Burhanpur: The sarpanch of Madhya Pradesh Kamla Charan has gone out of her ways to revoluntise her village Jhanjhar. She has convinced and encouraged parents of tribal girls to send their daughters to school for education and a better standard of living. Despite being educated till 5th grade, Charan decided to bring a significant change in the education's scenario in Burhanpur.
Setting an example of women empowerment, Charan has almost eradicated the practice of confining girls within the four walls of the house. The change was initiated after she had sent her girls to study. The move inspired others to follow the suit. At present, at least 80 per cent of the tribal girls of the village are studying in schools and colleges.
How did the change happen?
The foundation stone of the Gram Panchayat of Burhanpur in Jhanjhar village of Jhiri was laid in 1970. There were only five-six in tribal villages in the village. After 50 years, the population crossed the 3,500 mark but society was still reluctant to send their daughters to school. The tribal families are of the notion that if the girls go out of the houses, the parents will lose control on them. As a result, the girls were allowed to study only till Std V and were married off at an early age. The families used to groom their daughters for household chores.
But the village underwent a big change after Kamla Charan took the initiative to encourage and raise awareness of children's education. Till date, 40 girls of the village have completed their higher secondary studies and around 40 girls have enrolled themselves for further studies in colleges and universities.
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Similar to 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao'
The daughter of Sarpanch Kamla Charan is proud that her parents allowed her to study for as much as she wanted. Getting inspired by this family, about 80 girls from the village were able to move out for their homes. The liberal thinking of Kamala, the village Sarpanch, is the foundation stone for change and development in this village. Kamala along with her husband inspired people and brought about a change in their stereotype-orthodox thinking. After going to each threshold from one house to another, she convinced people how the girls could change their fates when empowered with education. Without resorting to any government slogans, she went to various houses to encourage girls to pursue their education. Kamala thought that the only way she could achieve such a goal was by changing the attitude of the people towards educating their daughters.
Change begins at home
Kamla Charan has become an inspiration for everyone in this village. The Sarpanch's husband Raju Charan says that his wife started this change from her own home. This encouraged people to educate their daughters for a better future too. After this initiative, more than 80 girls from the village are now advancing towards employment and better lives. The government is constantly coming up with campaigns like ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’, but even today, there are many villages lagging behind in backwardness where daughters are not allowed this kind of freedom. What a single woman has achieved by campaigning door to door, was impossible for the government scheme to attain in remote areas. Kamala Charan has brought about significant changes in the Bhilala and Barela society which has nearly 360 houses.
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