What I leant from Ma?

In 1991, we were in a small mining town called Boula, near Bhadrak, Orissa. My mother took up two key projects she was passionate about – educating women in the nearby villages and starting a co-op store. The store sourced their supplies locally from farmers and women making preserved food like pickles, jam and jellies, poppadams and more. Sounds simple enough… right?

It was anything but.

She went from village to village to talk about the importance of education. The program was meant to help the children as well so that they can get access to help with their coursework or access to books and other supplies. She reached out to the mining companies who donated funds for the programs generously. Everyone was enthusiastic about education finally coming to their doorstep. Mind you, it is before the telecom and technology revolution. Slates, chalks and books were distributed. Everything was ready for classes to begin.

Day 1. No one turned up. My mother and others in the project were baffled. They waited for the better part of the day. But to no avail. They finally went back to the villages and knocked on each door to talk to the women and their families. Some said they forgot, other said that they were busy and promised to come the next day.

Day 2. No one turned up. Again. Everyone was confused. They waited for the better part of the day and went back to their door-to-door messaging. Most of the doors were answered by the head of the family this day – father-in-law, husband, brother or son. They said, it wasn’t a good idea for their women to lose focus from their daily chores and waste time on things like studying. What is the point of it all? Once more, she persuaded, reasoned and explained the benefits to everyone.

Day 3. No one turned up. This time, mother went to the local panchayats and its leaders to persuade the women to come and avail the opportunity. All it warranted was for the women to show up to the classes and study. Nothing more. The men were apprehensive in general and some were downright suspicious of the motives.

T hey asked, “Why now?”

Mother replied, “Why not now?”

Day 4. No one turned up as well. Now my mother reached out to the Block Development Officer to persuade him to intervene with the panchayats so that they in turn can intervene with the families. The official was skeptical but supportive. He promised to do his best.

Day 5. No one turned up. So, mother went to the local elected official to persuade the panchayats to intervene with the families to send their women to the classes to get an education. The Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) promised to talk to one village panchayat and discuss the matter with them.

And this it went on and on for days…

Day 31. One woman showed up for the class in one of the villages. She was a daily wage worker in the mines. She said she wanted to learn so that she could sign the register when she received her weekly payments instead of adding a thumb print. The first thing she requested was if someone could just teach her to sign her name rather than the alphabets or the words! This was a Monday. She would receive her weekly pay the next day, i.e., a Tuesday.

She came back to class excited at the thrill of signing her name along with the attention she garnered from colleagues in doing so. The payroll manager was surprised. Everyone else was in awe of her signature prowess. The men and women, alike, accorded her a respect that she had never dared dream off. But this time, she didn’t come to the class alone. She brought 5 women along with her wanted to earned that elusive respect too. She had an even bigger goal. She wanted to read what she was signing for on the register.

Day 45. Every daily wage woman worker in the area was attending classes in their respective village. By the end of the month, the pay register had signatures against the names of all the women in all the mines in the area. The names of the men had few against them. This had a tsunami effect. The men wanted to join the signature revolution. This was a “viral” event. They couldn’t wait for their women – working or not – to be able to sign their names where needed and forego the thumb impressions. It was a badge of honor to say that the women in their families could read and write, even if they themselves couldn’t.

Day 90. The women started realizing that the co-op store could help them sell something they make in their homes every day. Snacks like samosa, pakoras or dahi vadas. They could make and sell pickles and their preserved food items– wet or dry.

Day 270. They could save up and open a bank account. They were able to read the bank forms, fill them out themselves and sign the documents. They could read newspapers, road signs, bus and railway timetables. Some started maintaining a journal. They leant that they could balance cheque books and… surprise, surprise sign the cheques!

I was 12-years old at the time. It was one of the most important lessons of my life. It is not easy to bring about change. It requires perseverance and tenacity. Small changes make huge impacts. But the foundation of it all begins with education.

Every person, every child has an unassailable right to an education. Today, i.e., 24 January, is United Nations’ (UN) International Day of Education. Like Antonio Guterres (UN General-Secretary) said, “Let’s deliver education systems that can support equal societies, dynamic economies and the limitless dreams of every learner in the world." The work my mother started in 1991 is as relevant today as it was 3-decades ago.

Another teacher, Dr. Khalik from University of St Andrews, introduced The Turing Trust in a discussion on circular economy. In honour of Alan Turing’s altruistic spirit, the Trust works to refurbish IT equipment, install a range of educational software on them and provide it to those who need it most. In the last 13 years, they have enabled access to computers for over 169,000 students across Africa, Asia and the UK.

Note: Alan Turing is widely regarded as the father of modern computing.

I have decided to do my part and aim to volunteer for The Turing Trust from this year. I have also signed up with Give as you Live. It has 6000+ stores/businesses that you can shop from including Amazon Smile. These businesses donate a portion of the proceeds from my purchases to the charities of my choice. I have opted to donate to The Turing Trust. It is free to sign up with no additional expenses on my behalf. Yet, my regular shopping funds education for children in communities that need the most support.

I urge you all to look and assess how you can further the education of those around you. Teach, facilitate upskilling, mentor, donate time, spare resources and/or volunteer to enable technology for all who need them.

Let’s make a combined effort.

Let’s create a better world around us.

Let’s empower it through education for all!

#reflect #reimagine #respond #internationaldayofeducation #lvingwithintent