Author: Nilosree Biswas
Publication: Outlook India
Date: August 29, 2005
URL: http://www.outlookindia.com/mad.asp?fodname=20050829&fname=Making&sid=1
He's battled suspicion, illiteracy,
bureaucratic apathy and paucity of funds. His effort has borne fruit.
He's battled suspicion, illiteracy,
bureaucratic apathy and paucity of funds. His effort has borne fruit.
This heartwarming story comes from
the northeastern outskirts of Calcutta, a place called Kadapara (the mohalla
of muck). Dalits from Bihar settled in these parts in pre-Independence
days. They worked as sweepers for the Calcutta Municipal Corporation, living
the life they always lived. The dead weight of 'tradition' was upon them
till Kalyanbrata Das came to the area. The empowering tool of literacy
that he brought is still being dispensed today by his projects, Vidyasagar
and B.R. Ambedkar Footpath Pathoshishu Pathagaar.
Now in his 60s, you can still spot
Kalyanbrata with a motley group of about fifty children, teaching them
arithmetic tables, counting and what have you. His crusade began in 1971
after graduating from Calcutta University. He decided he wanted to help
those who could not get help from any quarter. The
idea was to locate a community
forgotten by the local government. He identified Kadapara. Soon, he befriended
the seniors of the Dalit community and came to know of their fruitless
efforts to start a school for their children. Ka Kalyanbrata took it on
himself. He went from pillar to post for aid. But no organisation or administration
was receptive to his ideas of running such a school. So he invested whatever
funds he had and started a centre for government school dropouts.
It has been a solitary journey since.
Whether it is arranging for second-hand books from kabadiwalas or organising
tiffin for the children, there has been little or no support. Initially,
the community was hostile to the intervention of 'a stranger with vested
interests'. But gradually, the situation changed. First, the mothers were
motivated and then the number of children increased. Not all of them were
dropouts. Kalyanbrata decided it was time to start a pre-primary school.
This was way back in 1976-77. But luck betrayed him. The political situation
was volatile. Emergency had been declared. The government in West Bengal
had changed. When the new government took office, in 1978, Kalyanbrata
applied to the primary school board for registration, but was denied. "If
you don't have political clout, nothing works. I've witnessed this time
and again," he says.
The Left government had publicly
endorsed 100 per cent literacy in the state. But their noncooperation left
Kalyanbrata thinking, "I thought it was a people-friendly government but
it
was an eyewash." Every expense his non-formal education centre incurred
came from private tuitions or the sale of small plots of farmland back
home in Midnapore.
But Kalyanbrata would not submit.
Instead, he became popular and stories about him spread. Bharati Das heard
about him and came to join as a volunteer. They later married. Bharati
had a B.Ed degree and was acquainted with novel methods of teaching. Learning
through nature was one such method she introduced. The proximity to nature
helped. The locality had a huge water body with lots of trees. Children
were introduced to the flora and fauna in their surroundings. Bharati also
made teaching aids from recycled products after her training from another
NGO, Vikramshila.
But funds were always hard to come
by. Kalyanbrata and his family moved into the slum. He applied to different
organisations but no help was forthcoming. cry supported him for two years.
But soon after, he was left in the lurch. How would he manage the education
of 500 children who were an integral part of his two non-formal centres?
One fine day an idea struck him: Why, they could supply plants to the nearby
posh areas of Salt Lake City! It worked. In no time, the children were
organised into groups and today they've earned a reputation of being a
reliable source for plants. In fact, this venture has helped sustain the
education of 500 children to a large extent.
Catch up with Kalyanbrata at: Sevak
Nagar, 89, Narkeldanga Main Road, Calcutta-700054.Tel: 9831907925.