Ms. Sananda Sarkar, one of our amazing volunteer teachers from West Bengal, is on a mission to provide a platform for kids to flaunt their creativity and she’s now our new hero.

Ms. Sananda Sarkar, Volunteer Teacher

It all began in 2020 when Ms. Sananda decided to give her students a simple creativity exercise. A topic was given and the students could choose to express their thoughts on the topic through any art forms of their choice. She was baffled at their interest and the rate at which they completed their task. Upon inspecting their works, she was truly taken aback. She knew that these kids were all talented but the quality of the content that they had just showcased was just too good to go unnoticed.

That is when she got the idea to start a blog and so she did. She informed the kids that she would be giving them similar exercises every month and the best ones will be selected to go on a blog online. This just amplified the children’s enthusiasm. And the blog – Kriti (meaning: creation) was born.

Much like the name itself, the blog turned out to be a platform where creativity bloomed and grew. The students submit various kinds of content like drawings, paintings, and creative writing in their regional language – Bengali. Ms. Sananda then translates the writings to English and posts both the original Bengali version and the translated English version along with a selected artwork on the blog. The kids are delighted now that their works are now displayed on the internet for everyone to admire.

When asked about what motivated her to start this blog, Ms. Sananda replied, “I am a strong advocate for the right to quality education, but I never got a chance to work towards this cause. Hence, when I decided to take a sabbatical from my job, joining an NGO to help provide quality education was on top of my list. I joined eVidyaloka in 2019. The more I interacted with these children the more I realized the treasure of untapped talent they possess. Despite limited resources and limited exposure, they surprised me with their creativity and wiliness to learn above and beyond their textbooks. It is my students who motivated me to start this blog. This blog is not only to provide a forum for these children but also for the world to recognize the immense talent and creativity every kid possesses.”

There are 4 posts up in the blog as of now including an introduction by Ms. Sananda. The children have brilliantly elaborated on the richness of their Bengali heritage for International Mother Language Day and also written a blog post honoring the late American astronaut, engineer, and the first woman of Indian origin to go to space, Kalapana Chawla.

Kriti has turned out to be an excellent way to expose children to good literature. It has become a way to help them get in the spirit of healthy competition and feel accomplished and encouraged at the same time. It is truly incredible work that Ms. Sananda is doing for these children and our hearts swell up with pride every time a new blog post goes up. To ensure more volunteer teachers like Sananda and more students are connected, you can contribute here or volunteer your time here.

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