ALMORA SFC PG

As per the requirements of our experiment we are in the process of inviting volunteers for a remote area Student Faculty Cell and Peer Group at the Almora study centre under the Dehradun regional centre. Last weekend we visited the Almora study centre and met the coordinator Mr. Durgesh Pant. He has enthusiastically assured us his cooperation and help. Almora is a part of the famous Kumaon hills and our students there live in the scattered towns and hamlets characteristic of a hill region. In many places both road and telephone connectivity is difficult. Hence the students have difficulties in getting study materials etc. and in communicating with the study centre. The coordinator told us that as a result the attendance at counselling sessions is low. We hope that our study groups will be able to help out. We will also be watching with interest the progress made by the students of one of our peer group members who will be studying the development activities in this area.These students will be staying with families in remote villages like Dulum. They are expected to live like family members, help out the families with different chores and also carry out their studies. These students belong to different parts of India and in a sense in living with families of different communities of this region will experiment with multiculturalism.We can draw appropriate lessons from their experiences in their study process in this region for our study groups.For those of you who have been following the comments on the Australian incidents on this blog it may be of interest that one of the earliest Australian writers John Lang is almost regarded as a folk hero in this region(He had stayed here). He wrote with equal sensitivity about the Tasmanian and Kumaon-Garhwal landscapes and had taken up cudgels for Rani Laxmi Bai (of the first war of Indian independence fame ) against the annexationist designs of the East India Company during the British rule in India.
Those of you interested in coming forward may please contact Mr. Durgesh Pant:(M)09412375384. email:durgesh_pant@yahoo.com. Messages can be left with two counsellors suggested by Mr. Pant; Dr. M.M. Joshi:9690676632.Dr. Bheema Manral:9412514596.(Ajay Mahurkar and Dr. Dolly Mathew)