A Narangwal Picnic

Drishti is located in a village called Narangwal. Narangwal is a small village where everybody knows each other, at least as acquaintances. Many of the teachers and students who I've asked why they like their school say they appreciate that it is out of the city and has less pollution. Narangwal is rich with fields and farmland that provide clean air unlike that which is found in busy cities. Even at the school, the gardeners work very hard to keep the greenery fresh.

Narangwal and much of the Punjab state is home to many Sikhs and Hindus. Gurdwaras and temples sing their songs early in the morning through late in the evening on speakers that resound through the entire village. At 5:30pm and 6:00pm every day, sirens can be heard throughout the village as well, sounding for the workers in a nearby factory to leave for the day. Sheep are herded and guided along the road, various kinds of tractors pass through the streets, and carriages loaded crops and feed for animals are lead by horses and their owners. Cows are worshiped all over India, so they roam the streets as they please. Cow pies are found on the side of the road formed into hemispheres but not to be discarded; they are used for fuel and fertilizer. During the winter, oranges and grapes are among the fruits which are in season, and you can find fruit stands in any village market. These days, kids are out flying kites from the rooftops after school for hours. I even have students who come to school with bandaged hands with cuts from the string.

 

  

After school, as I've mentioned, I spend my time tutoring four children who live on the school grounds with their parents who work here. Nitin (10th grade), Deepika (7th), Mehak (4th), and Riya (2nd) make up the kid squad. After tutoring for about an hour, we play outside or go for walks in the nearby villages. I use this time with the kids to help them practice using their English in conversational speech or to help them build comprehension skills by telling and reading stories. In the meantime, they teach me Hindi and about their culture. These kids are studying hard these days for the exams, so I thought we'd take a little tutoring break...

So, we went on a picnic!

 

We walked through the village and came across a Banyan tree (India's national tree). Next to the beautiful tree was a cement picnic table. We dusted it off with a makeshift broom compiled of sticks and unfolded some napkins to use as plates. They learned how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for the first time. When I first mentioned the idea of a PB&J, they thought I was crazy. Until they tried it! We also passed around a bottle of mango juice and a popular sweet called soan papdi. The kids got their energy out by climbing in the tree and took me up there with them.

It's always an adventure exploring this place they call home, and they make it feel like home for me, too.