Source: www.mid-day.com

Some hundreds of children smile. Meet five city geeks who decided to lead by example when it came to giving lessons in kindness

Charity is one thing, and chapters in self-reliance, another. Thankfully, five young men in town know the difference. Ajit Kumar Singh, an employee of Adobe Systems, Hemant Roy, with BrickRed Technologies, Izhar Arman, with Pitney Bowes, Anindit Sinha, with BirlaSoft and Prashant Kumar Roy were determined to take up a challenge that most would only talk about and not tread on. All of them had a common mission quality education in rural India. This gave birth to their NGO Aarambh in June last year. Now, their humble beginning has resulted in two full-fledged schools in otherwise backward areas of Bihar, with over 200 students.
Predictably, the journey wasn't easy. There were times when there was no money to pay to the teachers, when parents refused to send their kids, and a lack of basic amenities in study areas. But the five stood thick.

When their first school was set up in Derhgaon, a remote village in the Rohtas district of Bihar, it had 20 students and one teacher. Today, the same school boasts of 150 students and six teachers with classes I to VII, and operates in two shifts, in an open space provided by the villagers. Aarambh's second school was started in Maheshwara village, Begusarai (Bihar) in October last year. Sixty students and three teachers make the rented place a temple of knowledge.

As all the founder members are working professionals, they make it a point that no matter how small their efforts are, the project is given the best in terms of time, money and ideas to help the under-privileged. Hailing from different places in Bihar and Jharkhand, they make it a point to visit both the schools once in every three months, turnwise. Teachers are given professional training so that they match up to optimum educational standards.

Funds ke funde

The youngsters are still battling with basic problems, standing strong in the face of each. "In summer, there are hot winds, and in monsoon, heavy downpours. Due to all this, school hours have to be cut short, and even shutters pulled down. A building is now a must, open spaces aren't enough. We haven't been able to manage the funds yet, and hope conscientious corporates will come forth," said Ajit Kumar Singh, the president of the organisation.

The evangelists feel that the biggest hurdle in their giant step is the finance. "We make it a point to save a certain percentage of our income every month for this cause. But this contribution is just not enough to run the school smoothly. We tried to gather some funds from the government and private organisations, but in vain," said Hemant Kumar Roy, secretary, Aarambh.

According to estimates, India will have the largest youth population in the world in the coming years, with a multiple increase in unskilled and/or illiterate unless proper education is facilitated. Experts have warned that if this young energy is not channelised properly, one can only imagine the danger looming large over the country. Or, hope for happiness, if more men like these come forward.

Link to this news: http://www.mid-day.com/lifestyle/2009/nov/171109-aarambh-techies-teachers.htm