Childhood creates a starry constellation of memories and formidable experiences, bricked together to build the person that we are now. For many of us, it’s a bed of rosy reminiscences that we fall back on and cherish.
But not all children are gifted with a reassuring childhood. Not every child can sit mesmerized on his grandfather’s lap, intently listening to old legends and heroic tales. Not every child was carried to school each day on her Father’s unfailing shoulders. Despite the absence of such comforting experiences, children grow up anyway.
Tucked away on the slopes of the Himalayas is a solace for these children – the Sikkim Himalayan Academy, which was initiated for the very purpose of providing free and sound education to children, born into the poorest of poor conditions. This primary school is nestled in Buriakhop, a charming village in West Sikkim, and conducts classes from Nursery up to the 4th standard. They enrol children from remote areas of Sikkim, who are bound by destitute living conditions and poverty-stricken backgrounds. Sikkim Himalayan Academy offers these children a chance to transform their bleak situations into bright and promising futures.
With the aim of education and betterment, the school opened its doors for the first time in the March of 2003. The school has successfully pulled through a decade of not only effective teaching, but they have also managed the personal development and enrichment of the lives of their children. Today, the school caters to almost 70 students, about 30 of which are day students who live in and around the surrounding area, and the remaining students reside in the school hostel. The school is a not for profit organization where each child’s education is funded by donations and sponsorships. It is shouldered by a charitable Dutch Trust, comprising of dedicated members that undertake various fundraising activities and accentuate charitable donations. The school follows the Indian National curriculum, and the local languages and culture is also brewed and inculcated in the children. Along with a sturdy education, every other need of the child is also taken care of, such as food, shelter, clothing, attention to hygiene and medical care whenever required. Above all, they are showered with immense care and affection by the Principal, teachers and volunteers. For these children, it is nothing short of a loving home.
For me, it was a real privilege to have spent a month and a half at the school as a volunteer. It was an experience like no other. The village is a true haven, a small part of mighty mountains; a place brimming with sanctity and serenity, hidden away from the bustling chaos of cities and towns. Even though it took me two trains, two jeeps and over 60 hours to get there, it was more than worth it. It felt like an escape from normalcy, an escape from the ordinary. The people you meet there are extremely caring and courteous; especially the people in the school. They radiate kindness and happiness; and despite all the problems that may be saddled upon them, they will still smile through it all. This endearing nature is also inherent in the children there. Many of them have endured harsh conditions, domestic violence, poor living standards and abusive situations. None of them have had easy yesterdays. But when they come to Sikkim Himalayan Academy, they are ready to leave their past experiences behind and put a keen effort in their studies. Many of them are eager to learn and intently listen to what is taught to them inside and outside the classrooms. Some may struggle, but teachers offer the extra care and attention needed to push them forward.
It is heart-warming to spend time with these children, who are incredibly selfless and mature. They take care of each other like their own siblings, and even the little that they have is happily shared with each other. The older boarding students, who are technically just 3rd and 4th graders, take on so much of responsibility at this tender age. They take very good care of the little ones; they help them study, wash their clothes, give them baths and help them in whatever required. They also help out in the kitchen in making meals to feed everyone in school. Also, the children here are always cheerful, smiling and spreading joy to us older ones, no matter what worries and fears may be lurking behind their smiles. The school puts in tremendous efforts to help these children have a better shot at life. With arms wide open, they accept them, mould them, educate them and inspire them to change their destiny. It is here that the children take their first step, hand in hand, towards an assuring future.
It is the intimacy and togetherness that binds the school in place. Almost every night, especially during the fiercely cold winters, is spent with everyone huddled around a bonfire with singing, and sometimes dancing. The children and teachers sing their hearts out; and it truly stirs your soul as their Nepali folk songs and Hindi melodies echo through the woods and across the mountains. Apart from having the most picturesque view of blue and green mountains painted around the school, trekking these hills with the children is an exhilarating way to spend a day. Even if it’s building a fence out of bamboo sticks and ropes and painting it, or laughing around the kitchen table while rolling out some 200 chapatis, or just sitting on a rickety bridge in the woods, everyone is always content, because what they cherish in school the most is each other.
The principal and the teachers, along with visiting volunteers, are doing a very commendable job in making free education available and accessible to children from impoverished areas of Sikkim.
When it was my time to leave, I found it very difficult to tear myself away from the place. The children have truly left a deep impact on me. They shower their unblemished innocence and unbiased love to anyone who they know is there to love, help and care for them; and they include them whole-heartedly in the school’s well bound family.
Those who visit Sikkim Himalayan Academy can never return empty handed. You take back a piece of everyone along with you, and treasure it wherever you go.