Gopal Sharma
Notwithstanding the innumerous hurdles and economic constraints, a very humble and optimistic Government teacher is moving ahead with her missionary zeal to reform the children taking to rag- picking and begging and imparting them free education in a labour colony near Jammu Railway Station.
While doing justice with her job and teaching children at a Govt Higher Secondary School in district Samba (Sumb), this teacher (Lecturer) is also sparing time for these children of ‘lesser God’ and trying hard to illuminate their minds with the knowledge. With her dedication and support of two young teachers whom she is paying honorariums out of her salary, she has transformed many children of the labour class who were turning drug addicts and indulging in smoking and chewing Tobacco / Chutki. Many others who had taken to begging at Railway Station or other city places, have joined this school- ‘Sangharash Vidhya Kendra’ with the efforts of this missionary teacher and her team.
This very humble and a little unknown social activist of the Jammu city, Kanchan Sharma, needs no certificate or recognition from anybody. Ms Kanchan says that she had been doing this struggle (Sanghrash) since September 2009 and shall continue to do so till her last breath. “ My heart once wept for these children while just passing through this area of Maratha Basti near Jammu Railway Station. I made up mind to do something for these children and decided to create awareness among the parents of these children and also motivate the children to go for studies”, she said.
The initial great challenge was to motivate their parents and asking them not to send their children for begging or rag picking but allowing them to join school. They were also told that they have to pay nothing for it. They will be getting free education and books, note books etc will also be provided. The second challenge was to motivate these children, reform them and educate them not to indulge in the dirty habits of smoking, chewing Chutki/ Tobacco, taking liquor etc. After joining school their habits were developed to take bath regularly and keep their body and clothes clean. This was done continuously with the help of a head of the Mazdoor Basti and some women who even helped to raise school in a small hut of tin and plastic sheets with wooden walls. There is no compound for morning assembly and somehow, it is done inside the ‘Jhuggi’.
This Primary School located near Maratha Basti has now been registered with the Chief Education Office Jammu and has seventy children. While Kanchan Sharma normally bears the expenditure to run this school but she sometimes takes help from her husband R C Khajuria, who retired as additional secretary in the J&K Government few years back. She says some times J&K Red Cross Society renders some help and once a local NGO and Jain Attachi House owner donated school bags for the children and uniforms. During rainy season water peeps into the school room. There is only one hut where these children study under one roof. Some of them were found to be quite interested in studies having sharp mind but the domestic circumstances of many others did not allow them to join school.
Referring to her initial struggle, Ms Kanchan said, “For about about three years, from 2005 onwards, she was after the then Director SSA Jammu and even DSE Jammu to open a Govt School for these children near the Maratha Basti but they did not pay much attention. She ran for it from pillar to post but returned dejected. Even I contacted some NGOs but they too, did not muster any courage to open a school in this Mazdoor Basti where living conditions are very unhygienic. Even some of them remarked who will come at such a place to teach. Then a retired Education officer advised me that I can launch a school if there is no support from Government. Thereafter, I consulted some elderly people of this Basti and especially ladies. They assured to give space for the school and then I got the school registered and started teaching here in September 2009 in a small Jhugi (Hut),” Ms Kanchan maintained.
A dwelling head, Shivji told the Excelsior that madam has come here as an angel for their children. He said most of the children of this Basti of nearly 250 families, are either connected with rag picking or begging. Many of them have turned addict and spoiling their lives. He said it is perhaps tradition in this basti that male members mostly either go rag picking or spend whole time in gambling while women work to feed children. The parents have also forced their children to rag picking and beggary. They are not worried about the future of their children.
Shivji further said that with the support of a few good men of the Basti, a hut was raised with own resources and support of this madam to raise a school. Some times when all children are not accommodated in this hut, some children are shifted in a nearby Jhuggi. “We are highly thankful to this pure human being who is caring for our children, reformed many of them from bad habits and comes here to educate them. Nobody comes here but this madam often comes and has engaged two female teachers for our children’s study. She even teaches on Sundays. We are paying nothing and even the books, notebooks, pens/ pencils, bags etc are managed by this teacher. We are highly indebted to her,” the Basti head man maintained.
At present there are 70 children in this school. But their number goes on increasing and decreasing as some families shift to other locations. Ms Kanchan said that even after motivation, some parents do not send their children to school as they thrive on their kids’ earnings. Their fathers beat them and force to go for begging or rag picking job for Kwadis. The hapless children have no other option with them. Gradually they also develop the habits of their father and elderly boys in the locality. Some women of the locality who realize the value of education send their children regularly. Drop out cases are also many and frequent. Many children have no uniforms and shoes. There is no regular support to this school from Government agency or any NGO so far but this teacher is managing somehow to run this school despite many challenges. She revealed that as her salary has not been released for the last six months after her transfer to GHSS, Sumb from Jammu then she had to take financial support from her retired husband.
Unfortunately, no Government agency has ever encouraged or supported this teacher running this school, but several NGOs and Red Cross members were influenced by the holy mission of this lady teacher and accorded her honour on certain occasions. She has a dream to raise good school for these children having good environment and facilities but perhaps it is beyond her personal capacity. She explained that for this some funds are needed and mostly NGOs and people do something from where they can earn publicity or if they have some vested interests. No politician or legislator rendered help when she approached them on certain occasions in past. Now, she has left hope and doing it at her own. If some helping hand is rendered by some body, she welcomes it but it is received hardly once or twice during the whole year.
Showing attendance register and performance of the children, the school teacher indicated that children have talent but they need care and support from the parents and society. Their life can be reformed if the society starts caring for them. It is also responsibility of the society to render them help and do something for them. The little children can be saved from addiction, beggary and abuse of child labour if any Government agency and civil society comes forward. They also have their childhood like other children of the country but they are carrying load of ‘Kawad’ (rags) on their back and roaming on the dirty heaps for picking up their livelihood. Ultimately, they are crushed under the load of labour, resort to addiction and other evil habits. She said country planners are needed to device a policy for people living in such slum areas and improve their living condition and impart free education to their children.
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