Visits to Blind and Deaf school from the period of 23/10 – 11/12-2010
In the last months of 2010, a small but energetic group of Seva Mandir volunteers
continued visiting the deaf and blind schools that the Rafe Bullick Memorial Foundation
supports in Mallatalai, Udaipur. In September a big new group of volunteers gathered and
started visiting the schools. First there were meetings with both the schools and the
children to explain about our presence and why we where there, and the volunteers met
and talked about what kind of activities we would like to do. Among those done before
the time this report talks of is cleaning up a garden space at the Blind school, which
looked dangerous and had to be cleaned. Amongst those planned and done in the period
described here are much playtime and fun with balls and slackline, movienights,
claymaking and figuring and cearamboard playing. As decided upon earlier, we have
tried to visit deaf and blind school each Saturday, at times that works for the schools, and
visits each school twice a month, we were never enough people to visit both the schools,
but we have in some instances visited on Sundays as well, because the children have
asked for us to do so.
Four volunteers went to the Deaf school on the 23rd of October, this was really the Blind
Schools weekend, but they said the students had free for Diwali, so we went to the deaf
school instead. However, the children there were not allowed to play with us either, we
had no Hindi speaker with us, so we could not understand. With help of our very few
Hindi words, we managed to arrange with the guard for us to come the next day. Still
only four people, we came on Sunday the 24th with good hopes, a football and the
slackline, and hoped to be able to play. We got our hopes rewarded, and played in the
schoolyard with the kids for some hours, while some of them were taking photos of
themselves and us with our camera, some played football/volleyball/catch the ball, some
were balancing with our help on the slackline, and some were writing to us in the sand. A
great time!
13th of November, after Diwali-break for the children, we went to the Deaf school to play
football and with the slackline, and our cameras. The children really don’t need more
than some things to play with, and some company to do to it with to have a great time.
They now knew the drill, and were ready when we got there. They helped us getting the
slackline up, the older children with more responsibility helped the smaller children
balance with us, and we all played ball. We were not many volunteers, but we had a great
time.
On the 20rd of November, we tried to visit the Blind School again, but with no luck. The
time given before had been wrong and the children had schoolwork to do. We were a big
group, and this was very disappointing. We agreed that we would call before every visit
from now on.
For some time we had plans for making a movie night for the deaf children, but the plan
had been hampered by trouble finding movies with Hindi subtitles, we though this would
be easy, but it is really hard! Luckily, one of the volunteers had been to Mumbai the week
before, and found three short movies with subtitles there, all of them typically Indian
tales of fights and heroes, Abimanu and Hanuman where amongst them. On the 27th of
November we borrowed a projector from Seva Mandirs main office, and brought a laptop
to show them with. When we came the children were really happy and was wondering
what we where doing, but they soon understood and seemed very pleased with our movie
choices. We played movies for about an hour, where they all sat still, eyed wide open,
looking at the normal dining room wall, transformed into a spectacle of Hindu folklore.
We were only three volunteers at this visit, but we did not need more. When we were
leaving they all wanted to play and have fun, but it was eating time, so we had to leave
them. Some of the kids were writing on a note and imitating playing on a cearam board,
and seemed to want the game. We communicated as good that we could, with facial
expressions and writing that we see if we could get it for them.
The kids from the Blind school had been asking for some clay, or knead to play with, and
for some time we had been trying to find some in stores, but instead we found a recipe for
making it from salt, wheat and water. On the 4th of December, more than ten people
came, few international volunteers, but many Indian volunteers, translators and fellows.
Great for the children to have hindi speaking visiters. We had the children mix one cup of
salt with two cups of wheat flour and some water, and making the dough they could play
and model with. Around 15 children wanted to do this, mainly the younger ones, and
since we were so many, they all god great help. Before this meeting we called the school
and set time and what we wanted to do.
On the 5th of December, we went again to the Deaf school, they had asked us to come
again, earlier than in two weeks, and we could not say no. Again, we were only four
people who came, but the children really love us there, and we feel like we have a
connection to them, getting to know some names through sand writing, and they really
seem to enjoy having us there as much as we enjoy being there. At one point while
playing, I fell on my back, and got some scratches on my elbow. Two of the older and
responsible children collected some few rupees, and in a matter of two minutes, they had
bough a plaster and were putting it on my elbow. Again the kids asked for cearam boards,
and we told them that we would bring them the next time we came – we had in fact
already bought them, but we wanted the headmaster to be there at the time when we
delivered it, so we waited. We bought them for money from the Rafe Bullick Memorial
Foundation, and got help from Yakubji to buy it.
Cearam boards and printed photoes were brought on the 11th of December. The boards
we had already bought, but we also decided to print some of the photos the children had
been taking with our cameras and print them so that they could see and have some
memories of us. Amongst the 30 pictures we had printed, there was two bigger group
photos we took the week before, of the volunteers and the kids. The kids more or less
ripped the plastic of the cearam boards before we had gotten into the school, and started
playing at once, in the beginning we had to help them decide on who was to play, and to
make them switch players after one game, but this soon went smooth. After that was
settled, we took out the photos, and had the children help us tape them to the walls
outside the doorms. This was a big hit, and all the children wanted (and got to) hold our
hand while pointing at each of the people in the photos, and pointing at the same live
person in the room. After that we played some ball, some cearam boards, and looked at
the photos with the children. When they asked when we would come back, I had to say
that some of us had came for the last time and that we had to go home, this was really
heartbreaking, and some of the children wrote ‘we all sad’ in the notebook we were using
for communicating. We told them we were also really sad. When we left, we all got some
extra long hugs, and said goodbye.
How to visit the Schools:
The key to visiting the Blind schools is to confirm by calling Veerendra, one of the
teachers, at 9414185431. He speaks some English, but it is best to have a Hindi speaker
talk with him. We have normally been between 1330-1500 on Saturdays. Try to call and
confirm the time you can come, what you want to do, and try to have as many Hindi
speakers as possible for interacting with the children. The children are always playing
cricket and roaming, and like company and someone to speak to!
While going to the Blind school we have been around 10 people each time, this is
because there is such a great emphasis on making Hindi speakers come, and many phone
calls and texts have been sent.
The visits to Deaf school have been really fun and easy. The kids are quick to adapt to
new games and fun, and likes having visitors to play with. They really only need a ball
and some company! They are also quick to tell things they want, such as the cearam
boards we got them. It is not easy to find movies with hindi subtitles, but they do exist in
the bigger cities, so keep an eye out for volunteers traveling to cities like Mumbai and are
coming back. The headmaster, M. I. Paliwan can be reached at 9414176728, he speaks
Hindi, so when calling to confirm playing with the kids give him a call in advance. We
have been visiting the deaf school between 1500-1700 on Saturdays.
We have been less than five volunteers on average at the visits in this time period, we
have mainly been getting people to come by texting (sms) and calling everyone to let
them know, but emails can also work. It does not matter if you are few, but the more the
merrier!
Markus Brun Hustad