To Teach and be Taught, My Adventures in the Chander Abha Memorial School for the Blind Children, Kullu. Episode 5

I am coming to the end of my stay in Kullu, for this year at least. I finished teaching last Saturday but will continue to work at the school, in a slightly different capacity, until the beginning of November. And there is no shortage of work! I will continue to do the Saturday art activities, as painting and the new scented colouring pens are going down a treat with the kids.
I plan to introduce Halloween to Kullu next week and am working on making a Twister which will be texture based rather than colour orientated so that all the students can enjoy.

Myself, a friend Kris working with the Kullu Project as a volunteer, and a nurse Judith, from Switzerland but living locally are developing a hygiene workshop to do here and also to implement at two orphanages in the area. Unfortunately there have been a lot of skin problems recently with a few students, for various reasons. But we all (staff at the school) feel that a few basic lessons in self hygiene would serve as a reminder to the kids and renewed encouragement. We will give each child a pack including new toothbrush, paste, soap and a comb to try to encourage continued practice.

I have few friends coming out to visit from home so I’m going to rope them into helping me give the bathrooms a new coat of paint with some of the money raised from home. Hopefully, as an incentive to keep them nice and clean. Apart from toiletries and paint the money will go really far. I will be able to buy new floor mats for meal times, thermal undergarments for the cold winter that is around the corner, socks, uniforms, a heater for the boys’ bedroom and one for the classroom and some new computer equipment. But most enjoyably we were able to take the children out on a long deserved picnic.


'Are we there yet?' Drive to Prashar Lake.

Last week, the day before Gandhi’s birthday, we rented a minibus and a jeep and in true local style we all crammed in, thirty five students and fifteen staff members. We drove to Parashar Lake. I never thought so much singing and dancing and drumming could be done on a mini bus driving around hairpin bends! But this is Incredible India.


'One more chapati for anyone?' Picnic at the lake.

The children had not had an outing since I have been here and it was definitely deserved especially after such fantastic end of year results at the boy’s school. All teachers contributed to the food preparations and we doled out big pots of vegetables and stacks of chapattis, I also introduced Potato Cakes to the staff. It was spectacular to see the kids running freely in grass and just being in a wide open space. So a huge Thank you from all staff and students.

At school the children are busy preparing for a Sports Day for the Differently abled. It will be held in Shimla, the state capitol, on the25 th of October. Students of all ages will participate in games like skipping and running races and the Opening Procession. Infact they have spent most of their time learning to march, which has been very entertaining to watch.



Practice for sports day at Prashar Lake.

Some of the music students have also performed on stage at the opening ceremony of the huge Dushera festival. Each village in the Kullu valley has its own Deptha ( god ) made from brightly coloured fabrics and usually with a head of six silver faces.( please look at the photos, difficult to explain) For Dushera, all 365 local gods are carried on the shoulders of men, to Kullu town ( though the gods themselves do lead the direction ) where they stay for a week. Men, Women and children flock from every direction to witness this spectacle. Each night of the festival there is a big culture programme in which the children took part.


Local Gods, Opening Procession of 'Dushera' Festival.

Before I leave I will also be working on a website for the school. Currently they don’t have one. I think it’s essential for the school for public awareness and to raise national and international funds. But there is no one here with the time to set one up so a new venture for me. And when it’s finally done I will email you all the link and you can keep track of progress at the school after my departure. So Ill certainly be kept busy here in my last weeks.

So until I see those of you who I will see, and to those of you who I won’t, many and the most Sincere thanks for the monetary and moral support over the last eight months.

If anyone even has the smallest temptation to travel to India, Do It.


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To Teach and be Taught, My Adventures in the Chander Abha Memorial School for Blind Children,Kullu. Episode 4

We finally have a full house again at the school and hostel. Unfortunately some of the students who live in quite remote places were delayed by up to three weeks due to bad road conditions and landslides caused by severe rain. The heavy monsoons have eased now though and all are back safe.


Chess Demonstration at the Red Cross Event

The great news here at school is that the school has employed a new computer teacher. Also some of the teachers working hours have been adjusted so that some start later in the day. This means that the senior section students now have three teachers as opposed to one. It takes a huge amount of pressure off the one teacher and is obviously a huge benefit to the students.


Hand Painting

We have also initiated a new programme for two of the Prep class students. There are two girls aged seventeen and eighteen who sit in Prep class with the other children of six, seven and eight years. They have severe learning disabilities and have been brought up with no education so the teachers have no option but to put them into the Prep class. But it is a difficult position for the girls as they are aware of the huge age gap and are sometimes very uncooperative. So now we have them upstairs in the kitchen before and after lunch. They will learn how to prepare food and maintain a kitchen and basic household chores. So far it seems to be a success and it is incredible the difference in their behaviour when working upstairs. It is not expected that they will complete


Cultural Exchange- learning a new African song

We have three volunteers organizing activities on Sundays for the children. They have come from Germany and Kenya and are associated with the Kullu Project, an NGO set up a few years ago by a man from Wales and a man from Kullu. It is fantastic for the children to have a few hours of fun activities on Sundays. They have nothing but themselves after school hours to amuse each other which, inevitably leads to a bit of mischief sometimes. And the kids are always enthusiastic to learn new songs in any language.


Home Science Class - making Pakoda, a tasty local dish

The school recently attended a huge Red Cross fundraising event in a local park. It was held over three days and all schools in the area participated by setting up stalls and selling various local foods and other bits and pieces. Our school set up a stall for one day to demonstrate the teaching techniques used at the Blind School. And again it was obvious to me how important these events are to raise public awareness and hopefully encourage other blind students to attend. Unfortunately the Chief Guest of the function was due to visit the stall but cancelled at the last minute however the students had a visit from a local film star so of course they were delighted and it really made the day for them.


Lunch Time

On Friday I experienced yet another treat that I could not have imagined. It was Teachers Day. A national day of celebrating teachers. The children themselves organized a programme of songs, poems and dancing with tea, samosas and decorations for all to feast on. All teachers were encouraged to play musical chairs which ended in a battle between the two computer teachers. It all ended with all students and teachers dancing around the tiny classroom with three students singing and a few drummers. I might take this idea back to Ireland!


Teacher's Day- Full Enjoyment

I have had great support since the last blog so sincere thanks to all and Ill let you know where everything goes.

And I’m sure you will be glad to know that all the hundreds and thousands of goats and sheep who migrated to the mountains for the summer( via my village ) are still alive and well and making their way back to the valley for winter, so here come the noisy evenings!

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To Teach and be Taught, My Adventures in the Chander Abha Memorial School for Blind Children,Kullu. Episode 1.

The Kullu Valley.

It is now two months since I arrived in the town of Kullu, ready to start on a new adventure. Kullu, renound for its intricately hand woven shawls and of course its delicious apples, is situated in the foothills of the Himalayas, in the deep glaciated valley of the river Beas. The spectacular views of the dramatic snow capped mountains of Manali and the luscious green apple orchards all around, will provide some calm in he evenings after my challenging days in school.


'Shivrathri' celebrating one of Indias many great festivals.

I came here with time to offer. Open to any work needing done I have been given the responsibility of he Prep class. This class consists of seven students with varying degrees of visual impairments and learning disabilities. There are 35 students in total attending The Chander Abha Memorial School for The Blind. The senior students are now, thanks to the perseverance and dedication of teachers and staff, integrated into the local government school. This of course is essential to the social development of the children and a huge benefit to their confidence and sense of independence.


'Chimta' one of the instruments the children love to play, music is an essential part of life here.

On another positive note the school has recently acquired a plot of land to build a new school, from the government 6km outside of Kullu. Though this was no easy task, the Principle has been working and petitioning hard for 10 years now for this. And it will take a lot more time energy and money before this project is up and running. But this will be an ideal setting for the children’s education and welfare and they will have the huge benefit of outdoor space. In the mean time, the children, for the best part of 11months of the year, eat, sleep, play and are educated in the 3 small rooms here at the Mahila Kalyan Bhawan, (Womens Social Welfare Building, another N.G.O. ) But these lively and ambitious kids make the absolute most of everything and take nothing for granted and are driven by the encouragement of their four fantastic teachers.


'Utsav Janem Din', birthday celebrations.

Each day here is a challenge for me but I have been welcomed into this warm and open family and so far am thoroughly enjoying every new experience each day. I am quickly learning the ways of the culture here and the children seem to enjoy helping me through with hindi, especially what seems to be my hilarious pronunciations




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By Meadhbh O'Donovan