After my brother’s wedding in Feb 2020, as per custom my mother wanted to thank the Deity in the ancestral village temple and distribute sweets. I also went along, and, on the way, we crossed the Govt School of the village. We saw lots of kids playing there and mutually agreed to visit the school after praying at the village temple, to distribute the sweets to the children at the school.

We met the Principal, and he kindly called a school assembly for us to distribute the sweets. On learning that my brother was an Oxford graduate, he requested him to motivate the kids by giving a speech, which was well received by the students and teachers. All that was the good part. Later the Principal conducted us around the classrooms and other facilities.
I always thought we came from Haryana, one of the prosperous states in India, so never expected to arrive at the village school and be greeted by classrooms with almost no furniture and an infrastructure that barely provided shelter from the elements. The Mid-Day Meal Kitchen which is a way to bring poor children to school and address malnourishment in poor families was in dilapidated state and food was being cooked outside as the roof was falling. There were no science labs, no computers, no proper playgrounds in this High School

Yes, I almost felt guilty for being privileged and that till then I had not noticed these harsh realities so acutely. But what ignited my spirit, was the sparkle in the eyes of the children, their determination and resilience despite being in such a humble situation. They were eager to learn and progress despite the odds stacked against them. I decided at that moment that I should involve the slightly affluent and better-placed people from the village to give back to our roots. My newly married brother and sister-in-law had previously expressed that they wanted to donate the cash gifts received in wedding to Charity, and immediately agreed to give me that money for School. That was the starting point.

Even if one is far, there is so much connectivity and one can do a lot. We went back the next day to the village and met with the Principal again and volunteered to support in the school improvement. What we basically realized after meeting the Principal was, that there was apathy for the children and school from the village elected leaders, because the kids were mostly from backward class. And the parents were simple and not empowered enough to demand anything as their right. The Principal was skeptical, and said that many people come and give advice, but no one really finally helps and supports financially or otherwise. To be fair to the Principal of the school, he had already taken up a few matters with higher authorities and had a plan. We asked for immediate priority needs and financial costs involved. Based on the discussions we decided to buy Classroom furniture, Teaching Boards, Mats, and Coir rolls so that the students could have a dignified and motivational classroom and assembly environment.

We formed a procurement committee to purchase and ensure quality of furniture and other items. This immediate donation, I feel softened the Principal, and he could see my genuine interest. Unfortunately, after that The COVID lockdowns started but we were able to get few things done for the infrastructure. Once the lockdown was lifted, we could implement a lot of activities. One village leader’s approach was that the school was for the Backward Castes and that I shouldn’t get involved.

I had to remind him that it is the marginalized who need the best efforts from us to have an equitable society. Also, I reached out and involved some Senior retired Army Officers of the village with me. My grandfather, who has deep links in the village helped me there.

The up gradation in infrastructure was minuscule compared to the transformation in the confidence levels of the students. Regarding infrastructure, the whole school got a face lift in terms of replastering, painting, good desks, tables and smart digital boards in classrooms. I further donated my entire two years pocket money saved during COVID to rebuild the toilets with proper sanitary tiles, water supply and drainage system. The Mid Day Meal Kitchen particularly the Roof which was falling was completely reconstructed. A Health and dental camp was organized for the students, from the Local Primary Health Centre. My grandfather who regularly donated to the village temple agreed that real God lived with the poor. He diverted some of his donation funds and started a scholarship for the position holders of each class.
I converted all my own previously earned School Trophies for the Village School achievers. There is much healthy competition in the school now amongst the students to win the cash prizes, and rolling Trophies which are kept in School with their names. These are handed over on Independence Day, where the students also put up a cultural show. We are also supporting children in guiding and assisting for university admissions. Our school achieved cent percent results for last two years, in 10th and 12th boards. Out of 127 schools in district only 5 schools achieved this result. One girl student Ms Anjali Dalal, stood second in the entire district in class 12 board exams. Another achievement was the selection of a girl student in the state Kho-kho team.
The school Principal was honored by the district authorities for the results achieved and transformative improvement of the school. There is a new Principal now and he has taken the improvement further. Recently the government scheme to provide smart Tablets to students has been fully implemented. There has been an increase in school strength and parental cooperation and satisfaction in sending their children to the village school. The progress has received new impetus by village leaders coming forward . They have set up a “Rewari Khera Gaurav Club” to further encourage and reward, sports and academic excellence amongst students

We have built a community and administrative interest in the School Welfare and now it’s more about coordination sometimes. Personally, am on the senior class Students and Teachers WhatsApp groups. I am able to indirectly/ directly support, when needed. The students can also message me directly. The scholarships and awards are ongoing from my family’s trust. There is selfishness there because this also gives my family elders and me, access to the school, so that we can oversee the progress of the students. Also, the higher needs of giving back to society of village affluents are getting channelized. Recently, I assisted a student in university admission by arranging an admission meeting with the University HOD.

You are absolutely right there. I strongly feel that it takes only a little bit of push and encouragement, from those who are enabled in communities towards those who are underprivileged. The Government has many initiatives especially for the marginalized communities, but they are somehow not being utilized.
With EMPOWER LEGAL, I hope to provide a platform to empower individuals, organizations, and communities by providing accessible information on common laws and government schemes that promote equality and social justice. I hope to bridge the awareness gap and catalyze change towards a more inclusive society. EMPOWERMENT, I believe is the key, to changing lives.