A Song and Dance Routine

The children arrive for the concert in a school "crocodile" Indian-style

Yesterday was Children's Day for the children and friends of Building Blocks pre-schools in Bangalore. It was a day filled with joy, and celebrated with all seven pre-schools from around the city, coming together for a performance.

The concert began with the traditional lighting of the oil-lamp.

Here four young dancers are helped by three of their teachers.

The pre-schools have classes of around 20-30 pupils, and all have qualified teachers.
Sometimes, the teachers have training days when they visit some of the expensive schools in middle-class areas, so they can study teaching practices and observe different techniques.

The show took place in an outdoor auditorium in a beautifully planted park in Bangalore. 


The children were bussed in from their schools, which are all situated adjacent to seriously deprived residential areas.

James Suresh Ambat, the founder of Building Blocks was hauled up on stage to join in one of the performances - much to the delight of the children, who roared with delight as he showed them how it should be done.



It's all very different from the Sir Roger de Coverley English Country Dance that we had to perform at my Junior school on the occasion of the coronation in 1953.

I was called up on stage to talk about the "Plus Ten" scholarship project.
The little girl beside me is Chaitra. I have sponsored the next ten years of her schooling

At the end of the show, James commented to me:"They just don't look like a bunch of slum kids, do they?"

As I reflected on this later, I realised that this is the whole point of James' work - and what led to my involvement to set up the charity in the UK.


If you teach children hygiene and nutrition, give them a school uniform so they look like all the other children in school, then, with a good education, they have the opportunity to escape the poverty trap. 
A sponsored scholarship costs £3k or £25 per month for ten years. No, I know what you're thinking, and I can't afford it either. More to the point, I cannot not find that amount to really change the life of someone who was born into an underprivileged environment. It's up to her, now, to work hard and realise her potential.
Keep following the blog and there will be information on UK-based fund-raising early in the New Year.