A burial ground does awaken the feeling of fear among people if it comes at their sight or even during discussions. People are careful even when they have to visit a burial ground participating in someone’s last rites. However, the bauxite city of Jharkhand - Lohardaga - has set a different example.
Here at Kocha village of Kisko block a burial ground can be seen as a centre of nourishment for village children. Children study in minority government aided primary (from class one to five) school run by GEL Mission here. In its total 50 desimal land the GEL Mission has a Church as well. But the school is situated just by the side of graveyards. Though the school belongs to the Mission,l non Christian children of all castes and religions study here without any feelings of religions.
If the school children step out of their one room school building they enter nowhere other than the graveyards’ section, where they relish all their fun and food sans any fear. They do their daily prayers as well as take part in school functions including the Republic Day and Independence Day in the same burial ground. To enter the school it has a pathway in the middle of the graveyards. Without any fear children not only study in class one to five in a single room school building but they are also given their classes on the open burial ground, where they sit on the graveyard platforms.
The president of the GEL Mission Church Prabhusevak Tirkey said that years back land was given to their organization where first a Church was constructed. The church used to give education to the village children in this church. Later the graveyard and school were started. The school’s building was constructed from an MP’s fund. Some school children say that they had some feelings of fear while they were admitted in the school but later everything became very friendly.
The Headmaster of the school Devashish Minz said that lack of land and school building children have to children study and play on the graveyard ground. We will try to get a new school building constructed demolishing the old and unused two room building to solve the space crisis.
Kisko block BEO Anuradha Rani said she has no information of such conditions of the school; however, she will take information on this. The GEL Mission Primary
The School has a total of 87 boys and girls studying in its classes from 1 to 5. A retired teacher of this school 70 year old Ishwar Pannna told that his grandfather Madu Panna and grandmother Aaroshi Panna had donated the land to GEL Mission in 1932 for Church where first a Church was constructed and later graveyards and school were started.