They Got Through IIT. Their Success Stories Are Now Inspiring Other Village Kids To Pursue Their Dreams

Although success story of the two sons of a poor daily wager Dharamraj Saroj of Rehua Lalgunj village of Lalgunj block of Pratapgrah district, who have made it to IIT has changed the fortune of not only this dalit family, the sheer determination of Brijesh and Raju has also become an inspiration for other dalit students of the region like them.

Students like Kapur Saroj and Karan Bhartiya, both of Pratapgrah, and Shubham Yadav of Kunda block have written history and changing the paradigm following which sending children to school and providing all help for their studies have become first priority for the backward families of the region who till the last week were contented with meager physical household assets considered a status symbol for them.

Although Rehua Lalgunj village has two dalit families, other than the family and relatives of Dharamraj Saroj, surrounding villages like Raj ka purva, Bhakidar ka purva, Mathia, Devsadha, Tiwari ka purva and many others have several dalit families but sending their wards to school and making themselves, or their kids, aware of career opportunities never crossed their minds. "My great-great grandfather, Datadeen, had migrated to this village in search of job and sustained the family doing labour work, a tradition that continued till my grandfather. But my father and three uncles refused to live life they inherited and went to bigger cities for search of job," said Raju Saroj, one of the sons of Dharamraj, who cracked IIT in his first attempt. Earning money was just for better quality of life and possessing physical assets like TV, Radio etc or building pucca houses and their first priority and sending their children to school, the least, he added.

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"My father owns small piece of land and had never gone to school but my brother, Arvind Saroj studied till 10th but left studies to support the family and no one inspired him to study further so he opened a cycle repair shop," said Kapoor Saroj, a student from Kalyan Ka Purva village of Lalgunj block of Pratapgrah, who scored 5th rank in reserved category.

"Things are changing only in families wherein the elder brothers - cannot say sisters as girls of our community have to still struggle hard to continue education - have gone to school, what if only upto class 8th or 10th but they supported their younger brothers like me and here we are taking full advantage of the opportunity given to us", said Kapoor, a student of JNV Pratapgrah and classmate of Brijesh and prepared for IIT from Pune, courtesy Dakshina scholarship.

"First the parents of backward communities have to change their mindset and understand that poverty is one boon wherein their kids can show to the world that they can make a difference in scarcity too", said Karan Bhartiya, another student of Pratapgrah district who cracked IIT this year.

"People of dalit community, especially those living in the periphery of bigger towns like Lucknow, Meerut etc, have taken good advantage of the reservation system and several educated youths of Sitapur, Unnao, Gonda, Barabanki, Sultanpur etc are in good positions but success stories coming from remote villages of Pratapgrah will have far reaching consequence for changing the overall status of dalits of this region," said Badri Narayan, social expert from GB Pant Institute of Social Sciences, Jhusi, Allahabad.

What the Saroj family has faced as in the incident of stone pelting is not new as every dalit, and many a times even people of upper caste, have to face the brunt of envy of villagers whenever someone from the village achieves something as big as this, he added. "Their suffering will change the future of other dalits of the region," said Narayan.

(Originally published in The Times of India)