World Mental Health Day- Sharmila Jois

 …..Where there is a way, there is always a struggle!!

I wish somebody had told me when I was young that growing up was going to be filled

with so many struggles. I wish there was a guide book that gave options on how to

solve problems and tell us what is right and what is wrong.

The truth of the matter is that everyone has to grow up and everyone has to face

the struggle. The everyday so-called routine is not routine at all without these

struggles. Whenever we hear someone say, “ I’m lost”, or “I’m struggling with my

current problem”, we are more than happy to give lists of things that they could do to

help themselves out of that fix. But when it comes to our own life, we hit a dead-end!

Especially during these pandemic times, everyone is a problem-solver, everyone has

perspective that will change the world. Social media makes it even harder to accept

that our life has hit a dead-end. The ever smiling faces, the new hobbies they have

acquired and mastered, the tricks they have learnt to make themselves ‘happy’ - all

these look fabulous for a while and then reality hits and we go -‘Why am I like this?’.

October 10th is celebrated as World Mental health day and rest assured there will

be many articles or posts that will show you a new way of life and make you feel even

downer than you normally feel. On this mental health day, I want to accept that I am

a mess and I don’t mind being a mess. Once in a while we have to allow ourselves to

plonk ourselves on the couch or lay flat on the floor and throw tantrums. So what if I

lose my cool and not behave like a sophisticated adult that the world expects me to

be. I want to be a child and throw a tantrum and cry about my problems. I want to say

I don’t know what to do and scream like a toddler. I want to have someone listen to

me and wait for me to calm down and then say ‘Go ahead and cry more if you want, it’s

ok to cry.’

Mental health is not only about doing things that will

help you solve problems, it also includes venting out. On this mental health day, let’s

do that, let’s talk about venting out by crying, screaming, throwing tantrums, plonking

on the couch, eating ice-creams and watching romantic movies with tragic end and cry

our heart out. Let’s be a child and keep nothing inside. When your laptop hangs due to

excessive usage, we restart it. We don’t sit and talk to it or ask it to come up with

other programs that can help it reduce the over-work.

Let’s be a mess this world mental health day, and let’s help others be a mess too.

When you are done being a mess, tell yourself how proud you are about it. You had

the courage to do something that the world hesitates to be. When you feel this

extraordinary sense of accomplishment, you will get the courage to handle any

struggles that you have in your life. Be a mess and be proud of it!

Open Heart Talk - 7 Shraddha Modi

 "Inclusion" has been my motivation for becoming a behavioural therapist and then a special educator. I have understood the importance of different styles of learning as being a slow learner myself while growing up and getting targeted for not performing well in exams. I, therefore, tried to search for places that support inclusion, that's when I heard about EKA! I had heard that they support people with special hidden skills and polish them into beauty. It made me grow more fond of this organisation and hence I applied as a special educator. The best part about this place is the amount of support each teacher provides to the students is unconditional and they do truly care about them and teach in the student-centric method. And the constant support of Santhi and Sharmila towards us is always encouraging. The support is always given and taken and hence the support and trust students show to a newly joined teacher like me is just delightful. Here "Inclusion" is EKA's most significant value. It's a place where fun meets learning for both students and teachers, and I am grateful to be here."

Open Heart Talk-6: Sharmila Jois Vellal

Straight from the Heart of...

Sharmila Jois Vellal

The adventures of Alice, not in wonderland!!

As a child, I believed in fairy tales and believed with all innocence that it would definitely happen to me.  As an adult, while I reflect upon my life, I feel that I am living my fairy tale life.  Here’s the proof that I am living a fairy tale life.

When I decided to become a special educator, it was not a dream that I conceived, it was not a path that was inspired and it definitely was not life leading me towards it.  After my Master’s degree, it happened to be the only diploma course available for a year which I could complete along with work experience. Like Alice, most Special Educators are clueless of the life they are about to embark. We, like Alice, follow the Rabbit with  the red coat into the unknown thinking it’s just a rabbit, what bad can happen? The Rabbit with Red coat in our life is the Diploma course which is made easy to attain in the beginning. As the course goes deeper, so does the burrow. We go deeper and deeper into the course and not even realize the world we have entered. By the time we realize we are in too deep, it's too late as there is no going back. 

Just like Alice, all Special Educators are clueless of the role they are supposed to embark. “You are here to kill the Jabberwockey” they say to Alice, the Jabberwockey in our life happens to be the system/ society/ prejudices which do not accept differences. “How can I, I am just a little girl!”, says Alice, How can we Says the Special Educator, they merely took on the Special Educator’s role because of flexible work hours and contained work commitment which does not keep them away from their home. But then every personality you meet on the way tells you that your purpose in life in bigger than what you perceived it to be. The reluctant Spl Eds move ahead in their journey as they perceive that time and effort they put in is still under their control. 

We meet various White and Red queens in our lives and we are expected to take sides. The white queens being the parents of Special needs students and the Red queen being the school management. Unfortunately, this is the only part of the journey as Spl ed, I wish was like that of the fairy tale. I wish there was right and wrong  sides. It gets little complex in real life, just because the Red queen has big head does not mean she is cruel, there is past that made her life that. And as Special Ed, we know the only way ahead for our students is to work along with both White and Red queen side by side, in harmony with each other. “off with the head” says the Red queen, unlike the wonderland, the future of Special needs students won’t be replaced magically. Years of effort and army of people behind the special needs child, all wasted with one small phrase “ off with the head.”

We see the plight of our students, struggling to be accepted and merely wanting the privileges that every other peer of theirs are given. Whilst the White queen and the red queen fight out, the citizens of Wonderland take cover, just like that, our students struggle to keep their head above the water. When such a scene is front who choses to be an observer. Unknowingly, Alice explores both the territory to see how best she can support the new friends she made. We special Eds very quickly begin to push the boundaries drawn for our students. “ I am not crazy. My reality is different from yours.”, says the Cheshire Cat to Alice. We see the different reality, we love it, we enjoy it and we want to keep the reality they see intact as it is different but beautiful. Soon we realise that what we are doing is just support on the surface, we need to dig deep, stretch out our creativeness to the maximum. “ I have been shrunk, stretched, scratched and stuffed into a teapot,” yells Alice. As special educator we begin take on roles for the benefit of our students, we try to be “muchier, to bring back student’s muchness”. 

Alice gathers herself when she is just about to slay the Jabberwocky by recalling six impossible things that she can do everyday and starts to recall those six impossible things. Special educators also needs to take time to check what is impossible to them, while we think back we realise that there have been many things that we once thought impossible but we pushed ourselves to achieve it. 

“There is a place. Like no place on Earth. A land full of wonder, mystery, and danger! Some say to survive it: You need to be as mad as a hatter.”

by Sharmila Jois Vellal

Co-Founder, Eka.

Open Heart Talk-5: Naveena Mam

Straight from the Heart of ...

Naveena Mam

Eka is a place where one could feel at home. The atmosphere is very friendly and comforting yet the experience of learning is immense. There is a very friendly relation among everyone, each one is very welcoming and warm towards every other individual. The methods of teaching here are very unique. The learning of students is not limited to class, they are given many hands-on activities which lets them experience for better understanding, knowledge building and personal growth.    

It is a place where one is allowed to be as they are, an individual is helped with love and care that would help one to explore self. Here we believe in hand -in- hand, i.e together, we are  everything. It is a place filled with laughter, celebrations, activities, support, learning and growth. Once you are a part of this family there is no turning back.

Open Heart Talk-4: Esther Mam

Straight from the Heart of...

Esther Mam

For some people, EKA is an educational organization working for disabled children but for me it is a place where I am molded well and shaping my personality. Some believed that as a Special Educator we would have all the skills and good personality but that is not the case. Every person has its own flaws. No one is perfect. I teach and I learn through my students and my colleagues.

EKA is a place where one can walk in as they are, and experience the best of everything. Here, we are one to help every individual to stand on their own feet and work independently. As I developed as an individual here, the same way every individual walks through the doors has been developing for a better tomorrow. 

 

Here is a picture of me with my lot from Independence Day Celebrations-2019. 

Open Heart Talk-3: Ben Mam

Straight from the heart of....

Ben Mam

Inclusion And ME! 

“Inclusion” is a word every Organization/Individual imbibe on. In my existence of 30 years on this beautiful planet, I have heard of people using this word but never implying in their actions. WALK the TALK was missing. Coming to EKA, as the core mission and value says “​INCLUSION​”, the organization works towards attaining it in every field. I am from North East India- Nagaland, we have 16 tribes and all the tribes speak different languages. Even among our tribe, we have different dialects according to villages. Hardly exposed to the outside world, born and raised in Nagaland, English language was something far foreign language to speak for me. My pronunciation of English coupled with my Ao Naga accent has been an issue in almost all of the places I have been to. I was mocked or misunderstood many times which eventually tarnished my self-esteem. In EKA neither the administrator nor any of the staff or parents gave an ounce of negative attitude towards me and accepted me the way I am. The inclusion and Me happened swiftly. I am endowed with heavenly blessings to be a part of this amazing family EKA!

Open Heart Talk-2: Chithraa Mam

Straight from the heart of ....

Chithraa mam

The meaning of this three-letter word, ' Eka' has changed my life in unimaginable ways. At Eka, I have learnt that both success and failure are important in our life. I am touched by the unconditional love and support shown to me from the founders of Eka. The children have been a source of inspiration and I have learnt so much from each of them. Being Inclusive, we have bridged the gap and made the children feel loved and accepted. I am sharing a few pictures of some of the best moments that I spent with the children at Eka.