Thakurta (rear centre left) & Dutta (rear centre right): quality informal education

Dr. Tirthankar Guha Thakurta, assistant professor at Kali Pradip Chaudhuri Medical College (KPCMC), Kolkata — the first private medical college in West Bengal affiliated with the West Bengal University of Health Sciences — and Prakriti Dutta, a celebrated singer, mime artist and daughter of legendary mime exponent Jogesh Dutta, are co-founders of Bhalobasar Pathshala (BP, estb. 2025). BP is a free-of-charge learning centre mentoring children from underprivileged families residing in the densely populated, low-income colonies of South Kolkata. Currently, five full-time and 20 visiting teachers support 25 children aged 5-16 years, including government school students and school dropouts.

Newspeg. In October, BP introduced vocational training courses in no-fire cooking, baking, dance, music, sewing and clay modeling. These programmes will be supplemented with academics, poetry, theatre, sports, art and craft curriculums designed to nurture creativity, critical thinking and essential life skills.

History. An alumnus of Calcutta National Medical College and KPCMC, after completing his internship Dr. Guha Thakurta began home tutoring medical students from Kolkata’s medical colleges. As enrolments grew, he shifted his classes in 2014 to the historic Jogesh Mime Academy (JMA), established in 1971 by Jogesh Dutta. Affiliated with the Sangeet Natak Akademi and Rabindra Bharati University, JMA is located in South Kolkata and houses a 380-seat auditorium and two classrooms.

While teaching at JMA, Guha Thakurta noticed street children lingering outside the premises. He invited them in with paper and colours and they soon began visiting daily and gradually JMA transformed into Bhalobasar Pathshala.

As the number of children grew, Guha Thakurta’s former students — now practicing doctors — signed up as volunteers.“Beyond providing creative education, BP actively works to prevent child labour and child marriage, counsels parents, and helps school dropouts to re-enter the formal education system,” says Guha Thakurta.

BP co-promoter Prakriti Dutta, a postgraduate of the celebrated Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata and the University of Edinburgh, who has worked with British Opera, is equally bullish about BP. “Unfortunately, successive governments at the Centre and in the states have continuously ignored public foundational and primary education. Therefore thousands, if not millions of NGOs such as BP need to be established countrywide. In BP, we tailor our support to each child’s strengths — some respond best to academic mentoring, others to vocational, and performance arts training. The objective is to provide good quality informal education to every child who walks through our doors,” says Dutta.

Direct talk. “A project that began as a safe space for young children has grown into a centre where learning, care and community come together. With the generosity of Jogesh Dutta, commitment of Prakriti Dutta and voluntary support of teachers, we have created more than a school. Here, underprivileged children study, observe, ask questions and grow. Passive learning has become active, emotional bonds are motivators, and nourishment of mind and body inspires a better, braver generation,” says Guha Thakurta, who also has a keen interest in filmmaking and has directed two short films on queer themes.

Future plans. Currently funded by its promoters and teachers, the enterprise is attracting increasing community support and plans to introduce a computer training programme for students from class VI onwards. “We plan to procure second-hand computers so children can gain hands-on exposure to basic computing skills and learn judicious use of the internet,” says Guha Thakurta. The founders also intend to increase student enrolment and eventually establish a formal school to provide free, high-quality education to underprivileged children in the neighbourhood.

Baishali Mukherjee (Kolkata)