A 60 year old lady takes initiative to spread education in society especially among women.
By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Guwahati: The old adage goes that if there’s a will, there’s definitely a way out. This may not be quite true to this 60 year old lady Rangila Medhi in a remote village in Assam’s Darrang district at present.
Her mission to educate people, especially rural women which was initiated much before the government schemes is facing tough time. Meet Rangila Medhi of Jhakuapara village at Hazarikapara in Darrang district, some 70 odd kilometres from state capital Guwahati, being a daily wage earner, she has successfully written two books after going to school much later period at her life at 40.
Rangila Medhi with the women of the village
“I don’t want anybody to feel the pain through which I had to undergo. That’s why I try my best to educate the people of my nearby areas. Especially women of my age or even younger did not get much opportunity to study or some of them were not allowed to go to school, I can feel their pain of not knowing the letters,” Medhi told TwoCircles.net at her residence as she interacts with a group of village women.
Though for the last 20 years she has been constantly fighting her way to provide education to rural women, financial crunch has deterred her from reaching out to her goal. “It’s been tough to meet all the needs. Though I want to go in a big way to educate the women of our locality, on several occasions I have to stay back because I cannot do all the things which I want to do due to lack of financial crunch,” she added.
The village women come to her house in the afternoon twice or thrice a week to get the lessons from Medhi who lives with her brothers. She also visits nearby schools in the locality besides travelling to some of the other parts of the state to promote girls education.
“I desperately want to take this mission in a big way. If I can institutionalized this, I hope many more women and girls can be educated. Because, without education it’s dark everywhere,” said Medhi whose mission has already touched hundreds of women in the nearby areas.
But alas, she faces problems at every step of her life. Besides working on her mission she has to work in the agriculture fields to make ends meet. “I don’t want to be a burden to somebody else and I’m proud of what I do for my living. As I earn little money, it becomes difficult to spend it for my mission,” said the lady who never decided to get married.
However, by being a spinster, it has been a blessing for her. “I never repent at whatever I have done rather I’m proud of it. Had I been married, maybe I had a couple of children but now all are my own children and I can equally treat them for a better tomorrow,” said a confident Medhi.
The journey had started way back in 1993 when she stepped in a school for the second time in her life at the age of 40 with a help of a member of a NGO Gyan Vigyan Samity. After that it is a never looking back journey.
“It was curse for me not to read the letters and I was desperate to get rid of it. All thanks to Gyan Vigyan,” she said. Earlier, at an age of 10 she once tried to go to school but her father was against her going to school and he dragged her out of it.
For the beneficiaries, it’s a privilege to have such kind of soul by their side. “We are proud of baideo (elder sister). Only because of her, now I can write my name and read text book. I hope very soon I will be able to read newspaper,” said Neera Deka, a house wife who visits Medhi’s house to learn lesson.
Kishore Kalita, a local youth said that such kind of initiative has created a positive atmosphere in the entire area and these days no parents hesitate to send their daughters to pursue higher studies.