During our India trip this time, Anil and I decided to go on a little social enterprise pilgrimage to see some of the work of social enterprises that we have much admired from afar. Ekal Vidyalaya is one such organization that we had been impressed with.  We considered their commitment to bring education at a very low cost to those in tribal and other villages, who but for Ekal, would never have had access to any education, to be laudable.  Our visit to a Ekal school showed us the multi-dimensional impact that Ekal was having not just on education, but on the holistic development of the village.

 

Their professional approach to everything they do was visible from the get-go. The volunteer assigned to take us to the village was a wonderful gentleman by the name of Vikam Sethi. After retiring from bureau of standards, he decided to devote his retired life to this cause.  He was present on the dot to pick us up and gave us a minute-to-minute agenda for the day and amazingly even in India we stuck to the agenda. From the city volunteers to the village volunteers to the school teachers, professionalism was visible in every aspect of Ekal.  

We were scheduled to see a village school close to Mathura.  In Mathura Mr. Mithal, who runs "Bajrang Dharamkanta" is the volunteer who manages the Ekal Vidyalaya for the Mathura region. He warmly greeted us in his home. “I run weighing stations in the Mathura region.  I was much moved by the Ekal Vidyalayas and wanted to work for them.  They had a  need to manage the accounting for the 180 schools in the Mathura region. Being a business man, this was something I knew well how to do and hence I took on this work” said Mithal.    

 

We then took a 10 km drive to visit the village. We were overwhelmed with the welcome given to us by the villagers. In the traditional Indian style we were welcomed with drum roll, garlands, tikka and flowers.  A dynamic lady from the village was in-charge of the visit and she was as professional as the city volunteer.  

 

We were taken to the school. The school starts only at 3:00 pm since the children have chores to do at home and a day school is not viable.  The school has no walls. Nearly thirty children of different ages sit on old jute bags. A very talented young lady from the village asks the students to begin with the chanting of the Gayatri Mantra and Saraswathi Vandana.  The perfect pronunciation and the passion with which all the prayers were rendered were amazing.  As the school progressed Anil and I were allowed to ask questions. Whether it was math or language, the children eagerly put their hands up and answered correctly with a level of confidence I have rarely seen in Indian school children.   As we are ready to leave I asked a young girl as to what she wants to be when she grows up.   “I do not know yet but I will be someone “ was the instantaneous confident response.  I met another young girl who had graduated from a Ekal school and moved on to a local middle school.  â€œThe training Ekal gave me was excellent. I do very well in middle school”.   I noticed the importance placed on Sanskar and citizenship training.  When I was in Delhi I was shocked to see lack of knowledge amongst many youngsters about their own heritage, which led them to lack a sense of rooted-ness. The idea of good citizenship also was not emphasized. It would be wonderful to replicate the values inculcated in the youngsters in Ekal schools at other places as well.

 

We then were taken to the other initiatives in the village. We were taken to a satsang bhajan.  â€œDrinking was an issue amongst the village men.   Our founder Shyamjee has worked hard to move them away from drinking.  One of the problems is that in the village there is not much entertainment. Teaching bhajans and enabling Satsang has transformed the village.”

 

We were then treated to a fabulous village lunch.  The woman who lead the team shocked me by saying “my daughter is doing her Masters via correspondence course.  I am very proud of her”.    We also saw a Vermi-compost pit being used for manure in the village. This initiative was motivated by Ekal Vidyalaya staff.

 

When I asked about municipal schools in the area, I learned that while there was a school slightly far away from the village the teacher rarely shows up.  Most children who attend the school come to Ekal at 3:00 pm.

 

 Ekal has transformed the entire village bringing not just education but encouraging the men and women of the village to be good citizens. The women were also very confident and felt empowered.

 

Ekal can keep its costs really low because of its amazing volunteer pool. Each volunteer was most modest and humble and told us repeatedly that working for such an organization had transformed their lives.  Every member of the organization was living the Gandian ideal – be the change you want to see.

 

When asked about philanthropy in India, the answer was heartening.  â€œIf we can reach out to people and show them our work, people with money are ready to open their hearts and purse strings. We are fortunate that there are a few who are “Shataveer” – supporting 100 schools each.  We work to cultivate our local support. The need is so great that we are very appreciative of the support we received from abroad as well” said Sethi.

 

The day ended with a visit to a weighing station, watching very interesting homemade trucks –jugad at its very best  - bring in items for sale. We also visited Krishna’s Janmasthan and could get some wonderful Mathura Pedas  - arguably the best in the world.

 

Most importantly I came out thinking if my support of this single school for $365 - $ 1 a day could bring about such change I suspect this is the best return for my dollar 

My sincere thanks to Ram Nehra, Vikram Sethi and Mr. Mithal for making this day in India one of the most enlightening one.