SGNP teens learn to live like '3 Idiots' character Phunsukh Wangdu

The children had to cook their own breakfast The teens from Mumbai prepared Maharashtrian delicacies for their Ladakhi counterpartsTwelve of SGNPrsquos junior residents have lived the life Phunsukh Wangdu ndash Aamir Khanrsquos character in 3 idiots ndash did in his innovative school in hilly beautiful Ladakh They recently went on a 12day trip to the Secmol The Studentsrsquo Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh School and returned with lessons on sustainability along with a treasure trove of memories with their Ladakhi friendsThe school has an organic garden whose produce is used for making food for the childrenThe Young Innovators Foundation and the BookASmile initiative by Farzana Cama Balpande organised the lsquoBodhi Projectrsquo under which 12 tribal children aged between 14 and 16 were taken on the trip to learn sustainable living and then implement it at the national parkThe children also had several workshops In the one pictured here they were making towers with paper to exercise the mind for creative thinkingldquoThe school is situated in a secluded location One canrsquot find it without a guide Itrsquos behind two or three hills but when you reach there itrsquos nothing short of a wonderlandrdquo said Balpande who was there with the children for a dayThe school defines selfsustainability and how Right from the bricks to the panels of the solar plant everything is made by hand The school maintains a cowshed with 34 cows and everything the kids eat is plucked from the organic gardenThe school even has a unique bathroom where the students use soil and not water to clean the area ldquoIt was a really innovative concept The toilet was a twofloor building where one has to go on top to use it Once a person is done they have to cover the area with soil kept in a corner The soil goes down the pipe and is turned into manure for organic plants in the gardenrdquo said Darshana Kolekar who resides in SGNPrsquos Tumnipada area The school is also big on recycling Right from clothes paper to plastic everything goes through a recycling chainBreakfast timeWhile at the school the children began the day by making breakfast The Mumbaikars gave the Ladakhi children a taste of the city by cooking Maharashtrian food for them while the Ladakhis made local dishesTheir cultural exchange continued as they spoke about the Ganpati festival the tribals of Mumbai the Warli community and its art They danced too as the Ladakhi children performed a jig of their local danceLater when the children were not discussing ideas to change the world they trekked the famous Ladakhi trails ldquoTaking a kid to a movie match teaches them values and lessons one canrsquot behind closed doors The tribals especially have their world limited to a jungle and for them to not just step out but change the condition of their villages is a matter of importancerdquo said BalpandeHolistic approachFounder of the lsquoYoung Innovators Foundationrsquo Ritika Arya who went with the children and 7 volunteers said ldquoWe have been in the field of education since 2008 But with time we have realised there is a difference between education and literacy We ought to educate the person not just the mind There has to be a holistic approach towards educating a childrdquoShe added ldquoThe kids from the padas need to know what they have their roots Through this trip they will learn to preserve their roots conserve farming and educate themselves towards sustainable changerdquoSolar oven sessionThe school which entirely runs on solar power held a special session to teach the children how to make solar ovens ldquoAt SGNP there is a huge electricity problem Not all villages have access to it We however have abundance of natural resources and sunlight which could be for a solar plant At Ladakh we learnt how to make solar ovens which we are planning to make in our villages I hope to make a career in sciencerdquo said Sandeep Barat a resident of NavapadaThe children even learnt to make an organic cooler which is made of grass soil white cloth and a simple box which they plan to make on a bigger level at their padaldquoThere was so much to see learn and say The kinds were superb in Hindi and we tried to learn Ladakhi language from themrdquo said Pooja Ganesh Sawak from the MaleypadaWhile in Ladakh the children also celebrated Teacherrsquos Day by surprising the volunteers at the Leh market and buying them gifts ldquoIt was heartwarming to see their gesture After we returned to Mumbai it was really difficult to part as we had become like a familyrdquo said Ritika ldquoIn the end the kids learnt not to limit themselves to organisations or classrooms The real change comes once we step outrdquo she concluded