There was a nip in the air amidst distinctly warmer weather as winter indicated its retreat amidst a receding pandemic. The sense of optimism was thus entirely understandable.

The volunteers for the day were Manjeet, Tushar, Mamata, Rima, Manvi, Aryan, Tushar, Neha, Surendra, Baisnabi, Priyanshi, Saurabh, Tisha, Vimal, Rashmi, and Smriti.

Surendra initiated proceedings by providing a primer on basic traffic rules to be observed on a day-to-day basis. This was of particular importance for the kids in attendance as most of them live in slums that are close to the daily traffic; crossing roads safely is an essential requirement. Common traffic practices like the left-right-left rule were reminded to the tiny tots.

Prof. Lokesh Upreti then conducted a role-play session where the children were apprised about the dos and don’ts of using zebra crossings.

The second part of the day’s sessions focussed on the rules of English grammar. Neha enlightened the students about what constituted good language in common English usage. She was assisted by Mamata as they ensured that the learners properly followed whatever was being taught; uses were copied in the notebooks, which were checked by the instructors. A quiz was carried out where the day’s learning was evaluated.

With the day drawing to an end, Haldiram Chips and Melody Coffee Bite toffees were distributed among the children before they headed homewards.

Prof. Upreti planned and presided over the day’s session. Prof. Ashutosh Sharma motivated the volunteers in the various tasks.