Why should we all SPARK?

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S-P-A-R-K - SPorts, ARts & Knowledge.

It feels good to write to you all from far away. Last night, I was speaking with Ram Subash, a trustee of our trust. We were discussing about the past experiences & the way forward for our trust and the new changes, improvements that are going to take place. Amidst all those things we started to speak about the SPARK 2013 & suddenly he asked me

“Why are we conducting SPARK & why can't we conduct something useful with the money? Why can't we sponsor for their educational needs or give them scholarships? What is the use in conducting SPARK?”.

To say truthfully, I was startled. I was literally taken aback as I always thought that the whole team knew about the rational behind the whole event of SPARK. I was terribly WRONG. Anyway this is HOW the rest of the conservation continued.

I asked 

"Subash, What do you think is the main difference between a city bred, private school educated child & a child brought up in a village who is educated in a government school? Are there any “ocean change” difference between the curriculum?".

Well, the answer is undoubtedly NO. I have read a same class in both the State board & Central board syllabuses. The broadness of the subject differs BUT in objectivity they both were almost the same.

Why were you (Subash) able to travel to cities like Chennai, Bengaluru, Ernakulam & still continue your life without facing much difficulties? Was it because of the English language?

Again, the answer is NO. In fact if you speak in English in Chennai & Bengaluru to auto drivers, they will swindle money out of you. At times English can be the worst choice to use in cities.

You were able to travel across India (almost to all states) for service calls and you were comfortable with new places & cultures. Do you think a village girl/boy, taught in the rural areas of Madurai or Thirunelveli district be able to do it?

The answer to a larger extent was NO. I have friends, who were from places like Kovilpatti & still they found it hard to accustom themselves to their new college life & the exposure to other cultures.

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At last the answer turned out to be the SELF-CONFIDENCE & EXPOSURE. In my views what makes an individual is the self confidence & this stems out from the exposure to the new places, people, situations & the ability to successfully cope up with them. Confidences comes also from the feeling of success. How much soever small the success is, the feeling itself is like a seed which grows day by day & becomes a huge tree one day. That huge tree gives an enormous confidence to people.

Tree of Success!

The rational behind the SPARK is not to make Leonardo Da Vincis or Isaac Newtons or Ravivarmas or Bhaarathis out of children. It is not to make an immediate tangible change in the lives of the people/ poor. The word SPARK (suggested by Thennarasu) was chosen because it resembled the most to our ideal. The SPARK from the (Gnana) DEEPAM can light some one's path.

As far as the word SPARK is concerned, SPARK is an acronym of Sports, ARts & Knowledge. The event is aimed at conducting small inter-school competitions for the children and thereby exposing them to new children, new teachers, new places & also to something new called as the success at a larger stage. The competitions are not directly related to academic excellence & it gives the opportunity for the children to creatively express themselves. The prizes are given only to the top three participants but everyone is provided with a certificate of participation & some compliments. This infuses the feeling of success in them, which over a period of time will make them strive for betterment & give them the confidence to face the world. 

 

The success & effectiveness of the event SPARK cannot be measured in the near future. May be it can never be measured BUT our success is making success stories not succeeding for ourselves.

Kids that SPARKled in 2011!

Having said about the rational about SPARK, a lot of questions arose like

1. Why should we always keep it free & without an entrance/participation fee?
2. Why should we provide them with food?
3. Why should we conduct the competitions in a weekend?
4. Why should it be conducted somewhere near August or January?
5. Why should we continue with the project regardless of the fact that it had already failed many times since 2009?

Well the answers are not always black or white. At times they are also black & white.

1. We may lose out participants as not all families can pay for the competitions that are generally considered as “NOT SO NECESSARY”. The child who was left out due to the poverty can become someone like a Ramanujam or may be not BUT that is a chance that we cannot take.
2. Government schools provide mid-day meals & most children come to school to have that one serving of food. We cannot stress them to bring the food or go hungry on the day of SPARK.
3. Well, this is the golden question... We can have the competitions on any day of a week, given that the organising team can take a couple of days off, from their job & routine.
4. Operationally, that seems to be the most suitable time as they are either fresh out of the exam or yet to appear for an exam & there is no pressure on the side of the teachers to grant a day for us. Moreover as the two important national days Independence day & Republic day fall in the months of August & January respectively, it makes most sense that we use them to our objective. To make confident, successful yet patriotic & humane citizens out of children.
5. I am not being over-optimistic or looking to achieve something big. I simply believe in what a wise man once said.

“In a day, when you don't come across any problems - you can be sure that you are travelling in a wrong path”        

 ― Swami Vivekananda.

Subash too, at the end of the conversation believed that SPARK is an important event & we should conduct it. He is optimistic now or to be precise, he has the conviction to conduct the event now.

We are travelling in the right path & let us reach the destination. Sometimes the TRAVEL itself rather than the destination that makes the whole journey special. Hoping to see you all in the travel.

I know that to conduct SPARK is no small thing, it needs at least 15 members & more than Rs 35,000/- BUT I also know that it is necessary we do that.

Those who still believe that SPARK is something necessary and achievable regardless of all the earlier mishaps & flip-flops please reply.