BUDS, BLOOMS & FLOWERS
INNAMBURAN
‘...Full many a flower is born to blush unseen
And waste its sweetness on the desert air...’
-Thomas Gray
‘...her mother was ordered to withdraw her from school for serfdom at her employer’s house; penniless and roofless, she is terror-stricken ...’
- An SOS in WhatsApp
The State should ensure free primary education compulsorily to all children in a robust democracy. The Constitution of India unwittingly denied it to generations of the poor, women in particular, by dumping this obligation into the backyard called the Directive Principles of State Policy instead of listing it as a fundamental right. The Constitution 86th Amendment Act, 2002 belatedly conferred that right for children in the age group of 6–14 years and a cess was levied from 2004 to meet the expenses; the outcome so far is dismal. The enormity of the cumulative loss over seven decades to the society, individuals, national integration and posterity can be gleaned from the UNESCO Report [October 2017-18]. 266 million adults, a fifth of us all, cannot read or write, says the Report. Our own Census reports show limping progress and alarming increase in absolute numbers in some decades. India is host to one-third of the world’s illiterates.
Education is a time-tested broad spectrum remedy for most social ills as it empowers the oppressed classes and enhances the quality of life for one and all. I searched in vain all along for an avenue that opened exploring pathways.
Serendipity led me to Udayan Care: www.udayancare.org that did open many doors for the vulnerable children in 26 cities across 13 states of India since 1994. On last count, 21,000 children had benefitted. A surprise visit to its orphanage near Delhi was a humbling experience - migrant labour flocking the only dispensary, free data entry classes for tense village girls and a father-figure shepherding them.
Udayan means 'Eternal Sunshine' in Sanskrit. Udayan Care gives home-life to orphans and offers fellowships, professional guidance and handholding to girl-children having the potential but trapped in vulnerable environs. It also reaches out to the villages with Information Technology. It is sunshine, for sure. There is a personal touch also. Udayan, a scion of the Padma Bhushan Gujar Mal Modi -Raizada Dr. Kedar Nath Modi Group, eked out a living in USA on a shoe-string budget as he was feeding the hungry children in Africa from his allowance. We lost him at an young age in an accident. Dr. Kiran Modi, his grief stricken mother, learnt about his noble gesture from his papers and turned his dream for a more equitable world into a modest reality by founding Udayan Care. I trace Udayan’s generosity to his forefathers, who have funded an educational empire as well. An early donation was to the Benares Hindu University.
The Chennai Chapter, whom I joined, rightly chose Chennai North, to start with. The North & South here are so polarised culturally and economically that the former was neglected for decades.
Our Core Committee conceives initiatives and executes them as planned, with monthly reviews. The work is evenly distributed, with one selecting the Shalinis (all our fellows are so named) after house-visits and a fair test, another casts the calendar for the workshop, the convener
Distribution of work and delegation of powers
initialays down and executes the plan, updating it every month. One member visits homes, interviews student and parents and selects the Shalinis (all fellows are so identified) after a test. Another schedules the calendar and the convener oversees the projects. A full time secretary ensures smooth functioning, retaining touch with parents and schools: she is also the librarian. Carefully chosen expert-mentors guide the Shalinis on various professional openings for the long term. My portfolio is mentoring those aspiring to join the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) etc., the elite governance apparatus. The unquenchable thirst for enriching one’s life by the oppressed class is matched by the diligent and empathetic devotion of the mentors to their tasks.
Endnote: Redistribution of knowledge is more urgent than that of wealth. Mentoring achieves that through caring individuals who provide young people with support, advice, friendship, reinforcement and constructive examples. Two success stories: A hawker’s daughter, Alia Tabassum, the first graduate of the family, secured a pay packet of Rs.2 lacs per annum from Cognizant Technologies Pvt. Ltd, Kolkata.
Reena Burman is the daughter of a penurious beedi-maker. She made her community proud by pursuing a Masters degree in Sanskrit tenaciously, securing a first class! She aspires to become a teacher. India needs millions of such Shalinis.
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