The times when the entire nation is swept by the waves of negativity and all you get to hear is nothing but nuisances and cynical stories from North-East-West-South (NEWS), at the same time how will you react if a positive story wakes you up?That will make your day, isn’t it? If not the day, it will at least be a reinvigorating moment. I too was whelmed by the sort of affection when I learned about Asha Gond yesterday morning.
Asha Gond, a 16-year-old tribal girl who hails from Janwaar village in Panna district of Madhya Pradesh, has made it large, large enough to make everyone adore and envy her at the same time, and that too own her own, without any special privileges or RESERVATIONS!
Asha Gond is to set off for the UK to learn the English language in the Oxford school within a month or two, provided if the passport formalities and paperwork is completed in time, which I am sure, the super-lady in Ministry of External Affairs, who specializes in helping people in distress, will take care of.
Asha Gond just completed her 10th from Manohar Kanya High School (Hindi medium, in case you are wondering) in Janwaaar. She started learning English in June last year in a summer camp set up by a German woman, Ulrike Reinhard, who has created a skate park in Janwaar and trains school-going tribal children in skating and English language.
It’s not too long that Asha Gond was introduced to the English language, but she soon developed a penchant for this language. Impressed by her brilliance and determination, Ulrike managed to get her a sponsorship to study English further in the UK. Not only this, with the help of MLA of Panna constituency, Lokendra Pratap Singh and Asha’s school teacher, Awadh Bihari, Ulrike managed to convince Asha’s parents to let her go and set an example for other village students. Asha’s parents are entirely dependent on farming and were reluctant to let her go. It took Ulrike eight months to turn them in. They also promised Ulrike that they will not marry Asha off when she returns, and let her work in Janwaar castle, on the contrary of the common practice to marry off girls as soon as they turn 18.
Well, I am glad for Asha Gond. May she get the wings she deserves and set an example for all those who see caste-based reservations more as a virtue rather than a support.
But the thing that unsettles here is that why this story hasn’t covered by prevalent media? Why no feminist, no liberal troubled themselves to even tweet about this? Why hasn’t any ‘Dalit’ affectionate political outfit come forward to offer support to this girl?
Is it because news like this will not invite any controversy or bring them any TRPs? Or do they simply think that such dream-chasing stories of little tribal girls are too common and too scratchy to comment about? Or because helping a poor girl with education won’t attract vote bank?
Whatever, Asha Gond doesn’t need any pseudo compliments. She herself has truly translated the famous saying – where there is a will, there is a way – into a reality.