Roti Making – A Machine or an useful tool to satisfy our little wonders’ tummy

Children enjoying food at dining area

“Chalo ji Roti Khane” usually this is how our mothers or even we ask our family, friends, relatives to join us for food.

Roti is considered a complete meal. Every Indian meal is served with roti & rice as staple food. In rural India towards the Northern regions rotis or bhakris made of wheat, bajara or jowar are included in all the three times meal. 

VSSM’s Vatsalya Hostel Nomadic Children are from farther most regions of North Gujarat, they have been grown until now with the habitat of having rotis in their all meals. Unlike us or our town side kids, they have choices to make from the variety of cuisine served in breakfast, lunch, dinner.

Our tiny toes had wandered till now, asking for rotis door to door, lets make these rotis a unlimited joy, they cheer while going to school, fulfils them in lunch when they return from school & satisfies their hunger in dinner.

Roti making machine donated by Mahesh & Maheshwari
Desai Foundation INC. in memory of their late
mother Smt. Nirmalaben Desai

Initially we could not measure the quantity of wheat flour may require per meal, cooks in our hostel were gruelling for making rotis sufficient for 300 + children. These children have a very robust appetite. Most of them have never experienced so much food security. They do not like anything else other than roti and bhakhari. Every meal required making rotis from 70 kg flour just for 180 children. In just 2 months 6 cooks left the job here. Since the kids did not like aloo-poha, upma or anything else, the cooks were required to get up at 3.45 in the morning and begin with marathon roti making sessions. 

Expecting the children to help with these tasks is also inappropriate as they have morning school and need to leave the campus by 6.45 in the morning. These tiring 3 sessions had gradually made cooks to run away. Roti Making machine was the sole tool to minimise the endless efforts and improve the efficiency of cooks. Hence we decided to invest in a machine that rolls and roasts the rotis. This way we have reduced our manpower dependency for rolling rotis as it was the single most challenging task for the cooks.

Today it is like wonder in the kitchen, the first day trial of machine was memorable to our children, their excitement &  pleasure watching these round rotis automatically swifting from the pitballs and turning hot puffed ready to eat in seconds!!

Our dining area now whilst with stories, laughter and satisfaction. Thanks to our valuable donor Mahesh & Maheshwari Desai Foundation INC. they donated the machine in profound memory of their late mother Smt. Nirmalaben Desai. We are grateful to Dr. Maheshji to understand our requirement and helped us in atomizing the structure. 

Our dinning place is must see place in our hostel, the grown up children now act as volunteers, before entering everybody has to remove shoes, everyone must sit on the floor as equals, so all people are on the same level and nobody is ‘above’ anyone else, prayers are performed before they start, plates spoons & bowls are served & then the food is served, volunteers makes sure that children don’t waste food & after they finish they walk in que & after dining, plates and utensils are handed to washing area, they are washed in large communal areas and plates are then stacked for the next round of meal.

Roti Making Machine donated by Mahesh & Maheshwari Desai Foundation INC. in memory of their late mother Smt. Nirmalaben Desai

School Uniform – A Discipline A Unity & Identity developed by VSSM amongst the Nomadic children at Vatsalya Hostel.

Students going to N.V.Patel Scho

Uniform - it signifies a standard set of clothing by a small or large group of members. For our large group - our Vatsalya Hostel children, definition of uniform when asked about was something worth sharing .. our little Jigar says “ I like the new clothes, first time a tailor has stitched my clothes”, Neha with her twinkling eyes says “ didi have you put fragrance in these clothes I have never smelt freshly ironed clothes”, 

These little wonders until now were wearing mismatch clothes, used clothes, either larger size or sometimes skin-tight, majorly torn. When we ordered tailor made Uniforms they were delighted to wear those new clothes, properly ironed, according to their sizes. Must say that Uniform has brought a self-dignity and respect amongst them.

Pros and Cons of School Uniforms : 

Going back into memories while we were students most us did not like the idea of wearing Uniform. We wanted to have the liberty to wear fashionable clothes. Have we ever thought that these Uniforms have significant impact on those children who have never been to schools. 

Students going to Municipal school Kanya Shala

These nomadic children were deprived of basic essentials leading to depressions, addictions, frustrations and negative social behaviour. Our challenge was to initially work on their EQ. Family bonding, values & ethics of life, are prime aspects of our teachings. 

Sometimes we struggle to make them understand the basic necessity of life, here we would like to share.. Earlier they had walked miles bare feet, now wearing slippers or chappals at school they tend to forget, many a times we have given them slippers, but their innocence or ignorance takes time to understand this is also a basic need.

Quick Identification: Our Vatsalya Hostel children have been enrolled in all premier educational institute of Ahmedabad. N.V. Patel Vidyala, Nutan Vidyalaya, Satyam Vidyalaya, Anand Vidyalaya & Kanya Shala 1 & 2 No.

Uniform helps us to quickly identify the school our children go to & according to their session (morning /afternoon) the hostel staff makes them ready.

Equality: Uniform gives them a sense a quality, that no matter from wherever they belong to in classroom they are at par with other students. This feeling has helped us to make them understand in every walk of like you are equal to other kids, even you have the ability to perform best in studies, sports and any co-curricular activities at schools. 

Discipline & Self Respect:  Our Hostel staff has set a best example of team work, they have grouped children age wise, school wise & volunteers daily check the uniforms are in proper manner, washed & ironed & also the personal hygiene is maintained.

Positive thoughts are written on notice board by our nomadic children, shlokas and mantras are enchanted in daily prayers, before going to school our hostel staff guide them how to maintain discipline in school, how to be friendly with other school mates, how to take care of their belongings.

These emotional comforts have created a bond between them, self-discipline and respect amongst themselves and with others.

Maintaining school uniforms: Earlier it was a big challenge and especially the white color shirts as uniform. The children aren’t accustomed carrying white clothes and the school has white frocks as uniform.  We have requested the school authorities to permit them wear denim and t-shirts which are easy to maintain and carry. 

School Uniform has developed and enhanced their capability to build uniformity & recognition of self -Identity.