Penned By Board Member, Alo Pal
Productivity is when an activity, oft repeated, reaches a well-oiled efficiency and runs on autopilot. So too, one may justifiably assume, about the summer camps at Sharana. After all, with tech or without, in 25 years we know how to keep our children engaged. We have the material, an efficient kitchen, experienced staff, and, most importantly, we have safe spaces. The onset of summer, therefore, could well have meant a seamless rollout of our summer camp, given our vast experience – so Rajkala, our founder president, in typical fashion, started the first meeting for the 2026 summer camps by asking her team to convince her if they were at all necessary.
Observing her methodology of working and her philosophy and approach to social work, it is clear that she is quick to tell routine from efficiency and habit from need. And so, while the nutritious lunch provided, which hitherto was considered to be a crucial reason to run the camps, was not considered central anymore, the team observed that shelter from the merciless heatwave that forced the government to close schools a week earlier than scheduled, and especially a safe space while the parents of the children left for work, was sufficient reason to run the camps.
Sharana ran summer camps for nearly six weeks in three separate locations: the Social Centre, the Youth Center, where the children were divided according to age group, and at Angalakuppam village, where, true to the collective nature of all our interventions, the camp was open to all children. The additional Youth Center venue enabled Sharana to have children attend the camp for five straight weeks across all age groups instead of the Social Centre serving as a safe space for separate batches for shorter durations.
Yoga, movements with music, calligraphy, crafts, stories with a moral from the Thirukkural, shlokas, and dance activities were arranged. We also had a few guest animators, including staff from the police department, giving the girls a two-hour-per-day, 15-day workshop in self-defense under the Mission Veeramani programme. Elements of science were conducted by animators under the very able Mani from the Sanskriya Foundation. Subjects like force and movement, and flying objects, were explained. A place of immense happiness and pride was to witness former beneficiaries Jana and Manivizhi give our children motivational talks on the value of education and nursing and hygiene, respectively. The children from Angalakuppam visited the local police station, and Sub-Inspector Prem Kumar explained to them how the 121 helpline worked. The children also learnt about the daily workings of a police station.
The children underwent a general health check-up with Dr. Bhuvansh, and Miss Manju, Tamil Professor, gave the children lessons on Tamil culture. The camp culminated in a temple outing for the children.
The parents were happy with the summer camps, and also relieved that they could work in peace, reassured that their children were supervised, productive, having fun, and sheltered from the merciless summer of 2026. The kids returned tired and content, we were told, and took long afternoon naps. Finally, when the sun went down and mothers were home, they could watch over their children as they played in the neighbourhood. They also appreciated the buttermilk distribution Sharana made to the neighbourhood throughout the holidays. The buzz in our centres has now died down. The children are back at school, and we are back to welcoming them after school for a nice warm snack and assisting them in our homework help centres.
