Dwijendra Nath Ghosh, a retired 76-year-old trainer from West Bengal’s Purba Bardhman district, has devoted his retirement to educating the underprivileged kids in his village, Basantpur, with out charging any charges.
“I’m probably the most bizarre man you’ll ever interview,” was one of many first issues Dwijendra Nath Ghosh, a trainer in West Bengal’s Purba Bardhman district, informed me.
Whereas he may take into account himself bizarre, what he has executed for tons of of youngsters in his village of Basantpur is nothing wanting extraordinary. A retired authorities trainer, the 76-year-old has a novel strategy to retirement — he nonetheless teaches day-after-day.
For the previous decade, Ghosh’s ageing smile has been a beacon of hope for the village kids. He has been educating and managing Basantapur Junior Excessive Faculty, conserving it from shutting down, all with out charging a payment.
Why does he do it? Smiling humbly by means of the wrinkles etched into his sun-tanned brow by the Bengal solar, Ghosh shares his story with The Higher India.
Compassion like no different
Typically once we search for the supply of inspiration and motivation in individuals, it’s their very own life experiences that push them to their limits.
“I grew up in a poor residence. There was a time once we struggled to search out meals. Getting an schooling if you come from an underprivileged and economically deprived background is the most important problem. Turning your life round and attaining one thing that earlier generations couldn’t could be very troublesome,” he says.
Born in a financially unstable household, Ghosh understood the significance of serving to others, particularly when it got here to schooling. “I needed to work and struggled to get an schooling. If I don’t work day and night time to enhance the system for the youngsters of my village, then who will?” he says.
Ghosh has a BEd diploma and a grasp’s in English and political science. “I began working as a trainer in 1975 and retired in 2008 as an assistant trainer at Jamalpur Excessive Faculty,” he provides.
Whereas Ghosh was contemporary out of faculty, able to work, he had opened a faculty for underprivileged college students with 5 of his associates. “My spirits had been quickly dulled by the monetary burden I confronted resulting from lack of private funding. Working for the underprivileged meant lesser earnings for me. I turned a household man and wanted to help my household,” he says.
Unwillingly he stopped working for the varsity and appeared for jobs elsewhere. “The college functioned for a number of years after that however I used to be not part of it. It nonetheless haunts me that I needed to put my wants earlier than the varsity. However I used to be positive that I might get one other likelihood to work for the society,” he says with a heavy voice.
The chance got here knocking on his door in 2008 when Ghosh retired and determined to return to his village.
‘I nonetheless see hope’
When Ghosh returned residence, he realised that his village and the close by villages nonetheless didn’t have any colleges.
“Kids had been travelling to totally different villages to review, and the dropout price was fairly excessive. Most college students had been economically deprived with no choices for a greater schooling. These kids not solely got here from poor properties but additionally belonged to scheduled castes, dealing with plenty of casteism and unfair discrimination,” he says.
Ghosh determined that he wanted to do one thing. “I reached out to the Authorities and raised the matter. I did all of the analysis after which reached out to the State Authorities with the request of opening a junior highschool within the village,” he shares.
Whereas Ghosh secured the approvals in 2010, the development of the varsity didn’t begin till 2014. “You know the way authorities work is — sluggish as a snail. I devoted all my time to getting the development course of began. The ruling social gathering leaders on the time didn’t help me in any respect, however I had sturdy religion that every thing would work out. Ultimately, when the development did begin, it was the poor individuals of the village who helped me full it rapidly,” he says.
Ghosh confronted one other problem when the varsity wanted everlasting lecturers appointed. “We had been scuffling with no everlasting lecturers for years. Again then, I used to be confronted with a dilemma — if I left the varsity with none everlasting trainer, it will shut down. I’ve been working and not using a wage ever since,” he says.
He provides, “There may be plenty of scarcity of lecturers in India. Now we have been dealing with this challenge for a very long time however small authorities colleges like ours face the brunt probably the most. No non permanent trainer with a menial wage needs to come back and train in a distant village.”
India, in keeping with a UNESCO report, is brief by over 1,000,000 lecturers.
“The college at present has 4 non permanent lecturers who preserve altering with a scholar power of 140,” he says, including that the varsity began with a mere 40 college students and now the quantity has elevated manifold. “The scholar dropout price can be very low. Kids from totally different villages come and examine with us.”
The college will get an annual grant of Rs 25,000 in keeping with Ghosh. “It’s a small quantity sufficient to handle the maintenance of the varsity however not sufficient to pay any lecturers. We’re functioning in some way,” he says.
The liveliest man, his spirit gave the impression to be damaged when he spoke concerning the future. “The longer term is kind of unsure in case you ask me. I don’t know how lengthy I can preserve operating the varsity this fashion. As well as, the varsity has so many ladies getting an schooling. The bigger image is that in the event that they didn’t go to highschool, they is likely to be compelled into little one marriage. To unravel all these points, we’re in determined want of everlasting lecturers, and the hope is that we’ll get them quickly,” he says.
Uttam Babu, who has been working as a visitor trainer on the college for greater than a yr, says, “I’ve seen Ghosh sir working within the college relentlessly with none remuneration. It has been a long time since he retired however his zeal to train and assist kids has not died down. I too get a meagre remuneration however such is the state of the system. The college has many kids however no everlasting lecturers, which will increase the workload altogether. Nonetheless, we hope that we’ll quickly get at the least one everlasting trainer.”
Ghosh says his solely motivation to work with out pay within the college is its college students. “The glimmer of hope for a greater future within the eyes of the youngsters is all of the wage I have to preserve educating,” he remarks.
(Edited by Pranita Bhat; All Picture Credit score: Dwijendra Nath Ghosh)
