Fellow 2022 Update: Taukeer Alam
Taukeer Alam is an Inlaks Fellow pursuing the Fellowship for Social Engagement in Uttarakhand. His work primarily revolves around documentation of the indigenous knowledge of the Van Gujjar community. He is involved in translating teaching and learning materials into the Gujjari language to support the education of the children of the community who do not understand or speak other languages.
We spoke with Taukeer to understand his work and the specific projects he intends to focus on, in the near future.
The work you’re doing is important and will make a considerable difference to the growth of primary school children in the community. Could you share the recent milestones you’ve accomplished towards your goal?
Over the last quarter, we have made substantial progress in the translation of essential materials into the Van Gujjari language. A total of 20 new books have been successfully translated. These materials will greatly enhance the resources available to our community.
Our team also conducted immersive storytelling sessions with community children deep within the forest, sessions which not only support learning but foster a love for language and culture.
We continue to make inroads into the writing curriculum in Van Gujjari language, having completed three manuscripts and beginning work on the fourth.
We are collaborating with local youth groups, who have agreed to use our Van Gujjari storybooks in their learning centres. This will help our materials reach a broader audience and deepen engagement with the community.
In addition to these, we continue to work on illustrations for our curriculum to enrich the learning experience. We also facilitate the distribution of our storybooks to volunteers in hamlets, thereby supporting the education of the children of the community, and fostering a cultural connection.
What have been some of the key learnings on your journey so far?
I think the further we walk on our journey, the more I understand the importance of accessibility of educational resources. Through our daily interactions and storytelling sessions in remote areas, I have realised that making learning immersive and regular can go a long way in fostering language and cultural connections. The importance of curriculum continuity for a seamless and progressive learning experience is another vital takeaway, as is the need to be open to collaboration opportunities to expand the reach and impact of our efforts.
How do you plan on taking your work forward in the near future?
Our goals for the next quarter include continuing our translation efforts. We’d like to complete the translation of an additional 15 books to give the community access to more resources.
In addition to this, we’d like to reach out to five more hamlets with our immersive storytelling sessions, while continuing to maintain daily interactions with the 100 children we reach through our library and learning centres.
We will also be continuing to expand resource distribution, and visit the Shivalik Hill Ranges of Himalayan foothills for documenting the traditional knowledge and literature of Van Gujjars living in their winter settlements. We will also visit Jammu and Kashmir to see similar work going on in the Gurjar Desh Charitable Trust.
