Bridge To A Dream - A School For Under-Privileged Children Under A Bridge
One fine morning in 2007 Rakesh Kumar Sharma, a small shop-owner from Shakarpur in Delhi walked to the Yamuna Bank Metro Station to see the under-construction railway flyover. Little did he know that this stroll will change his life and that of hundreds of slum children in the years to come. Rakesh came across a few children loitering on the nearby roads and came to know that they belonged to the families of construction workers engaged in the flyover work as well as other sundry labourers who live in the nearby slums under pitiable conditions scarred by poverty and institutional neglect.
A college dropout, Rakesh knew the value of education. Next morning, he was back under the flyover inviting the wandering children to sit there and learn the ABC of informal education. The parents were happy, as being migrants they had no Aadhar card and their children were denied admission in schools. From two kids on the first day, today Rakesh teaches close to 270 kids and prepares them for formal education. Reading, writing, basic science, maths, History, Geography, Hindi and English constitute the syllabus in Rakesh's informal school.
The Delhi Metro Railways have helped in building a platform where students can seat and learn. They also supplied the black paint for the few blackboards on the wall needed for imparting lessons. There are volunteers like Anshul Gupta, a law student at Amity University and Umar Imam a Civil Service aspirant who come to teach. There are also good Samaritans who donate mats, books, footwear and snacks for the children.
Rakesh invited the Principal of a Municipal School in Shakarpur to come and visit the Under-the-Bridge school. He was so impressed that he offered admission to sixty students in his Municipal School. Rakesh motivates his students to join the formal education system as early as possible. Some of them attend Rakesh's school in the morning and then go to a regular school in the afternoon.
Rakesh himself conducts the school in the morning and rushes to Shakarpur in the afternoon to attend to his Kirana store. From six in the morning to eleven in the night his is a busy life. But it is a life of immense satisfaction and fulfilment happily shared by his family. His wife and eldest son work as volunteers in the school. Help and encouragement from well-wishers has sustained the zeal of Rakesh Kumar Sharma who sees in the children the embodiment of his unfulfilled dream of pursuing higher education.
Under the Metro flyover the children sit unconcerned and study when a train speeds on the overhead track every seven to eight minutes. The look of concentration on their face is symbolic of a resolve to pursue a dream of overcoming great odds and attaining success in life.
The accompanying video is a tribute to Rakesh's wonderful initiative.
#PositiveVibes.Today salutes the selfless teacher and his determined students.
Viewers Comments