Do Right: Help Varanasi's Boat School

The population of our country is bursting at its seams and we cannot harp enough on the vicious circle of issues and concerns that the problem of overpopulation leads to. No amount of infrastructure development seems to be able to cope with the alarming rate at which our population keeps expanding. Literacy is the most basic requirement for a country's economic growth, but how can we aspire to march steadily ahead on the road to development, if a huge section of our people have no access to quality education? India currently has the largest population of illiterate adults in the world with 287 million, which is 37 percent of the global total.

As per the India4India Survey conducted under Tata Capital's Journey of Doing Right initiative, illiteracy is the biggest challenge facing our nation. So it's imperative that we all come forward and contribute our bit in helping overcome the illiteracy menace. And while we contemplate about how to make a difference in the dismal literacy statistics of our country, we can take inspiration from men like Ajeet Singh, who are doing their bit in ensuring that the less privileged children of Varanasi are not deprived of basic education. These less privileged children are those that hang around the ghats of river Ganges, engaged in some petty activity or the other. Many of these spend their time trying to make a living out of fetching coins out of the river, while many others are engaged in some other small trade or aimless wanderings.

Mr. Ajeet Singh's Boat School, started under his NGO Guria, came as a blessing for all of them, for here they first experienced the joys of learning and first sampled delicious taste of education.

It is so heart-warming to see these little kids talk about their 'boat school' in such glowing words. And to imagine that had it not been for men like Mr. Ajeet Singh, these kids would have instead been on the streets, engaged in petty brawls or just probably just toughening up to prepare for the harshness that they assumed life had in store for them. But thanks to education, they now know better and are full of dreams and aspirations. They now want to explore the magical world education and for their dreams to become a reality, the onus is on us.

For any school to run efficiently it needs funds. Ajeet Sigh's magical 'Boat School' is no exception. The students here need basic facilities like a computer, stationery, a library, and educational toys. Besides these, this innovative school is in need of some quick repair, restoration and renovation too, for with Mr. Singh's meagre funds, it's difficult to keep the school going without running into obstacles. So if we all come together and contribute towards this cause of Varanasi Boat School, it will definitely give these children, a better learning environment. 

About the Do Right - The Journey of Doing Right initiative 

Tata Capital's Do Right - The Journey of Doing Right initiative is about real stories of obstacles, sacrifices and challenges. These stories need our help for them to have a happy ending.
For more details about this heart warming initiative by Tata Capital, please do visit the Do Right website. Details of how you can donate funds and support the cause are given on the website.

Mission Megma: Doing Right

The past week had been terrible. Unmet expectations, sundry drawbacks, exhausting but not adequately rewarding work pressure, and the big tug of war between the material and the immaterial needs. 'Disappointed' was the big word of the week. 

And with this down and out state of mind I sat down to read about the latest half story of Tata Capital's Do Right - Half Story initiative. This half story is about Mr. Chandrakumar Pradhan and his dilapidated 3-room school in Megma, a sleepy remote village located on the Indo-Nepal border, on the Singalila ridge at an altitude of approx 10,000 ft. above sea level.  A cursory glance through the story and I learn that Mr. Pradhan has retired as the Principal of Saraswati Mandir School, where he had been working since he was 19 years old. 

Even after retirement, Mr. Pradhan continues to teach the 20 odd students here, all for his passion for teaching. The humble 3-room school is in a state of disrepair, with walls peeling off, blackboards cracked up and not-so black any-more and benches that are all run-down and shaky. There's not enough stationary too. When the basic supplies run out, Mrs Neela, the only other teacher at the school, a mother figure for the students, helps them with practising their lessons on the floor, with chalk outlines and stones placed on top of them.

The run-down Saraswati Mandir School in Megma, on the Indo-Nepal border

Cracked and not-so-black blackboard in the classroom

The students come from economically weaker families but want to continue studying

The students at this school come from economically weaker families. There are days when they have to go without meals. They use their pencils right till they become stubs in their little hands, so the idea of good stationary items and a decent school kit is but a distant dream for them.  And this is just what Mr. Pradhan wishes for his students - basic stationary and supplies to keep their love for learning alive.

Mr. Chandrakumar Pradhan features in this video and shares his dreams for his school with the viewers. Despite the many shortcoming he faces everyday, the warmth and happy tilt in his voice and the light in his eyes lighten up my spirit too. 

 

The dedication and passion is inspiring indeed - but what warms up my heart is the selfless spirit - Mr. Pradhan does it all, and gives private tuitions too - without charging a single rupee for his services.  Wow! Here we are, the lesser mortals, expressing disappointment over this and that, and here's this gentleman - warm and encouraging with much passion for his work, despite the many challenges he faces everyday.

Mr. Pradhan's half story inspires us all. It inspires us to be selfless and to think beyond the I-Me-Myself syndrome that we have all got caught up in. It motivates us all to be more giving and to reach out to those who are less privileged than we are. So let us all help Mr. Pradhan in his selfless mission of educating the kids with lesser means and ensuring that every house in this remote village is educated.

 With the kindness of many 'Do-Righters', his immediate need of blackboards for the school and stationary kits for the 20 students has been met with. But we all know, a humble school with humble students has many a humble needs - uniforms, woollens, basic furniture...little things that make the process and experience of learning better and cherished. So do contribute whatever you can towards this noble cause. Let us all 'Do Right' and make Mission Megma our own. A happy ending to the Megma half story is in our hands.

Mr. Pradhan, working at the school since he was 19

About the Do Right - Half Stories initiative:

Tata Capital's Do Right - Half Stories campaign is a journey to identify unique stories of courage, perseverance and determination from some of the remotest parts of the country, highlighting the challenges faced by the individuals/communities living there and letting ordinary citizens step in and support their needs and dreams, effectively scripting a happy end to their stories.

For more details about this heart warming initiative by Tata Capital, please do visit the Do Right website. Details of how you can help and support the cause are given on the website.