For the 70 odd families of the impoverished Galjawadi village in Dehradun, it is a festive time of pride and a new hope. In a deprived community where majority of the people have not seen the inside of even a modest Government school, a young girl named Saraswati has won a scholarship to study in America, a destination that does not picture even in their dreams.
After a rigorous selection process that involved written applications, interviews and psychometric testing, Saraswati has won a place at the Kennedy- lugar Youth Exchange and Study Program. The Kennedy-lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program was established by the U.S Congress in October, 2002 in response to the events of September 11, 2001. The program is funded through the U.S. Department of State and sponsored by the Bureau of Educational & Cultural Affairs (ECA) to provide scholarships for high school students from countries with significant Muslim populations to spend up to one academic year in the U.S. Students live with host families, attend high school, engage in activities to learn about American society and values, acquire leadership skills, and help educate Americans about their countries and cultures.
A class 11th student, she is one among seven siblings. Her parents are both unlettered. Her father was a daily wage labour until four years ago when he fell ill and has not been earning ever since. With this, the responsibility of earning for the family plunged on the teenaged son who quit his studies to find work as a security guard. The family of nine members lives in a cramped house and struggles to make ends meet with a total earning of around nine thousand.
As remarked by GK Swamy, chairman, Purkal Youth Development Society, "Saraswati's is a typical example of the dismal poverty that millions in India reel under. It also points out the grim reality of children being forced to leave education because they are compelled to earn for their family. And then when amidst such grueling circumstances a girl overcomes the challenges and wins something so big, it is a vicarious victory and motivation for all in that community."
Saraswati's feat has given the inspiration that even they can break free from this poverty and illiteracy despite their weak situation, feel other children in her village.
Recounting her first reaction, an excited Saraswati told The Pioneer, "I was dumbfounded. At first I was in utter disbelief. And then I just could not speak to express my happiness. I come from a very small and poor village where we can not even dream of these things."
Asked what she expects to gain from her year- long stint, the commerce student at the English medium charity school run by PYDS, she said, "I shall acquire various new skills. I am a shy and timid person and I am hoping that my studying and living in America will change this about me. I shall gain confidence and English language fluency. Whatever I learn during this period, I really want to come back and share with my peers and inspire them to think big." Fascinated by the 'uniform' of civil servants and the aura of being an 'officer' Saraswati wants to get selected for Indian Administrative Services. As her conversation with the paper wound up, she said emotionally,
"I know what it takes to overcome the economic, social and psychological struggles children like me face every day of our lives, especially if we are girls. We are not rich by what we possess but by what we can do without. I want to tell all such youngsters that we must not lose hope and never consider ourselves inferior to the affluent. 'You might be poor, your shoes might be broken, but your mind is a palace."