The humble beginning of the mission of the community of Holy Child Convent, New Delhi, dates back to December 1956, set up in a rented house in East Patel Nagar was in response to the request made to Sr.Rose Minella, the then Provincial Superior, by Rt.Rev.Joseph Fernandez, the Archbishop of Delhi, to take over the primary school run by the Christian Brothers for the children of the locality.
When the 3 pioneers headed by Sr.Antonietta Nazerath the Superior, along with Sr.Philomina Horo and Sr.Miriam Payyappilly formed the community ‘Holy Child Convent – New Delhi’ little did they realize that the school with just 30 children would become in a short time one of the most prestigious institutions in the capital. Soon Sr.Irma Joseph, Sr.Mercedes Philip and Sr.Lydia Vadakumcheri joined in the pioneering work. The sisters were accommodated in a rented building and a big room which was used as the chapel and also served as the semi-parish for the Catholics of the locality. They rendered their help in the faith formation of the few Catholics in the vicinity.
The school growing from strength to strength was a full-fledged middle school by mid-sixties bustling with enthusiastic students and committed staff. To keep pace with the growing demands for admission, two more buildings were rented close to the original building. However, the school began to feel the squeeze for space and between 1957 to 1967, the sisters had to shift their residence and school to 3 different buildings in the same area. Meanwhile in 1965 Sr.Rose Dalpra became the animator of the community. Soon she bought a land close to Patel Nagar and construction began for the school. Due to apostolic priority for the poor, it was later sold to the ‘Sisters of Mary Help of Christians’ (Auxilium Sisters) and their school continued to function with the same name Holy Child School - with an addition “Auxilium”. Another plot of one acre land with a small residential building at 31/41 Punjabi Bagh was bought in 1966 and in 1968 the sisters shifted there and commuted daily to the school at Patel Nagar.
Sr.Rose Dalpra, a woman of rare vision and courage contacted some of her close associates in the civil administration and was able to find a suitable land at Tagore Garden, a plot 4 kms away from Punjabi Bagh. It was registered in the name of the Society in 1966 and the colossal task of construction began in 1967 with very little funds and stiff opposition from a group of prejudiced people to her foreign nationality which caused immense suffering to Sr.Rose. But nothing deterred her, who, trusting in the Divine providence, worked tirelessly till a beautiful edifice surrounded by spacious grounds was blessed in 1969. The Holy Child School was then shifted from Patel Nagar to Tagore Garden and the saga of the great Institution began afresh.
The school a ‘Temple of Learning’ dedicated to the cause of educating the young – saw numerous historical milestones, changes and innovations in the school as its roots delved deep and firm over the years:
All the curricular and co-curricular activities of the school are directed at empowering the ‘girl children’ , the sisters and the staff making constant efforts to inculcate in them the desire and will to serve others through various social outreach programs, making sure that no students would leave the school without imbibing the spirit of charity and concern for the poor. Holy Child School- Tagore Garden has been a pioneer in many an innovative social outreach program and has a wide range of progressive activities for the socially neglected groups which are in full swing today.
Right from the start of the school in 1974, tailoring classes for unemployed young women were begun and in the year 2000 to mark the occasion of ‘Christ Jayanti 2000’ free computer classes were begun for poor young boys and girls who completed their 12th class bringing joy to all.
The sisters made a concerted effort to visit the slums and to organize family welfare programs with the help of the staff and students. They took up Adult Education Program, adopting differently abled children and helping the students of the local Municipality school with their lessons. The ‘Shiksha Kendra’ christened as ‘Pankh’ (Wings) shifted to the school premises in 1999 and continues to help the poor students with 3R’s, basic health along with hygiene and social skills. Workshops, sports day, picnics are regular features and with the Christmas celebration their joy overflows as they are gifted with clothes, toiletries and eatables by their peers in Holy Child School.
Alert to the need of promoting moral values in the children, the school became a member of ‘Dharma Bharati’ (National Institute of Peace and Value Education) on 6th August 1998. The members of this group are sisters, staff and parents. Regular monthly inter-religious ‘Satsang’ is held in the school by the group. The school has also under taken various programs like ‘Knit India’, ‘Clean India’ and ‘Teach India’.The students of classes VI to XII are members of the Dharma Bharati student-wing called ‘Dharma Jyoti’ which is engaged in caring and sharing as part of the ‘Mutual Help’ program. This unit has adopted 50 distressed and helpless old people of the locality, providing them with regular rations on a monthly basis and occasional entertainment program.
Since 1999, on a weekly basis selected students accompanied by the sisters and teachers visit ‘Nari Niketan’ and ‘Balika Grih’ in ‘Nirmal Chhaya’ wing of Tihar Jail to conduct counseling, yoga, meditation, remedial classes and craft classes for the inmates. These inmates are also taught to stich napkins to paint lamps and prepare candles which are sold in the school by Dharama Bharati members and the money is used to gift the inmates with clothes and other necessary things. From 2008, the ‘School Community Service’ program is extending help to the young women released from Nari Niketan. Help to street children has also been continued by our ‘Tamanna community’ at Najafgarh.
In 2007 at the Golden Mile Stone of the sisters presence in the city the scope of the activity was widened to encompass adoption of 50 old persons and provide facility for self -employment to some jobless persons.
The school is a member of the ‘International Globe Club’ and very active member on the ‘Environment Ministry’ – engaged in all the Pollution Control Programs of the State.
In acknowledgement for its various Human Rights concerns, Holy Child School was honoured with the National Human Rights Award in 2008.
The community has extended its service to the Mentally Challenged by providing special education to them from 2013. Net working with other groups, two sisters render their services to the sick in Sir Gangaram Hospital from 2013. The community at Punjabi Bagh also conducts coaching classes in its premises for the poor children from the locality.
Through faith formation of the people, family visits, SCC meetings, the community continues to collaborate with the local church in the parochial/pastoral ministries in the parish.
As New Delhi became a Province on 9th December 2009, the Holy Child Convent Punjabi Bagh, New Delhi became the Provincial House and the sisters have the privilege of offering hospitality to the sisters of the provinces and the many other persons who come to the capital for various purposes. The community moves forward in their commitment to the poor and most needy, placing their total trust in the loving ‘Abba’ who constantly walks with them.
The community of Tamanna is situated at Rewla Khanpur, about 4 km from Najafgarh town in New Delhi is surrounded by farm lands owned by the rich elite of the society, but looked after by poor migrants from other states. Nearly a decade before the formation of the community at Najafgarh, the sisters, staff and staff of Senior classes of Holy Child School Tagore garden, New Delhi had launched an outreach program at Nari Niketan, the women’s wing of Tihar Jail, as part of their ‘Social Service Project’. Their visit to the helpless women in the jail brought the inmates new hope, love and care of the Almighty through their interactions with them. It was a long cherished dream to erect a community for the purpose of striving to actualize more concretely the project initiated by Holy Child School, Tagore Garden, which became a reality on 26th July 2008 on the 175th death anniversary of St.Bartolomea when ‘Tamanna’ - Najafgarh was canonically erected as community with 4 sisters. The pioneering group consisted of Sr.Elsy Kizhakkedath, the animator, Sr.Giovanaa Kalampukat, Sr.Ruby John Thirumalachalil and Sr.Sulochana Bastiray. Though the foundation stone was laid on 29th January 2005, the construction of the convent could be started only in 2007 as the necessary permission for the new building was delayed by the Delhi Municipal Corporation.
‘Tamanna’ was erected in view of rehabilitating the women who are released from the jail and providing them with vocational training in order to make them self-supportive. In 2009, sisters obtained permission from the jail authorities to visit regularly the inmates of Nari Niketan, the women’s wing of Tihar jail and bring them solace. In collaboration with the Social Welfare Department, the sisters assisted the girl children of ‘Balika Greh’, ‘Bal Niketan’ and the young women at ‘After Care Home’ under the department of Women and Child Development. The inmates of these homes consisted of children who were victims of abuse, the kidnapped and rescued children, children who are trafficked by the flesh traders and the destitutes. The sisters conducted coaching classes for the school going children, computer lessons and spoken English classes for the bigger girls and the school drop outs. This program was held at NirmalChhaya Complex in the vicinity of Tihar Jail. The sisters also from the time of their arrival started visiting the families and surveying the situation of the locality. As a few girls from the neighborhood expressed their desire to learn tailoring, they were welcomed to the centre and tailoring classes started; a few school going girls from the farm houses are also given help and guidance in their studies.
Today ‘Tamanna’ is a home away from home for the street children, the destitutes and the home less. The sisters render their services to the rag pickers through literacy programs, tailoring classes and coaching classes. In Networking with the Prison Ministry of India, the sisters visit Tihar Prison Prison regularly, teaching and offering counseling to those behind bars. Their services are highly appreciated and acknowledged by the Tihar authorities’. The community has started short term technical courses in computer and secretarial training for girls. To the gay of all the first batch of 15 girls have obtained their diploma this year 2013 and also got placement in offices and schools.
With the gentle approach of the sisters and with their apostolic availability, the Redeeming love of Jesus becomes a tangible experience for the people of Najafgarh, specially for the inmates - the children of ‘Tamanna’.