During a Mumbai volunteers gathering a few years ago, I was so surprised to receive a presentation for my fifteen years as a CMCA volunteer. The years have flown away so swiftly and sweetly!
When I retired from teaching I was clear about one thing, whatever I would do next would have to do with children and inspiring them. CMCA, which was introduced to me by CMCA Co-Founder and Trustee Vinodini Lulla, fitted the bill. I began my journey as a CMCA volunteer at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour High School, from where I had retired, and then went on to my alma mater St. Anthony’s. Through the years, I was able to rope in new volunteers, schools, and students, but the ones that will always have a special place in my heart are the Sevadaan Special School, where we tailored the content for students with disabilities, and the senior college students of Mahatma Night Degree College, this was a completely different though enriching experience as we were dealing with young adults.
In all these years, I had the chance to teach students from different backgrounds, who had different ways of life and beliefs, but all shared the unique quality of being accepting, tolerant, curious, argumentative, and always on the go. I couldn’t help but wonder, how did they lose these qualities as they grew up? I think that CMCA, with its content, provides a solution. Its programmes are so devised to make the children think and act, and imbibe the qualities of a good citizen in a very diverse India. I cannot tell you how heartwarming was to hear the weekly “acts of active citizenship” by our students, be it changing a habit in their home, ringing up a local agency helpline number to solve a problem, or just stopping a fight.
It wasn’t always a bed of roses, we faced our share of problems but, in all this, we could always count on the sound backing of the CMCA Mumbai team and the friendship of our fellow volunteers who met regularly to share ideas, experiences and, of course, to have fun!
Unfortunately, the COVID pandemic brought things to a halt, and we had to “stop” and “start” again – just like in the CMCA Club activity we used to do with our students. I didn’t conduct online classes but helped organise them and did the follow-up. I hope we can all be back in classrooms soon!
Time and tide wait for no man and age, though just a number, catches up with you. I’m now 80 years old, but I would like to work with CMCA in some way or the other for as long as I can if they let me!
This blog was written by Effie Acharya, a CMCA Mumbai Volunteer Educator, and published here with minimal editing.
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CMCA has been accredited by Credibility Alliance under the category “Desirability Norms” – for good governance, accountability, transparency and continuous improvements. Credibility Alliance is a consortium of voluntary organisations committed to enhancing accountability and transparency in the voluntary sector through good governance.
