Wheeling in progress

Sujata Tarte used to walk for an hour every day to get to school at Nimbgaon Bhogi village, in Shirur, Maharashtra.

Sujata Tarte used to walk for an hour every day to get to school at Nimbgaon Bhogi village, in Shirur, Maharashtra. 8220;Now it takes only half an hour,8221; says the class IX student, who can continue her studies even as she helps out with the household chores. Sheetal Vyavahre too has decided to pursue a diploma in agriculture instead of dropping out of school, and though Vijaya Sambhare cycles 13 km to Shirur, she is not complaining because she hopes to complete her BEd some day.

The common thread that binds the lives and aspirations of most girls in the Shirur taluka is the bicycle. It8217;s their vehicle to freedom in more ways than one. The Bicycle Bank is the brainchild of Ashta No Kai ANK, an NGO that works for girls8217; literacy in 10 villages of Shirur. 8220;We take Rs 300 as deposit from the girls when we give them the bicycle, and the money is used for the bike8217;s maintenance. They keep the cycles till they continue their education, and after they return them, we give back the deposit or the balance,8221; says Armene Modi, founder chairperson of ANK.

Till a few years ago, the girls around Shirur studied till class VIII and got married. 8220;We were told that without a good dowry, we wouldn8217;t find a good match,8221; says Vaishali Sambare, a class IX student. Today they know that good education is the only passport to a good life8212;and the bicycles are getting them there. Things began to change after Modi, on a visit to the area in 1998, found extremely low literacy levels, with only a couple of girls getting into college. 8220;In fact, they dropped out of school after class VIII,8221; says Modi. Today, there are 11 girls from Nimbgaon Bhogi and two from Sone Sangvi who cycle their way to college.

Modi has also started scholarships worth Rs 2,000 and Rs 1,000 along with a cycle for every girl. 8220;There were only three applicants in the first year. This year, there were 54,8221; she says.

Empowered, nearly 34 girls from the area have formed a group, Kishori Mandal, which works for the villages8217; development by dealing with subjects like HIV, literacy, cleanliness, even entertainment. 8220;Earlier we thought sharing a plate with an HIV afflicted person would infect us. Now we know it can spread only through infected needles. We also know much more about things like menstruation and the superstitions associated with it,8221; says Sambare, who heads the subgroup on health awareness. The girls meet every week at the education centre in Nimbgaon Bhogi.

Supporting the girls is their mentor, Tai Vaijanta Raut, a 36-year-old woman who has studied till class VII and has been with Modi through thick and thin. 8220;Five years ago, I couldn8217;t even go to the nearby village on my own and didn8217;t know what a bank was,8221; says Raut. Today, she rides a moped, takes care of the bank work for ANK and is always there for the girls.

Modi may be ending her 10-year-old project in 2008, but she knows the women will be self-empowered by then. 8220;I have the support of the village panchayat as well as the parents. Hopefully, they8217;ll be prepared by then,8221; she says. Her hopes are riding on a simple vehicle8212;a bicycle.