India has a majority of its population receiving formal education, but there are still certain areas where children do not even receive primary education. One such village is the village of Mallahipurva, comprising around 100 families. This village is located 150 kilometers away from the city of Lucknow–the capital of the state of Uttar Pradesh.
Villagers’ Ways of Living
With most of the fishing community, this village is an ideal example of poverty, neglect, and deprivation. Women and children make fishing nets and munj ropes, and with the little earned, they feed the family. The community also makes country liquors from the locally available Mahua flowers.
Providing Mid-day Meals
The scheme of providing Mid-day meals in school made families send their children to school. Gudiya, daughter to Brahmin Babu Lal Sharma and a sister to her nine siblings, was sent to school. This changed her life forever. She understood the importance of education and became the first girl in her village to complete the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exams.
Establishing The First School Of The Village
Passing the exams was not the only motive. She had bigger plans. She wanted to establish a school and provide education to the children of her community, for which she gathered the courage to ask her elders to give her a small plot of land, but it was opposed, so she started her school in the verandah her house. In the beginning, it was a challenging journey as parents of children used to be drunk from the morning itself, and no one used to send their kids unless she brought them from their houses. Currently, she has partnered with a social organization that provides books, food, and medical aid to children. An unwanted incident has now transformed the village as students have started taking an interest in education and several parents have become supportive. All this credit goes to none other than Gudiya herself.
