Ahmedabad youth join masti ki pathshala

AHMEDABAD: And you thought all they did was gupshup, party, movies and hanging out at social networking sites.

Amdavadi youth has proved all that wrong. As Teach India kicks off in this ‘city of giving’, Ahmedabad has topped the country in having the largest percentage of youth volunteers for the campaign this year. And, they are all raring to go out and teach kids to change the course of their lives.

As inductions for Teach India’s Class of 2009 begin on Saturday, a whopping 60 per cent of volunteers are between 20 and 29 years — far ahead of Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Jaipur and Lucknow.

Many youngsters have decided to be the change. "I decided to join this campaign as it is a much more the reason I signed up for this campaign," exclaims Tanay Shah, 21.

The general mood is to break out of the ‘bindaas’ approach and make a difference. "Instead of wasting time at useless parties and hangouts, it is nice to see youngsters taking active part in this campaign. Two hours a week is a worthwhile investment and may mean giving shape to a child’s destiny," says Bharti Singh, 21.

"I always wanted to teach those kids who don’t have access to good education. Also, it is a great opportunity to learn more about a different aspect of society," feels Jigisha Patel, 25.

For some, it was like a fish taking to water. "I have always worked with underprivileged children. When I heard about Teach India, I knew this was the way in which I could reach out and help a large number of kids," says Dhara Panchal, 26, an interior designer.

Source: timesofindia