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The Reang
Aspiration
The Great India Talent School
A school seeking to identify and nurture natural
inclinations of children, primarily serves the
children of Reang refugees in the area
Kashirampara—a tiny village mostly populated by Reang refugees from Mizoram, lies approximately
190 km from Agartala, Tripura. The journey to this village is marked by winding roads and dense
forests. As one travels through these forests, the deafening silence is only pierced by chirping
birds … and occasionally, the persistent honking of jeeps—the only mode of public transport in this
region. It is an amusing sight to see people sitting atop these jeeps for commuting.
Along the way, one also gets to see small patches of wild growth on mountains, cleared for jhum
(shifting) cultivation—traditionally the mainstay of the Reang community. At the base of these
mountains, there are open fields, and in one such field, overlooking the Jampui Hills, lies the Great
India Talent School (GITS).
An initiative of the Great India Talent Foundation, supported by Akshaya Patra, GITS was set
up with the conviction that India’s rural population is a storehouse of innumerable abilities and
talents. An English medium school seeking to identify and nurture the natural inclinations of
children, the GITS primarily serves the children of Reang refugees in the area. While there are six
refugee camps in the region, most children of this school come from the camps of Naisinghpara and
Ashapara. The school is in its second academic year and the enrolment has already increased to 550
students. Children here are provided textbooks, notebooks, and school lunch—entirely free of cost.
In the near future, the school will have a residential complex to accommodate 2000 children.
ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18 ASPIRE - 83
ASPIRE - 84
ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18