There is a festive mood sweeping over Hyderabad these days… Ganesh Charturdhi and Ramadan are in full swing, traditional songs and drumming on every street corner spell a new rhythm of urban life, the smell of haleem oozes from tiffin shops once evening falls, and every once in a while, the busy Hyderabad traffic will stop to allow a huge statue of Ganesh to be carried across the lanes.

It feels good to be back, and to be in awe, and to celebrate, once again.

At the Railway Girls School, we have just completed the first week of classes, preceded by a week of teacher training workshops. The training sessions were well attended: besides the Headmistress of the school, we had 8 teachers present, from a variety of disciplines. They were very eager to learn about the potential of digital storytelling, and even the Headmistress took time off from her busy schedule to attend the workshops – the high level of interest and the general atmosphere at the sessions felt very encouraging, especially since this academic year marks the debut of the TMS curriculum at this school. As part of the workshops, I instructed the teachers in the use of the digital and video cameras, from the initial steps of taking a picture or recording footage to the final stage of transferring this footage to the computer. They each practiced these skills, passing the cameras around and taking turns in trying out these newly learned operations. I also talked about the various ways that they can incorporate photography and video into their own curricula, and encouraged them to make use of their students’ new technical skills in the classroom.

The first week of classes has been highly productive and very fulfilling as well. The girls are extremely bright and outgoing, and they are not afraid to speak up in class or to ask questions. This is partly motivated by the fact that they are very comfortable speaking in English: I can clearly see that they understand everything I say, and I am impressed with their vocabulary and their general level of confidence while speaking. We have talked about the multimedia elements of a digital story, the difference between fiction and non-fiction, and the structural make-up of an efficient storytelling project. They were very quick to grasp the concepts, and their homework showed a high level of originality and creativity as well. When asked to plan and write a non-fiction or investigative story, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the topics the girls chose went beyond the standard responses like “Mahatma Gandhi”, “Nehru”, or “Mother Theresa”, and included some very original topics like “Unity and Diversity in India”, “Modernity and Traditions”, “The Dangers of Deforestation”, “Education in the Slums”, “Indian Festivals” and last but not least – this is one idea I was very proud to hear – the highly relevant “Technology in Education”.

And speaking of the potential of technology in education: on Monday I went on a visit to the Resource Center for Animation, set up by Technology for the People, a local Hyderabadi NGO founded and directed by Mr. Rajen Varada, who currently works in ICT for Development at the UNESCO headquarters in Delhi. I met Mr. Varada at the Video Volunteers Camp in Goa, and we talked at length about our experiences in using multimedia training as an educational tool. A highly inspired and dedicated man with years of expertise in ICT (Information Communication Technologies), he realized his vision of offering educational opportunities to underserved ethnic and gender minorities by founding Technology for the People (TFTP), which provides animation workshops to Muslim girls in the Old City, who were forced to drop out of school at an early age. After a one-year course at the organization’s Resource Center, the girls – who are taught to utilize their talent at henna tattoos by learning computer animation – receive a formal certificate, and are then placed in internships and jobs in the animation industry, which is currently booming here in Hyderabad. Thus, TFTP enables them to earn a livelihood by equipping them with technological skills that are in high demand, while simultaneously boosting their self-confidence and rebuilding their trust in the value of education.

Having met these amazing girls personally on my visit there, I was touched and inspired by their stories, by their ambition and their fortitude: one of them described to me how she commutes daily from her village which is 3.5 hours away just to attend these animation workshops, while another girl told me how she went on a hunger strike for 3 days when her father tried to forbid her from coming back to the sessions. They are true role models for myself, for our high school students, and for anyone who will have the pleasure of meeting them and hearing about their experiences. We are currently in touch with Mr. Varada about the possibility of a collaboration between TMS and TFTP, which can materialize in a variety of ways and bring great educational benefits for both our organizations. Once we have come up with the most efficient and propitious way to do so, I will be back with more details on this exciting partnership opportunity.