05 Jan 2006 Training Day Today Praajak head office and field office staff met with volunteers from the Singapore International Foundation for a day of interactive learning and workshops. In the morning we got to know one another and held a close consultation session on how to structure an education programme for the Muktangan children. The Singapore International Foundation volunteers had designed a Structured Education Programme which they hoped would encourage Muktangan children to attend classes regularly and gain skills in English and Bengali languages, mathematics and creative arts. The volunteers also proposed that the Muktangan children take part in projects whereby the children would produce a monthly blog entry based on what they had learnt from Muktangan. The volunteers and field office staff held a lively session reviewing the many textbooks, CD-ROM learning materials and arts and craft techniques. Volunteers also briefed Praajak staff on the management of the database and tracking system for Muktangan children. Among the comments that arose, most centred around the difficulty of implementing a structured education programme that required regular attendance. Most of the children traveled from station to station depending on the opportunities for earning money – for instance, some would spend the entire winter holiday season in Mumbai where there were more tourists. At the same time, it was recognized that a structured programme would best help the Muktangan children retain what they had learned and progress to a higher education level. At the end of the day, volunteers and staff excitedly planned for the next day’s field visit to the nearby Kharagpur terminal.

06 Jan 2006 Kharagpur Visit The Singapore International Foundation volunteers, accompanied by Manna Biswas and Abishek from Praajak, boarded the 6.30 am train to Kharagpur. The sleepy Singapore volunteers sprang to life as they rushed to squeeze on board the crowded train, together with their bags full of books, games, a personal computer and printer. At Kharagpur, the Singapore volunteers had their first glimpse of a Muktangan Drop In Centre. As they entered the grounds, they were warmly greeted by some twenty excited children, who were smartly dressed in matching uniforms with their names embroidered on them. Delighted at the rousing welcome, the volunteers were quick to whip out their cameras to capture the beguiling smiles around them. After a quick stop at the Muktangan Office to install the computer and printer, the Singapore volunteers were ready to play their first-ever game of cricket! The Muktangan children were impatiently waiting at the Railway Protection Force (RPF) Divisional Security Commissioner (DSC) Reserve Battalion Barracks at Kharagpur, and the arrival of the Singapore volunteers was again greeted with an excited torrent of smiles and hugs. With a little coaching, the cricket game proceeded smoothly despite the occasional bumbling from the first-timers. Some moonlighted with games of frisbee, carom and origami folding. The Singapore volunteers also had the opportunity to chat with local RPF Inspector-in-Charge Mr Kamal Singh, a staunch advocate of the RPF-Muktangan programme, who provided insight into the children and their backgrounds. All enjoyed a lunch of rice and curry, served picnic-style in the sunny RPF field. The occasion was graced by Inspector Singh, a familiar figure to the children. Lunch was barely over when more raucous fun began. The Singapore volunteers magically produced dogs, pirate swords and crowns, all made from balloons within seconds. Meanwhile, the deft hands of other volunteers transformed the children’s faces into a commando, a space alien, and a lion. In a quieter corner, a small group was clustered gravely around a small tower of multi-coloured plastic bricks, trying to extract bricks without toppling the structure – Jenga! The artistically inclined children busied themselves with water-colour paint, producing vivid creations on paper and sometimes on themselves. The day was over too soon, but the Singapore volunteers were pleasantly surprised to be sent off at the train station by the children, no longer in their smart uniforms but in their everyday clothes. Now that the games had ended, it was time for the children to return to their work on the trains.