Learning curve: Students take edu msg to the bastis…….Shreya Bhandary
Mumbai: A casual project in social studies turned into a mission for a group of first year BCom students of a suburban college.Taking class work a step ahead,this group of students from Mithibai College in Vile Parle is picking one social cause at a time and spreading awareness about the same in the citys several bastis.
We decided that we would not spend money on our work.The next best thing we could do was impart knowledge.Therefore,we chose the dense and socially backward pockets of the city to reach out to, said Hemant Kumar (18),a group member.His group of eight batchmates has been making rounds of four bastis around Andheri-Kurla to interact with children and tell them the importance of education.
Two out of the four bastis are Muslim-dominated areas where young girls rarely go to school.The ones who do,drop out at an early age.We inform them about the importance of basic education and its free availability in the city, said Khyati Dhabalia (18) from the same group.Over 11 days,this group visited areas like Juhu Koliwada,Gilbert Hill,Nehru Nagar and Prem Nagar in groups of twos and spent nearly two to three hours with the children every day.It was easier to get in touch with the families of these children with the help of an NGO which regularly holds sessions with the kids in these areas.NGO Vacha introduced us to these children,with whom we had regular sessions.With the positive response that we received,we decided to make this our mission, said Akshata Shetty (19).On Monday,these students conducted a cleanliness drive on the Vile Parle skywalk.People expressed a keen interest in our work, added Shetty.
The group now plans to spread awareness on environmental issues in town.
* FOR A GOOD CAUSE: The group from Mithibai College has been telling slum kids about the importance of basic education