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In Gujarat, Ajab village ki gazab kahani

Author: Vijaysinh Parmar
Publication: The Times of India
Date: March 19, 2012

Introduction: PIO Takes Online Maths Classes From US For Kids In This Junagadh Hamlet

It’s a typical 6x6 classroom of a village school — dimly lit and dusty — with furniture crying for repair. But what catches one’s attention is a big TV monitor, a wireless microphone enabling web conferencing and internet connectivity. At 7 am, students of Shri Krishna Vidya Mandir in Gujarat’s Ajab village jostle for space in this room, keenly waiting for Chiman Delwadia, who is about to log on from Birmingham in Alabama, US.
  
As soon as Delwadia appears on the TV monitor, students throw a volley of maths problems at him. He patiently takes them and starts solving the problems. The class continues for 90 minutes, where mathematics is combined with fun for the students of classes VII, VIII and IX. They have also started conversing in English. The online classes, held thrice a week, have ensured that a subject most dreaded by students has become a favourite of nearly 36 of them in this obscure village. Delwadia, 58, born and brought up in Ajab, migrated to the US in 1978 and works as a systems engineer for Southern Company Services, a utility company covering four US states.
  
“Whenever I came to Ajab, I was pained to see that education in government schools was so pathetic and poor children can’t afford to go to private schools. So, we decided to come up with free online interactive classes,” Delwadia told TOI from the US.

He was joined in this initiative by two Alabama-settled women — Kalyani Jani, a research associate and native of Gondal, and Tara Roy, a medical technologist who specially learned Gujarati to interact with the students. “Children are learning a lot and are very dedicated,” says Jani. Savan Nishu, who recently took the class X exams, said, “I don’t fear maths anymore. I expect to get at least 80 marks.” Ashvin Ratanpara, a resident, said, “The students are always eager to attend online classrooms as it provides a new and innovative approach to their study.”
 
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