In an earlier post we shared some storyboards from the notebooks of the boys in Nalgonda.  This week, we will be sharing some entries from the notebooks of the Vijaynagar Colony students.  These are a mixture of drawings of their future ambitions for themselves, as well as some illustrative examples of types of shots (wide shot, medium shot, close up).

Here are some excerpts from some writing assignments as well.  The assignment was for each student to write a mini news story.  Each story had to identify a specific issue in their community, and they also had to write interview questions and identify at least two types of people they would interview.

Manideep

“Hyderabad is now called a crime city.  It is because the police system was very lazy and the people also fear crime and they are not telling police about crimes that happen.  Thieves, killers, kidnappers, and rapists are around.  Terrorists are also very big in Hyderabad.  The police system is active and the people also have some braveness.”

Questions:
1) What are you doing about crime?
2) What are your fears about crime?
3) Why are you doing snatching?

Who I would interview:
1) Police
2) Common people
3) Thieves

Locations:
1) Police station
2) Streets

Vinod

“Hyderabad is a big city.  There is heavy traffic on its roads.  The buses, cars, and other vehicles are making a very big problem.
That is causing many accidents, where people are dying or becoming handicapped.  Besides accidents, traffic also causes air pollution and sound pollution.
Traffic is caused by roads being very narrow and also the drivers are not listening to the traffic rules.  The traffic police face very big problems with these people.  That is why the government needs to make the roads wide and make all the people follow the traffic rules.”

Questions
1) What problems are you facing with traffic?
2) Why do people not listen to traffic rules?
3) What do you do when you are in the street with a lot of traffic?

Who I would interview:
1) Vehicle owners/drivers
2) Common people
3) Traffic police

Place:
Street

Divyareka

“In Hyderabad we are seeing many cases to pollution.  Hyderabad wants to be a green city, but it is a pollution city.  The pollution is 4 types.
The first type is water pollution.  Water pollution is caused by factories and bad water drainage.  The factories are putting chemicals into the water.  In Hyderabad, the River Moosy is polluted by factories and they have harmful chemicals which make the fish die.  Some of the water pollution is also caused by the people of Hyderabad.  They throw trash into rivers and lakes.  The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation doesn’t do their duty.  Water pollution is made by all people.
The second pollution is air pollution.  Air pollution is caused by vehicles, factories, and cutting the forests.  Vehicles are releasing harmful chemical gases into the air like carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and they are all mixed in the air.  Factories also release harmful chemical gases.  Solutions are to not cut the forests and to plant trees.
The third pollution is earth pollution.  It is caused by using plastic covers, and using harmful chemicals in farming.  There is also much waste, when people throw their trash on the roads.  Cloth bags should be used and not plastic covers.  Cloth bags will not create waste, because you can use them more than once and we do not throw it on the ground when we are through with it.
The fourth pollution is sound pollution.  Sound pollution is caused by vehicles and automobiles.  Traffic causes sound pollution.”

Questions:
1) Why are you throwing the trash into the roads?
2) Why would you use plastic covers instead of cloth bags? Is there a benefit?

Shaiaja

“In India, women are very cultured and dignified.  In the past women did not have any way to prove their talents.  They were discouraged, and that is why they are not coming in to many good jobs.  But now the women have changed and they are very brave.  Some women are going to space, some are in politics, some are in education, some are in sports, some are in fashion, and some are in business.
Still, there are many who did not get to prove their talent and people do not encourage them, so they get discouraged.  Some are good, but there are bullies who are killing and kidnapping many women.  Some husbands, mothers in-law, and fathers in-law are killing women, and they are also asking for money for marriage (a dowry).  Women can stop this bloody culture.  Women can also do as well as men can.”

Questions:
1) Do you encourage women? Why or why not?
2) What changes do you want for women?
3) Why do people ask for money for a women to marry?

Srujala

” In India half of the children do not study.  They are working.  This is called child labor.  Child labor is caused by their parent’s financial problems and their parent’s are sometimes illiterate and are also working hard.  So they need their children to do work also.  Some parents are putting their children to work as a caretaker to smaller children.  I have a friend, her name is Aasha.  She is doing work at a home as a caretaker to a small kid.  They beat her and scold her and do not treat her well.
In some slub areas children will pick through the trash to get money and will give the money to their parents.  They are all suffering big financial problems and they are very sick, because they don’t get care or nutritious food.”

Questions:
1) Why are you putting your children in work?
2) What are the problems you are facing?
3) What are your ambitions?
4) Are you happy?