PHOTOS: How a pandemic changed everything for these students

A streetdweller takes it upon herself to homeschool her grandchildren; six year olds learn to take care of themselves—school's out, but there's a lot yet to be learned

By: Naini Thaker, Madhu Kapparath

Published: Jul 11, 2020

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Ahmedabad: Vansh Pathak, 7

Every evening, Vansh Pathak would look forward to his yoga sessions. During the pandemic, when everyone has been taking online classes, he is one of the lucky ones getting in-person yoga training from his mother, Niharika. “I love doing yoga and playing outdoor games with mumma,” he says. “I like that I wake up at 11 am and sleep by midnight. When I had school, I had to wake up by 5 am and go to bed by 9 pm.” He now has worksheets to complete, and no online classes.

Niharika is the founder of RhythmRumble, a mother-toddler education programme, and has been finding new ways to keep him engaged. Balancing her work—which requires teaching toddlers online—and keeping Vansh engaged has become a challenge, and she often asks him to watch something on Netflix. “I feel guilty, but I have no choice. How many activities can you come up with?”