A dream school

How does someone leap upon a path un-traveled, ignored, often condemned? How does someone take up a challenge against unreasonableness? How does it happen to him to educate people who don’t even know what education is all about? How? How does it come to the mind? Through anticipation of possible publicity and possible recognition, or through visions and dreams?

Imagine a second year bachelor student of engineering, in a premier school, who has seemingly bright future, going into slums in vicinity of his college campus and teaching deprived children who otherwise would have gone to serving food in messes, or washing dishes in nearby small eateries, or perhaps, would have hidden under the shed of drugs!

What might have driven him?

Namita Chourasia, a correspondent with The Telegraph, endeavors to unfold the history that began in 1999 in the locality of Emerald Hostel of Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad with a singular vision of a man. Amresh Mishra, the man behind the movement, was quite perseverant in taking such an unconventional step, especially when he had to convince slum-dwellers about the importance of education. But, he was adamant. Soon, the colors darkened and an evening school in the nearby temple began to be convened.

With time the school had flourished and recently the body inaugurated a primary education center in Lahbani village behind Emerald hostel.

Students of the campus are excited about the progress and the enthusiasm of locals who want their kids to study.

“We provide the children with textbooks and exercise copies. Fifty of us take classes in the evening. Students associated with Kartavya have to take classes once a week. We have hired a three-room building at a monthly rent of Rs 500,” explained a present third year student of petroleum engineering at ISM, Radha Raman Mishra.

What had started with a small drift has taken shape of a mass movement today. Once again, an old adage seems to come true: Histories are altered by single hands.

Amresh is undergoing training at National Police Academy, Hyderabad. The seed that he had sown is becoming a gigantic tree.

I remember – when I was in the same hostel during my final year in 2003/04 – how we used to go to the small temple in evenings and would gather students and urge them on until twilight. It was fun. There I had seen few best talents and few best teachers of the country. One of them was Parmendra Pratap (commonly known as PP). He had little interest in academics but was a voracious reader and a visionary. We used to talk a lot about the then education scenario, its problems and possible solutions, about philosophy, psychology, about Sigmund Freud, about Gazals, Jagjit Singh ji, movies, and everything. That time, palmistry used to be my fascination and we both used to sit hours discussing Chinese and Chiero’s dictates and methods.

He had a vision too, like Amresh. He used to talk vociferously about the importance of education and how it can be achieved. I, however, couldn’t go along very far.

Then, there was Manohar Shivam. He was shy and had a lot of interest in nano-electronics. Presently, he is in Netherlands, researching in his niche domain. He too was very particular about the need of education, and role of youth in it.

These men were never hungry of publicity; they worked because they had to work, not for others to appreciate or to recognize, but to keep their inner self at peace with themselves.

This is our obligation to keep them from oblivion.

It’s a rise of one man that drives the society to acclivity. We must not forget how much a single man can achieve, only if he wills to achieve. We must not forget the puissance of individuality. We must not forget the importance of visions.