Sejal Reflects – My MukkaMaar Fellowship Experience

My rewarding journey with MukkaMaar began very recently. It’s been 3 months now since I got the opportunity to work closely with the organisation.

This experience has been nothing short of transformative, both for the girls and for myself. My journey began with a strong desire to contribute. Working with MukkaMaar has been a journey of self-growth and learning. The NGO has shaken my perspective in many aspects.

On day 1 of my class I felt very nervous while addressing the girls, thinking it was just another self-defense class. But I was very wrong about it. I searched for discipline, as I belong to a strict sports background we were never given a choice to enjoy the sport, we had to follow strict discipline in class. This made me realise why on some days I felt so drained to even go for training. Whereas, here in MukkaMaar, girls are given the liberty to learn in the most fun ways. Instead of normal warmup sessions, we play games; the class is all laughter and joy. Serious life skills are taught in the most simplified manners.

Example: Through role plays, imaginations, and self-performed activities, like to explain boundary setting: the girls were made to stand in groups of 2 and were asked to touch different parts of the body like hands, elbow to elbow, knee to knee, hug, etc. They were asked to stop whenever they felt uncomfortable while doing so, which made them realise their boundaries. This whole activity was later debriefed to them.

Once I stepped inside the school, I realised how many girls rely on our teaching and techniques, and they make me want to make myself better. Girls at the adolescent age absorb whatever their surroundings teach them even though they might not completely agree with it, which is why I believe it is so important to step in and break the norm. Apart from schools in FDPs I really enjoyed debates. It was fascinating to see how there are 2 ends to any topic and that challenged generalisation in my mind and it got me thinking about how being on both sides can make one think about perspectives. I look forward to continuing this impactful work and making a lasting difference in our MukkaMaar girl’s life.