Shaila

Shaila’s hunger for knowledge and her warm personality were noticed by TARAhaat and
at nineteen she is a Basic IT and Practical English Course instructor.
A resident of Niwari block of Tikamgarh, Shaila Srivastava has achieved what girls in peri-urban India can only dream of Today, this 19 year old girl is successfully employed and standing on her own feet.

Life changed for Shaila when TARAhaat opened its centre at Niwari. She joined the BIT course there. Her intelligence and commitment helped her complete the course faster than other students. Her drive and initiative caught the attention of the instructors and TARAhaat offered her an instructor’s position when she had finished her course.

She was also selected for the challenging job of the Soochak for TARAhaat’s e-governance project in Tikamgarh district.

As a Soochak, she had to act as a coordinator between the block officers and rural customers, mostly women. She was instrumental in defining the success of the project.

But Shaila was not a person who would rest peacefully on past laurels. She continued her studies with a DIT course from the Niwari TARAkendra, while continuing to work as an instructor.

"TARAhaat has changed my life in a big way." says Shaila. No doubt, her newfound belief is reflected in her attitude. She is now living away from her parents and commuting to the Niwari and TARAgram centres where she provides PEC and BIT training. This is only the beginning. q

Pramod has come a long way from the boy who has worked pretty hard to secure a government job. He has completed TARAhaat’s Basic IT course and is now pursuing advanced computer courses at the local TARAkendra.
His BIT certificate has helped him get a job at the local school, Saraswati Sishu Mandir. He now realizes that a government job is not the only option available to rural youth.

Pramod is one among the many beneficiaries of TARAhaat. The quality IT and non-IT education that TARAhaat provides has enabled many rural students in to look at their future with optimism.
Having heard about TARAhaat and its education courses from his friends, he registered for the BIT course. His hard work and determination finally paid off as he turned ‘computer friendly’ in no time.

Although Pramod Sharma still considers a job in the government sector as a security belt, he is not hesitant in exploring other careers. With him taking the initiative as a computer teacher, he is now confident that there are other options as well that are available to him and his friends.

"I considered a government job to be the only employment option available. But my local TARAkendra made me realize that students from villages can also utilize the potential of IT for acquiring better and decent jobs," says Pramod Sharma. q

Parmar Sisters

The Parmar sisters, Pinky, Rajmani and Priti, never dreamed that their photographs would appear on the cover of Business World one day. But truth is stranger than fiction. People from around the world now come to Punavali Kalan, a remote village located 17 km from Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh, to meet these three spirited sisters.

Pinky, the eldest and a born leader, had always been an active social worker. She spearheaded DA’s Swajal project (aided by World Bank) aimed at providing safe drinking water in the Bundelkhand region, one of the poorest areas in the country. She inspired her sister Rajmani to open a TARAkendra in their village. Rajmani, a good student, was pursuing her Masters in Sociology from the University of Bundelkhand, Jhansi. She had also completed a basic course in computers. Energetic and gifted with rare entrepreneurial skills, Rajmani visualised a future wherein the TARAkendra would become the centre of attraction in the entire region. And, her dream was realized when people from the media thronged their village to witness first hand the revolution brought upon by the sisters. Rajmani now handles the administrative functions of the TARAkrendra and also teaches the Basic IT course.

The youngest sister, Priti, was apprehensive at the beginning. However, she soon realized that she could also join the global community and enjoy the facilities that technology provides to people across the world. She went on to enroll for a BIT course to strengthen her career prospects. Priti also helps her neighbours find information, especially on various kinds of common diseases. Nowadays, she helps her sisters run the TARAkendra and also helps her teach the younger students.

The Parmar sisters believe that the most important contribution TARAhaat has made in their lives is to encourage them to dream. They now dream that there will be a TARAkendra in even the remotest village of India, and that would help many others to dream. q

Ripudaman Singh of Dabra village in the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh dreamt of doing something other than agriculture, the profession followed by previous generations. With this aim, he completed his Bachelor’s degree in Commerce and started pursuing his Masters degree. He was still unsure of how this would help him establish himself. He knew he could not afford to move to a big city for better prospects.

All this, however, was before he joined TARAhaat for the Basic IT course. It opened a whole new world for him. On the successful completion of the course, he got a job as a computer teacher in Rao Purendra Convent School at Dabra. He has now registered his younger brother also for the Basic IT course at the local TARAkendra.

Ripudaman’s words sum it all -"TARAhaat’s education has changed my entire way of thinking. I’m much more confident and positive than ever before." q

Dilip Srivastava never ever believed that he would be one of the success stories of the silent revolution that is changing the face of rural India. Like any other young man from a typical rural family, Dilip was more conscious of his limitations rather than opportunities.

Dilip belongs to the Datia district in Bundelkhand region, which is the second poorest region in India after Kalahandi in Orissa. Almost all the young boys and girls of Dabra village in Datia district of Madhya Pradesh share the same story.
In an environment where mere survival is an uphill task, education is really a luxury. Parents are unable to afford to provide their children the higher education that is essential for acquiring a steady job.

A farmer by profession, Dilip’s father had to toil day in and day out merely to make both ends meet. His meagre income was hardly sufficient to meet the basic necessities of his eight children, with education always taking a back-seat.

In spite of his hard earned B.Com degree, Dilip did not have any opportunity to acquire a job with a decent salary to supplement his father’s income.
Life suddenly took a positive turn when one of Dilip’s friends informed him about TARAhaat. The courses at TARAhaat offered quality education at an affordable price. Dilip simply grabbed the opportunity to further his education.

He enrolled himself for a TARAhaat computer course in a bid to improve his job prospects. On successfully completing the Basic IT course at TARAhaat, his efforts were rewarded as he finally got a job as a computer instructor at the IPS Inter College, Dabra.

Dilip is now not only helping his father take care of the entire family, but has also enrolled for other courses to improve his job prospects. q

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