Inderjit Khurana : Teacher

Khurana, the wife of a retired army officer, initially ran a ‘normal’ Englishmedium school and the experience moved her to rewrite the curriculum. At Ruchika, the kidsare taught geography by the destinations of the trains that leave Bhuban-eshwar. Coursesinclude music, dancing and painting, with some basic hygiene, physical exercises andvocational courses thrown in. Many children, reformed child prostitutes, ragpickers,pimps, drug addicts have since become wage-earners. The timings suit their schedule andenable them to earn as well. So, coolie children come out with portable blackboards justas the train leaves the platform.

The authorities have since turned helpful: rooms for the children, food supplies fromthe Orissa Milk Federation and land for a school have followed. Also special creches, 16informal schools for streetchildren, a medical centre, a toy library. And a school at theNew Delhi station funded by the Salaam Baalak Trust and UNICEF (which has made a film,Blossoms in the Dust, on the project).