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Dakshini Prayash celebrates 29 years of its journey  

Suroopa Chatterjee

Great things often take root from small saplings. Dakshini Prayash has been embodying such a spirit with a determined focus since the last 29 years. It began  with a very humble beginning by the enterprising spirit of its founder Mrs Nalini Mukherjee who acted on an impulse of a request of a few  underprivileged children in rural pockets of Madurdaha. West Bengal   and started a mission on holistic education which now has taken form as a robust young tree bearing fruits.

The mission in due course found a firmer footing with the dedicated and kind intervention of Shri Kamal Prakash who helped set up the educational wing Dakshini Prayash , Madurdaha Satyavritti Vidyalaya (MSV ) and  has been a major force of the growth of the school so far. “Every child needs to have a life and that’s what Dakshini Prayash is working towards, stated Shri Kamal Prakash.

On 24th September 2022, the social enterprise that is successfully executing holistic training of children and working for promotion of health, environmental awareness and self reliance for the Madurdaha community in West Bengal, put together a show ” 75 glorious years of India’s independence “to celebrate its foundation day that involved its students and faculty in the presence of its well wishers and supporters.

Speaking on the occasion, Mrs Anubhuti Prakash, Joint Secretary of Dakshini Prayash, stated, “During the difficult period of pandemic that fared on all fronts of education, health and self reliance, we strived hard and survived through continuous efforts of our team, and the continuous support of you all wishers. Dakshini Prayash  was established 29 years ago, on just a wish and on a commitment. And with all round support, we could come so far. We stood on three pillars-Education, Health and Self Reliance. And now climate change is the biggest threat to the planet. We have adopted environmental sustainability as our fourth pillar. Our self reliance section with the help of the junior board is trying to make Dakshini Prayash  self sustainable in the coming years”

Mrs. Roshni Sen I.A.S. and Principal Secretary at Government of West Bengal who was the chief guest stated, “ I must say with the little I heard and little I interacted with Dakshini Prayash  I am beyond impressed. The kind of passion I have seen , the ones who are running it, I keep faith that the effort and hard work will carry forward this organization much ahead. All the young boys and girls here, their mothers and teachers, the ones who could come here, you all can consider yourself really fortunate that in such an organization such an establishment you all got the opportunity to study. This institute is providing and focusing all round development that is very rarely witnessed even in big schools. Education, Health and self reliance these three build up a person’s future. And education is not just through syllabus  but education that helps you in recognizing self, surroundings and taking existing societal conditions towards path of progress, establishing oneself , together means education. The nicest thing in Dakshini Prayash that I like is that not just students but their parents, guardians, all are working together. So there is a sense of ownership with the essence of my school, my environment, my area, not just in students, but surrounding neighborhood. If such awareness grows then in a real sense an institution will leave a mark which Dakshini Prayash is doing in a successful way.
Mr. Zha Liyou, Counsel General for People’s Republic of China, who has been a constant friend and supporter to the enterprise also present, stated “I feel very proud to be in it. And we have physically worked with other NGOs in town, very closely. During the pandemic my office has donated a lot of things to quite many of these in east India NGOs to help people fight pandemic including Dakshini Prayash. Today I am very happy to be here. I do not feel like any outsider. I am in it.
The school has 323 students, 35 teachers, and 7 support staff. Teach for India” has chosen to partner with the school. The curriculum has been newly designed according to the requirements of the students. Remedial classes are being taken on a regular basis in the pre-primary, primary and upper-primary sections.
The society provides sewing classes, manual looms, sewing machines and a platform to sell manufactured products to help the women of Madurdaha to be self-reliant. Health care services are also provided, with weekly health clinics, free regular check-ups, provision of medicine, eyeglasses and a nutritious midday meal to all the students. The school proudly boasts of its  students being  integrated in various sectors like interior decoration, civil engineering, electrical engineering, computer science and nursing and hopes to see more such successes in the future.

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