SPIRIT OF INDIA-2

This is my 2^nd version of the post ‘Spirit of India’. I had made a reference then that I was inspired and stimulated by articles that I read through from a monthly magazine. So for those who haven’t read it, here are a few people who are the true pioneers of change.

Deepak Kumar, Bihar

A murder convict who served 14 years in prison came back to his village to provide help for the deprived children through setting up a school. Initially, the post-graduate was rejected by the villagers and his requests for loans were cancelled due his iniquitous past. But within five months, a few of his relatives and friends who had faith in him rose to extend their help and his dream was fulfilled. Today, the English-medium school has up to class 7 with more than 365 students, most of them poor, paying a fee of just Rs 75/month.

Veena Devi, Mukhiya (panchayat chief), Bihar

35-year old Veena serves her 2^nd term as mukhiya in her panchayat situated in rural Bihar. Her mission is to promote women’s empowerment in the caste-polarized and crime-ridden district. Born into a poor family, married at the age of 14, a mother at 15 and a widow at 16, she has seen and gone through the hardships of rural Bihar. She realized she had to prevent the trauma from passing on to next generation only through fearless commitment. When she decided to contest for elections in 2000, the men mocked and shunned her away and also had her indicted into a false murder case. Fortunately the cases were proved wrong and the elections turned into her favour. Recently, she had launched a campaign to make widows self-reliant in the village and has been a success to date.

Abhyanand, Additional DGP, Bihar

This IPS officer tutors hundreds of unprivileged young IIT aspirants helping their dreams come true. The programme called Super30 offers free IIT entrance coaching for 30 selected youngsters from unprivileged families in rural Bihar. They are brought to Patna, provided with accommodation, food and exhausting coaching for seven months-all for free. In 2003, the first batch saw 18 out of the 30 enter into the prestigious institution. Each year the numbers increased and in 2007, 28 students had their dreams come true.

N. Krishnan, Founder of Akshaya Trust, Madurai

A catering technology graduate quit his job at a 5-star hotel in Bangalore to serve food to the hungry on the streets of Madurai. What provoked the 27-year old was the sight of an old man on the street eating his own faeces. He took the man to a nearby hotel and bought him food. The man ate and drank without pausing and after finishing he walked away with tears in his eyes. This deeply moved Krishnan and proceeded to set up the Akshaya Trust in six months after quitting his job with his life’s savings. Today, he along with his three friends delivers breakfast, lunch and dinner to around 300 people daily. The funds come in from a few local companies and individuals. Other than feeding the poor, he cuts the hair of the mentally-ill on the streets, which led him to give up being a Brahmin.