Sombari Singh’s Pathagar

Mayurbhanj district in Orissa is one of the most backward districts in the country. The majority of the population here is dependent on agriculture for their survival, and a large number of people are either small-scale farmers or labourers.  Some of them also survive by doing jobs that are generated through different government schemes enacted for the district.  Despite this background, the village of Solarapada is experiencing an increase in awareness about education, thanks to the initiatives of women like Sombari.

Two years back, when team members from Pratham went to Solarapada to initiate the library program, they found Sombari who wanted to do something for the village. “The first thing that I thought was education”, she says. Solarapada was experiencing a good enrollment of children in school, but they were hardly learning anything. On many occasions, Sombari would see children roaming around in the village after school and doing nothing. “There was nothing to do, and it disturbed me a lot”, she recalls.

Being a graduate, Sombari could understand that there was nothing in the village to monitor if the children were learning well. “They were enrolled in school. But there are many obstacles in their learning”, she says.

The major obstacle here is the language. Majority of the people in Mayurbhanj speak Ho and Santhali, whereas the medium of instruction is Odia. When children are enrolled in school, the teachers have to translate the teaching from Odia to the dialect, and this practice continues for some years till the former become comfortable in Odia.

When the team members at Pratham explained her about the library program, she liked the concept of group learning and use of activities, songs and games to aid learning. And in no time, the library program became active in the village.

“It was amazing to see the participation of women in this program, and it made the entire community know about it”, she said. However, Sombari had already thought of the next step. If we collect books from everyone in the village and maintain a library, the whole village would benefit. She shared this concept with a few mothers she knew, and they gladly agreed! The drive for collecting books began, and as this concept reached the village Panchayat, they arranged for a small place in the village where these books could be kept. A ‘Pathagar’ was soon formed, Sombari Singh’s Pathagar!

“Every child in the village can come here, sit and read books. They can also borrow books and take them home. But if any adult wants to borrow them, they have to pay”, she says, explaining the rules of the place. The money collected in this way is used to buy new books and other miscellaneous expenses.  However, she credits the library program for initiating the activity of reading and learning in the village. “It is because of the program, parents and children are aware of reading books, and hence they come to the Pathagar to read”, she says with a smile.

In the village, Sombari is synonymous with learning. The Pathagar gives her a chance to interact with many mothers. They talk to her about what their children are learning in school and discuss their learning levels. But there is a marked difference in their awareness. “Initially, many of them thought that children should learn until the 5^th grade. But now many of them are aware that children should opt for higher studies as there are many opportunities ahead”, she says. The Pathagar at Solarapada is the reason community members meet and discuss their children’s education.