15th April 2024 will always be a very special day to Calcutta Rescue because on April 15, 2024, Calcutta Rescue celebrated a momentous occasion with the opening of their long-awaited project, “Jack Dadur Paathshaala” or “Grandfather Jack’s School,” marking a significant milestone in their mission to provide education.
It all began in 2018 when a house was bought at 20 Iswar Mill Lane. All the support groups came together, raised funds and helped to buy the building.
For the longest time, a building at north Kolkata has been in use as an education project for street children. Dr Jack also used to live there for 40 years. Street and slum children received their early education there before moving to mainstream schools and after that the education project would support their education till they were independent.
That building, however mighty, had quite a few problems to be an ideal place for children’s education.
“The building is cramped and unsuitable for children to study,” said Dr Jack.” The new building is better and the environment is completely different. It is airy and spacious. The children will appreciate the change. There is open space on the roof that can be used and it could transform their approach to coming to school,” he added.
In 2019, Dr. Jack unveiled the new plaque of the education center signalling that the building was ready for the next step. The building also needed some renovations. The process was initiated.
Unfortunately, progress was slowed by the onset of COVID-19 in India. Once the situation improved, the work resumed diligently. After renovations, the building was transformed, with fresh paint and beautiful wall art adorning the walls.
The school building, adorned with vibrant art murals inspired by the students’ ideas, served as a testament to their creativity and ownership. Artist Sumantra Mukherjee and his team conducted workshops, delving deep into the students’ minds, encouraging them to express themselves through writing and painting.
“We wanted the students to feel a sense of ownership over this space,” remarked Mr. Sumantra Banerjee. “This education project is theirs to cherish. They are the main focus. This is their place.”
One of the students, Mou, shared her journey, reminiscing about her first day at the school and the friendships she had forged since then. “Shifting to this new building feels great,” she exclaimed. “These doors and windows represent more than just a physical structure. They symbolize our path to happiness. We’ve come a long way.”
The Chief Guest from the Paharpur Foundation delivered a heartfelt speech, recounting their visit to the nearby slum and their determination to support education initiatives. “When Calcutta Rescue proposed this project, we knew we had to be a part of it,” they expressed. “The opportunity to renovate the school building was something we couldn’t pass up.”
“We have many plans to execute in this new building.” smiled Ananya Chatterjee, the head of education at Calcutta Rescue. One of them is starting a mini garden that will be taken care of by our students and teachers. In this current era of climate change, we must think about planting more trees. And I believe we can also make our students understand the importance of taking care of trees and it will also make them more responsible.”
With the students eagerly moving into the new building on April 16th, classes commenced with renewed vigor and enthusiasm, marking the beginning of a new chapter in their educational journey.
