The Andaman Nicobar Scholarship Initiative…

Andaman and Nicobar islands occupy a minimal space in the consciousness of mainland Indians despite being a part of India. This has resulted in a marginalization of the community in terms of opportunities and resources. More importantly, it has resulted in an incomplete sense of identity among the youth on the islands. The recent devastation after the tsunami has only underscored the need for sensitive, non-aggressive, social work on the islands.

In its quest for equalizing opportunity, The Foundation selected the Andaman Nicobar Scholarship Initiative (ANSI), as its first program in June 2006. It offers five children from the islands the very best education on the mainland.

After a rigorous short listing process covering all the zones of the Andaman and Nicobar islands, 60 students out of 850 applicants were selected from a cross-section of schools across the islands.

In March 2007 a panel comprising of Alok Mathur – a senior professor from Rishi Valley, Shaheen Mistry – founder of Akanksha, Moushumi Kar – a clinical psychologist with the UNICEF posted on the island, Radharani Ray – professor from Bentley college, Gauri Bhure -one of our previous directors and Rahul Bose selected 5 children (4 girls and 1 boys) to study at Rishi Valley. These children come from across the islands not only crossing borders but also religion, caste and tribe.

For this first group of candidates, Rishi Valley School near Bangalore had been selected for its egalitarian atmosphere and high-quality all-round facilities. It offers a non-threatening environment that allows for the natural intelligence and creativity of the child to emerge.

An Introduction to the five children
Bindu, Pratima, Rukhsar, Matrena and Jinu, are all aged 12 years and are in Grade six at Rishi Valley.

BINDU
Bindu is a studious and sensitive child. She is much focused and has a great desire to succeed. Bindu is shy but is slowly making new friends at RVS.  She has been working diligently through the term and her new found interest in reading has further enriched her academic experience.

RUKHSAR
Rukhsar is a very warm hearted, sociable girl, who is friendly with all her classmates. She enjoys singing and dancing and having fun. She is an enthusiastic student and likes to voice her opinions.

JINU
Jinu is a very active young person who has a lively presence in class. He is good with hands-on work and loves to make models. He is a kind-hearted child and is much aware of all that is happening in his surroundings.

MATRENA
An active student in class, Matrena is an alert and attentive girl. She is serious, self-motivated and has the determination to succeed. She was not shy to voice her opinion even though she was a newcomer. She settled rather quickly and shares a good relationship with her classmates.

PRATIMA
Pratima has a quiet presence in class, though she keenly participates in class activities.  She is a sincere girl and works diligently to complete her work. She took time to settle down but has 
opened up a lot.

(Excerpts from the Rishi Valley School Progress Report on the ANSI children)

Rishi Valley and The ANSI
Today to say that these last six months at Rishi valley have been a new experience for the children would be an understatement.June 2007 saw the five children taking a significant leap, both socio-culturally and intellectually. From the ocean to the hills, from grandmothers bed time stories to tentative friendships with house partners, from  home food to school cuisine, the children have begun a new life altogether. Their determined spirit, new friends, welcoming house parents and warm teachers have made this transition possible.

There have been teething issues in adjusting and the homesick feeling is definitely there; yet lending support to each other and making new friends has helped these five children cross that bridge too. The house parents have played an important role in extending parental guidance and assistance in integrating them into the RV family.

None of this might have been possible if it was not for the Rishi Valley staff, principal and director all of whom have been immensely supportive of this endeavor. According to Ms Radhika Herzberger, director, RVS, “Having students from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands with us here, and watching them grow into the culture of the school and also to contribute to it has been a very positive experience for us all.”

At the close of the first academic year the five children along with their parents and siblings participated in a two day workshop in Port Blair conducted by Ms Ashika Pohoomal (MSW) a clinical social worker from the University of Columbia. The overarching objective of this interaction was to open up channels of communication between parents and children and to be able to view a family as a team that needs collaboration to work well. It also aimed at making parents aware of effective parenting strategies and helping them define their role in the family team. This gave the parents and children a great opportunity of sharing with each other what they meant to each other. The parents were touched to hear from the children how much they loved their family and valued them. The workshop ended with all the families together painting a mural on ‘what the islands mean to me’. This was the high point where the fathers, mothers, kids all alike painted one part of the islands that they felt represented their world.

Along with this counselor two mentors Himadri Mishra and Anushka Nunes are now attaching themselves with this project. They will be constant companions to these children in their growing years and will help the foundation track their growth. They have kindly taken on the responsibility to meet the children periodically with the permission of the school and also to assist them in their travel back to their homes. These mentors will also be in touch with the parents and teachers to maintain a strong tripartite parenting relationship for these children.

The five children are now looking forward to starting their new academic session in standard VII.

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