Khushi - Dreams need direction.
By - Mahima Rabia
I was held back for a moment when the little girl replied to my questions so fluently and boldly! Sitting under the sun, Khushi - a girl of 6 while painting her imagination on the paper was merrily talking to me about her dreams. She was one amongst the participants present at the painting competition organised by a NGO at Vasant Kunj, Delhi.
"My name is Khushi" - a form of answer that you would expect from anyone whom you pitch to get acknowledged to their identity. But the fact that left me stupefied here was, Khushi was not a school-going kid! A child of her age is expected to be studying in grade 1 or 2. The extent of ignorance that I could feel in the air around me was clarifying every bit of confusions running in my mind. Her family was staying in the remote, shattered and dusty slum of Vasant Kunj since thirty five long years and hardly anyone had been to a primary school. High school was still a far-off site for them. The children of the families inhabiting in the slum were going to a nearby shed constructed with tyre, mud and waste bottles with a blackboard and a few other trashes which altogether fed them with a few hours of learning. This effort was being taken by the NGO since past four years. They have put forward their words to send the children to nearby schools too. Taking it up as a social responsibility and a cause worth needed to be addressed upon, the NGO is playing their part pretty well! A number of children like Khushi are a part of this. But the mark highlighted as a scar here is, the kids have a mind full of dreams and aspirations with a directionless path which is being travelled since ages and generations in their family.
"My name is Khushi" - a form of answer that you would expect from anyone whom you pitch to get acknowledged to their identity. But the fact that left me stupefied here was, Khushi was not a school-going kid! A child of her age is expected to be studying in grade 1 or 2. The extent of ignorance that I could feel in the air around me was clarifying every bit of confusions running in my mind. Her family was staying in the remote, shattered and dusty slum of Vasant Kunj since thirty five long years and hardly anyone had been to a primary school. High school was still a far-off site for them. The children of the families inhabiting in the slum were going to a nearby shed constructed with tyre, mud and waste bottles with a blackboard and a few other trashes which altogether fed them with a few hours of learning. This effort was being taken by the NGO since past four years. They have put forward their words to send the children to nearby schools too. Taking it up as a social responsibility and a cause worth needed to be addressed upon, the NGO is playing their part pretty well! A number of children like Khushi are a part of this. But the mark highlighted as a scar here is, the kids have a mind full of dreams and aspirations with a directionless path which is being travelled since ages and generations in their family.
As she grows up, Khushi aspires to become a Police Officer. Being a part of the classroom - learning, she seemed delighted enough to be able to grasp something. All the while when she was painting the pictures, I asked her whether she wanted to go to school or not. The little kid did not feel the need of it as she was already learning at the NGO classroom, though just an informal piece of education which I could decipher, not she.
When talking to her mother, I got to know that they don't own a birth certificate of Khushi which is standing as a barrier in her being able to go to school. The NGO has taken tremendous efforts and helped them avail aadhar card and PAN card. " We would send her to school but we are lacking with the birth certificate, also the children complain of not being interested in going to schools, being beaten up and thus they run- off".
When talking to her mother, I got to know that they don't own a birth certificate of Khushi which is standing as a barrier in her being able to go to school. The NGO has taken tremendous efforts and helped them avail aadhar card and PAN card. " We would send her to school but we are lacking with the birth certificate, also the children complain of not being interested in going to schools, being beaten up and thus they run- off".
Wasn't TIME running - off meanwhile giving all these frivolous reasons and excuses? A season of questions again flashed through my mind and I was left with a cloud of unclear conclusions. She will one day get admitted to the school but will the wait till that" one" day not end up ghastly consuming her age of attaining education? The dreams which she is palpitating in her mind, isn't it slipping - off with the callous ambience? The ambience which comprises of her family, you, me, the authorities and an invisible yet inevitable mentality of keeping education at the secondary place.
True this! It feels pathetic to know that this problem still persists in the rural areas of our country.It's good that NGOs are helping them as much as they can!But this won't be enough for them for the acquisition of a high school level learning and to chase their dreams.
ReplyDelete