Sisters learning together

Sisters Kanchan and Lalita are a year apart and are often mistaken to be twins. They share the same small frame, brown hair and have similar facial features. Kanchan is the younger of the two. She is chatty, boisterous and devoid of inhibitions and is in the fourth grade. Lalita is milder and more laid-back than her sister and is in the fifth grade. Their father is a caterer for weddings and their mother assists their neighborhood tailor. They both attend a Pratham English summer camp.

Kanchan takes the lead in reading aloud passages in class. Her teacher points out that Kanchan’s spelling has improved considerably over the period of the camp, and though an average student, she has the willingness to learn. She goes to a Hindi medium school. Her favorite subject is Math and she wants to become a teacher when she grows up. An early riser, even during her holidays, she likes to finish her homework in the mornings while her friends are still sleeping. She spends the rest of the day gallivanting with them and her sister. She says that during school days, she doesn’t get time to play with her friends because she returns from school late in the evening and is too tired by then.

While both sisters have been attending together, Kanchan is a better student than Lalita and often helps Lalita answer in class. Unlike Kanchan, Lalita has slight stage fright and is often reluctant to read aloud in class and ask questions. She is not very fond of Math and English and History is her favorite subject, she says. Her summer vacations are spent playing kho-kho and other games with friends and watching TV. She also helps her mother with household work and cooking.

Not only are the sisters regular students, they also bring their four-year-old naughty brother along for every turn. He enjoys watching class and playing in the background.

Many thanks for your generosity toward Pratham and for helping these sisters, Kanchan and Lalita, learn!