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June 29, 2020
East Khasi Hills, Meghalaya
Gender, Photo stories, Small world

Kynja’s day at the anganwadi

A visit to the school of the five-year-old daughter of a broom cultivator in Meghalaya
Student reporter: Abhishek Saha

Asian College of Journalism, Chennai

  • English
    • اردو (Urdu)

Kynja Babha is a five-year-old girl in the faraway village of Khrang in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya. She is the daughter of a broom cultivator, from a below poverty line (BPL) family. Her father has a small farm down the slopes on the edge of the village. 

Kynja has three sisters and one brother – she is the third child. She studies in the nursery class at the anganwadi centre in Khrang, implemented under the Integrated Child Development Services scheme of the government of India. The 15-year-old anganwadi is run by a single teacher, Teresa Shabong, for the last seven years.

Attired in a torn frock and oversized gum-boots, Kynja spends a day at the anganwadi centre.

Kynja arrives at the anganwadi with an orange-coloured bag strapped over her head. In the bag, she has a slate to write on and a steel plate for her mid-day meal. 
Kynja’s friend carries in her little brother to attend the anganwadi classes
The teacher, Teresa Shabong, has written the Khasi numerals and alphabet on the blackboard. She watches with pride as Kynja, her brightest student, reads them aloud 
Teacher Teresa distributes pieces of chalk to the children for their classwork 
Sitting all by herself in a corner of the classroom, Kynja does her work rapidly
Kynja is the first in class to run to the teacher to show what she has written on the slate
Teresa teaches Kynja a new word
The teacher asks the children to recite a rhyme; Kynja leads the group
Helped by her teacher, Kynja washes her hands before the mid-day meal is served
Kynja is very hungry: ‘Why aren’t they washing their hands quickly?’
Teresa Shabong serves the food
Kynja eats with her friend
Mid-day meals are a huge incentive for children to attend the anganwadi. Kynja Babha (right) finishes her meal. Her day at the anganwadi has come to an end

Editor's note

Abhishek Saha did this photo story for PARI when he was a student at the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai (2013-14). He was studying to be a print journalist, but was always passionate about photography. As a part of his journalism project, he did his field reporting from Khrang, a remote mountain village in Meghalaya. Abhishek was keen to know how institutions like anganwadis function in remote areas. “I spent that entire day making images of how an ordinary day unfolded at the anganwadi centre. The photo-essay on little Kynja was developed from those photographs,” he shared. He is based in Guwahati, where he works as Principal Correspondent, North-East , for ‘The Indian Express’.

This photo story was originally published on the PARI website on June 13, 2014.   

Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 by People's Archive of Rural India.