16-year-old gives 30 slum women the lesson of their lives

But Ganga’s one-woman literacy mission is soon going to come to a full stop, like most good things do. Because Ganga is going to get married. She’s quit school and may pursue her studies externally. But she does plan to move on to her new sasar (in-laws’ home) and spread literacy there as well.

Ganga’s campaign began with a few slates, pencils, chalks and loads of sheer grit. One woman after the other, all unable to read, joined the school run by Ganga in her kholi (room). But retaining students was no easy task: women couldn’t find time for the alphabet in the midst of their daily chores. They put their heads together and came up with a solution: classes were held while the rest of the family slept. Thus, for very long, the men didn’t even know that their wives were attending classes, says Ganga, her eyes twinkling.

Three books provided by the Pune Municipal Corporation, each of which had to be completed within three months, was the syllabus. Woven into the course were visits by experts on health and family planning. “This helped a lot since the women were ignorant about health hazards, and since then cleanliness has definitely become important for them,” says Ganga.

For her students, Ganga has always been a friend and a confidante, not just a teacher. The students even maintained a problem diary, in which each person was free to write any problem she faced, which they would all eventually solve.

Has being literate helped the women in any way? All 30 of them say they feel the difference. And they can do much more than just sign their names. “Now, I can move around the city and outside on my own without help. Earlier I needed someone to accompany me everywhere,” says Sarubai Waghmare, a student.

“Being literate is a lot of help, especially in ration shops where we would often be misled,” added another student. Now they can read the destination and numbers of buses, and don’t have to ask strangers for help. Even little household chores, like keeping accounts and savings are now being handled by the women themselves.

A very positive fall-out of this mission has been the change in attitude of the men. Alcoholism was a major cause for conflict among several families. Today, most of the men in the locality have completely given up alcohol, including Ganga’s father. “It isn’t me but education which finally makes the difference,” she insists, though her pupils feel differently.

Ganga’s campaign is not restricted to her locality alone: she makes it a point to reach out to as many women as possible. Thus, when she went to live in her aunt’s house at Dandekar Pul for a few months, she ended up taking her mission there as well. And returned home with five more names on her list of literate women. The women in her sasar can now rest assured.