Upgrading their quality of life

By Sanjeev Singh Bariana

• A farm labourer till two year ago, Sukhjinder Singh was often jobless for months together. Today he runs an electricity gadgets repair shop in Kot Kapura, earning more than Rs 3,000 per month.
• Twentytwo-year-old Kiranjot did not dream beyond getting married and raising a family after her plus two. Today she supervises adult education and vocational training centres in six villages of her block in Kot Kapura. Even 50-year-olds respectfully address her as behanji.
• Jaswant Kaur (50) spent her entire life making cakes of cow dung. Today, she weaves carpets on a handloom and also trains girls of her locality.

THESE are only a few instances of the social and economic uplift of the less privileged lot. The Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samithi (BGVS) is the spirit behind the transformation of the quality of life in 84 villages of Kot Kapura in Faridkot district of Punjab.

Making big announcements about crores and lakhs of rupees for a totally literate society is one thing. To walk patiently over human, administrative and social hurdles to achieve the goal is another story altogether. During times when the bureaucratic and political deadlines for complete literacy have lost their meaning, this movement in Kot Kapura made an impact on the social and educational fabric of the area in less than seven years.

The impact is clearly visible in at least half of the population of 84 villages covered under the project. "Although the BGVS undertakes literacy-oriented courses all over the state, this area is under a special project. In the first phase, 57,000 illiterates were identified. As many as 26,000 joined the literacy classes. As many as 10,000 left mid-way", says Dr Pyara Lal Garg, project coordinator for Punjab and Chandigarh.

The post-literacy campaign was a bigger success. A total of 34,980 attended the classes. Of these 10,497 reached the fourth stage, while 10,502 reached the second stage. The dropout rate was negligible, the samithi figures indicate. "Convincing the villagers was the biggest problem", says Shakuntala Devi, block coordinator. ‘What is the need to study at the age of 70?’ one Dhapar Devi had said. Today she can read the Ramayana and other scriptures’, Shakuntala Devi added.

"Each project has its own strategy. The execution of any development programme in any one part of the country cannot be a duplicate of the other due to social, economic and regional factors of the community involved", a sub-block coordinator said.

Even in Kot Kapura the strategy was evolved "naturally". Lok Chetna Sabhas were constituted in every village in addition to Naari Chetna Sabhas. The sabhas combined to form kendras representing a group of villages. All kendras collectively chose members of the block committee, giving people a chance in decision-making. This has encouraged mass participation. The block committee meets on the 12th of every month where each village submits its monthly progress report.

Members earlier got travelling allowance for the monthly meetings. But the paucity of funds has being faced now not deter people from coming in large numbers for the monthly meeting, as was evident when the Tribune team visited Kot Kapura recently.

Volunteers include school teachers and several other educated people who want to contribute towards the growth of society. Cultural artistes like Jaswinder Singh "Kakka" write and present plays and skits, spreading the message of literacy.

In the process of imparting reading and writing skills, the team felt the need for additional motivation to keep people involved as well as to make them self-sufficient.

Training centres for sewing, knitting, carpet-weaving, typing and electronics were set up. The centres are totally self-financed. The fee structure is decided by the Lok Chetna Sabha of the village or the locality keeping in mind the paying capacity of the student.

Embroidery training centres have been opened at Bhana, Sirsadi, Harima and Nanaksar villages; sewing and stitching centres at Sandhwan, Jaito, Surghuri and Kot Kapura; chair weaving schools at Behbal Kalan, Jeewanwala, Behbal Khurd and Jaito; and typing centres at Khara, Jeewanwala and Nangal. A number of libraries have also been opened in several villages with a nominal membership fee.

Shakuntala Devi pointed out various administrative hurdles. "The local administration has asked us to close down our office in Kot Kapura. Officials seem annoyed with the BGVS for pointing out the failure of the administration-sponsored literacy mission," she said. She also showed clippings of vernacular dailies, pointing alleged irregularities in the functioning of the Zila Saksharta Samithi.

Dr Garg, state coordinator, says, "Two districts of Hoshiarpur and Faridkot were taken up for total literacy campaigns by the district administrations in collaboration with the BGVS. The samithi has provided the training material. It has also imparted training to resources persons for teaching in two districts".

"Three more districts, namely Rupnagar, Sangrur and Ludhiana, have also come forward for total literacy. The samithi has also undertaken other issues like gender equity, national integration, self reliance and universalisation of elementary education," he says.

"Bringing in 10,000-odd children under the primary education network in Kot Kapura is on top of the agenda", Dr Garg adds