let’s face it— not knowing it, doesn’t help— so, there’s MAD

The English language—as Amitabh Bachchan told us in Namak Halaal—is a “very funny” language. “I can talk English, I can walk English, I can laugh English, because English is a very funny language. Bhairo becomes Baron, and Baron becomes Bhairo, because their minds are very narrow,” says he. Bachchan’s monologue, which went on to attain cult status, is also a social commentary on the status of this ‘Sahib’s language’ in India. Naturally, every language serves a purpose and in Thomas More’s Uotpia, language united people. However, ours is not an idealistic world. In India, English is a privilege dividing the haves from the have nots. So, even as ‘nationalists’ argue about the English language and the undue attention it receives, Make a Difference (MAD) team and its volunteers carry on teaching underprivileged children a language which still holds the power to make better careers.

Founded in the year 2006, MAD was the brain child of a group of youths who realised that in India, knowing the English language could be a game changer for underprivileged children.

One of the MAD founders—Jithin C. Nedumala—was a college student when he visited a Kochi shelter home to distribute sweets. It was his way to celebrate a friend’s admission to a prestigious law college. On that day Nedumala spoke to the children— and heard them. And at the end of the conversation, Nedumala realised that they were looking for more than sweets. They were seeking to be educated, to get a chance to be in a reputed college (like the founder’s friend). They wanted a future that was not depended on sops and doles—they wanted to be in charge of their futures.

Nedumala decided to help. With some of his friends, he set up a library at the centre and started to teach the children rudimentary English. Thus, Make A Difference or MAD was born—in a tiny library with a handful of volunteers taking evening English lessons. But that was then.

Today, MAD is present in 23 cities and has a network of more than 1,200 volunteers who teach more than 4,000 children. For something that had such a humble beginning, MAD has spread its wings fairly quickly. Their aim is simple, they want to bring self-dependency in lives they touch. They want the children to lead a life of dignity and open their minds to new possibilities. I visited one such MAD centre and met some young and passionate teaching fellows at a Dariyaganj shelter home hosted by the Waqf Board. It was called Bachhon Ka Ghar.

Bachhon Ka Ghar is a boys’ shelter home with (approximately) 30 children. There are 24 volunteers who teach English and basic communication skills. I met and spoke extensively to two volunteers—Leshiya Khamboj and Aishwarya, both in their early twenties, and both passionate about MAD. Leshiya, who works for Google, heads MAD’s English Project, while Aishwarya, a student of optometry in All India Institute of Medical Sciences, is in charge of the funding wing. “These are very smart children. The reason why there are gaps in their education is because the schools they go to, are not equipped to deal with their needs,” explains Khamboj. “One of our students goes to a school where the students of Class VI teach students of Class V. How do you learn anything in an environment where there are no teachers or text books?” Khamboj asks. Lucky for the children, they have the young volunteers to their rescue.

Though English language remains the primary focus of MAD volunteers, slowly some of them are moving towards other subjects as well. “Volunteers who stay on longer start to teach other subjects as well. All students are provided text books from Cambridge University Press. They are taught different levels of English. It is not just about rudimentary skills. We want our students’ grammar to be as strong as their spoken English,” says Khamboj, who has been teaching for three years now.

Aishwarya, who has been involved in fund raising bit and keeping MAD afloat, is ready with stories of children who “blossomed” thanks to a little help. “In another shelter where we volunteer, we met a girl called Khushi. Early on when we had asked her what she wished to become, she had no clue. A few months ago, MAD brought in motivational speakers to address the students at the shelter home. After hearing them, Khushi decided to become an entrepreneur,” says a beaming Aishwarya.

The beauty of MAD lies in their simple approach; a two-hour-long class, every weekend. Students are always taught according to a ‘syllabus’ (MAD subscribes to the Cambridge English syllabus). In the last 30 minutes of each class, a story reading session is held, to improve oratory skills. And boy, MAD it may be, but it works! Students do not look motivated, they seemed eager to learn more.

While I was conducting the interview and watching volunteers in action, I noticed that classes were often interrupted by boys who would come in to shout a hello. After a while when one of the grinning volunteers mockingly reprimanded one of the boys for the ‘interruption’ and asked him to leave, he said, “Itni mehnat se andar aaya hun, ab aap bol rahe ho bahar jao?” (It took so much effort to get in, and you are asking me to get out?)

The line reverberate as I think about the children later; it has taken a lot of hard work on their part to get into the education system. And minds have been opened. Once in this system, they can not be sent back from. In fact, they refuse to leave.