Caravan Experience - More Stories Please

I liked today's caravan very much. It was very relaxing. For the first time I was assigned to storytelling and theatre space and it was fun. The children and the volunteers too shared their stories. I loved listening to them.

The kids were so involved in the space that they asked the volunteer to tell more stories. They didn't see this space as boring and loved the interactive nature of the space. However, I also noticed that only female children come to the storytelling space.

In today's caravan the large group game with the egg was very interesting. Groups of children had to work together to create a contraption that would protect the egg on being dropped from a height of 6 feet. The children enjoyed it and it brought out their creativity.

-Jyothsna Antic

Caravan Experience - Spending Time With the Little Ones

The feeling that I get from the caravan is always so beautiful and amazing as I get to spend time with those little ones as it feels so nice to talk to them and play and dance and do different activities.

My space is arts and we had this activity where we have to make group of 2 children and one will be given a drawing and other person has to draw the same drawing without seeing it. The first person has to give out instructions to the second person on what to draw. It was so amazing to see as some are making  the exact drawing as dictated and also some are not coming up with the same things.

-Richa Podar

Caravan Experience - Dance Dance

The dance part of the caravan always brings out smiles and joy to children. It is fun to observe how even our instructors act like children when the music is turned on. I noticed a young girl in the corner practicing the steps of a song. I felt like she was shy and didn't know the steps properly but later I realized that she didn't want to leave her friend who was in the art group.

I feel like the caravans keep on adding to my experiences of community service. Earlier, I had some stereotypes associated with boys who were in <caravan location> but these caravans are helping me to understand that the reality is very different.

- Aeiman

Caravan Experience - Creating Your Own Borders

It felt refreshing to be back after a long time.

The activity in the art space was a group activity where a group of children paint together on one large piece of khora cloth and yet I saw all of them painting their own thing on that same piece of cloth. It was cute to see how they made their own border for themselves on that piece of cloth.

The kids were so enthusiastic as always and I learned to be as excited about life as they were!

- Vaishnavi Desai

Caravan Experience - Nothing Can Stop Us From Playing

I saw that the building was being renovated and there was a shortage of space but that didn't stop the kids from enjoying themselves. I felt that instead of complaining about everything if we can start finding joy in the little things it'll make all the difference.

I was in the indoor games. We were handed puzzles which were all jumbled up and some pieces missing yet the kids were determined to put them back together and the joy on their faces even if it was a single completed puzzle was really memorable for me.

-SWATI SINGH

Caravan Experience - Children Helping Facilitator Play

This was the first caravan of the new year and the first caravan held at <caravan location> in a long time. There was a lot of excitement in the air as we would be meeting the kids at the school after a long time.

At this caravan, most of the time was spent interacting with the kids as I hadn't seen them for a long time. They were were excited. We played badminton for the first time at the caravan. As this was a sport that I had never played before, I was really bad the first few times, but the kids who I was playing against showed great patience with me and even gave me tips on how o plat better.

-Christopher

Caravan Experiences - No One To Pass Judgement

It was my second time to this school where the caravan was held. It's beautiful to work with younger children. They show so much respect and gratitude. They are more devoted than the older students in the other caravan location.

This activity of creating drawings with alphabets is something I used to do as a kid. It was very creative. The children help each other and enjoy such activities.

This is one amazing activity and it indulges their mind to a great extent. I am so grateful to be volunteering here with Headstreams, it brings back memories and activities I have not done in years. It brings back so many memories from my childhood and of course to be a child all over again with the children. The best part about caravans is that there is no one to pass judgement.

-Sakshi Sipani

Caravan Resource Drive - An Interesting First Experience

I had an interesting experience as I'd never done anything like this. I've never facilitated a donation drive and so I was a little apprehensive to ask people for donations.
However, over time I realised my hesitation disappeared. As I care about the girls at the <caravan location> very much, I want them to have all the materials and resources that were available and so I began to feel very passionate about this drive. In most donation drives, college students feel they can't contribute because they don't have the money to do so. However, people were happy to realise that they could contribute in the form of simple things like newspapers and plastics as well.

A major challenge was in regard to monetary contributions. Most people I interacted with lived in PGs and hostels away from they family so even though they wanted to donate, they didn't have the money or materials to.

I told people who wanted to donate but didn't have the resources to, that even if at a later date they had something to contribute, they could reach out to me.
I told people to be especially careful while buying bottled water and packaged food and to keep the containers and give it to me as and when it is convenient to them.

One major thing I noticed is the amount of waste that privileged people produce. A few friends asked me if they could give me a few bottles of leftover paint of the same colour. This made me think how we often purchase in bulk without understanding our necessity. If we only use what we need in a respectful manner, we could save a lot and instead work on giving back to the community.

-Premaja Bhatt Joshi

Caravan Resource Drive - "Having Fun" Seriously

Since I live in a hostel I asked my housemates if they would be willing to contribute to the caravan resource drive. And since there was a minimum amount, they were uncomfortable (as it was too much for their budget) in giving money but agreed to buy some art supplies and donate.

I shared my role as a playworker with them and they were really amazed to learn a lot of new things about play in general. I asked them if they would be willing to donate in kind as even a small contribution matters a lot. I kept texting them to remind them about the things.  It really felt nice that all of them who contributed told that they wished they had Headstreams when they were in school too. All of them were really amazed by the kind of work Headstreams was doing.

From the time I remember, I have been very fond of stationary and anything related to games in general. When I was on the collection drive it reminded me of the privilege I had as a child and even now. These things may be the simplest things, but not necessarily affordable to all.
Thus the takeaway I had from this experience was that it's high time that we stop taking "play" for granted and also stop trivializing it. It's high time we take "having fun" seriously.

- Swati Singh

Caravan Experience - The Feeling of Love

I felt like we were not in <caravan location> but a fest with all the music around and various stalls where children were completely engaged. It seemed like everyone was having fun and was completely in the moment.

I was in the art section and what I realised across pieces of the painting was the theme of love. I had a chance to witness the expressive power visual art has. One child drew an image of her Mother and Father and expressed her emotions.The setting in which we were working with makes the theme extremely relevant. Every child used that medium to draw/ paint or write their loved ones name. My biggest learning was that children essentially need to feel loved and the lack of it is something that has real consequences.

It is very humbling to be around children and see that each have their own set of stories that have brought them to where they were. I felt grateful to be able to give them a space to be whatever they wanted to be.

-Varsha Ashok

Caravan Experience - Helping Each Other Out

It was a beautiful experience yet again. It felt very nice to have met all the children and help them out in whatever little way possible. The beauty in the caravan was just watching them try out and explore bubble painting for the first time. I had never tried bubble painting before.
Along with the students, I myself got to try something different.

One of the incidents that caught my eyes today was that one of the students was doing bubble painting and the other couldn't, so the first student helped him out and passed on his materials, whatever he had prepared till then.

Before they could do or help themselves, they helped each other which is very important in today's world. This is something I learnt from them and I see as a constant through the caravans.

-Sakshi Sipani

Caravan Experience - Expression Through Dance

Caravans are always fun. As days pass by, we are learning new things in every caravan we attend. We are actually getting familiarized with the kids as well.
As my space allocated was music and movement, the kids really enjoy to dance with different types of songs and music. They follow the steps shown by us and even portrayed their own steps.

Today was really a very good day with them. They not only danced well, but they were co-ordinated as well. They taught me steps and made me follow those steps.

The smile on their faces, the joy they had and the happiness they were expressing put a big smile on my face.

From beginning to end, their energy level was the same and they were ready to dance again and again on the songs. Every moment from beginning to end of the caravan allowed the children to express their feelings through dance.

As the days pass by, I see the children becoming more patient. They are participating and exploring  each and every space. Its good to see them learning new things through the play process.

-Afrah Siddiqua

Caravan Experience - The Spirit of Sportsmanship

Having interacted with the kids for the first time last week, I recognized many of the faces from the last week. Some of them recognized me too. This was a surprise. In this caravan session, we managed to play several rounds of volleyball and football. Seeing the enthusiasm and interest the kids showed through the games was particularly inspiring. Facilitating the games was very joyful.

Whilst playing football, one of the kids suffered a minor cut. But he still continued as though nothing had happened. This was refreshing to see as you'd expect a kid of that age to stop playing having suffered a cut.

The corporation that the kids showed at the school really stood out. The kids explained the rules to each other better than how we did, as it was something that we struggled with owing to the language barrier. The students were were enthusiastic about learning new things through the games we played. The students waited patiently for their chance throughout the entire session. Interaction with the students was made easy due to the enthusiasm of the students.

The incident that caught my eye was the sense of sportsmanship that was clearly evident among the children. I was in charge of football and all the children played the game fairly, there were no fouls committed and if ever a handball was committed, the children owned up to it. This was very prominent throughout the game.

-Christopher

Caravan Experience - Little Things Make a Big Difference

Today was the first time that I got to experience anything like this and I had a wonderful time.

There was one incident that caught my eye. My friend was standing right under the sun during the closing session of the caravan and her discomfort was evident by her facial expression. One of the young boys from the school noticed it and asked her if the sun was hitting her eyes; when she said yes, the boy pointed to a shady spot under a large tree and said 'Go there, the sun won't hit you anymore.'

I thought that was so considerate coming from someone so young, who not only was aware of her discomfort, but was also sensitive enough to show her the shady spot. It made my heart warm.

 My Saturday didn't feel as unproductive as usual.

-Waluscha Fernandes

Caravan Experiences - Making a Masterpiece

I felt so happy looking at little kids enjoying themselves with activities. Most of the boys and girls were working in groups and helping each other rather than fighting for resources. At the end, their eyes were filled with joy, looking forward to the next Saturday.

In Craft and Maker's Space, two boys from 9th grade took on the challenge of making "Rocket" out of matchsticks. From beginning to end, they were highly focused and conversed with me politely. When it was taking too long, two three boys from other group joined hands happily and the result was a masterpiece!

From today's experience, I cannot think of any suggestions that has to be made for making it better because kids enjoyed to the fullest in almost each area. I just want to mention that I feel this initiative is not only helping children enjoy their time playing and relaxing themselves it's equally therapeutic for volunteers like me as well. The smile on their face, their giggles, joy of completing a task makes adults like me contented.

- Ashni Shah

Caravan Experience - Persistence Through Play

I had forgotten what it feels like to be so naively happy about the little things in life and spending time with the kids reminded me of just that.

I think what struck me was that even though we weren't able to effectively carry out the activity that was prescribed for the art space (i.e. having two people tie their hands together and create art together as one) a few of them still picked up the makeshift prop that we had made (i.e. a sketch pen attached with thread at both ends) and strived to make a whole sketch with it, while I was expecting them to give up after few strokes, cause it's that frustrating not being able to hold a pen in a sturdy manner. But they really persisted through it, and it reminded me of how children have this ability to lose themselves in a creative project for hours at a time; and for some reason, as we get older, we stop seeing creative activities as worthwhile.

-Annmariya Joy

A Start to Caravan

In the beginning I was really scared to meet the boys as I have never been to the (caravan location) before. I was nervous about interacting with them. I have to admit, the entire caravan was challenging but I was able to interact with one of them.

I observed that, all of them really need love and care. They were all hurt inside, their reactions were those of dominance.

It's because they've learnt it by instinct. They can still be shaped. Also, their mental ages vary a lot.

I was able to interact with one boy. The rest I only listened to. The guy I spoke to was very mature. I was thinking of how I'll make him understand what empathy means given the theme of the caravan was 'Listening and Understanding with Empathy'. But when he spoke, I had all the respect for him. He was able to give examples from his personal life.

When I observed their art work, it reflected a lot of pain. It longed for freedom and love. It was all overwhelming.

In another space, the boys were sharing their personal experiences. I think of it as a way to learn and move on. I guess they felt at ease after sharing their feelings.

-Shailee Prasad

A REWARDING EXPERIENCE

The past couple of months have been as exciting as they were tiring. All the hours of dancing, painting and running around is something I wholeheartedly enjoyed. 

More than anything else, the Caravans have inspired me to be more active. Having been pampered by phones, movies, cars and other forms of technology, it had been a while since I had done anything physical for the fun of it. The kids I met through Caravan have shown me how rewarding it can be to actually go out and play. 

The other thing I learnt through Caravan is Kannada. A few of the kids thought it was about time I learnt it. Granted I'm not even close to being fluent in the language, I now know basic words and phrases and understand it quite well.

Of course, there are many other things that the children have taught me, like the value of patience and the importance of a smile. But over all, Caravan has been a lot of fun as well as an extremely fulfilling experience that I will remember for a long time.

- Senalda Ronald

PLAY AND LEARNING

The thing about 'play' I love the most is how it's such a happy word. There's always such a positive reaction that comes from almost anybody upon hearing it. As a kid, I remember how eagerly I would wait for the bell to ring at lunch time, so I could run to the playground and play with my friends. It was the best part of my day.

I think Headstreams through the Tackle Caravan program is doing a wonderful thing. It sort of reminds me of how my mother would fill my lunch box with red chapattis and green chapattis and I'd be so stoked. This is a weird comparison, I know, but hear me out. Through Caravan, I feel like these children gain so much more than they're aware of. They've come out of their shells, work effortlessly in teams with people that weren't initially in 'their gang', learned to be patient and have learned how to share. I feel like play has been cathartic for many of them, and through their art I've seen a lot of expression. What have those chapattis got to do with this? It's simple. The red were actually beetroot, and the green were palak. While I was so excited by the colour I had no idea my mother was feeding me vegetables. I think that is the beauty of Caravan, the immense learning and growth that is happening within each child without them knowing, helps facilitate a much more authentic change.

As for me, and what I've gotten out of this entire experience; it's been several things. I truly believe that learning and growth have been running parallely, between the children- their personal journeys and me and mine. Before I signed up for this program, I was sure in my head, that this is the sort of work I want to do in the future. I wanted to work with children and help them figure themselves out. I'm happy to say that these past months haven't changed that notion, but only strengthened it. Through each Caravan session, I've also seen myself evolve. From being the awkward person who could barely move from side to side, I've now let loose completely and am so much more comfortable with my body. From sitting idle at home, to actually working on my interests more. This process has actually sort of rekindled a dying spark of enthusiasm in me, and has reminded me what my goals are and has motivated me to work towards them. What I'm most grateful to Headstreams for, is that 2 hours every week, where I leave everything else behind and I'm automatically childlike.

- Anisha Rego

The Experience of all the Experiences

Working with Headstreams has definitely been a life changing experience for me. The idea of just being

with kids and playing with them was just so incredible but when I actually started going for the caravan

that’s when everything got more real and better. It is only through this experience that I have become

more caring and understanding towards other human beings. Dealing with kids have definitely made me

more patient. I have learned that experience is the best teacher. Through this experience that I am more

grateful for all the things that I have today. It fills my heart to just look at kids being so happy in their

lives even after not having the branded clothes or the most expensive gadgets. The love and respect that I

receive every single time that I go to the caravan is just so priceless.

I have never felt more productive my entire life. Honestly I am so grateful to be associated with this

organization. I am not only grateful for the experience that I had but also for the people that I have met

along this experience. I keep telling my friends how tiring it is but at the same time how rewarding it is

just to look at the smiles of these innocent kids.

- Livi Chishi

THE IMPACT ON THE KIDS !

My internship with Headstreams was impactful to the kids in a way that they showed great improvement in their interaction with others. When I think about my first day of the caravan and compare the kids behaviour now, now I can see that they have become outspoken and open towards me. The kids are now more confident about themselves. These changes can be seen and observed in the way the children participate in the different games conducted by the caravan team. Even when the materials are being distributed to the kids, we can see that they have become patient and they actually wait for their turn. And at times when there is shortage of any materials they share it among themselves. I just hope that the kids feel as enlightened from this experience as I do.

- Livi Chishi

CARAVAN EXPERIENCES

One Saturday afternoon, a group of us piled onto a bus and began our journey for our first Caravan session. The bus was filled with chatter and a constant buzz of energy. But this was infinitesimal compared to the enthusiasm of the kids we met there. As our bus entered the campus of the their school, all of the children turned their heads and I could see their eyes shining with excitement. They called out to us, to stand next to them, making us feel like we belonged right amidst them.

This tradition never ceased. They were always looking forward to our arrival and their energy was tangible. I made plenty of friends there, though it is difficult to remember all their names. As we played and sang and danced with them, we received more than we gave. We let go of our inhibitions and learned to let our guards down. I only hope that the children have felt the same way too.

The language barrier is a constant struggle for me, but the kids are always ready to play charades with me. It's surprising how well we understand each other with just a few words and actions. But this limits my ability to connect with them on a more intimate level.

When our spirits were low, they picked us up with their candid humour and silly chatter. Their creative juices inspire us to do craft work. I enjoy dancing and it gives me great pleasure to do it every week with those bubbles of energy. On a single day, I am introduced to and play more games than I have known in my entire life

- Crystal John

"PATIENCE A VIRTUE" - LEARNED AT CARAVAN

Working with children, one very important aspect is patience. It is a virtue that is a must. Learning to be patient with them and teach them whatever needs to be taught at their own pace is something very essential. It's so amazing to see the enthusiasm of the children. They're so carefree and they enjoy every second of the time they get, even in the rain, and it's really wonderful to see. They thoroughly enjoy themselves without thinking too much and that's what is really needed after a long day of monotonous lectures. The kids could learn to mingle better, especially not with girls. Whenever they're taken into any room, the boys and girls stand or sit separately and it's our job to make them interact with each other apart from among themselves. But it's good to see that the children have fun among themselves, regardless of their ages. The seniors help the juniors and the juniors feel free to go up to the seniors to interact and have fun. The instructors are also very helpful and they take care of the children very well.

Another thing I thought would be a barrier was language. All of them know Kannada and since I only know bits and pieces of it, it was a little difficult in the beginning. But later we got to communicate in English by using common words which the kids would understand. It really helped and slowly we got closer to the kids and learnt from them too.

Overall, it has been an amazing experience. I've never been around so many children as a tutor before and it has been so enriching. I am looking forward to many more interactions with them and will continue to keep an open mind to learn new things.

- Akshath

CARAVAN - A TWO WAY LEARNING

After a lot of searching, we finally found Headstreams. More specifically, Headstreams found us. We were in desperate need of an NGO and luckily for us, Headstreams turned out to be a perfect place. Even though I've attended only 4 sessions, it's been a major learning experience.

After the routine 9-4 schedule every day, the kind of break we get at Headstreams is very relieveing. We get to play around with children and involve ourselves in refreshing activities which acts as a destressor and a welcome breake from my mundane routine. As I said, it's a constant learning experience from both us and the children. We primarily facilitate the children and in turn also enjoy the fact that the children like the things that's being done for them. At the same time we also learn a lot as the children we interact with are very talented in various fields and as a result, it's a bidirectional learning experience. Also the way everything is conducted is efficient and everyone at Headstreams deserves to be appreciated for that. The instructors are crystal clear in what they want to communicate to us and it's majorly because of them that we do a lot, even though it's only a few hours that we get to spend with the children. The activities are also very enjoyable and fun and it's a very innovative way to teach children different things as they enjoy what they do and aren't really bored at the end of the day.

-Akshath

CARAVAN - A TWO WAY LEARNING

Caravan is a very unique opportunity where I get to spend quality time with the most amazing children. I have been given a chance to build a strong bond with these kids that I will remember for a life time. Every saturday, I get to create memories by playing, laughing, dancing, painting or sometimes by just doing the silliest of things along with them. Just by spending a few hours, I learn things that I'd never learn in a classroom. Every week I learn about their life, their difficulties, their strengths and their happiness. This is what makes Caravan so unique. It brings people together. It bridges the gap between people coming from two different backgrounds. What makes me keep coming back every week is to see their bright smiles. The thought of bringing a smile to their faces only by just showing up is what makes me so happy. One of the most important things in life is to find joy in the simplest of things and I have learnt that through caravan.

- Deepthi Prakash

CARAVAN - A TWO WAY LEARNING

At Headstreams, it's a two way learning process. There are times where children learn from the volunteers and at  times the volunteers learn a lot from the children. Each week there are different set of games and activities and after each session, the volunteers are asked for their feedback from which the organisation aims in improving its ways and methods. Although the school is situated in the outskirts of the city and it takes almost two and a half hours to reach, the volunteers forget about their fatigue when they see the smiling faces of the children ready to welcome the volunteers. 

There are a lot of volunteers who come from other places and cities and do not know the regional language, but this does not hinder the interaction between the children and the volunteers. 

The organisation plans its activities beforehand which helps the volunteers understand what they exactly have to do during the sessions. It helps reduce a lot of confusion. The feedback session too, helps improve,introduce and organise newer and better activities every week. The rapport I've built with certain kids in the school is great. They come searching for me, they make greeting cards for me and also share their personal problems and experiences with me. It's overwhelming that I've built such strong relationships just within a few weeks of working with the organisation. For the first couple of weeks, though the volunteers of different colleges didn't get along well, it kept getting better with each session. 

There are a lot of things I've learnt in these few weeks with Headstreams. I've learnt patience, and how little things matter to these kids. Their eyes shine and their faces lighten up when they are appreciated for the small things. They are very enthusiastic. Although they were a little shy in the beginning, they came out of their closet and took part in the activities oragnised. They are very creative and there's so much to learn from them. They come up with innovative art ideas and dance moves that we would've never thought about. 

Although they are really young, they are very understanding. They never make fun of people who do not know the regional language but encourage them by teaching them words and numbers in Kannada. Even if  a session or a stall bored them or they did not like it, they always say nice things so that it doesn't hurt us. 

Like I mentioned before, I love going to the school even if I'm really exhausted. My mood brightens up when I see the children and I really look forward to work with the organisation in the upcoming months! 

- Gauri

CARAVAN EXPERIENCES

This caravan, volunteered at the dance stall. We tried a new activity where we all stood in a circle, and while the music played anybody could step in, do a step, and the rest of us would follow. This didn't really work with the group, as the kids hesitated and many of them ran out of the room. We then thought we would try something different. In the same circle we decided that we'd each step in one by one in order. While there were still nerves, the kids adapted to this method far better. This incident made me think about a theory I was just studying in college, and I realised that majority of those kids would fit in to Erik Erikson's Industry verses Inferiority stage of Psycho social development. This made perfect sense because I could see that where the kids were hesitant to take up initiatives of doing the step taught, because they might have had feeling of being inferior. But while we went in order, they felt slightly more confident to show their competence. This whole realisation made me feel pretty proud of myself, for being able to understand a concept and apply it like that. What else would be the point of studying the subject? I left today's caravan feeling really grateful for having that opportunity to get a hands on learning.

- Anisha Rego

A VOLUNTEER'S TAKE ON CARAVAN EXPERIENCE

The Headstreams Caravan sessions conducted so far have been an amazing learning experience. I've never been able to get along well with people younger than me. But Headstreams has helped me become a better person. Not only this, I have also learnt team work here. Around 60 volunteers from different colleges come together to work and make each session fun filling and exciting. To be frank and honest, it's not easy to control 200 odd students at once. I'm a very impatient person and I get stressed really quick. But at Headstreams, the child hidden inside me comes out. The very fact that Headstreams stresses on over-all development and mainly stress on activities outside academics, which other educational institutions fail to implement sets Headstreams apart. I enjoy each session thoroughly; from the large group games to the dance and music stall to the part where we have to say goodbye to the kids, I cherish each moment spent here. 

- Gauri

Exploring creativity with 'Wool'

Free play week is when the children are provided with one material in abundance, this week's material was 'Wool'. Describing her experience with the material, one of our interns shares, "I particularly loved each moment of this particular Caravan...we played, made so many braids, and danced. The Caravan had so much energy and there was more productivity especially in the craft section. Boys were more excited than the girls and equally patient while we were making those braids.
Kids were waiting for their turns for making braids. I think you don't need a lot of things for teaching kids, one simple material as wool can teach a lot. For instance patience, craft, adjustment, sharing, and so much more.."
- Simran Agrawal

Mud clay= Fun and Play

During  Free play the children were given mud clay and were given the freedom to explore their creativity. One of our Interns shared how mud clay was used beautifully by the children at the Caravan. "Play with clay is one of the expressive art techniques, and I actually saw theory meeting a practical base in the session. The children were so calm while playing with the clay. The statues they made were absolutely magnificent, and there was a lot of group work, coordination and collaboration that we encountered during the session."
- Pratishtha Raj

Simple agenda of Life- 'Sharing and Caring'

Sharing about her Caravan experience one of the Interns said, "There was this boy called Shiva constantly asking me whether I had lunch or what.... and then when students were having lunch...they even asked us volunteers too join them...felt like with whatever little they had they were willing to share..."

- Priyanka S 

*Names changed for privacy

The Community walk experience....

Talking about the Community walk experience, one of the Interns said, "Since it was the community walk today...I walked with these two kids Ramesh and Suresh. I think I was wrong in one major thing....I was under this assumption that the kids if are opening up will only talk about difficulties, disturbing circumstances of life! But Suresh changed that whole perspective and spoke about the Happiness in life. He spoke about how happy his family is. He asked me whether I'll come to his house because his house is really small and asked whether I'll mind that aspect. But he also told me that in-spite of the fact that his house is small...he said it's filled with happiness.  I too told him its the same with me.....small house but loads of happiness...for which he gave me Hi5! He was happy that I was like him too and had a house like him. He was happy about this. Seeing him happy made me happy. A happy happy day it was!"
- Rithika A

The little change......

Talking about the power of interaction and play, one of the Interns said, "Prabhu, who was rather aggressive last week, showed a great change in his attitude today. Although he did hit me every now and then, he realised that i wasn't comfortable with it and sat down and talked to me instead.  It was really nice to see this little change in him."
Spruha Reddy

*Names changed for privacy. 

The NEW 'Hide and Seek'

On being introduced to a revised version of Hide and seek, which involved greater interaction among the play-mates, one of the Intern responded saying, "Hide and seek was a brilliant idea and I saw that many volunteers got a chance to get closer to the kids. I would really like to have more such games. It made me understand the kids better and they were enthusiast about the idea too."
-Spruha Reddy

Bringing out the best in children....

Tackle Caravan is a place where the children are allowed to express themselves in the context of unconditional acceptance and support, which in turn brings out the best in them. As one of our Interns said, "A small compliment and little encouragement can bring out the best in a kid. He just needs a little bit attention and acceptance."
- Madhukrishna Bhuyan 

Free Play and Hidden Talents

Expressing her understanding of Free play, one of the Interns said, "Each child has different needs and interests. We should be able to identify it and encourage them. Free play helps us learn more from the children and about the children. By these free play sessions, I think we can develop the hidden talents or interests in the children."

- Mary Jennifer V.M. 

The Little Teachers

Talking about how the children are amazing teachers, one of the Interns said, "More than what the kids get to learn from us....it's the other way round. We get to learn so much from them. Today was helping few kids at the arts and craft stall...they were so involved and interested in teaching the others the skills they possessed!  Teaching it with so much care and encouragement was such a beautiful thing to do and see. Learnt a lot of amazing crafties. It was a good day."
-Rithika A 

Just express yourself......

Expressing her joy of dancing for the first time, one of the Interns said, "To a person who has always shied away from activities like dancing or any sort of things which need you to express yourself a lot. I have always been just an audience!  But today I danced.  Forgot about everything and gave it a try. This was because of a kid there who really insisted on me shaking a leg with him. I couldn't even think of saying a 'No' to him. He made me do something I never thought I'll do in this lifetime. I owe a lot to this kid for making me do something I never I have never done.. For people reading it, this might look like Ohh! What's the big thing in dancing....only I know how much that means. Going to spend some quality time in the dance stall from now on during the Caravan."
- Rithika. A

I became a child again.....

One of the volunteers became nostalgic while expressing her thoughts, she said, "I learnt to be a child again. I learnt that you should do what you like with hesitation or be conscious of what other's might think of you."
-Priyadarshini T 

"Akka and Anna, we care about you"

When one of the volunteers felt dizzy, the children took great care of her. She says, “I realized that the kids really care about us. When I felt dizzy after playing a game, they asked me whether I was okay or not. They seemed concerned.”
-Medha Dey

There is always a first time….

Sharing her experience about how her first experiences, one of the Intern said, “This Saturday I just did everything that I never did in my life at all. I played football, I told stories, I also danced even though I didn't know how to dance as I have never danced before. It was awesome.”
- Pavithra.S

The much awaited Saturdays

Expressing her joy about the Caravan, one of the interns said, “I realized that the children really love us and wait for us to come every Saturday.  They really care about us and make sure that even we are happy. It really touched me when the kids showed so much concern over my hurt hand.”
- Medha Dey 

We the Inspirations…

Reflecting on the Caravan, one of the Interns said, “I learnt that children pay attention to each and everything we do. The way we react and respond to them matters a lot. They learn from us. So we must make sure that we not only tell them what to do and what is right but also set an example.”
- Mary Jennifer V.M. 

Pots of infinite talents and constrained sorrows

“Highlight of the Caravan this time was Heera, so talented and creative. He just came and sat next to me. He asked if he could do the craft stuff which everyone were doing. He ended up doing such great work. He was a very silent kid, but as soon as he was appreciated for the work he did he was so elated and the smile he have made my day.
All the kids there if not everyone but at least a few have many problems but they don't show it out. I'm very sure if I was in their place I wouldn't have even had half their energy and enthusiasm for Life. These kids are amazing they don't show all that our and just try and make us happy who are just going to spend like 3 hours with them.”

- Rithika A

*Names changed for privacy purpose. 

We are 'Special'

At the Caravan every ‘Akka’ and every ‘Anna” is special and so are the kids. The joys that these interactions may bring are intangible. Recalling her experience an intern says “I was overwhelmed at this Caravan session as the girl who was teaching me how to make a flower asked me whether I was going to take the flower home or was I going to throw it away. The moment I said I'm going to take it home she felt really happy and she enjoyed making it even more and that act of hers made me feel really really happy and so special.”

- Annie Shimron 

Re-living my Passion

Tackle Caravan is not only a place where the interaction with the children, helps us understand them, but also a place where one is accepted just the way he/she is. One is given the freedom to engage in activities that heal the soul.
“When I walked in through that gate most of the kids just left what they were doing. They ran towards me and hugged me and welcomed me. It was just so beautiful and heart-warming. I was completely overwhelmed.
I'm completely in love with the Caravan. The whole idea of playing and being with the kids is absolutely lovely. I'm someone who loves dancing but has no time for it and here in the Caravan I literally dance at a stretch. Though I may get exhausted the energy and the enthusiasm from the kids keeps me going.”

- Annie Shimron 

Whole-hearted acceptance

Tackle Caravan is all about the Unconditional love and acceptance. It’s about about the bond we share. “The kids all remembered me by my name, which isn't easy to pronounce. They ran towards me and made me feel included in all their activities, though I wasn't particularly good at any of the games.” As one of our intern recalls her experience and we are surprised at the size of the hearts of these children.
- Spruha K Reddy 

Other before self……

As one looks at the underlying meaning of life, one may ponder on thought of purpose of life. As one of our interns describes her experience she says Tackle Caravan is all about “Taking a break from life by doing something for someone who is not related to you, without any selfish desire.” It is probably one of the deeds where we think of the other before the self.
-Preethi Prasanna 

Contagious Energy

One of the interns was overwhemled by the response of the children, expressing her happiness she said, "The kids were so welcoming even though we were complete strangers.The energy the kids had was just contagious!:)"
- Natasha Joel

The Power of Play!

The impact of play and its importance was also experienced through the activities at the Caravan. "It taught me that play as a powerful tool can break any barrier that arises in terms of age, gender, language etc... it helps us to bring in the child like behavior hidden in us.....waiting for next caravan."
- Priyanka.S.

Stress Buster :)

The whole session is a stress buster in itself and our volunteers also swear by it. As one of the interns says “Blithesome and cheerful faces of kids and playful environment in the school made me forget my muddiness.”
- Simran Agrawal

Immense Potentials!

Sharing her experience one of the intern was completely awestruck by the talents of the children. She said “The highlight according to me was the music the children created from the empty water tank and table. It was amazing to see such talent. In fact I was really awed by the mastery and synchrony among the children.”
- Prathistha Raj.

Play has 'NO' Barriers!

Language is often one of the greatest worries of the interns. Another intern also expressed how the child there played an important role in her interactions at the Caravan, she says,
"I met one boy he was very sweet and little shy. I did colouring with him and we became friends. The best part was that he was my Kannada translator. He was explaining to me what other children were saying in Kannada, it was fun.

- Sumedha

Pleasant Surprises!

Pleasantly surprised at the incident that happened at the Caravan, one of our intern says,
"A kid named Aman was dancing so much that his shirt got dirty. When my friend was dusting it, he said, "Akka, it's OK. I'll wash it myself". So we asked him why he wanted to worry because his mother will wash it for him. So he replied, "No akka. I wash my clothes myself and I don't want my mother to work because she is a nice lady. Isn't it a cute act of the kid?"
- Ruhuma Susan Kuruvilla

*The names of the children have been changed for privacy.

When Nostalgia Strikes!!!!

 As she recalled her childhood days and related it to her experiences at the Caravan,
"I can still ride a bicycle and I can still be a child with a child. It's been years that I interacted with children so closely. There is a lot that I need to get back on."
- Preethi Prasanna

First Experiences :)

One of our intern's first experience at the Caravan, reflecting on the session she says,
“Even in my dreams I've never thought I'll play like the way I played on Saturday. Was happy to know that the child in me hasn't expired and still lived and came alive on Saturday.”
- Rithika A

Connecting through names

One of the Interns shared an incident that brought a smile on all our faces. She says “I got a name : Noodle akka...  One girl came to me and asked, why are my hair like noodles so I said,"because they are noddles only"... Eventually many children started calling me Noodles akka!!”
-Vigya Jain

Sameness and newness!

Once upon a time, there was a girl who went for a caravan. She did this every week and wasn't expecting anything new, because she'd been doing this for nearly four months now. So, she was surprised to find that there was still an aura of novelty to it. Walking into the caravan, she looked in awe at the kids who somehow, despite the blistering heat were running and playing as if their lives depended on it. She had to stop for a second and just watch in wonder because she knew that she wouldn't be able to do that; she was pretty sure that she'd never been able to do that. She shook her head and walked inside and was swept into the bustle of the caravan. There's a feel to it, you know. The smell of heat, and kids and sweat and dirt and enthusiasm and crayons and happiness and everything, all enveloped her in its warm embrace, and it was nice. And the kids were wonderful, because they just were there. She was surprised that they hadn't gotten bored of her yet, just as she still found them interesting. And it wasn't any particular interaction that cemented that for her, not on that day, it was just the sameness of it, and at the same time, the newness.

--Neharika Nair

Blocks of fun!

Some of the kids decided to play a game of 'Building Blocks. The best part of the day was when one of the tacklers started playfully destroying the block structures built by the kids. However, the kids started  having started enjoying the game more than ever. I never thought that the kids would be this sweet,enjoyable and patient with the tacklers and it was fun watching them.

-- KC Ula Zingkhai