Gujjar brothers uplift spirits of fear-stricken kids

Arteev Sharma

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Tribune News Service

Jammu, September 8

Braving enemy bullets and odd situations, two Gujjar brothers — Shafqat Ali and Bag Ali, both teachers by profession — are on a mission of uplifting the spirits of fear-stricken tribal children residing close to zero line along the international border (IB) in RS Pura Sector of Jammu district.

Shafqat, the elder brother, is the headmaster at Government Middle School, Jeora, located 1.5 km away from the border, while Bag Ali, who joined the Education Department as Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT) teacher in 2010 with a meagre salary of Rs 1,500, is now a permanent teacher in the same school.

There are a total of 105 tribal students belonging to the Gujjar Community, which has always bore the brunt of Pakistan shelling and firing whenever there has been tension between the two countries on the borders. There are around 150 Gujjar families in Jeora farm village.

“Whenever there is firing or shelling from across the border, the school remains closed for days together. Parents are left with no option but to shift the young wards to the homes of their relatives. It then becomes very difficult to bring the fear-stricken children back to school as they always show reluctance due to fear of shelling and firing by Pakistan,” Bag Ali said.

Shafqat Ali and Bag Ali originally belong to the same Jeora village. The 51-year-old elder brother joined the Education Department in 1996 and always strove to see the presence of students in the school.

The young brother had all praises for his brother Shafqat Ali, saying “He always encourages and inspires children in difficult situations. He visits them individually so that they come back and attend the school. It has not been an easy job for him because many times, parents too are reluctant to send their wards to the school”.

Shafqat said a lot of potential was seen among the children of the tribal community but they seldom got opportunity to express themselves.

“In 23 years of service, I got the chance to serve my own people in 2013 when I was posted in this school. The children get frightened when there is shelling from the other side. The border tension has made a great psychological impact on these children. On several occasions, they don’t come to school despite the assurance that there is no threat of shelling. By the grace of God, we have been able to uplift their confidence and spirits that has paid dividend ”, the headmaster said.

They said their school had been adjudged the best in calligraphy contest in the district from the past three years.

Village bears the brunt

There are a total of 105 tribal students belonging to the Gujjar Community, which has always bore the brunt of Pakistan shelling and firing whenever there has been tension between the two countries on the borders. There are around 150 Gujjar families in Jeora farm village.