A workshop with Dr. Mithu Alur

We the participants of the CII in ADAPT, Mumbai have a workshop with Dr. Mithu Alur. She is the chairperson of ADAPT, Mumbai. She has done her PhD in inclusion and inclusive education. Malini Chib is her daughter. She was going to talk about policy formulation and the policy implementation in the day first and tool to change the inclusion is the topic on the second day. The day when came to take the class I was assign to take the video of her class by my friend Dian. I was preparing for the video setup and as soon as I Dr. Alur entered to the class I on the camera. Then she started the class and she pointed to me and asked for the introduction. But I was concentrated on the camera I didn't notice her voice and my friend asked me to say my introduction. As I said I am from Nepal she told that she knew Nepali language because she was born in Darjeeling, Indai. After she shift to other friend next to me he was from Bangledesh she also knew Bangali languages as well. It was good experience that she knew many languages.
I remembered that she had started her session that, "policy formulation and policy implementation are the two side of same coin". She talked about how are to be done for policy formulation and in policy implementation. After her session completed we have question answer session. She replied many answer of questions raised.
The second was the session of tools to implement the inclusion and inclusive education. She talked about some tools for it. She talked about the tools from individuals level, community level and system level. She showed us a case of Rohit and she formed a group of four. She asked each group to make a model of inclusive with solutions to work for Rohit. We all prepared the presentation and the model. We presented it in a group.
Finally, she gave an assignment to all of us. She told us to develop the case individually and make a inclusion model with barriers and solutions. And we have to present to her in next day.

Mumbai city is the combination of seven island and latter it was developed as a big city here. Even today we can find some island in Mumbai. Those island are now changing into tourism spot and the business trade center. Many oil depo are there in those island. So we the CII participants planned to go to Elephanta Island. For the island visit we have to go early in the morning. So we six people got ready and have breakfast in the hostel. We took the auto for the train station but as we had took it, the road was block by the police because of Mumbai cycling. So we got off from the Auto and we walked up to Bandra Train station. We took ticket of train and got in train up to CST. Then we took taxi up to India Gate. There we again bought a ticket of ship up to elephanta Cave. It was altogether one hour travel to Elephanta Cave. It was good in the travel. After one hour we went to the cave. When we reached to island we again took the train for two kilometer travel. We paid tax to government and we have to buy ticket of Rs. 10 for Indian and Rs. 250 for foreigners.
The cave was actually created by human in the early period in 17 century and 18 century. It was actually the palace for people who came to rule the island. Mainly Portuguese came to this island for business purpose and they name it as Elephanta Cave. Actually there was no symptoms of elephant in island. The cave was build with the help of big rocks. There were many scriptures of Hindu god and goddess.
There were five caves from different angles. There was a hill with canvas. From where we can see the ocean surrounding the island.
The business that I have never seen but I have seen there was Dholi Business. Four people carry a Dholi with a person in that Dholi. The four people took them in all the areas of cave and the island and took Rs 500 per person.
We got back at 4.00pm. We had lunch at Marine Drive and went to sea beach. We were tired and got asleep early.

An Expensive Experience in Train in Mumbai

My friend Dian used to say,"Experience is always expensive". I have only heard it but not experience it. It may I have felt it before but I could not share to my friends. We were always listened to others' expensive experience in the hostel in ADAPT, Mumbai. We had fun and laugh during our dinner time every night.
Suddenly we had faced problem in our hostel. My friend Dian had problem with passport. She had got visa valid till Feb 10, 2010 only. So she requested me to go to FRRO office to extended her visa date. Mistakenly we went to the internal immigration office in Mumbai then we planned to go to FRRO office in Church Gate, Mumbai. We called to phone the office and they replied that it will closed at 1.00pm. Then we decided to visit office only so that it will be easier for us to go tomorrow. It was very far from the place we stand. We asked to the Taxi Driver but they don't know the place. Finally on Auto driver guided us to take train and go to Church Gate. So we gone to Santacruch train station and bought a ticket. It cost only Rs. 7 each. But got the train and entered to the train it was too packed. But we were entered to luggage quarter. The train end at Church Gate. We were confused because where to show ticket, who will come to see it, who is ticket holder or not and many things in our mind. We got out from the crowd and nobody cared for us.
We entered to the FRRO office and there we met with the customer service. She suggested that it was business visa so it cannot be extended and she should left Mumbai at 10 February other wise she had to pay $70 each day as fine.
We got back with thinking possible other alternatives. She planned to visit Nepal for 3 days and extended visa in Nepal. We been to Marines Line beach and got back to Curch Gate. We bought the ticket again and we entered to the train. One of the person behind us suggested us go with slow train because in fast train it will be to crowd so that you cannot exit in Bandra station. As his suggestion we got out and entered to the slow train. We got seat there and we were happy with the service and the facilities of train in India. We have got our destination and we got out from the quarter in our station. Suddenly one government officer called us. He told us to show our ticket and we shown him our ticket. He told us to come in the office of train station. We followed him and entered to the office. There he told us that we were in 1 class quarter with II class ticket. We were fined. We told everything about us but they were not ready to listen to us. There were many people caught traveling without ticket, I class seat with II class ticket and etc. Finally we were ready to pay fine because we believed in norms and regulation. Actually the ticket price for I class was 52. We bought a ticket of Rs 6. So we have to pay the Rs 46 the ticket difference and Rs 250 fine each to the train station. We took the bill and got back to hostel.
It was my an expensive experience in train in Mumbai. That night every body laugh with our experience.

A Visit to Colaba Center, ADAPT

Everybody were in rush, it was because everybody had to ready within 9.00am in the morning for the Colaba visit. Hurry up! everyone was shouting for their room mate. On the same way, my room mate Jhanghir also in hurry and we had our breakfast and got ready for Colaba. Suddenly the teacher was late and we had to wait upto 9.30am in the morning. We all gone to bus stop and wait for number 1 bus. We again wait there for 30 minute. I felt that waiting for something in the sunny day for 30 minute was like 3 hour. After bus arrived we climbed in and left for Colaba. It was the local bus service given by the government of India. It was great experience to travel Mumbai in local bus because the flow of people in the bus was heavy. Due to heavy people in the bus we all were feeling dizzy.
Colaba is the ending part of Mumbai. It is the fort area of Mumbai. It is the army areas.
We gone to the ADAPT Colaba Center. It was the first place where Dr. Mithu Alur started her project with three children. Till the date we had visited the school was still there. It was the club for English people during British Rule in India.
There were altogether eight class in the centre with eight teacher. There was good garden attached to the sea. It was the good example for the inclusive education. There were altogether 75 student with 50 percent children with disability. There was a social worker department, one therapy, education department, library, multipurpose hall and administration.
Beside that there was a dance class where professional dance teacher came there and teach children a dance, kitchen class where student should cook, painting, music class, skill development class and visit.
They have their own teaching methodology, curriculum according to the need of children, inclusive classroom, and qualified teacher.
We were divided into two group and observed the school. After observation of school we have lunch cooked by the children of Colaba Center. After lunch we had observed the dance class and we left the school at 2.30pm for Kala Ghoda.
Kala Ghoda was the festival which was held in Mumbai, India. It was the festival related to the art, literature, painting, movies, creation, songs and the many other arts. we had entered to Kala Ghoda and we were separated with our whole group. We wait to Dian our friend from Indonesia. After they have arrived we again visited with them and got back to the hostel. It was very good day as well as very tired day. As soon as having dinner we got asleep.

5th and 6th Feburary in ADAPT

Saturday and Sunday is holiday in India. So we have also got holiday. So we are basically free in these two day. So on 5th February, 2011 I and Dian planned to go to movie. It was the movie Ye Sali Gindagi. It was too expensive but very good and comfortable to watch it. The most I realize from the movie threater was there were no young people to watch the movie. Most of the people watching movie were old age people and the business people. Before the movie started there was national theme song and everybody stand up. There was no single noise and nobody even think for the smoke.
The movie we watched at Globus. When we got exit then we have to passed through the shopping center. We have gone through and shopped the three t-shirts. I like the business strategies they were doing in the center.
Sunday we have no planned. We have lunch at 2.00pm and everybody got asleep. After 3pm everybody gone to Bandstand Beach.

A week with Mrs Prue Chalker in ADAPT

Mrs Prue Chalker from Institute of Child Health, London took the training to CII participants a week from 31 January to 4 Feb, 2011. She trained how to be a good trainer. She had session started with Manju's story, and ended with participants presentation or training on other groups. The training was very useful and I have never attend in such a training before. The training changed us in knowledge, skill and attitude in the participants of CII course. The course was mostly focused on group work, individual work, discussion, case studies, brainstorming, feeling sharing and presentation. The lecture was very less. She had made us so clear within a week and made us confident in organizing training in our own. I personally liked the training planning session. The training planning session in group work and it needs lot of effort and hard working. Our group had choose the topic Entrepreneurship Development on People with disability. We had given a training on this topic to other participants using presentation, movie and games to make them clear about the concept of entrepreneurship. Our training was good as we concluded from the result of our evaluation form.
Finally on friday we had inclusive sport meet in ADAPT. The chief guest was Prue Chalker. We were all volunteer in the program. The motto of the program was save the environment. All the sport were base on the environment. We had on the sport up to 11.00pm in the morning and then the training started. We had a group photo session with her and we presented her with a gift. Then we ended our a week training with Mrs. Prue.