Anuradha Sharma, the founder of Hamari Kaksha, a voluntary society, is a lecturer at the Government College in Sector 11. “I am fortunate that my working hours at the college end at 2 pm leaving me enough time to work with these children. It’s easy to balance both as I am very passionate about the cause,” she says.

Sharma runs the society in the Government Primary School in Sector 7. “I started the society in 2003 with 17 children. The number is over a hundred now. These are children from the economically weaker section who have either dropped out of school or are repeating a class. We give them free tuition and help them with their studies. They face a lot of rejection in life and we want to provide them support so that they can become self-sufficient,” she says.

Sharma states that in her formative years she was guided well by her family. “I was an observant child. I was always sensitive to other people’s needs and feelings. I learnt that there are many people around me who need my help,” she says.

“Each of us has the capacity to do something for the system that we are a part of. After my son grew up, I felt that I had no excuse for not doing social work. So I started this society,” Sharma remarks.

She reveals that these children have a lot of potential and her organisation aims at honing their talents apart from working on their academic skills. Pointing to a child memorising his lesson, the lecturer says: “He seems to be a shy child. But the moment he gets up on stage, he transforms into a confident performer. These children just need some motivation and encouragement. So, we conduct a number of workshops, plays and exhibitions for them.”