Poverty and Education (Rural)

There have been news from Bhopal, that Children Ragpickers are back in town. Also a scenario of a lower middle class family living in outskirts of city, in Himachal Pradesh has come into light. How the family of 4 members, has come to an stagnant phase during the lockdown as everything was shut and the only way of earning was a cattle cow. As education has shifted to online luxurized education, they had to continue the online education trend for that the cattle was sold for.    6000 INR, and an smartphone was brought with an internet connection.

That Cattle was not only a cow but the livelihood earner for the family. For gaining education people are getting befitted to poverty.

People are  thinking that everything is going good and fine, but on the grassroot poverty is Unanimously Increasing due to this Pandession.

Some days back, finance secretory stated, Economy is Booming, there is a green shoot, etc. That may feel hurtful to some people, but "Sawawan ke andhe ko har jagah hariyaali hi dikhaai deti hai".

Poverty is increasing on a large scale, we might not see, but on a macroscopic view everyone can. 

In this scenario of lockdown we talk about online education, may be I can afford it, people around me can afford it, but people on grassroot?

I barely go out of my home, but when I get into market area I have seen the number of beggers have increased, who are those beggers. Are those people there with their own intent, surely their is much bigger Economic Tragedy behind it.

Also on a larger scale we have seen Reverse Migration of 8 Crore People, are their children getting proper education. Will those people come back as soon as economy starts or when the schools will start.

This poverty is pressurising children to Ragpicking. This is not a new normal, but may be those children are new and so their intent too.

We can't ever take the advantage of Demographic Dividend of our country, if the young kids remain uneducated and unskilled. 

Poverty is hence directly proportional to uneducation of kids from poor families, this illiteracy is ultimately proportional to Anarchy in the future.

This might be written in a hotch potch way, so is my mind right now.

Community kitchen

Among all the new normal, there is what we call, is Community Kitchen/Canteen.

The concept is not new but the implementation can be. Culture wise the oldest community Canteen is the very own Gurudwara. With lots of blessings, lots of aromatic taste and that too for free

During this time of crisis where we have seen scenarios of Reverse Migration, community kitchen could be of great use and help.

Instead of providing with the food grains, the other option could be serving the migrants with cooked food. As some don't even have shade to live and cook food.

Cooks can come on a volunteer basis. People who want to donate but to an authentic organisation could also help in raising funds and ingredients for cooked meals.

PPP mode is the suitable solution for the community kitchen. Also the loss incurred could be fulfilled by government.

Nepotised

There have been blues out there, about the Nepotism, but I duly felt that for around 15-16 years ago. When I was with minimal or almost no friends or I didn't tried making them as I was so choosy in making friends and kids around me I felt were above me or below me, not academically but personally.  

If I try to recall the scenario of 2003-04, In my first School, class monitor changed every month,  the friends of the monitor always escaped even after mischievous deeds. Some kids had an ability to change friends every month( i.e whosoever is the monitor, had the maximum friends) but I utterly failed in that skill. So I had my name on blackboard every time the teacher comes in even if I did nothing.

During the Recess time all the kids including me would try and run out to capture all the swings (jhoola). I was fond of Hammock chair swings, but couldn't capture it , so all the kids who captured it(jhoola), would only gave chance to their own friends during the whole Recess time of 40 Minutes.

I felt bad at that time and urged them for just one chance and that they never gave. I had so much love for that swing, as it was the only thing in the school which would turn me on😋. I did tried to be friends with the kids of much higher cadre, but never got along with them.

The only time they made me their friend was on my Birthday, when for the first time I carried sweets to school for distribution and to attract the girls to me so that they would come to me and urge me to be my friend $ and would take her to the other classes for tofees distribution also I would give them 3-4 more tofees...(just a Convent thing🙃).

I made one of them my maid for the day and for that day I was a celebrity. I got chances for the swing I got to feel that excitement and that sudden rush inside me. And I thought now I have friends with whom I can hang around and would do lunch with them.

But the next day, in the morning, I went to her, and she ignored me. In the Recess time when she was Swinging I asked her to give me a chance, but she whole heartedly denied. I remember vaguely but she said " No You are not my Friend, I will give chance only to _____". I was your friend only for yesterday that too for the Cadbury toffees you brought".

I was shattered, damn shattered, cried the hell out of me, like a kid as I was a kid.

For the rest of the year I was into shock and urging my father to get me change my school.

I made 3 friends and the history repeated itself but the story changed as those all 3 got failed in the same class.

Again I was isolated in the next class, and just tried to be with people with whom I was never comfortable with and again left out. I felt lost, I was disturbed with that loneliness and isolation and ended up having lunch in washroom to evade from the eyes of people or from the feeling of loneliness.

Some how my father came to know about it and for the first and the last time went to the parents teachers meeting(PTM) and requested my Teacher to help me making friends, which surely never helped, but surely took me to another level of mental torture.

This was till 2007... 

In 2009 I met 3 Loves of my life and never got apart from them....

Unki kahaani kbhi aur...