Mid-nineties I visited Santiniketan with my family and my fond memories of visiting the craft mela revived when I visited on 19th February 2022 again to have a meeting with Surul Swastha Samiti, established in 1934 on the values inculcated from the mission initiated by the Nobel Laureate, Rabindra Nath Tagore, “Rural Reconstruction Programme”.

The meeting was basically to join hands for having a Community Library and Resource Centre along with the Health Centre. The READ Model encourages the partners to provide free space wherever possible and Sural Swastha Samiti, provided the first floor of the building, next to the cultural heritage, Rajbari, just adjacent to this Centre.

On Shubho Nobo Borsho (Bengali New Year), 15th April 2022, the READ Centre, with books, computers, early learning material, was inaugurated. The reflections of community commitment, community participation, art and culture, traditional cultural performances by local community, local exhibition, enthusiasm, kantha embroidery as a proud art display and on the above authentic food were some of the highlights of the programme. I was so fascinated by the beauty and the dressing of the girls, women and boys who performed on the wonderful Bengali songs written and composed by Rabindra Nath Tagore. India’s true culture and heritage one can see in rural India, we can still name it as “India’s real dharohar (India’s richness). Here money is not an upfront issue, but respect, dignity, dialogue and Visva Bharati University Professors and Teachers when talked about the Rabindra Nath Tagore and is followed religiously was a great learning.

While staying in the guest house PALASH, talking to the care taker, Shyamal, who very proudly said that he knows the English very well, is well-versed in handling day to day needs of IT tools and can efficiently do work on MS Office, I was fascinated by his commitment to take care of the guests 24×7 with his humble personality. I had a chat with the cook, who is the mother of Shyamal, a simple lady, dedicated to cook food for the guests and a helper, Sangita, who is 12th pass, taking tuition at home for children and also assisting her Aunt when the guests come at PALASH for taking care of them to the best possible extent.

They both shared with me that their sister is an expert in embroidery and make beautiful embroidery pieces, if I can give a chance to meet with her. On 16th morning, I called her at the guest house and she showed me her work. I was amazed to see the neatness, the quality assurance and the wonderful designs. Further interaction with her revealed that this heritage craft of Kantha every girl has to learn from the childhood, what is required is designing, colour combination, the cloth on which they do embroidery and the need to enhance their skills to match with the expectations of the buyers. She also showed me the samples of Gujarat embroidery. She mentioned that the small shift in the stitch can help them learn the art of another State. This made me realise the Unity in Diversity still exists which may be invisible in the forefront, but the India’s strong culture cannot ignore. It’s a natural instinct which we all have but are losing our simplicity to express, show and practice in our day to day life.

READ Centre was launched with deep happiness as the Mission set 100 years back, still works very well, people may leave this world but the values never die. This we have to understand and do a bit of goodness every day so that they become part of our rich culture, take the shape of values and we all should leave some legacy for remembrance and the journey should continue for years to come! This could only be possible if Education is our back bone, cultural values are in our hearts, discourses are meaningful, and the dialogue should be “What we can do for others, not, what they have done for us”!

Its great to have one day specially marked on the calendar to wish every woman all the best. We all do. The real wishes come from the heart when you are in touch with so many women who reside in the rural areas and you are talking to them, thanks to the technology, and they are wishing “Happy Women’s Day” or saying “Antarashtriya Mahila Diwas Ki Shubhkamnayen”. Bringing them online and talking to them what do they mean about this, the answer is “we changed our lives, thanks to READ India for providing us the opportunity”.

A few quotes: Fatima says, I am a school teacher in Kalghar village of Rampur, I learnt computers and now my salary is double, I have happily taken over the administration job of the school along with teaching, my computer skills have added more income to my family and I am confident in handling multiple responsibilities.

Abida says, I never thought of be self-dependent. What a change in life, I am not only self-dependent but making may girls self-dependent by teaching them the stitching and sewing skills and Shaziya says that she has opened a training Centre at her home and making other girls learn the same skills and earn money. Thanks to Akbar for his dedication and driving the positivity by transforming the lives of local girls and women enabling them to understand the importance of self-dependent and bring confidence in them for self-transformation.

Nishi Says, “we are six sisters. All were not allowed to come out of home, but the local leader, Farah, convinced our father to send the girls at the READ India Community Library and Resource Center. Now all the six sisters have learned multiple skills and are self-dependent”, what a change in the family! Nishi shared her feelings as “मुस्कुरा कर दर्द को बुलाकर रिश्तो में बंधी थी एक नारी हर पग को रोशन करने वाली वह शक्ति है एक नारी।“

Fiza, who said after passing the 10th class, she started training the women zari zardozi work, was not confident how she will speak with the elderly women and make them learn. She is so confident now and is continuing her higher education by earning money as a trainer with READ India.

Muskan, a young girl belongs to an orthodox family lives in village Patwai of District Rampur, she says that she had to drop out from her school as her father thought that women should not be allowed to go outside , but she with the help of the mobilizers of READ India center able to convince her father & got the permission to read in the READ India center, since past six months she has been reading in the center and now her father impressed from her & allowed her to get admission in the school for further formal studies. She expressed her feelings by sharing “मां बन कर जन्म दिया जिसने, लालन-पालन भी किया जिसने, शीश झुका कर प्रणाम करो उस नारी को, तुम पर एहसान किया उसने।

Farha, the Coordinator, who has been motivating, training and mentoring the local girls in the villages of Patwai, Khalghar, Aghapur and surroundings, shared her power by expressing as :

मुट्ठी में कुछ सपने लेकर भरकर जीवो में आशाएं दिल में है। अरमान यही कुछ कर जाएं कुछ कर जाएं।

सूरत सा तेज नहीं मुझमें, दीपक से जलता देखोगे।

अपनी हद रोशन करने से, तुम मुझको कब तक रोकोगे, तुम मुझको कब तक रोकोगे !

मैं उस माटी की वृक्ष नहीं, जिसको नदियों ने सींचा है।

बंजर माटी में पलकर मैंने, मृत्यु से जीवन खींचा है।

मैं पत्थर पर लिखी इबारत हूं। शीशे से कब तक तोड़ोगे,

मिटने वाला में नाम नहीं, तुम मुझको कब तक रोकोगे, तुम मुझको कब तक रोकोगे !

इस जग में जितने जुल्म नहीं उतने सहने की ताकत है।

दानों के भी शोर में रहकर सच कहने की आदत है।

मैं सागर से भी गहरी हूं, तुम कितने कंकड़ फेकोगे !

चुन चुन कर आगे बड़ूगी मैं, तुम मुझको कब तक रोकोगे। तुम मुझको कब तक रोकोगे!

झुक झुक कर सीधी खड़ी हुई अब फिर झुकने का शौक नहीं।

अपने ही हाथों रचा स्वयं, तुमसे मिटने का खौफ नहीं।

तुम हालातों की भट्टी में जब जब भी मुझको झोकेगे, तब तब सोना बनूंगी मैं

तुम मुझको कब तक रोकोगे तुम मुझको कब तक रोकोगे !

Thanks to the efforts made by the local Coordinators, I should say the local leaders who are the change-makers by interacting with these girls, motivating their families, bringing confidence for making them self-dependent.

In Lakhimpur, two girls from Punjab, residing in the village, walking more than 6 kms every day to learn the skills and are blessed to have the local leader Seema Singh, who is instrumental in changing their lives. The smiles on their faces and the confidence while talking shows the inner strength.

Similarly, in Mewat, Nuh, Baran, Geejgarh, Gosaiganj, Lucknow, Barabanki and many other places, girls shared their transforming stories. A sense of satisfaction and fulfilment enriches the READ India team apart from fulfilling the commitments to the donor. The same voices across the country in selected geographies show the sustained holistic development, will show the ripple effect in coming years, the way transformation in the society takes the shape.

In Lucknow, many stories of transformation, where the girls have learnt multiple skills and are making others to learn. They do not have words to thank the local Coordinators to make them learn and earn.

In Badagaon of Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, Sana says, in the past four years, multiple skills have been given to the girls and for them the meaning of International Women’s Day is self-empowerment.

In Gosaiganj, Lucky says she has taught more than 400 girls stitching and sewing and many girls are earning money to meet their own expenses and continuing their education for further development, realizing their own dreams.

These girls are not economically that sound, but positivity, family bonding, zeal to do something, looking towards more opportunities are the few steps to share up their lives is the real meaning of International Women’s Day for READ India and its senior management team.