9th Standard Students

Bala Mandir School,G.N.Chetty Road,T.Nagar,Chennai – 17.

Principal: Mrs. Maya Gaikonde.

‘Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me.’

Students of Balamandhir were very clear with this fact. The children knew that ‘They’ had to be the change to make a change. Hence they decided to bring about the change that they wanted most. To play a good game of football in a good play ground.

Yes! It was their play ground they wanted to bring a change in. Their problem was pebbles and stones all over the play ground which hurt their feet while playing football (most children did not wear footwear or shoes as it was unaffordable). What’s shocking is that they only wanted a clean and clear play ground and not footwear. The reason for this was they wanted a change that will be permanent and everlasting. They liked the idea of having good play ground everyday which they were sure of than a new pair of footwear every year which they were not very sure of (they preferred to clear their grounds together with their friends instead of shopping footwear together).

These kids were a bunch of enthusiastic and hard working children. “WE will clean the grounds with whatever we have” was their instant solution to their problem. The second they decided on what they wanted to do, they all ran in different directions and returned after a few minutes with sweepers, brooms, shovels, Onyx trolly bin and all other things needed for cleaning.

They were all set and rolled up their pants and shirt sleeves to get into full fledged working.

These kids didn’t care about having to get their bare feet and hands dirty by working in mud, slush and also plenty of garbage. Most of all they didn’t care about being teased by their seniors for what they were doing. Their positive attitude towards their criticism was very shocking and very welcoming. And as the work carried with no worries to all teasing taking place a few of the senior students feeling ashamed of their behavior, later came up volunteering to help and joined the change.

Four solid hours of hard working with few other helping hands, the students of 9th grade of Balamandhir achieved in making the change they wanted the most. Now what they could see around them was not stones, pebbles and garbage, instead it was a vast, clean play ground with just sand and the few beautiful trees around. After all the hard work and having done what they wanted, what is it that they wanted to next? The expected reply was “we want to win the contest” but the given reply was much unexpected and eye tearing. This is what they said “Akka, we want to have a cup of tea, all of us together.”

These kids didn’t work this hard because they wanted to win. They did it because they wanted to enjoy a cup of tea with their friends together having achieved what they wanted and get back to playing football in their new, changed play ground.

They didn’t want to stop just there. They wanted to continue in bringing the change permanently and so decided to continue with this work by taking turns every week class wise with the help and support of their teachers.

It’s time to play Football