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COVER  STORY


            few  months  ago, when  volunteers                     THE HARD REALITY

            of  a  partner  organization  of  CRY                  CRY  and  its  partner  organiza-

            approached  her and requested                          tion recently  conducted  a base-

            her  to take remedial  classes  for                    line  study,  the  results  of  which

            children  in  the  village.  She  was                  mirror  the  ground  reality  in this
            educated  and  qualified  enough                       region.  Lives and  livelihoods

            for the role, they told her. Having                    in these  impoverished  villages

            doomed  herself  to a mundane                          revolve  around  the  sharp,  rocky,

            life of hopelessness, she refused                      barren dunes  of the mica fields.

            immediately  and  even  avoided                        Trudging for miles through muddy

            beyond the dhibra, where they can                      tracks, collecting mica scrap from

            leaf through  books and  play with                     7.7-30am  to  5pm  come  rain  or
            toys, instead of going into muddy                      shine, and selling them to dealers

            mounds  looking for shiny scrap.                       for a meager Rs 200 (per family) –

 DAY BREAK IN AN IMPOVER-  there, done that. Growing up,   meeting  them  the  next  day.  She   hours pass into days and days into
 ISHED VILLAGE IN TISRI BLOCK   she  used  to dream of  becoming   was scared that her in-laws would   months. A lifetime goes by. So it

 IN GIRIDIH, JHARKHAND.  a teacher. Despite insurmount             has been for generations. Children
 21-year-old Savita (name changed)   able  hardships  and  pressure from   throw her out if she refused to join   are enrolled in schools, but they do

 hurries through her early morning   family, she studied till Class X and   them in dhibra collection. But the   not attend classes. Their hands are
 chores, brimming with enthusiasm   volunteers convinced her that the
 and  anticipation. She has  started   cleared her board exams. Married   ‘job’  would help  her  earn, on her   cut and bruised, they often develop

 taking remedial classes in the after-  off soon after, the young girl had   own,  more than  what her  family   breathing problems and can hardly
 noon for children in her village and is   no  option but to give up  on her   earns  by  selling  mica  scrap.  The


 enjoying her new role as a teacher.   dream. Her days were spent in
 It gives her immense joy and fulfill-  collecting and sorting dhibra with   21-year-old made a difficult choice,
 ment to interact with and  teach   and was surprised when her family
 children, most of who do not know   her  in-laws  and  her  evenings  in   consented. Today Savita spends

 about or have never seen a world   rigorous household chores, and   two hours every afternoon with 30
 beyond the ‘shiny’ mica pellets.   attending to her alcoholic husband.   children, teaching them maths and

 in a progressive and positive way.
 A DREAM COME TRUE  language, talking to them about the

 The barren dunes of dhibra (mica)   Savita  was  busy  sorting  importance of going to school and

 on  the  periphery  of  the  closed   through  shiny  pellets  in  the   encouraging them to dream. She
 mica mines  - Savita has  been  scorching  sun  one  morning  a  wants to lead them towards a world


 |12  thecorporatereview.com  | India  | Vol. 3  |  Issue  5| July 2022                                     |13
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