and dance respectively, ensured a busy yearfor Bhavishya-Yaan.Exploring the UniverseA Science Camp conducted in the month ofSeptember introduced students to thewonders of science by discovering conceptsthrough research and experimentation. Thishad as its objective the need to enhance thestudents’ vocabulary by introducing newterminology from various scientific conceptsand enabling them to question while theycreate. Each centre took up a different topicand came up with some ingenuous ideas andpresentations. The topics ranged from:energy, space, sense organs, human body andits functions, plant life and farming and foodprocessing.Jet-setting the world!This time the sounds of <strong>VIDYA</strong> Bhavishyayaan’sDiwali dhamaka went right across theglobe! Our little friends at BY lit up their liveswith the knowledge of newer cultures andglobal celebrations. The students danced todifferent beats, tasted different foods andspoke a different language. From lightfestivals to harvest celebrations, from Divinebirths to grand street carnivals, the studentslearned about the festivals of differentcountries like Sri Lanka, Greece, Brazil, Japan,Africa and Spain. The highlight of the campwas each school being trained by Nrityanjali inan authentic folk dance of a specific country.The finale of the Diwali Camp was a danceperformance in colourful costumes created bythe students themselves under the guidanceof Nrityanjali teachers.Need to ReadImagination and innovation came to the foreat an action-packed Summer School <strong>2013</strong>. Theyear’s theme, Need to Read fostered instudents the importance of storytelling andlanguage. Popular fairy tales were juxtaposedwith new-age technology taking the kids to awhole new world of adventure and games.Students dabbled with words and phrases andparticipated in language-based activities.From short stories and small books to playsand movies, the summer camp touched uponthe many dimensions of storytelling. Itconcluded with each centre inviting theparents over to watch their children perform.Future PlansThe future of Bhavishya-yaan is to touch thelives of many more children in more schoolsacross the city. It is also looking at having amore meaningful and holistic impact on thestudents by not just teaching English,computers and life skills, but also bringing tothe fore their latent talents and dreams.Bhavishya-yaan wishes to nurture theseyoung minds and equip them for a bettertomorrow.13 | P a g e
Computer Learning& Resource Centre(CLRC)ICT4D (Information and CommunicationTechnology for Development) is the buzzwordin international development sector today.Experts agree that it is a powerful tool as wellas an effective medium to boost awareness,literacy and awareness among the masses.digitally empowered last year. The latestcentres of CLRC are at Milind Nagar andanother one at Chaitanya Nagar. The targetedoutreach for next year is a thousandbeneficiaries. A much-anticipated modulecalled GuruByte is being developed by theCLRC team, a technology module for <strong>VIDYA</strong>teachers and staff, to help them upgrade theircomputer skills as well as to enable them toapply technology in their work areas andpersonal lives. Plans for employability tie-upsare also in the offing.The CLRC, founded by <strong>VIDYA</strong> in the year 2011at Chaitanya Nagar, Powai, was started withprecisely this vision of equipping andempowering students with computer skills.From a program that started in 2011 with just4 hand-me-down computers, 2 <strong>VIDYA</strong> alumnistudents and a 10-day indigenously designedorientation course called FirstByte, CLRC hasmade rapid strides, reaching out to over 800beneficiaries in <strong>2012</strong>. This was achievedacross 3 different community centres, using50 desktops, with a formidable team of 10trainers, a very successful partnership withNIIT Foundation to impart their certifiedcourses along with home-grown andcustomizable programs like BigByte, FunByte,Tally Byte. Each course provides students withcomprehensive knowledge on commonly usedapplications. The focus is not only on gainingknowledge but also in its application –ensured by relevant assignments and apresentation that is developed by eachparticipant.While CLRC courses are open for all membersof the community, conscious efforts are madeto propagate computer learning through allbeneficiaries of <strong>VIDYA</strong>. Be it a child at BeyondSchool, a woman coming for a Margam courseor a youth at the Open School program, eachpassed through the doors of CLRC and gotMohammad Hakim SiddiquiMohammad Hakim Siddiqui, a resident ofPhulenagar, and student of SY BCom, wascasually introduced to the <strong>VIDYA</strong> CLRC Big Bytecourse through a friend in December 2011. Aftersuccessfully completing the curriculum andfollowing it up with a Basic IT course (certifiedby NIIT), he is now a <strong>VIDYA</strong> computer trainer,shining in his new avatar. The usually reticentyouth is impressively confident while impartingcourses to his batches. At times, he clocks inalmost 12 hours a day with no strain. Whenasked about his secret of managing long hours,Hakim simply stated, “It’s the need of the houras two other trainers are on leave.”Hakim, from an underprivileged family, migratedfrom North India handles his house chores andthe role of a computer trainer with élan. Abright learner with a great assessment record,he is now a dedicated teacher, much soughtafterby his students. He works on a part-timebasis after his morning lectures and continueshis learning in computers on his own. His goal isto finish his graduation so that he can render hisservices as a full-time trainer at <strong>VIDYA</strong> and bringin courses on newer technologies and software.Margam14 | P a g e
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