6000 Books for Kids Attending TEDx Shekhavati

Maya 13 years ago

We’ve been following the TEDxShekhavati journey since last year and we’ve known Masarat Daud (the TEDxShekhavati organizer) through Twitter. If last year’s event seemed exciting (Read about the event here), then we have no words to describe how excited we are about this year’s event. Why are we excited?

Here’s why….

Last year, Masarat mailed us and told us about the event she is organizing this year and how this year’s event would include a special session for kids! When Masarat asked if we could help in some way, we decided that we would help in the way we know best – by giving away some of our books!

And in January 2011, 6000 books were packed and transported and sent to Jaipur. We received a call from Masarat today and she mentioned how she is expecting more than 1000 kids at the event. If there are any books which couldn’t be distributed at the event, Masarat will distribute them to schools she will visit in Rajasthan.

TEDxShekhavati 2011 will take place on February 5, 2011 in Kishan Paathshaala, Fatehpur Shekhavati (Rajasthan, India). You can view the schedule for the event here.

We leave you with Masarat’s latest blog post about the event :

Let’s come to the point now. I visited the TEDxShekhavati 2011 venue yesterday. I think we couldn’t have been gifted with a better venue. The school was in ruins and it was so hard to believe that it is a functioning school! KIshan Paathshaala was built in the 1920s as a school for Harijans (‘untouchables’) and since then it has evolved into a school for less-fortunate children. These are children whose fathers are donkey cart pullers, or children who are orphans or whose fathers have left them and re-married, leaving them with their grandparents who can barely take care of them. 200 such children go to school here. There are eight teachers in the school.

Yesterday, I went to the school and they did an impromptu dance performance for me. I was so touched by the sincereity of those children and teachers. Then, one of the teachers told me that their school is considered the lowest grade in Fatehpur and because of us (our family), this school and the entire area around us has received a ‘lift’. The school—almost 80 years old—does not have toilets! But because of TEDxShekhavati, toilets are now being built in the school and will be completed before the event on February 5, 2011. The school is finally being painted too!

Read the entire blog post here. You can also follow @TEDxShekhavati and @Masarat on Twitter.

Tags: