From November 23rd, schools are re-opening in Maharashtra and so Chinmaya Mission decided to do a stationary distribution drive under “Maximum Happiness” Project. On the auspicious day of Ekadashi on 11th November 2020 we conducted a distribution drive of long note books and stationary essentials, for girl students of Shree Pandit Ratnachandraji Jain Kanyashala, Ghatkopar. The 515 students of class V to class X hail from extremely humble origins and are mostly first generation learners of their families whose parents are economically challenged and many belong to the community of cleaners, ragpickers, drivers, hawkers, servants etc. Incentive of free rations by the SPRJ Kanyashala trust / donors ensures good attendance to them, thereby aiding in education of the girl child. SPRJ Kanyashala trust whose work in the field of women literacy dates back to year 1924, an era when female literacy was at a low ebb, speaks volumes of the trusts’ commitment to the cause. The Principal Ms Nanda Nilesh Thakkar, coordinator Pravina Thakkar and a strength of 30 teaching non-teaching staff, in strengthening the cause needs special mention here. Chinmaya mission has been associated with the school for over four years through our Geeta chanting competition and many students participate in the school. The school also makes it compulsory for Std. X students to participate in the chanting.
The sevaks and sevikas of Chinmaya mission - Sri Sunil Gambani, Smt. Nutan Bhalla, Sri Srikant Narsimhan, Sri Ajay, Sri & Smt. Someshwar Indira and Someshwar led by Brni. Prachiti Chaitanya and Swami Swatmananda participated in the programme. The stationary distribution drive continued through a period of two hours ,keeping sanitisation measures and social distancing in place. The pre packed paper bags which contained 12 long notebooks, ball pens, pencils, erasers and crayons were stacked up neatly and handed over to parents or children only after ids were established at the registration desk, coupons provided by the school staff, at the ground floor.
To view the entire event, a zoom link was available for all donors and volunteers to view, thereby ensuring complete transparency at our end. As the event drew to an end the mood was upbeat. It was an afternoon well spent and an apt finale to the event was distribution of sweet packets to the staff for Deepavali, by Swamiji and Brahmacharni Prachiti ji.
