In words of one of its volunteers Disha is an ‘activity with a cause’. Disha was started and is run entirely by student volunteers who travel to different parts of the city after their daily lecture-hours and spend time with lesser privileged children, teaching them basic English, Math and Science. Though, the initiative started as a moonlighting exercise by a few students in 2010, new volunteers
and the abundance of such bastis has led to the growth of Disha into a more visible structured initiative at IISER Pune, with support from like minded faculty as well. To make things simpler for the children, Disha helps students with their curriculum at school, but does so by teaching in innovative ways with games, activities and generally promoting interaction. The volunteers aim to bring a friendly and free atmosphere in the classroom so that students shed their fears and speak up without hesitation. Each session begins with a few sports and games and ends with the cleaning and tidying up of the classroom after classes. Although the focus is on core subjects like Mathematics, English and Science, Disha takes care not to shun the importance of the creativity, imagination and fine arts.
