Indore (Madhya Pradesh): At a time when social work is often associated with positions, publicity and recognition, a group of people is quietly working to make education easier for children in remote government schools.
The Vidyamitra group has continued this work for 11 years without creating formal posts or registering itself as an NGO.
The group believes that whenever a school needs something, its members should come forward to help. Many of these schools are in remote areas, where children often lack basic educational facilities. Members travel through village roads and narrow pathways to reach students and provide what they need.
Over the years, the group has provided school bags, uniforms, winter clothes, jackets, shoes and socks, tables and benches, fans, boards, mats, drinking water containers and clocks. Students are also given notebooks, slates, pens, pencils, erasers, rulers, charts and globes. Sports equipment, including cricket kits, badminton rackets, shuttlecocks, chess and carrom boards, is also provided according to schools’ requirements.
The initiative has grown into a larger service campaign. Schools can approach the group with their requirements, while members also come forward on their own. On family occasions and festivals, some members arrange meals and gifts for children.
The group has helped students at several schools, including Government Middle School Kuradakhedi, Government Middle School Panjariya, Government High School Nanded, Government Primary School Nandlai Ghati, Government High School Sitapat and Government Higher Secondary School Hasalpur.
For members, the children’s response is the biggest reward. A school bag, warm clothes, shoes or even a set of notebooks often brings a smile to their faces, which members value more than recognition or publicity.
Vidyamitra coordinator Deepak Vibhakar Naik said the group has around 62 members from different backgrounds and places, including Mhow, Indore and Ujjain, as well as Pune, Mumbai and the US. Active members include Manoj Jhirival, Deep Mandwani, Smita Mukadam, Richa Prashast, Madhuri Phanse, Rinku Vyas, Pratap Aher, Firoz Badnagarwala, Harmeet Singh, Girish Kathuria and Madhuri Bhagwat.
Members come from professions including software engineering, LIC management, healthcare, chemistry, business, teaching, e-commerce, hospitality and the iron trade. People from different faiths are also part of the group and work together for the same cause.
