The drizzling Saturday of the 6th of November 2021 marked the 1st physical day of Akhankara, for the 18th consecutive year.
Purely out of excitement and from the echo of the pitter-patter outside, I woke up even before the alarm I set last night, after a long group call of planning for the big day, went off.
With so many mental scenarios of how the day would unroll, I headed out to the university with Sudasi, looking forward to the 1st physical day of the first-ever project that I got into the POC of, as both a Rotaractor and a fresher. As planned, the team had gathered at the Thummulla bus halt at 6.00 am and were babbling on frantically about how the day would go, while eagerly waiting for the bus. After a couple of minutes, it was finally time for us to commence our journey and we all hopped on the ‘138’ bus to Awissawella.
For the next two and half hours, we were too busy chatting, taking selfies, and enjoying the view. After countless zooms and group calls, it felt nice to step out of the house and to converse with my friends for a change. As we got closer and closer to our stop, our conversations quieted down, as an unspoken feeling of anticipation crawled upon all of us. We hopped off the bus at the Puwakpitiya bus halt to meet the rest of the team. From the halt to the school was another 30-minute drive, and so began another bus ride arranged by the dear parents of the students.
The short ride was like a mini-road trip, with mind-boggling scenic views, lush frondescence garlanding either side of the road, and a beautiful stream of water cascading down the rocks below, which according to our Project Coordinator, Bhagya, appears to be a waterfall. The view was remarkable, and with every stroke of wind brushing past my face, all I could imagine was how amazing it would be to live in such a beautiful village.
By 9.00 am, we had reached our final stop, The Ilukovita Kanishta Vidyala, and to my surprise, was situated right next to the breathtakingly beautiful Seethawaka Botanical Gardens. Imagine coming to school every day and having one of the most beauteous gardens in Sri Lanka right next door! Quite amazing if you ask me.
As soon as we entered the school grounds, we were greeted by the warm welcome of the principal and a delicious Sri Lankan breakfast. After the filling meal, a couple of hilarious conversations, and confessions of how wrong our assumptions about each other’s heights were before meeting each other for the first time, it was finally time to greet the children. Azam Ayya, one of the Community service directors, introduced the team for the day and we all greeted the students, and something in me felt, that they too were smiling underneath their masks.
First up was Science, one of the four focus subjects in Akhankara, the other three being English, Mathematics, and History. The level of exhilaration in the room was escalating briskly, as our IT and DP coordinator, Risini, commenced the Science lesson, and within minutes, the silence dissolved, and the children started answering and participating in the lesson actively. Some of us circled the classroom helping the students individually, while the rest marked homework papers given to the students a few days prior.
Marking those papers surely refreshed my memory on Physics and with the aid of our dear President, Pramudi akki, our project Co’s Bhagya, and Sudasi, we were able to finish marking all the papers successfully, just in time for a small tea break. Biscuits, tea, and the legendary stories from our Secretary, Oshadi akki, our VPs; Yasas ayya and Bimsara ayya, and our Community Service director; Azam ayya, about their 1st year experience in university, were surely one of the highlights of the day. After the tea break, our other Community Service Director, Navodhya akki carried on with the Science lesson until the interval, and just as planned, the first half of the day was a huge success.
For lunch, there was an exquisite Sri Lankan meal, comprising of rice, bean curry, Dhal curry, Chicken, Papadam, fried chilli, pumpkin, etc, waiting to bless our tastebuds. Not only was the meal nutritiously satisfying, but also mouth-wateringly delectable, and some of us may have gone for a third serving! Just like at breakfast, the lunch session exploded with interesting conversations, occasional roasts, and a few inside jokes. However, our other VP; Dewmini akki could not join us for lunch, as she had a virtual meeting to attend, which later we got to know that she was the keynote speaker of, and how she still took the risk of coming to the school to teach these kids, despite her pact schedule, was truly inspiring. After lunch, followed by a round of yogurt for dessert, we expressed our sincere thanks for the delicious food prepared by the beloved parents of the students and headed back to the classroom.
Since it was the 1st physical day after conducting Akhankara for almost 3 months through a digital screen, we decided to do a small interactive session, where each student was asked to give a short self-introduction. As one by one stood up to say their name, we began to recognize the familiar voices heard through zoom, and every introduction was like a tiny reunion.
Talking to them was so inspiring. Such young hearts, with sprouting dreams and goals that are craving to become a reality one day. Sometimes, everyone needs somebody to believe in them and to remind them that there is a possibility for the impossible, and the thought of being one of those people to them, truly made the butterflies in me flutter. One of them even called me over and whispered that she wanted to become an English teacher one day, and I said to her, that she could be whoever she wants, and that her passion for the English language was so aspiring. She squinted her eyes at my words, and I could almost picture an innocent smile underneath her white mask.
After the interactive session, it was time for me to teach English to a class of 37 passionate learners. With a piece of chalk in one hand, the note in the other, and hope in my heart, I began to teach, and to my surprise, the whole classroom smoked up with clouds of answers to the questions I raised. With every answer, my heart skipped a beat with delight. The rest of the team circled the class, teaching, and helping the students, giving them individual focus.
The feeling of teaching the youngsters physically was a completely different experience compared to talking to them through a digital screen. This was live, surreal, and 3 dimensional. The echoes of their voices, the shape of their letters, and the sound of their laughter painted a moving picture, that kept playing on repeat in my mind.
After about 2 hours, it was time for another break, and this time pancakes and ginger tea were waiting to bless our souls. The cold wind caressed our skin as the warm sips of ginger tea alternated with bites of pancake, while our conversations got lost in the sound of rain.
After the short break, the English lesson continued, and the children were given homework along with a list of dictation words to study. Time had flown unnoticed, and ultimately, the moment to bid them farewell had arrived. After one more round of selfies, it was finally time for us to hop back on the bus. The day that kicked off with sizzling excitement, ended off with pure satisfaction, and the heart-touching feedbacks of the students made all our day.
As we waved goodbye to them, the bus took off and headed back to the Puwakpitiya halt, where to our luck, Bhagya offered to give us all a ride. The entire ride back home was loads of fun, with ‘Baila songs’ in the air, and cold wind in our hair. I do not know if it were the countless zoom calls before meeting each other physically, or if it was the Akhankara magic, but one way or another all of us connected. All of us clicked.
The twinkle in the eyes of the children, the panoramic views of the village, and the laughter of fellow Rotaractors carved another beautiful memory among the pages of the Akhankara Diary. As the sound of ‘baila’ faded away into the sunset, our ride too came to a stop, marking not the end, but the dawn of yet another enthralling chapter in the Akhankara diary.
By Rtr. Ama Upeka Perera
Bhagya says
This tooo me through that day all over again🥲, great job Ama!! You really are a story teller 🔥❤️