Picking up Pace

With the launch of the Pre-school classes on 8th December 2014, the Project is now fully on the ground and is picking up pace.

Till yesterday i.e. till 11th December 2014, we had 8 confirmed admissions in Pre-school and 4 in progress. In the after-school classes we have a strength of 22 children right now.

The first center is thus gaining momentum and getting strong response. One reason is that we are personally teaching the kids over here which we initially did not want to do.

The next challenge now is to transfer the responsibility slowly to a teach (whom we still need to identify) and the move on to open the next center. We had kept a target of January 2015 for this but still there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

Kishmish

In one of his Hindi classes, Kanav was taking dictation and was given to write "Kishmish", a word he had practiced several times earlier and was a simple one for him.

But when his teacher checked the dictation, she could not control herself and went to the nearby class, where Kanav's former teacher "Kimmi Maam" (who used to teach Kanav in the same class till a week back but was shifted to class 1 recently) was teaching and showed her Kanav's copy.

She immediately came to Kanav's class and showered her love and blessings on Kanav as Kanav, who was in his own deep thoughts had written Kimmi Maam instead of Kishmish.

Chiklets

A few days back when we went shopping to a supermarket (VISHAL), Kanav went straight into the toys section making his selection. When he had selected one, he came to his mom and asked to take the toy home.
His Mom while explaining him about the game, told him that all children should be above 5 years age and Jay was just 3 years yet.
Kanav immediately responded - "Then why don't you get another baby! I would be able to play chiklets then as it needs 3 people to play."

(Chicklets is a game of catch the slowest runner.)

Me and Preeti had a hearty laugh on Kanav's innocent logic.

This has always been like this......

"This has always been like this and will remain like this. 40 years back we also used to talk like the way you do. Then everyone went their way to do the most important thing, earn money. You know my friends who are professors. They were also like you are but now see them. Are they any different from the money making machines?"

This is an excerpt of one of the many breakfast/dinner talks I have with my father. Interesting thing is that I know he is right, I know he wants me to be doing something safer, something which makes money for us. I have not even once rebelled against him now. Seems like I am getting mature. :)

My father subtly is telling me again and again that what you are doing is bound to fail. Possibly! He may be right. But I just have to do what I believe is right, right now and give this project a try. I cannot live in the past and fear for the future. I believe that I am at a juncture in my life where I not only have time on my side, but I also have the right skill set to give this project the best possible shot.

Success and failure is in mathematical terms is a game of probability and from my point of view the probability of our success is a wee bit higher than the failure. Though for my father the probability of failure is "1", i just love him for the way he is still supporting me on every step and I respect his criticism even more than that as it makes me more and more careful.

Activity Day

With response of students being encouraging, have started taking some bold steps. We Conducted a small activity day today(19th Oct 2014). I would count it as bold because, "tution" center conducting these activities is unheard of. This is the relam of schools and we have started breaching it.

The decision was spontaneous without much thought on the execution details. But with 12 hours at hand we prepared well; though a lot of improvisations were made during execution.

I had never thought that a competition can really be fun without anyone really winning it. No prizes no give aways but the fun was double and the real reason was that kids were enjoying and having fun without the anxiousness of winning. 

What this day has done is opened up a completely new avenue for us for Personality development of the child. More thought still needs to be given but just Can't believe it still and can't wait for another activity day.

And yes.....by the way....word has started traveling. :)

Manish Saini

Plans Change and they change fast.....

With the initial response being weak, it has started picking up. From 5 students before the 2nd term test, I have now 10 of them upto class 8th. So word of mouth is spreading and its spreading fast. My theory has started working on ground.

One challenge which we did not envisage was a very strange perception of people -
People (even those who know us well) are not willing to believe that someone as well educated as us can leave there job to set up a camp in a village; and that too to do what? - Teach kids? Things don't work this way. People do everything for money. These people can't be true. There is a hidden agenda. Let us wait and see. It would come out with time.

But what is working in favor is that people have started believing that we really teach well and let they want to use us while we are there.

What this perception has done is made me abandon plans to expand fast in multiple places at once. For if we divert attention and leave major responsibility on someone else, the reputation deterioration would be quick and extremely damaging for the project.

While, I am rendered slow, it will help me focus well and create a really strong working model. A few more ideas have started taking some shape out of this one center -
1. A kids Library.
2. An indoor playing club and training center.
Am still thinking of more............
Manish Saini

Project Bajwara

The eyes are still not in their place and am not able to see clearly even while writing this note. But have to make up for the lost 1 month now very quickly.

The project is now entering an important phase of execution. The most difficult part of creating the curriculum is over. We are now in a relatively easier part of finding a location.

Relatively easy because I know at least something about it. But in reality, finding a location in a completely unknown village is a real big task. There are no "Magicbriks.com" and no "Property agents" in a village.

It is merely going to be good luck to find the right person quickly who can guide us through this phase.

Manish Saini

The Challenge....today

When Nelson Mandela wrote his biography to give a sketch of how he attained freedom, there was a reason he titled it LONG ROAD to freedom. There are no shortcuts, there are no easy ways out and most importantly, the hurdles are insurmountable.

I have just begun this journey but the opening chapter has been enough for me to bring the theory of the books to my real life. 90% of my assumptions have already been trashed. The working model which I thought of has started taking shape but with substantial changes.

The challenge is immense for a newcomer into the industry. But one thing I don’t regret now is the choice of my location of work. Hoshiarpur as a location is working out for me as I have been quickly able to connect to  quiet a few like minded people which promises that even if the journey is not going to be easy, it is also not going to be difficult now.

Lessons learnt from the entrepreneurs I worked with are really helpful. Long back Phani Raj taught me the importance of keeping fit as an entrepreneur. While I continuously work towards it, the recent episode of me and Preeti contracting Toxic conjunctivitis has put us back by almost a month.

The challenge to start 2 centers in October are really in our face now as Nangal Shaidan hose still needs to be vacated and for Bajwara, we have not been able to find a location yet. Only 44 more days to go, we have now folded up our sleeves even though the recovery from the illness is not full yet.

Do faster than you doubt!

I am trying to apply the lessons which I have picked from successful entrepreneurs with whom I ahv worked.

While Sharad and Shailesh taught me to do a thing rather than perfecting which I have already applied, I am now going to apply Phani's lesson that I need to move faster than I doubt.

I am going to now quickly work on opening a second center and have chosen Bajwara as it is a substantially large village.

While Nangal Shahidan, where I started the first center has just 400 houses, Bajwara has almost 1800 houses and would be a good testing ground.

My net 2 targets are going to be Patti and Islamabad (in Hoshiarpur) as both of them have their own flavors.

Manish

Which animal catches Rat?

While coming back from Mumbai, we spent a few days at Morinda where Kanav's Naani was being troubled by rats in the house. One fine morning there were 2 tiny rats in the trap and Kanav and Jay were ecstatic to see them in a trap for the first time.

In the excitement they played with both of them so much that one even escaped the trap.

Finally, Naani had to deal with the left one.

This happened some odd 3 months back.

Last week Preeti was working on Kanav's general knowledge and asked her a question - Kanav, which animal catches rat?

And Kanav, in the same breath said - Naani Mamma!!!

The Journey has Begun

I thought that I had come well prepared mentally that the journey which I am going to embark upon is going to be an extremely tough one. But every step is telling me that nothing prepares you for the actual test. You just need to survive.

I have doing that every day now. After landing, in I was almost blank on how to get into the first gear when I was suggested by a Summer camp idea by the Principal of Nangal Shahidan and Sameer. With a blank slate, did it. The initial response of only 4 students put me back but developed strategies to raise that number to 16 over the month.

Now again I am facing the same mental challenge. The tuitions started in Nangal on 15^th. Yet I have only 4 kids. Though I know it’s going to be a slow process, but possibly as an Operations person, I am not trained to be slow. The strategy till now has been word of mouth publicity and keeping the fee at a low of Rs 500 for 3 subjects (English, Maths and Science) in 2 hours. Logically speaking, we would be able to finish of the syllabus in maximum 5 months and thus 2500 for 3 subjects.

I am not sure if we have to rethink on the fee. But right now I am just keeping my head down and preparing the kids for exams in September expecting that the result would speak for itself. But inside I am still restless for not being able to get to at-least 12 kids which was a decent number to start with. I am also restless because the more parents delay in getting the kids, the greater would be the learning gap.

The realities on the ground are starting to bring out the gaps in my theory which is jittering me.

1.       One of the biggest gap seems to be that even Rs 300 seem to be high for the parents. But I am going to stick to it as anything below it might be financially not feasible.

2.       Other biggest gap is that I was of the opinion to get a vehement support locally but in my own village, people fail to understand the motive and the concept. All of them are following the wait and watch policy.

3.       This is taking the pace off my project and rendering me slow which means its going to drain my savings faster than the pace of the project. This brings me to the next challenge of topping up my income.

Today is a new day and I am still standing tall. Let the challenge bring it on!!! I will think over a solution.