Akshara Mahila Deepthi changes their lives

Our Staff Reporter

GUNTUR, FEB. 1. Three months ago, Vijaya, a milk vendor, was an archetypal non-discript woman like any of her peers. And she was just an illiterate. All that she knew was to sell the milk and count the notes given to her. She attributes the knowledge of calculation to common sense. Staying amidst the literate lot though, Vijaya never bothered to learn how to read and write, leave alone making simple calculations on paper.

But, today, she is a changed woman. She has drawn cue from `Lata teacher', as she calls her. `Lata teacher' is a tutor in the `Akshara Mahila Deepthi' programme for women of three DWCUA (Development of Women and Children in Urban Areas) groups in Guntur. Not only did she learn how to read fluently and write faster, but Vijaya also changed her lifestyle. From being just a vendor of milk, she became a proud owner of a couple of buffaloes.

`I owe it all to Lata teacher. She gave me all the inspiration. I obtained loan from Indian Bank and bought two buffaloes. I am no longer a servant of anybody. I am a boss to myself. I am proudly sharing the family responsibility along with my husband. And, I know how much instalment I am paying to the bank and I am maintaining the accounts myself. All this has been possible due to the Akshara Mahila Deepthi programme,' echoes the voice of Vijaya in triumph from the dais in front of a galaxy of bigwigs.

This was just one instance. The Minister for Technical Education, Mr. Alapati Rajendra Prasad, the Collector, Mr. Hiralal Samariya, the Joint Collector, Mr. Anil Kumar Singhal, the Commissioner of Guntur Municipal Corporation, Mr. Praveen Prakash, and the in- charge Mayor, Mr. S. Rajendra Prasad, were all pleasantly surprised at this on Thursday. Coming close on the heels was another success story of Kona Lalithamma. She read out the `Story of Damayanthi', a lesson in the reader supplied to them as part of the `Akshara Mahila Deepthi'. She said she was now able to read and write. With a grin on her face and a semblance of a superiority complex, she said: `I am 60. Yet, I learnt the art of reading and writing fast. I am now treated differently. I get to feel the same every moment.'

Shahedunnisa, who learnt up to lesson 10 in the reader, could successfully read out what was written overleaf the `Antyodaya Anna Yojana' ration card. She wrote the name - Jeelani - of her son on a slate.

Enthused by this, the Collector who had been conducting the `Akshara Mahila Deepthi' programme on the lines of a social movement, asked the Project Director of District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), Mr. J. Murali, to give dictation to the learners. Soon, Mr. Murali began his `avatar' as a teacher. To his query as to how many of the gathering - almost 1,000 women - could learn up to lesson 15 of the reader, almost all of them raised their hands. Surprised by the response, he began giving dictation. Long sentences also did not become a matter of difficulty for them. They wrote and wrote and finally wanted the Minister and the officials to check the slates and give marks.

The women surrounded the Minister, every official and every journalist who went into the crowd to see what they had written. They vied with one another to display their writing skills. All this was done just for a pat. The Collector's joy knew no bounds when he found every one of the DWCUA groups in the 47th, 48th, 49th and 50th municipal divisions in Guntur were taking part in the programme actively. He congratulated every one of them only to be thanked profusely in return by the women. They displayed their gratitude by waving at him with the slates on which they wrote his name.

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Section  : Southern States
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