Every Charity gala has its inspirational moment when the attendees at the event are moved and touched by some aspects of the evening program. The recent Pratham gala held at Taj Boston had many such moments. Madhav Chavan, Pratham’s Chief Executive and Co-founder, narrative about how the children of Pratham learn English in the schools was one..Another was Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, award winning author, poet and long time supporter emotional appeal to help and support the cause. Yet another  moment was when Ron Abraham, a volunteer spoke on his experience in India working for the organization. And so the evening went on where the magic word was ‘giving’ generously and with spirit.

 Chavan began  by applauding the Boston Chapter volunteers who have both directly and indirectly supported Pratham by ‘doing what they must’ with their money, opportunity and wisdom reaching in places as far flung as Bihar, UP, W. Bengal and Jharkhand. He spoke of the new initiative at Pratham of partnering with village Panchayats and the efforts of the MIT Poverty Action Lab to research on Pratham’s impact on education.

The defining moment came when he narrated on how kids learn English through a novel technique. In a sample lesson, Pratham teachers  understanding the impact of the sing song method for young children  begin with a simple question in Hindi “ Hawa Kahan Chal Rahi Hai” which means ‘which way does the wind blow’ and the children would answer “ Upar Chal Rahi  Hai “ or Neeche chal rahi Hai”. The teacher would repeat this a few times till the children learnt the meaning of Upar ( up) and Neeche (down). Soon the teachers adopted this to words in English where they substituted the words ‘Upar’ to ‘Up Chal Rahi Hai ‘ and ‘Neeche’to Down Chal Rahi Hai’ and so on. Many attendees said they could appreciate the impact of Pratham with such a simple story.

The evening was devoted to raising money for Pratham through a silent auction of paintings and items donated by local artists and supporters. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Board member and supporter of Pratham since 1999 made an emotional appeal to help  by relating a childhood story of how the gift of literacy was given to her though a simple ritual. “I took my education for granted “she said “a gift that many children in India do not have. Close your eyes for a moment and imagine a child’s life that is dark, hard and claustrophobic in a metropolis and feel what a little effort and help can lighten their lives from your end”. Education follows literacy” she said and her plea did not go unheeded as attendees generously unloaded their hearts and wallets in the pledge drive.

Vikas Taneja, Boston Chapter leader thanked everyone for coming to the gala and talked about why one must give to Pratham because of the strong belief among  them that confidence, guts and hope alone will bring about change.Ron Abraham, now at the Kennedy school and a volunteer spoke of his experience in working for Pratham in Punjab, saying he returned to the US with a special gift from Pratham children – an envelope of artworks created by them that was given to every attendee at the gala.Geetha Ramamurthy who attended the evening’s gala said, " “The simple mission of Pratham inspires me and it’s volunteer spirit moves me.  As a member of the advisory board, I appreciate the opportunity to effect positive change in the processes that support chapter development and growth.  Pratham Boston is a young chapter that promises a platform for new and innovative ideas. 

 A video, ‘Colors of Hope” was shown to the audience. An exquisite fusion dance performance by the reigning Miss India World Wide Nikkitasha Marwah and fusion jazz group Natraj featuring Phil Scarff, soprano saxophone; John Funkhouser, bass; Jerry Leake, tabla and multipercussion; Bertram Lehmann, drums and percussion added to the entertainment for the evening. It was event of inspiration and hope combined with quiet elegance

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Today, Pratham’s emphasis on reading has led to the Read India campaign, which has reached over 21 million children so far. The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), a comprehensive and rigorous study of literacy in India has been recognized by the government which plans to further this effort. State governments including Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and UP have recognized Pratham’s efforts and innovations through funding and support.

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