Children’s Day Special : The Kalams Among Us

I Am Kalam : A Dream Born Of Curiosity

I clearly remember I was about 12 years old when I first saw this movie, and it stuck with me ever since. I was sick at that time missing my school, when I saw it, I could instantly feel what Kalam or ‘Chhotu’ in the movie felt; the yearning to sit in a classroom.

This is a movie inspired by APJ Abul Kalam, a pioneer in Indian education, also known as the missile man. The plot is simple yet deep. A child from rural Rajasthan is put to work in a desert Dhaba by his mother, but his dreams are far beyond money and enjoyment; he wants to learn. He is a curious child robbed of proper education, but Chhotu learns about APJ Abul Kalam on TV, and then begins his journey of finding an identity and fighting for his way towards getting into a school.

Chhotu to Kalam: The Battle Of Identity

The story starts with Chhotu riding on a camel’s back to a Dhaba in a desert. He is with his mother and an infant sibling, while on his way to the Dhaba, he notices a child being taken to school, he is with a caretaker under an expensive umbrella and is dressed in a neat school uniform, with a tie hung around his neck.

Chhotu on the other hand works in a Dhaba and lives there, with no word of education or books in sight. He is taught cooking, cleaning and serving customers instead of the Alphabet or mathematics. But one day a tourist comes to that Dhaba with an old TV, the first thing Chhotu sees on the television is APJ Abul Kalam’s Speech about education and dreams. And thus, Chhotu’s adventure of learning begins. He cuts out APJ Abul Kalam’s photos, memorises his speeches and becomes obsessed with him. He even starts telling everyone that his name is ‘Kalam.’

One day when a foreigner asks him what his name is, he replies with ‘I Am Kalam’ even though he only learned conversing in English with the tourists at the Dhaba.

Chhotu becomes Kalam, when a fire of learning and chasing dreams is ignited in his heart. He finds an identity in the middle of a desert. He was often criticized and discouraged, but his dream to go to school one day never fades.

A Friendship: When Two Worlds Meet

Then one day when Kalam goes to deliver Chai at the palace, he meets a young prince named Ranvijay, he is exhausted and tired of the friendships he had. In his house, people treat him like royalty, his parents assert authority and his sisters think he’s a boy who shouldn’t play with girls. But when he goes to school, children are either afraid of him or want something in return. This leaves Prince Ranvijay in a turmoil regarding friendship and being wanted. Therefore, he becomes introverted and spends most of his time studying.

Kalam then returns back to his Dhaba, and the next day the camel he has treated earlier with herbal medicine, has healed and is standing. The owner of the Dhaba notices Kalam’s bright mind, but due to certain restraints and mindset, he doesn’t pursue the idea of sending him to school.

But Kalam is ever persistent, he learns the alphabet through posters, converses with the foreigners and learns new words. One day he decides to go selling tea on his camel, where he meets the young prince again. But this time he ends up bonding with him instead. Ranvijay is impressed by Kalam’s attitude towards life, and the both start learning together.

Kalam helps Ranvijay with homework, speeches at school etc. This overtime strengthens their bond without the adults knowing.

They become close friends who would help each other and stand with one another in times of crisis, regardless of where they come from, their houses and any kind of societal pressures the adults worry about, their friendship becomes a symbol of true innocent companionship.

The Weight of Circumstance: Fighting Differences Without Losing Hope

One day as Kalam and Ranvijay are playing together, one of the workers in the palace notices Kalam leaving Ranvijay’s room, he then holds Kalam accountable and action is taken against him.

The elders don’t believe in letting the underprivileged play with their Prince Ranvijay or befriend him. But Ranvijay on the contrary believes in equality and thought of education instead, societal standards don’t matter to him.

After a series of events, and proving Kalam’s innocence after being falsely accused, Kalam and Ranvijay end up going to school together, learning in the same classroom.

The Dream We Owe Every Child: A World Where Every “Chhotu” Can Become a Kalam

After watching this movie again after I had grown up, I realised that I had the privilege to return back to school once I became well, but there are so many ‘Kalams’ among us who, despite all efforts are shoved in a lifestyle where they have to give up on their dream of studying and gaining a proper education.

There are countless children working in restaurants or sitting at home simply because their families can’t afford it, but to them, there are seldom friends like Ranvijay who would help them attain true freedom; freedom from suppression of curiosity.

Every child has a curious mind, is eager to learn, and ready to become the next APJ Abul Kalam. But to them, opportunities are limited, vision is limited and funds are limited. One might believe there is no hope, but there is an NGO working tirelessly to become the hope, to bring the hope. To provide children with education, with the joy of learning and an environment of a school.

This organisation is known as Pehchaan The Street School. An NGO helping children find their identity like Kalam and helping them learn, stand on their feet one day.

Their interns and volunteers are working on-ground and online to provide the children with proper education and the opportunity to socialize, learn differences of other people and take part in extra-curricular activities like arts and crafts.

Pehchaan The Street School has successfully impacted 5000+ lives and has more than 1600+ students enrolled in their centres. Each child is given equal opportunities and the chance to represent themselves truly.

If you too want to create an impact, make a change, become a Ranvijay to our friends at the centres, feel free to enroll on our on-going opportunities. Become an Intern or Volunteer at the center nearest to you, share your knowledge, make a change and leave an impact that matters.

A lot of the individuals have decided to contribute already, and speaking of contribution, there are some amazing brands collaborating with Pehchaan The Street School to help them fund their mission of making education viral, making education accessible to every child.

Berger Nippon Paint Automotive Coatings Private Limited

A major automotive coatings company partnered with the organization during Diwali. They donated 1,600 Deskit bags; special school bags with built-in, detachable study desks, which are extremely useful because the children study on floor mats in open centers. The company

team, including their MD and HR head Kanika Mittal, visited all centers over the weekend and also conducted a hand-printing activity with the children.

Check out our collaboration here: Linkedin

Pexpo

Pexpo, an Indian brand known for eco-friendly stainless-steel bottles and an official RCB partner, collaborated with Pehchaan The Street School during Diwali. They donated 120 steel water bottles along with 120 gift hampers at the GTB Nagar centre and conducted a short session on saying no to plastic and maintaining hygiene. The activity helped promote sustainability and gave children their own reusable bottles for the first time.

Check out our collaboration here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DQbUzk2jJN4/

Ecoright

EcoRight, a sustainable Indian brand that makes eco-friendly bags, partnered with Pehchaan The Street School for the second time. After giving 150 tote bags last Christmas. They were eager to support the celebration of Diwali and coordinated with the team through Pradyuman Sir. This year, they donated 1,500 eco-friendly tote bags, far more than the previous collaboration.

Check out our collaboration here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DQEmF60CYBC/

CS Disco

CS Disco, a US-based legal-tech company, partnered with Pehchaan The Street School two months ago as part of their CSR efforts. Coordinated by Khushi Verma, their volunteers interacted with students to inspire confidence and curiosity. They also donated 400 notebooks and 400 stationery kits.

Synchrony

Synchrony, a US-based financial services company, partnered with Pehchaan The Street School at the Noida centre through their CSR initiative. After months of coordination with Ms. Isha, they donated essential infrastructure: 50 benches, a water cooler, whiteboards, stationery kits, 20 LED lights, and 10 fans. Their team visited, interacted with students, and distributed kits. The support was timely and extremely valuable for improving the center's learning environment

And many more…

A lot of the influencers and people all across social media showed their support. Pehchaan The Street school has successfully completed 10,000+ hours of work, 1,000+ reviews on google and 2,000 volunteers and interns are currently working.

And if you are someone eager to help and bring a change in children’s lives, through volunteering, donating or collaborating, below are the resources you need to get started.

Pehchaan The Street School

Website: https://pehchaanstreetschool.org

Instagram page link — https://instagram.com/pehchaanstreetschool?utm_source=ig_profile_share&igshid=181sger2fozl7

To Donate via Instamojo — https://www.instamojo.com/@pehchaanthestreetschool

To Donate via NEFT — https://pehchaanstreetschool.

Youtube channel — https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXd4gnTazJh3JugKENt5yog

Twitter — https://twitter.com/Pehchaan_School?s=09

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pehchaan-the-street-school-trust/