September 2014
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magis
07
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Student Speak
How does the village trip help in understand-
ing the aspects of sustainable and inclusive
development?
The experience of meeting people who have
never received basic facilities that we are used to
living with is appalling. Learning about their daily
struggle gives a whole new meaning to inclusive
development. The village trip, not only gives us
an idea of how the concept of inclusive growth
needs to be amended to meet the needs of such
people, but also how the fact that sustainable
development, despite being a topic of national
and international concern, fails to account for the
condition of these villagers.
— Sarthak Gupta
In which way is the Village Exposure Pro-
gramme helpful?
It is aimed at sensitising students towards the
living condition of villagers and their means
of livelihood. This programme is essential as it
brings the students closer to reality. Sitting in a
classroom and reading about the difficulties of
the underprivileged is much different than stay-
ing with the villagers and actually experiencing
their style of living. Interacting with villagers,
talking to women and listening to their woes,
playing with children – this satisfaction cannot be
matched. During Village Exposure Programme,
students are made to play games to help them
adjust better in a group.
—Mehak Sharma
Lessons learnt from the Village Exposure
Programme.
The Village Exposure Programme introduced
us to the different aspects of rural life. We
got an insight into their culture, practices, daily
chores, education system, occupation etc. Inter-
action with the villagers helped us
understand the problems prevailing in these
areas -- ranging from absence of secondary
education, indulgence in intoxication and insuf-
ficient availability of basic resources
like food in some families. Despite the obsta-
cles, people still work diligently towards
their growth and development through
the assistance of self-help groups and
NGOs.
— Bhavya Choudhary
