Shishu Bharati (http://www.shishubharati.net), a non-profit organization based in New England, has provided Indian children in the United States for over thirty years with an opportunity to learn about their Indian culture and heritage. Starting off as small establishment run by a couple of families, Shishu Bharati has developed over the decades to teach few thousand children collectively, expanding into three locations (Lexington and Walpole, Massachusetts; and Nashua, New Hampshire).  On Sunday, June 16th, the Shishu Bharati community gathered together at Lexington High School to celebrate the graduation of its class of 2013, the twenty fifth batch of students to ever formally graduate.

Prior to their graduation ceremony, the eighth grade students individually displayed their grasp on their respective Indian languages through visual presentations. The highly creative projects ranged from posters to PowerPoint presentations to YouTube videos. Each student explained his or her project in their Indian language and answered questions from parents and teachers. These projects were the culmination of years of study and reflected the students’ knowledge and understanding of their languages. Their perseverance and dedication to learning was evident in every detail of the projects.

The Shishu Bharati alumni band initiated the start of the graduation ceremony with a beautiful rendition of the Indian national anthem “Jana Gana Mana”, followed by the American national anthem “The Star-Spangled Banner”. It was a proud moment for Shishu Bharati community, when the “Shishu Bharati Song” was sung by young students and accompanied by Jyothi Sharma, who wrote as well as choreographed the song.  The president of the Shishu Bharati organization, Dr. Seshi Sompuram, then proceeded to give a speech, in which he applauded the students for their special achievements and urged them to be proud, confident, and propagate their “Indian Heritage”.  He further, wished the graduates good luck in their futures, and honored the parents, volunteers, and teachers who had tirelessly dedicated themselves to fulfilling the Shishu Bharati mission: “creating an environment that fosters the learning of Indian arts, languages, religions, history, geography, and current events”.

The three principals of the Lexington, Walpole, and Nashua locations then gave individual speeches, recognizing the many achievements of the Shishu Bharati organization and the numerous factors that had made those achievements possible. The Nashua principal, Mr. Jay Pandit, highlighted upon the goal of Shishu Bharati for all of its students: to allow them to learn about themselves and their Indian heritage, so that they may come to define themselves as mature individuals. The Walpole principal, Ms. Renu Tewarie, reinforced upon the people who had made Shishu Bharati possible and continued to make Shishu Bharati possible by several volunteers: the teachers, the parents who supported the school and entrusted their children to the organization, and the children themselves, for being willing and avid learners. The Lexington principal, Ms. Sipra Shah, lauded Shishu Bharati for celebrating India’s vast diversity in language, culture, and religion, and praised the organization for allowing growing Indian American children to become better citizens by teaching them to bridge the gap between the two cultures.

Ms. Nayna Kaushek, an alumna who had gone to Shishu Bharati in the 1970s, was next to address the class of 2013. She detailed the amazing growth the Shishu Bharati organization had undergone since she had graduated:  how she personally had been taught in the basement of someone’s home and now taught as a teacher at Lexington. She highlighted, however, that certain aspects had remained the same throughout the years: the goals of the Shishu Bharati organization, its values, and—as she jokingly promised—the cookies served at recess as well.

Following the conclusion of the alumna’s speech, the special guests present at the twenty fifth graduation—individuals who had contributed immensely to the growth and prosperity of the Shishu Bharati organization over the years—were then each presented with bouquets of red and white flowers as well as copies of the graduating students essay publication books, both culture and languages. Mr. Dilip Gandhi, one of the veteran directors of Shishu Bharati, proceeded to present two “Citations” the school had received from the state senate office, recognizing Shishu Bharati for “thirty five years of excellence” and wishing them continued success and growth; the second citation addressed the class of 2013 directly, wishing them luck in their future endeavors.  The citations were made possible by State Senator Mike Barrett.

Following the above event, diplomas were presented to the graduates who were seated on stage along with teachers and principals who awarded the diplomas.  As the students were called up to take their diplomas, they were introduced by a Shishu Bharati teacher that they had previously chosen, and each spoke for a minute about their own Shishu Bharati experience in the language that they had learned (Gujurati, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Tamil or Telugu)—thus demonstrating their efficiency in the language—before speaking in English so that the rest of the audience would be able to understand.

While numerous students of 2013 humorously admitted to feeling the loss of being able to sleep in on Sunday mornings, they stated that they were glad that they had been given the chance to learn about their Indian heritage, and that they had also forged long-lasting friendships while learning at the school. As one graduate, in the wise words of Nelson Mandela, aptly declared, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” And Shishu Bharati has done exactly that: changing the world one student at a time by teaching the students to understand themselves.

Graduation ceremony was followed by a lunch, where the students, teachers, parents, families, and guests had a wonderful time, sharing their memories and experiences at Shishu Bharati and all will fondly cherish this day forever.

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