[Reader-list] Supporting a Musical with Municipal School Kids from Pune

[Chandni Parekh]

Excerpts from Mansi's mail are below. Read the entire mail at 
http://bit.ly/hta1JO 


I am Mansi A Panjwani, a fellow from the first batch of Teach For India and for 
the last two years I have served as a teacher at a Municipal Corporation English 
Medium School in Pune, where the parents of my children are rickshaw drivers, 
scrap sellers, housemaids and some even unemployed.

Through these two years, I have worked tirelessly to empower my kids not only 
with conceptual knowledge and skills, but also with values they can carry forth 
into their daily lives. As a result of this, we have come a long way. 


 From not one child being able to speak in English, today we’re dreaming of 
having a Musical in the same language. From students studying out of fear, today 
they study joyfully because they realise “knowledge is power”. However, I am 
most proud when I see them becoming better people, letting go of violence and 
knowing how to help each other, speaking the language of respect with each 
other.

As my fellowship is drawing to a close, I asked myself what can I concretely 
leave behind with these children that will last with them throughout their 
lives? 

The answer was a Musical. Through the power of dramatics and dance, through the 
power of expression, I thought it best to validate the values we've displayed in 
our classroom. The theme of the Musical is inspired by the Wizard of Oz. 

The Question we ask ourselves through the Musical is - “What makes us 
happy/successful in life?” and through the drama, children realize 3 qualities 
we need in ourselves- (a) Brains [used for hardwork], (b) Heart [used for 
compassion towards others] and (c) Courage [the spirit of never giving up in the 
face of any obstacle]. 


We approach you with all sincerity to help our idea Come Alive. Please know we 
will be immensely grateful for the same.

We are looking for sponsorships or financial funding for the event, venue, 
taking care of the food requirements of the children etc. Also, we're in need of 
volunteers or summer interns in Pune who can contribute to making this event a 
success... giving them a chance too, to work closely with kids as well as have a 
glimpse into the education sector at the grassroots level. We're also looking 
for art experts, a director who can help with rehearsals. 

We are accepting financial contributions towards this Musical on this link:

http://www.giveindia.org/give/pledgepage/HelpOurMusicalCOMEALIVE 

We hope our idea touches you in some way and we eagerly look forward to your 
support.

Warm Regards,

Mansi Arun Panjwani
Teach For India Fellow (2009)

Feel free to reach me at mansi.panjwani2009 at teachforindia.org or at 
91-9823065801.