The School

Once there lived a little boy named Dhruv. He lived in Gangapur a small town on the banks of river Ganga.

Ramu and his friend often went to the banks of the river for a swim, play with water, ride a boat and sometimes catch fish too.

Whenever Ramu got a fish home, his mother, Durga, would scold him because theirs was a pure vegetarian household. He still didn't stop getting fish home because he loved to irritate his mother.

All was well except for the children's school in Gangapur. The school was in a dilapidated condition. The building was cracking at various places, the roof leaked when it rained, which obviously made studying difficult for the children. There was a lack of ceiling fans which made the summers unbearable. The window panes were broken and the chilly winds in the winter froze their bones. The principal, Shri Shanti Narayan had repeatedly requested the higher authorities but all their pleas fell on deaf ears.

The lack of basic facilities made teaching-learning a highly tedious process but the principal and teachers of the school were a determined bunch. They tried to do their best even in these difficult circumstances. They taught well and there was hardly any student who failed the exam.

The schools were closed for summer vacations. Dhruv, as usual, was troubling his mother and playing with his baby brother. The mother had big dreams for Dhruv. She wanted him to get a good education and become a collector or some other high ranking official. Being uneducated herself, for her collector was the highest post a man could achieve.

Durga had a sister who lived in Delhi. The sister, Amba, was fifteen years elder to Durga and had two grown-up sons working in the Microsoft. Durga did not know what they had studied or done but she liked to see them dress well and go to the office. She visualized a similar future for Ramu. 

The school principal was a close friend of Ramu's father, Shankar. She heard them talk one day. Shankar asked principal Saab

"Has the collector approved the funds for the school building?"

"No", said, Shanti Narayan Ji

"Every time we send an application they promise the funds but the funds never come." Durga felt very sad. She did not know that Dhruv was also listening to the conversation between his father and Shanti Narayan Ji. Dhruv was naughty but he was a bright student and wanted to make it big in life but did not know-how.

A few days later, his Rajat Bhaiya came from Delhi to spend a few days with them in the open, green, fresh environs of the village. He loved to go to the fields, drink fresh "chaach" (buttermilk) made by his Mausi. It was his first night in Gangapur. Dhruv saw Rajat Bhaiya opening a bag and take out a beautiful laptop from inside it. Gangapur was near a big city and the internet worked well there but Dhruv had never used it. He went up to Rajat and asked him, "Bhaiya how does this laptop work?"

Rajat explained everything to him and said, "I will type my reports here and send them to my office in Delhi " Dhruv was shocked to hear that Rajat Bhaiya could send his work far away in Delhi with just a click on the laptop button.

He decided to discuss the problem of his school with him. He told him about the efforts of his principal and the lackadaisical attitude of the officers in the city. He asked Rajat, "Bhaiya can we use your laptop to express our concerns?"

"Why not?" said Rajat. The next day Rajat and Ramu went to school. They took pictures of the decrepit building and it's material. Thereafter they informed the principal that they will post a letter on the official state government website along with the picture. Shanti Narayan Ji said, "I don't know children if this can help the school go ahead." Rajat and Dhruv were delighted.

Rajat wrote the letter to the chief minister on the official government website. He also posted the pictures of the school and complained about the indifferent attitude of the state authorities.

He also shared the post on Facebook and Twitter. He forwarded the letter on WhatsApp to the people he knew. Soon the post caught people's attention and it became viral. 

There was outrage from parents and children alike. The word also reached the Chief Minister's ears. He sent his Minister of Education to go and look into the matter. Minister Saab realized that everything in the post was absolutely correct. The school was both unfit and unsafe for the students as well as for the teachers. He was livid, he hauled up the officials in the administrative department.

What had not happened in so many years finally started happening- the rebuilding of the school. Rajat, Dhruv, Durga, Shankar, Shanti Narayan Ji, and the whole village were ecstatic. They thanked Rajat for his help.

In that re-building, Durga's dreams for her son and Shanti Narayan Ji's vision for the town and its children were taking shape. The building was ready in summer vacations. Dhruv and his friends were delighted to enter the majestic new building. The new benches, fans, and furniture filled up the children with new energy.

The new playground with sports facilities was also being built. The CM had promised them the best quality sports equipment. Many other schools and their children took motivation from the initiative of the Gangapur school. They also expressed their plight through social media.

Their requests are also being taken care of I read in the newspaper. It seems the future of India is in able hands.