Tuesday, September 29, 2009

The story of Kumodini

12:39:00 PM
Kumodini’s story reflects the deep seated societal mores and attitude against women on one hand. On the other, it shows the immense courage and strength of character that is hiding just underneath the surface of each of these women.

Kumodini lives in the village of Maharamau, in the Umao district of UP. At the age of 21 years, her life seemed to have all the ingredients for it to be a perfectly happy one. In keeping with the norms of the society Kumodini was married off immediately after she finished her graduation in Sociology. She devoted her days looking after her house and taking care of her husband and his family. All was perfect in her life till she delivered her first baby – a girl child.

In most villages of India, a girl child is still not welcomed and is considered a burden on the family. Overnight Kumodini’s life changed. Her loving husband and in-laws now started torturing her for not ‘giving’ them a son and demanded more dowry from her hassled parents. Like many women in her situation, Kumodini did not have the courage to face the society as a single mother and so continued to bear the regular torture and beating from her husband and in-laws.

One day, to add insult to injury, Kumodini’s husband took her and his daughter back to her parent’s house and left them there. Coming back to parent’s home after marriage is considered the utmost disgrace for both the girl as well as her parents. Unable to bear the ridicule of her neighbors, Kumodini became a recluse.

At that time, Pratham was mobilizing volunteers for their summer camps in her village. For Kumodini, this opportunity came as a new ray of hope in her life. After several meetings with the representatives of Pratham, she joined as an unpaid volunteer for the summer camp. Her only motivation was to prove her worth to herself and to those around her. Kumodini continued to work for Pratham even after the summer camps were over. After a year of committed work, she was recruited by Pratham as their trainer monitor.

Today, Kumodini not only contributes to her family’s income but has also enrolled her daughter in a private school 5kms away from home. Sending her little daughter everyday to school in an autorickshaw is a mark of tremendous courage for an average girl from a village of India. Kumodini now wants to do her Masters in Social Work. From a girl who couldn’t speak in front of others, Kumodini has transformed into a woman who has the confidence to face the society, and take independent decisions in her and her daughter’s life.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

World Literacy Day: Painting Competition

3:10:00 PM
(By Amita Naresh Zoya, 2nd Std)

A little note by Sabah Merchant, a psychology student and a Pratham volunteer. One of the reason we love our work....we get to meet so many amazing people everywhere.

“I decided to volunteer mainly because kids teach me more than what I ever can. They have the energy, innocence and drive which is seen in adults as well but it is in a purer form when it comes to kids. I also decided to volunteer because I feel a sense of satisfaction when I am with the kids. This happens because very few things in life are done selflessly or without some or the other motives….being with the kids enables me to nurture my true self and find happiness in what I am doing.

My experience has been fantastic! The teachers were very humble and forthcoming…. the kids reminded me of myself way back in school and realised that kids will be kids and that’s the way I love them. I have seen excitement and warmth in their eyes which brings an immense sense of joy to my heart because it is so transparent! One of the most amazing things was the fact that inspite of not winning the competition, they cheered for everyone, regardless of anything…..and wrote and drew the paintings with dedication. Nothing was just in passing….they loved doing what they did and I loved watching them and talking to them. There was a sense of sincerity and they looked up to their teachers which is very important. Respect is something that comes with time and experience and they will carry forward these lessons further in life…..”


(Farhan Ansari, 3rd Std)

Thursday, September 10, 2009

A way around

6:08:00 PM
After twenty minutes of winding through the crowded streets of Jaipur, on the back of a scooter we reached our destination in one of the largest slums in Jaipur. This was the house of a Muslim family. As we walked in I saw that the rooms on the bottom floor of the house had been converted to classrooms. There were blackboards, and mats on the floor, coloring pencils, reading cards and slates. A class was in progress and one teacher sat teaching the alphabet to a group of 25 pre-school children.

We were soon joined by another lady. She was smart, eloquent and spoke English fluently. On conversing with her I found that she was convent educated, had a bachelor’s degree and loved teaching children. However, she had been married into a family that believed in the ‘purdah’ system. After marriage, she was not allowed to leave the house unaccompanied or do any sort of job. Once, the headmaster at her son’s school had asked her to join their faculty as an English teacher as she was fluent and good with children. She had to decline.

Later, she tried and convinced her sister-in-law, the daughter of the house (who did not have to follow Purdah), to convert the rooms in the house into classrooms so she could teach without leaving the house. Here the sister-in-law ran a pre-school class in the morning and she, an English class in the afternoon for five days a week. When she could not go out, she decided to bring her passion home.

Her passion for teaching also showed in how she managed her work and life. Whenever she had to go for trainings or meetings for Pratham, she made excuses to her in-laws about going to the market, or to the doctor or to her parents place. Unlike many others, she found a way to follow her heart despite the many restrictions on her…..a small and hopeful example which makes our work all the more worthwhile.

Meghna Mittal

INSTA FEED

Pratham Education Foundation

Pratham India is the official blog of non-for-profit organization Pratham Education Foundation showcasing exciting stories throughout India.

Follow

 Follow us on Twitter!   Follow us on facebook!   Follow us on instagram!   Follow us on Youtube!