Childhood Adventures

- By Dorjee N., Jhamtse Graduate

Dorjee N., one of our oldest children, is now a part of the Administration team at Jhamtse Gatsal Children’s Community. Here, he shares his thoughts on sports and the comic strip he created, inspired by his younger brothers and sisters’ game of football.

One evening, I saw my younger siblings playing football, shouting at a high pitch, running around the playground, and chasing each other. Watching them made me happy and I started reminiscing about my own childhood at Jhamtse Gatsal as I saw them and their mischievous activities.

When I see their innocent faces, I get a chance to relive my childhood. I am sure many of you enjoyed your childhood and you want to go back and experience it all over again. The secret to it, I find, is playing with children and watching them as they enjoy their time.

I remember when I was their age— about 5 or 6 years old. Whenever I got free from my classes, I would play volleyball, football, cricket, or I would have fun hanging out with my friends and cracking jokes. The golden period of my life’s journey so far has been my childhood days.

“Sport is an important part of the development of kids, and hence, it should be made part of the curriculum,” says Indian Olympic shooter Gagan Narang. 

This comic strip that I made to showcase what I saw on the field the other day highlights how sports can teach real-life skills to children, like how to respect their own and opponent team members. Sports are fun, but more importantly, it teaches us things that no classroom can—teamwork, determination, patience, anger management, and lifelong learning. Jhamtse Gatsal believes in developing a holistic educational model beyond the boundaries of our current academic system. Here, children play to learn how to learn. When children engage in sports and chores, they help to nurture growth and boost learning capacity.

I hope that you all enjoy my first attempt at creating a comic strip!

Thank you.