India Blog 4 – Meet the Kids!

Those of you who have been following our previous blogs will already know, or have some idea, how crazy Varanasi is! Living and working here is a daily adventure, and we are becoming used to being prepared for the unexpected. As I sat down to write this blog, a loud thump announced the arrival of a large male monkey just a few feet away from me on the roof of our guest house. Thankfully he didn’t seem too interested in me, and after a few minutes he wandered off onto our neighbor’s roof, presumably in search of food.

Our daily frolics with the local wildlife aside, you have probably got the message: Varanasi is busy, smelly, dusty, hot, and teeming with people coming to make their pilgrimage to the sacred Ganga river or the myriad temples and mosques situated here. For this blog, I wanted to get an idea of what it is like to actually call this place your home, so I thought I’d let a few of the kids from Asha Deep Ashram, one of PWB’s longest standing partner organizations, tell you about their lives in Varanasi, and what circus means to them.

Manish

My name is Manish, I am ten years old. I am in class 4. I live in Balaji Colony in Varanasi with my family. My father drives an autorickshaw and my mother sews clothes. I have been learning poi for 3 years from PWB. I like that PWB come and teach me poi. I think that I will always spin poi in my life.

Rinki

My name is Rinki Kumari and I come from a village in Bihar. I live in Samne Ghat in Varanasi in a hostel. My family are still in Bihar, but I came this year to Varanasi for my education. I am 15 years old and this is the first time I have been taught circus by PWB. I really like it. My favorite toys are the fans, and also the hula hoop. Fan dance has a beautiful energy, it is like a magic dance.

Chandan

My name is Chandan and I come from Nagwa. My family has always lived in Varanasi. I like circus because it is funny and nice looking and good. I really enjoy it. I am 13 years old and I have been learning circus from PWB for 3 years. My favorite toy to play with is the contact ball. I like diabolo as well. I like PWB because it means the children at my school are talented. I will play circus all my life!

Priya and Sunita

Priya ^    —-   Sunita v

P> My name is Priya and I am from Nagwa. My family has always lived here.

S> My name is Sunita and I live in Assi. My family moved to Varanasi from Calcutta.

P> Circus is about feeling good and happy and we give happiness to each other. We are both 14.

P> I have done circus for 3 years. I have two favorite toys, the fans and the hula hoop.

S> I have done for 4 years. My favorite is the hula hoop.

P> PWB are always very good, they have many talents.

S> And excellent personalities.

P> When I leave school I hope to be able to carry on playing with the fans.

Samir

My name is Samir and I am in class 6. I come from Varanasi and I live with my family in Nagwa. My family makes and repair bicycles. To me, circus means juggling and performing and being happy. I have been learning circus for 5 years, I am now 13, so since I was 8 years old. My favorite props are juggling clubs. Juggling gives me a feeling inside of being very happy and not scared and always feeling good. It is a good thing to do with my friends. When I think of PWB I think that my friends will come and teach me new tricks. They are my friends, not my teachers. I think that I will juggle all of my life, and when I get to the other side I will teach the small ones how to juggle as well.

Vijay

My name is Vijay Viswas. I come from Nagwa. My family has lived here for a long time. I began to learn circus from PWB 5 years ago when I started at this school. I am now 13. My favorite toy is poi because it is what I am best at. I also like staff, clubs and many other things, unicycle, iso hoops. In my life when I get sad I do circus and I get happy and make everyone happy because they like to watch. I think PWB should come all of the year to teach us. If they will come then we can learn many other types of things. I hope that when I leave school I can continue to do circus.

So there you have it folks, an all-too-brief insight into the thoughts and feelings of a few of the amazing kids who we are privileged to work and play with every day. These kids live and breathe circus, and we see how much it means to them every afternoon when we arrive at school. It truly is a joyful experience to be here and watch how quickly and eagerly they absorb everything we have to teach them, and to share in their delight and sense of accomplishment.

From Varanasi, with love,

Mango