We gained insights on cultural and perceptual differences between rural and city life

The following report has been submitted by the students of Delhi Public School, Gurugram who iterate their experience of visiting Ghamroj, Sohna Road as part of their residential project. They narrate how the project has been a life changing experience for them while acknowledging the important role that the Award Programme has played in their journey.

Undertaking the Award Programme is a learning experience that enables participants to not only expand their interests by transcending classroom boundaries but also to develop new skills and gain recognition for performing extra/co-curricular activities. Moreover, a sense of responsibility and leadership quality is also developed due to the different aspects of the Programme.

As part of the residential project for the Award Programme, we visited Ghamroj, Sohna Road. This project, to begin with, helped us understand the fundamental difference between city life and rural life. Understanding these basic cultural differences is what made this project one of the most interesting opportunities for experiential learning that we’ve come across. Of the myriad activities that we engaged in, a major one was teaching the students of the village school. We taught them subjects like Social Science, Science, Mathematics, Hindi and English and our experience was enriched by their patience and discipline. Messages about hygiene and cleanliness were also spread during this project. We highlighted how lack of hygiene could unleash various diseases and how those could be prevented via proper and effective measures.

We were taken to a brick kiln to witness the making of bricks, after which we attempted the activity of brick making with the help of local people of the village. We also visited a vegetable farm where we enhanced our motor skills by plucking vegetables by their roots. We learnt what lies beyond the domains of theory by gaining practical knowledge of technical skills for agricultural development. We were then taken to the poultry farm where we understood how domestic birds such as hens, ducks and turkeys are raised. Gaining insights on the profits earned through poultry farming was another advantage associated with the visit to the poultry farm. We also interacted with members of the village council, analysing various possible issues of the village such as water supply, electricity supply, provision of education and women-centric issues. The insights that we gained through the discussions helped us scrutinize the perceptual differences between rural and urban setups.

The residential project helped us foster new skills such as time management, team work, problem-solving and building our confidence through novelty. The experience that we gained in this project will always be cherished by us. However, we acknowledge the efforts of our teachers who have been pillars of support, encouragement and guidance and those of IAYP of making our journey a truly memorable one.