LETTERS: A Weapon Of Change

A Lower middle class family, single earning person, Shyamprasad, a daily basis worker used to work under a contractor related to repairing of railways tracks. Earning on a daily basis, got Rs. 10 daily wage. Feeding a family of 6, with four childen - Raghu, Ramesh, Santosh, Kuntesh and a wife wasn't an easy task with getting 15 to 20 days work in a month and seasonal unemployment in whole rainy season. Agriculture was another option for fulfilling the daily needs.

During rainy season, out of four kids, as being the eldest son, Raghu has to do some or other small work as a support for the family. One of the work was of the herdman. First two kids used to go to the nearby school (not so near, approx. 5 km from the village) but the dedication was a lot more than problems they were facing in life on a daily basis. With a continuous efforts, they passed the 8th board with being the highest scorers among the nearby villages.

Real problem started when family was unable to bear the expenses of both the children and as life is a cruel teacher, it started testing the patience of the family. The only lady of the family was suffering from the disease called appendicitis whose operation was a costly affair at that time. They had to sell a part of the land for the expenses. The condition was worsened to an extent that fulfilling the daily needs was tough for them. One of the kids had to fully support for the family and had to sacrifice the study and it came from the 2nd kid, Ramesh and he started working with his father. First kid started taking tuition and continued his studies. The hard work and strong determination pays off, after a struggle of 12 years, first kid, not exactly, a man, aged 26 qualified the school teacher exam conducted by the government. The salary was enough to fulfill the daily needs and pay for the higher education for their younger brothers. Now the family is prospering and is one the most respected family in nearby villages. Righly said,

The letters are not used only for writing history, it can be used for creating history.