Sarhad School Pune

“Peace, harmony, love, compassion and tolerance alone can save this planet. Wars, Guns, Hatred, Jealousy have brought no man, no society or no nation any real happiness and prosperity. 'Each man can make a difference and each man must try”. These words by J. F. Kennedy are found on the Sarhad website and these are words that Sanjay and Sushma Nahar live by, as they try to rebuild lives of some 70 Kashmiri children, 55 boys and 15 girls, in their school. The children are a mixture of Kashmiri Muslims and Buddhists from Ladakh. Many of these children have been orphaned, some losing one, others losing both parents, while the parents of a few are too poor to support them. These poor children are the offspring of guides and porters who helped the Indian army during the Kargil war. The children are from many districts of Kashmir like Baramulla, Srinagar, Ladakh, Baudhgam, Kupwara, Bandipura, Jhanskar, etc.

Sarhad and Sanjay Nahar, both have a long history of personal commitment and work in the troubled border areas of Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir and North-Eastern India. From 1994 onwards, 'Sarhad' has regularly been visiting the Valley and by its purposeful work winning over the confidence, trust and affection of the people. 'Sarhad' has also been interacting with officials, leaders of all sections, misguided youth and above all the people, especially those affected by the violence.
A visit to Sarhad Bhavan, which is close to Bharatiya Vidyapeeth and next to Katraj Dairy, gives a deep insight into, not just the dedication of both Sanjay and Sushma Nahar, but also the care, love, generosity and most of all wisdom, with which it is carried out. For good intentions need to be tempered with wisdom and that they have it in plenty, is made clear in all the decisions they have taken regarding the children. Their generosity too is unstinting. Most of the expenses for the children; their food, medicine, travel expenses, clothes etc are all borne by them.
Some of these children have also been the victims of atrocities. When they arrived from Kashmir, many were traumatized. They have had to deal not only with the emotional problems of children who have witnessed horrors and have been separated from their land and people, but also health problems. The children who arrived from extreme cold conditions, to moderate or even warm climate, have suffered from a number of illnesses initially. The great differences in temperature resulted in skin ailments, besides which the kids suffered from other sicknesses too, like measles and chicken pox. The ill health also meant that vast sums of money had to be spent on doctors and medicine
The adjustments have been significant. Coming from regions of snow and ice, they have had to learn to bathe daily. The mainly rice and meat eaters, have now become accustomed to a diet of chappatis and vegetables and some rice. Instead of the cups of tea they have been used to drinking, they have to drink at least one glass of milk every morning. Language was another hurdle these kids faced. They came from the outlying border districts of Kashmir and spoke many different dialects. Here they have now learnt not only to understand each other but also to speak Hindi, Marathi and English. They have finally adjusted well to the climate, the food and the environment among other things.
The school takes in local children also and the Nahars do all they can to integrate the two. Special emphasis is laid on ensuring that the Kashmiri children are never made to feel that they are in anyway, different from the other children, or suffer from any feeling of deprivation. They are also encouraged to practice their own religion, whether Islam or Buddhism and a special place is made in their rooms for prayers. The day scholars join them in celebrating their festivals like Eid, while they reciprocate in a similar fashion. Due to love, care and wise handling the children are an endearing and happy lot; smiling, friendly and outgoing.
So far the school has classes till the eight standard, from next year, ninth and tenth will be added. Though right now they are an SSC school, they hope to become CBSE soon. The medium of instruction is in English, but as the Kashmiri children came from an Urdu medium background, a lot of work had to be done in the initial stages to bring them up to the present standard. Though their oral skills have improved they still have a long way to go for their writing skills, but no doubt hard working as they are, they will get there.
Besides studies, the children also learn many other things like art, singing, dancing, karate etc. They are very talented too. Many of them paint extremely well. They eagerly show their paintings and artwork. They are very good in sports as well. Their team has played Kabaddi in the State level and three of them have been chosen for the National team.
The environment in the school is congenial and affectionate. Here the children have been able to get over their stress and trauma and look to the future. They are in an atmosphere that encourages ambitions and the setting of goals. Hope has found a place in their hearts and they can look forward to opportunities and better prospects. They are able to aspire high and have hopes of realizing their dreams. The children have set some lofty goals. Many of the girls want to become doctors, while two of them wish to become engineers. One thinks she will like to be a police officer while one is aiming for the judge’s chair. One of the youngest of the girls, chirpy and irrepressible Meesa, who can charm anyone with her engaging smile, is different and nothing will satisfy her but the idea of cutting her hair and becoming a hero like Salman Khan.
The boys too have varied ambitions. While little Tashi from Ladakh dreams of clambering walls as Spiderman, 14 year old Zahid, studying in the 7^th standard, has more realistic, though grand ambitions. He has been here since four years and now speaks fluent Hindi, Marathi and English. Zahid wishes to fight the election and become Chief Minister of Kashmir, so he can alleviate poverty and bring peace to the troubled region. Aqib paints beautifully. Sixteen year old Ashique, from Pahalgam would like to be an actor. Twelve year old Ilyas, from Baudhgam, would like to be a doctor. Asif Ali would like to be a singer and can steal a heart and bring a lump to any throat with his soulful rendition of “Mera mulk, mera desh, mera watan, shanti ka, unnati ka, pyar ka chaman”. Listening to the words one realizes that though they are far away from their state, its love lives deep within them and so does the hope of peace and progress.