp. for me also . In a scene stone was falling down and it felt that it will fall on us, at that moment I have also closed my eyes. After movie we ate ice-cream, shared some happy and sad moments with them. They were so relieved and happiness was visible in their eyes.

Jayesh Bhai says, “Don’t be a leader, be a ladder”, which speaks a lot of his personality. His humility and passion to help poor’s works as an inspiration not only to me but to many. He works with more than 6000 kids and women and the best thing is that he knows most of them by name.

Once again I would urge all my friends to come forward and share their part of responsibilities. At the end I would leave a question, which I have read somewhere, “Why to wait for a Sunami or earthquake or flood to happen, when half the nation lives in disaster every day ???”

Will soon get my next letter... about “What inspired me to became a part of CHANGE?”

My Journey TFI

2009-10-31T19:57:00.002+05:30

If I think back on my decision to join Teach For India, I would say that it’s the wisest decision of my life. I think that I am at the right place at right time. I feel myself to be privileged to get an opportunity to feel such wonderful experience at a mere age of 24, working with such dedicated and highly professional group is a respect for me.

I feel a great change in my mindset, skills, personality etc. during past 5 months. Now I dare to think large and work on it to execute it. It feels amazing when you can see measurable growth for what you have been working 24*7 i.e. the kids with whom you are working. Now my life revolves between the 50 kids of my class, my all lows & highs are part of my class. I would like to describe the two scenes of my class now and then:

15 June 2009 : My first day in Class

I entered the class, a bit tensed, a bit excited, it was my first day in class. As the strength was low so, I shared my class with my fellow teacher Aniket, both of us were excited. It gave us a clear picture of what we are into. The kids were violent, abusing, fighting, playing here and there and not at all listening to us. So, the challenge was clear. The first thing that came to my mind was how to make them a better human being and make my class a group of civilized students. Academically they were years back of their grade level. For the first few days I tried to figure out the different groups in my class, like the violent kids, academically sound kids etc. then decided to focus on them. I tried to make a bond with them loved them, played with them tried to know them better, consulted about their background from different teachers and it helped. After a struggle of few weeks things were changing in the class.

Now, 31 October 2009

Today my kids consider me as a guide, as a elder brother, as a friend, as role model, as a mentor and I try to appear in front of them in the way they want me to. I am happy to switch my roles if they are comfortable with me in any of the roles at different times. My class, which I consider to be a class of gentlemen is a team of SUPERSTARS. They have changed drastically since June, now they remain quite and do their work even if I am not in class.

Keertana who has never spelled a word for months now tries to speak in English, she talks to me like a friend. Sandesh’s mother complains me about the fact that he writes diary at home for hours and has filled two copies writing dairy. Now he has the confidence to speak in front of anyone without hesitation. Saniya wants to come to school even if she is sick. Shahid who was considered to be mentally retarded by the school administration spells the longest word of English language before anyone in the class. There are many more such incidences. But the challenges are not over, we have to travel a long way. Imtiyaaz is still violent, Hitesh never opens the book at home, Sonali keeps smiling but never studies. So, challenges are still there but we will overcome all as the time passes.

I consider these small happiness’s as a landmark and enjoy them all. At times I get very upset and it becomes very difficult to bear the pressure and I am thankful to everyone around me for supporting me during these lows. It was not possible to come so far without the support of my principal, teachers at school, Aniket( other fellow from TFI in my school), Sapan (my Program Manager) & staff from TFI, other fellows at TFI, my friend who always support me from outside, my family and always being with me my 50 kids.

I have to go a long way with my kids and want to see each of my kid at the top. Sometimes I feel that I am not teaching them but they are teaching me different ways of life and I feel that it’s true in a sense because they have seen a lot more than me, the struggle that they face in their daily life has made them stronger than me. The way I used to think about different issues has changed a lot. When I go to a kids house and see the conditions in which he is living, I feel as if its not his fault if he is scoring less or is abusing or is violent and its true. After seeing all this I have to change my way of talking to kids, now I treat them differently, I apply differentiation even in the way I talk to my kids during 1 -1 conversation and it is helpful.

It’s a incredible journey till now and hope so coming days.

Letter to My friends- 5

2009-10-10T15:59:00.002+05:30

Dear Friends,

I miss you all a lot, I have learned a lot from all of you and now being so far away, I remember the time when we were connected in some way or other. Sorry for being late again, during the last week I was busy in Joy of Giving Week. I & my Superstars took part in it by running a Plantation Drive at our school which was a barren land before it and now there are more than 26 plants in our campus. On October 2, I took part in an event “Be the change- COME ALIVE”, in this I was the facilitator of the group “Talk to People”. In my group I was with 6 other persons (Age Group 23- 47 years) and we all were stranger for each other, except one of my seniors from college Rahul Gupta. He came all the way from Baroda to take part in the event. It was a different experience; we shared experiences of different persons on road. Then I was a part of a Free Hug Campaign, which gave a unique feeling and it was rocking.

So due to planning and executing these events, I was bit busy during last couple of weeks. Once again I am with a piece of letter which is the continued part of the last one. Please recall that one before you go through it.

In the previous one I was sharing about what I saw on the eve of Ganesh Visarjan and then the sight of gambling.

As I was crossing the lane and moving forward to take an auto, I was struck by a totally different scene, something that I have heard many times but never seen it. The sound of dhol’s of Ganesh Visarjan could still be heard but the sight was not the normal one, I was in a Red Light area and shocked at the sight. Three different situations in a diameter of 200m. Hundreds of prostitutes standing in a line with a misery on their face, compelled into a job that is considered to be the most hated one. They seemed like a parrot in the cage, who wants to fly away but the owner has cut the wings. I keenly observed the sight from the auto and what I figured out was that it is not a profession by choice, they are forced in it. It seemed to me as a profession made by us but still abused by us. But the greatest misery was the Police Station at the end of that lane.

When I tried to get more information about the situation over there, I came to know that most of the girls there are transported from Bangladesh, China and North- East India. There are more than 1000 of prostitute’s in that region and major portion of the customers are students. This means that our present generation is getting into such obsessions, which are bad not only for them but also for the nation. In my regard if not controlled then the situation can be similar to the one Britisher’s created by the growth and sale of opium at least for the city of Pune.

I was quite disturbed by these thoughts and in fact I am still.....

We need an effort to change these conditions. It’s our nation and we have to take the charge. Our young blood is capable of making a new developed and prosperous India, the only thing we need is a push and that we have to generate in ourselves. Our culture ( Sanskriti) will protect us until we keep our culture in built in us.

At last I would urge:

BE THE CHANGE – COME ALIVE

Letter to My friends- 4

2009-10-10T15:54:00.000+05:30

Hello Friends,

I pray to God that this letter finds you in best of your health. It’s long since I have mailed the last letter. The days are hectic here but it is still full of joy, learning and happiness. My class is progressing at a good pace , kids are learning new things and teaching me more than what I teach them. It feels great to be with them, the day finishes as if a couple of hour have passed.

Today I would talk about a different thing not about kids, nor about the leadership forums, nor about my experiences at Teach For India, but I will share something that many of us must have felt at different modes of our life.

It was the celebration of Ganesh Visarjan, which is celebrated with full enthusiasm in Maharashtra and my first year at Maharashtra. So, I was out on roads to watch the culture forgetting Swine Flu, without a mask I was with a crowd nearly 10,000 people. Roads were blocked for kms. everywhere just one sound “Ganapati Bappa Morya...” It was first time I have seen such a massive and dedicated crowd gathered not to see a politician or a celebrity but to sing and pray together. Everything was fine but all of a sudden I found that the sound of “Ganapati Bappa Morya...” was lowering down in my ears, though I was standing right there, my soul was there but my mind was somewhere else. There was all together a different thought going in my mind and the question was: Why is the man mad in the rat race of money, when real happiness lies somewhere else?

I messaged the question to few of my friends but no one replied, it might be no one knew the answer or everyone is after money. I also don’t know why was I thinking so, but that question still annoys me a lot. Over there I was seeing people dancing, singing, enjoying forgetting all their sorrows and misery they were enjoying life, I too was very engaged until this question crept in my mind. All these thoughts were floating in my mind but then also the scene over there was mesmerizing and at last after a long time I decided to go back home. It was a wonderful evening.

But there was a lot to see today. As I was leaving from there, in the very next lane there was a lottery shop, wide open and people drinking and gambling there. You can understand the adversity of the two tremendously different situations. Once again it portrayed the diversity of our society, how different the conditions are for people from different strata’s of our society, one side it is Lord Ganesha and the other side is the gambling corner. These conditions often disturbs my mind but trying to change the things around him man starts living in those conditions and becomes a part of it.

It was not the end, I saw something and that sight was new to me, the scene was like a hammer on my mind. I realized that real scene and something read in a book are quite different and they have different impact also.....

Its long for now and I know that many of us avoid such long mails.... So, will continue in the next and this time very soon.

Till then reflect and suggest me the answers.... !!!

All the Best

Letters to My Friends 3

2009-09-29T22:06:00.000+05:30

Dear Friends,
                       How are you all ? I am enjoying here and learning a new lesson each day. Each day brings a new message, full of life, it gives a new way to see through opaque sides of life. Day by day I am getting younger , more patient, more creative, more responsible, more hard working, more ….. . Its great to be with 51 odd kids who don’t know what the life is outside their slums, they have heard about pizza’s, burger etc. , but don’t know its shape. Some times my heart cries when they come to class with a mark of wound on their face, when they tell about their family (one kid told me that his father is living with other women and has left his mother and him behind to live in rags, other says, my father comes home drunk and beat my mother and me), such instances can shake anyone that a kid of 9- 10 years has to face all these things at his house, girls have to prepare food for all the family member.
                     I would request all my readers to come forward and look around may be a child needs your helping hand to stand on his feet to see the different colors of life. Its never late in life, like popular hindi saying, “Jab jagoo tabhi savera.”  It never costs you something rather in return you will get a thing which you can never buy-- INNER SATISFACTION.
                     Life is a long race and we have the capacity to win it. I would like to quote a conversation of one of my fellows and a kid:
Fellow- Why did you come late for school?
Kid- Bahiya, the auto had a puncture and we had to stop to get the puncture repaired.
Fellow- You should have been put in another auto. Tomorrow I am going to scold your autowala.
Kid- Bhaiya, the autowala is my father.

                 THINK…
Think about our roles in society, what difference can we make……
I have attached a letter that is one of the best gift for me....!!!

--

Letters to My Friends 2 "A Leader is one who can convert Private dreams, into Public reality"

2009-09-26T19:27:00.001+05:30

Dear All,
             Hi, once again I am here with one more letter. I hope you all liked the previous one and think the same for this also.
I would like to share few effects of TFI at my school. At my school other teachers have started teaching kids as they were seeing me highly invested in my class. I move inside my class at 7:30 and come out at 12:15 only not before that and this thing has moved the teachers there a lot.
          The tactics that I use, my investment in my class, posters, the praises of parents and my Principle and other stuff had brought change in them also and finally they have started teaching in their class. Today I saw a few posters in other class also which had the same quote as in my class, I was happy with the change. As I was coming out of the office I heard a teacher saying 1,2,3... which I use in my class to grab the attention, I was so pleased by these effects. My class was changed this week so, I have to decorate my class again with all that stuff, for this reason I went to my old class to take out my posters and all. As i went in the class I saw the teacher sitting quietly and kids having fun among selves, as I was taking out my charts the teacher stood up and asked the kids to open certain page of a book, a smile was on my face and I was so pleased at that moment. I hope you all can imagine and share my happiness. These are the small things but they give you great confidence.
    Going through different Leadership forums I met a speaker and one of his quotes made space in my heart, "A Leader is one who can convert Private dreams, into Public reality" and I think it is true.
Its great to see the changes in just two weeks, and hope can bring great changes in coming yr.

This Sunday I m having a party with 4 of my kids who did well in last two weeks, we will see a movie and have a lunch, its a reward for their hardwork . I will talk in detail about my class in one of the coming letter, its different from a conventional class.

Please give me some responses if you like these letters and can get something out of them.


Prakhar Bhartiya

Letters to My friend 1

2009-09-13T01:25:00.000+05:30

Dear friends,
How are you. I m fine here and hope the same for u. I just wanted to share a few things with you which I have have learnt in my last few days with Teach For India.
The days here were really hectic during training we have to work for 15- 16 hrs. a day and then I have to come back to Ghaziabad to give my exam for my final semester( I have cleared my exams with 72%). So, it was really hectic but yes thats life, its not only me.
I met here with many personalities of diverse field, they were a great source for inspiration for all of us there.I would talk about Fellows first, we are 87 in no. but they are all uncountable in thoughts, each of them has something special to share. Apart from them we were introduced to leaders from different fields like Education, Corporate, NGO, Bollywood etc. They all came had sumthing good to give us.
To start with I would like to share a few thoughts with all of you, Aditya Natraj of Ghandhi Fellowship, he selects 12- 20 fellows each year from best college of our country mainly IIT and IIM and they are given proper training who further give training to Principals of Primary School. The fellows here have to live in villages and during the last month of their fellowship they have to live without mobile phones, laptop or any electronic gadget and live life like the other people in that village and I think it would be challenging and life changing experience.
One of them gave the idea of being a lightening conductor in other word take the sorrow of other and convert it into pleasure and return them, its very rare but we can try to do it.He told us to have a positive ego and just be strong enough to change the life of as many people as you can around you.Mostly all had the same thing in different word but the stories they shared had a great impact and I would share those with all of you because you all have great potential and you have the calibre to change tihs world. I am in a net cafe and have bad speed at keys so will continue next time.....

Sry frinds I would continue my series of letter with you but just now its time to go.

--

Prakhar Mishra
Class Teacher Grade 3 (Superstars)
82G, Sant Gadge Maharaj School,
Kondhwa,
Pune.

Oscar Award(results) : Finally Award Goes To...

2009-02-23T00:40:00.000+05:30

And the time has come to hold your heartbeat because the award goes to...

wait guys its still left wait for few hrs...

For live results go to the above link.

“YOUTH”

2009-02-16T00:38:00.000+05:30

“Sometimes, we a nation of billion people,
Think like a nation of million people.”

“A.P.J Abdul Kalam”

Our nation has a population of over billion people but still we are lacking in many field .The fault is within us and we are unaware of our immense potential. For a nation to rise the role of youths is very important. We have to come forward and take the charge from those shaking hands. The young generation should understand their responsibilities in every field i.e. social ,political or economical.

Don’t be like a tourist in your own nation, come out, out of the luxuries you are in, be a real Indian. Gandhi and Bhagat wear the real Indians, they came out and worked for the nation and now it’s our calling . We should make some principles and try to follow them in adverse condition also. Living on principles is the best and most difficult thing. Make them for your life, work according to them. It is difficult to follow them in the starting but with time it is beneficial, try to present a quintessential in front of other ,so that other might follow you .Treat your critics as your best motivators.

Everyone is our nation praises Gandhi or Bhagat, have you ever thought that if they would see our deeds what would be their response.

Act in respect of your ideals. Bring a change, ’PARIVARTAN’ is what the nation needs at this situation.

But this can be done only by the active participation of youths in every field of society. It our call and we have respond.

“No start is too late, if started today”.

Prakhar Mishra “Bhartiya”

युवा संभालें मेरा देश

2008-12-12T12:47:00.003+05:30

नमस्कार,
प्रखर को इस सार्थक प्रयास के लिए बधाई....
भारत के सामने चुनौतियों का सामना करने के लिए युवाओं को ही आगे आना होगा.....
इन नेताओं के सहारे नहीं रहा जा सकता, यह कह कर घर बैठना भी कायरता है...
हमें नेतृत्व संभालने की पहाल भी करनी होगी
बहुत बहुत शुभकामनाएं
संजीव मिश्र

Think on it...(SPEECH OF Dr. A.P.J.ABDUL KALAM AT HYDERABAD)

2008-12-10T20:59:00.000+05:30

Our President(Ex) of India DR. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam's Speech in Hyderabad .

Why is the media here so negative? Why are we in India so embarrassed
to recognize our own strengths, our achievements? We are such a great
nation. We have so many amazing success stories but we refuse to
acknowledge them. Why?

We are the first in milk production.
We are number one in Remote sensing satellites.
We are the second largest producer of wheat.
We are the second largest producer of rice.
Look at Dr. Sudarshan , he has transferred the tribal village into a
self-sustaining, self-driving unit.

There are millions of such achievements but our media is only obsessed
in the bad news and failures and disasters. I was in Tel Aviv once and
I was reading the Israeli newspaper. It was the day after a lot of
attacks and bombardments and deaths had taken place. The Hamas had
struck. But the front page of the newspaper had the picture of a
Jewish gentleman who in five years had transformed his desert into an
orchid and a granary. It was this inspiring picture that everyone woke
up to. The gory details of killings, bombardments, deaths, were inside
in the newspaper, buried among other news. In India we only read about
death, sickness, terrorism, crime. Why are we so NEGATIVE?

Another question: Why are we, as a nation so obsessed with foreign
things? We want foreign T. Vs, we want foreign shirts. We want foreign
technology .Why this obsession with everything imported. Do we not
realize that self-respect comes with self-reliance? I was in Hyderabad
giving this lecture, when a 14 year old girl asked me for my
autograph. I asked her what her goal in life is. She replied: I want
to live in a developed India. For her, you and I will have to build
this developed India. You must proclaim. India is not an
under-developed nation; it is a highly developed nation.

Do you have 10 minutes? Allow me to come back with a vengeance. Got 10
minutes for your country? If yes, then read; otherwise, choice is
yours. YOU say that our government is inefficient. YOU say that our
laws are too old. YOU say that the municipality does not pick up the
garbage. YOU say that the phones don't work, the railways are a joke,
The airline is the worst in the world, mails never reach their
destination. YOU say that our country has been fed to the dogs and is
the absolute pits. YOU say, say and say. What do YOU do about it? Take
a person on his way to Singapore. Give him a name - YOURS. Give him a
face - YOURS.

YOU walk out of the airport and you are at your International best. In
Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads or eat in the
stores. YOU are as proud of their Underground links as they are. You
pay$5 (approx. Rs. 60) to drive through Orchard Road (equivalent of
Mahim Causeway or Pedder Road) between 5 PM and 8 PM. YOU come back to
the parking lot to punch your parking ticket if you have over stayed
in a restaurant or a shopping mall irrespective of your status
identity.... In Singapore you don't say anything, DO YOU? YOU wouldn't
dare to eat in public during Ramadan, in Dubai. YOU would not dare to
go out without your head covered in Jeddah.

YOU would not dare to buy an employee of the telephone exchange in
London at 10 pounds ( Rs.650) a month to, 'see to it that my STD and
ISD calls are billed to someone else.' YOU would not dare to speed
beyond 55 mph (88 km/h) in Washington and then tell the traffic cop,
'Jaanta hai main kaun hoon (Do you know who I am?).I am so and so's
son. Take your two bucks and getlost.' YOU wouldn't chuck an empty
coconut shell any where other than the garbage pail on the beaches in
Australia and New Zealand. Why don't YOU spit Paan on the streets of
Tokyo? Why don't YOU use examination jockeys or buy fake certificates
in Boston ??? We are still talking of the same YOU.

YOU who can respect and conform to a foreign system in other countries
but cannot in your own. You who will throw papers and cigarettes on
the road the moment you touch Indian ground. If you can be an involved
and appreciative citizen in an alien country, why cannot you be the
same here in India? Once in an interview, the famous Ex-municipal
commissioner of Bombay, Mr.Tinaikar, had a point to make. 'Rich
people's dogs are walked on the streets to leave their affluent
droppings all over the place,' he said.' And then the same people turn
around to criticize and blame the authorities for inefficiency and
dirty pavements. What do they expect the officers to do? Go down with
a broom every time their dog feels the pressure in his bowels? In
America every dog owner has to clean up after his pet has done the
job. Same in Japan. Will the Indian citizen do that here?' He's right.
We go to the polls to choose a government and after that forfeit all
responsibility. We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the
government to do everything for us whilst our contribution is totally
negative. We expect the government to clean up but we are not going to
stop chucking garbage allover the place nor are we going to stop to
pick a up a stray piece of paper and throw it in the bin. We expect
the railways to provide clean bathrooms but we are not going to learn
the proper use of
bathrooms. We want Indian Airlines and Air India to provide the best
of food and toiletries but we are not going to stop pilfering at the
least opportunity. This applies even to the staff who is known not to
pass on the service to the public. When it comes to burning social
issues like those related to women, dowry, girl child! and others, we
make loud drawing room protestations and continue to do the reverse at
home. Our excuse? 'It's the whole system which has to change, how will
it matter if I alone forego my sons' rights to a dowry.' So who's
going to change the system? What does a system consist of? Very
conveniently for us it consists of our neighbours, other households,
other cities, other communities and the government. But definitely not
me and YOU. When it comes to us actually making a positive
contribution to the system we lock ourselves along with our families
into a safe cocoon and look into the distance at countries far away
and wait for a Mr.Clean to come along & work miracles for us with a
majestic sweep of his hand or we leave the country and run away.

Like lazy cowards hounded by our fears we run to America to bask in
their glory and praise their system. When New York becomes insecure we
run to England. When England experiences unemployment, we take the
next flight out to the Gulf. When the Gulf is war struck, we demand to
be rescued and brought home by the Indian government. Everybody is out
to abuse and rape the country. Nobody thinks of feeding the system.
Our conscience is mortgaged to money.

Dear Indians, The article is highly thought inductive, calls for a
great deal of introspection and pricks one's conscience too.... I am
echoing

J. F.Kennedy 's words to his fellow Americans to relate to
Indians.....'ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA AND DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE
TO MAKE INDIA WHAT AMERICA AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES ARE TODAY'Lets
do what India needs from us.

Forward this mail to each Indian

Thank you,
Dr. Abdul Kalaam

vote for miss India to make her miss world

2008-12-10T14:53:00.000+05:30

"I VOTE NOBODY" -- is also possible as per constitution

2008-12-10T10:04:00.001+05:30

Section 49-O of the Constitution of INDIA.

Did you know that there is a system in our constitution, as per the 1969
act, in section "49-O" that a person can go to the polling booth, confirm
his identity, get his finger marked and convey the presiding election
officer that he doesn't want to vote anyone!

Yes such a feature is available, but obviously these seemingly notorious
leaders have never disclosed it. This is called "49-O".

Why should you go and say "I VOTE NOBODY"... because, in a ward, if a
candidate wins, say by 123 votes, and that particular ward has
received "49-O" votes more than 123, then that polling will be cancelled
and will have to be re-polled. Not only that, but the candidature of the
contestants will be removed and they cannot contest the re-polling, since
people had already expressed their decision on them. This would bring fear
into parties and hence look for genuine candidates for their parties for
election. This would change the way, of our whole political system... it is
seemingly surprising why the election commission has not revealed such a
feature to the public....

Please spread this news to as many as you know... Seems to be a wonderful
weapon against corrupt parties in India... show your power, expressing your
desire not to vote for anybody, is even more powerful than voting... so
don't miss your chance.

So either vote, or vote not to vote (vote 49-O)

Latest IIFT -2008 Solution

2008-11-25T00:51:00.000+05:30

You can get the latest IIFT solution on www.careerlauncher.com