India’s future in their hands

As one drives outwards from Kolkata, into one of the most populated districts of the state, the vistas of modern-day development remain intact: condominiums, modernised banks, shopping malls and even an international pizza chain, which hide a chunk of India that is still, impoverished, patriarchal and unschooled.

However, this reality of mistaken identity does not escape the eyes of Swami Devendrananda, who joined the Ramakrishna Mission at an early age under the spiritual guidance of Swami Vivekananda and has served one of its most prestigious educational institutions Ramakrishna Mission Ashram – Narendrapur ever since.

Having pledged his life to the idea of serving mankind, the large precincts of the institute could not circumscribe his zeal. Devendrananda set out setting up Vivekananda Educational Society for Children (VESC), with the support of his old students, to build the foundations of tomorrow’s India.

“Over the years, the Ramakrishna Mission Ashram has grown to serve mankind based on the principle of Vivekananda of creating better human beings. But with growth comes the difficult realisation that no institution can encompass all that it may want too, hence the participation of our old students in creating such smaller institutions to accomplish the vision of Swamiji of creating better human beings,” he said.

Strangely, the district — South 24 Parganas — offered Devendrananda the perfect laboratory for his socio-development model. Literacy rate here lags at 55.57 per cent and child sex ratio at 821 girls per 1,000 boys, and child labour is ubiquitous.

Education in the new India has become a crucial marker of inequality. Sixty-six years after independence, with 40 per cent of its population under 18, India is now confronting the perils of its failure to educate its citizens, notably the poor. Not only has the roaring economy run into a shortage of skilled labour, the nation’s many new roads, phones and television sets have also fuelled new ambitions for economic advancement among its people — and new expectations for schools to help attain them.

“The idea of VESC was primarily to inscribe the idea of education among people who treated their children as a commodity for extra income. We did not venture out to create any centre of excellence, but mostly to provide the children with a semblance of childhood. Until now what we have achieved in the past 17 years is just a speck of dust. Lots more needs to be done,” Devendrananda said.

VESC, which started with a makeshift classroom through the support of a few volunteers, has now blossomed into an organisation running two centres, one each in Jagaddal and Sonarpur, providing basic education, training and quintessential freedom to more than 300 children of the area. The institute provides the children with books, clothes, one square meal a day to take care of their nutritional needs and most importantly the shelter to ensure that they are not sent to work.

Apart from its abysmal social indicators, the district is also prone to arsenic contamination. According to government records, the contamination is alarming: 28.3 per cent of samples showed arsenic content above the WHO-mandated maximum permissible level of 50 micrograms per litre. VESC, in its modest capacity, has set up a water filtration system, providing the children with arsenic-free water in both of its centres. It has also set up a computer centre so that the children get a feel of the modern world and its advantages.

In spite of phenomenal economic growth throughout the last decade, the chasm of inequality in India has further widened creating a new kind of apartheid which will hurt the potential of this country to the very core. Nearly 40 per cent of India’s citizens, almost 500 million people, are aged 13-35 — the world’s largest youth population. According to the International Labour Organization, the Indian workforce is set to grow by more than eight million annually over the coming decade, largely owing to young people entering the labour market. By some estimates, almost 25 per cent of the global workforce will be Indian by 2025. But, to harness this demographic dividend, they must be given the skills and opportunities to become productive citizens.

“The biggest concern for India is development of this human resource which can become a social curse if not nurtured from an early age. The lack of quality education and skills development along with creating of employment opportunities can come back to haunt this country 30 years from now if not addressed right now with proper emphasis,” said economist Sushil Dasgupta, who believes that non-governmental efforts such as that of VESC are critical for growth.

However, VESC suffers from a serious lack of government support and a perennial financial crisis, hampering the growth of the organisation. VESC survives because of support of a few kind hearts from across the globe and most importantly its volunteers, who selflessly devote time and effort at the cost of their own future.

“The salaries we are able to pay our teachers are a pittance compared with the money they would have earned if they had worked for the government. But they still toil to ensure every child here gets the very best from them, which can only happen when they believe in serving the poor and the needy,” Devendrananda said.

Mohua Mukherjee has forgone lucrative professional opportunities to serve this institute. “I personally believe it easy to teach students in reputed schools who come from educated families and understand the value of education. But teaching these children is also about educating society at large. When Swami Devendrananda asked me to join, I readily agreed since it would be an opportunity to serve mankind,” she said.

“Teaching children here is like being a foster mother where we not only have to impart education, but also ensure children are properly fed, their hygiene issues are addressed and at times talk to them openly about issues that affect these tiny minds,” said Mohua, who along with other teachers, also serve the children their afternoon meal every day. “There are infrastructural problems, financial crisis, but we still hang on with hope for a better tomorrow.”

“The intrinsic value of the work we do is not about creating brilliant students who will flourish as individuals. Many may, given the right opportunities, but the most important lesson is for society at large, where through education, these children will develop into better human beings, better parents and responsible citizens,” said Mohua, adding that she is often surprised by the interest parents of these children take in their education. “Even five years ago not a single parent would come to ask us about the progress of their children. Now they regularly do, and that is where our success lies.”

Though the state government is still not playing the critical role of the catalyst in nurturing this institute, it understands the value of the institute in fulfilling its objective of universal education.

“The role of various non-governmental organisations such as VESC is critical to improving the human development index of the state. Institutions such as VESC are the unsung heroes of our society, who work for the holistic development of children in ways that government is yet to,” said Bratya Basu, minister in charge for school education in West Bengal.

Archisman Dinda is a journalist based in Kolkata.