Khiala Kalan is a sleepy village in gender-critical district of Mansa, with its own sets of challenges like patriarchal mindset, female feticide, discrimination against girls, drug abuse and rampant alcohol abuse. Happy a.k.a Harpreet, a bubbly, effervescent young girl from Khiala Kalan lived a childhood no different from other girls of her time. She came from a conservative lower-middle class Hindu family, in a society typically infamous for its women inequality.
She is one of the few rural girls who managed to get through schooling, proving their competence to their families, maintaining singular focus & motivation throughout, defying all the odds & pressures that pull down most others mid-way.
She scored a decent 75% in her 12th Board examinations, which earned her respect at her village, but being knowledge fancier, Happy seemed fascinated with her goals that she silently carried in her heart.
They say “if you desire for something with pure & whole-hearted intent, then the entire nature conspires towards carving the path for you”. Just as Harpreet had begun to nurture her fervent desire for learning further; destiny revealed the next piece of jigsaw in her quest, a random friend happened to tell her about the Free Teachers Training Program run by The Kalgidhar Trust, Baru Sahib.
“Though the dots seemed to be connecting, but it was not at all as easy, as that sounds”, tells us Harpreet breathlessly and fluently, as she confidently goes through a feedback interview with us. Apparently, we were fascinated to arrange this interview, after noticing her superlative proficiency in English; which she acquired in just 4 months of her 3 year training program without having any significant prior knowledge of the language.
Apparently, she reveals that her parents were initially opposed to the idea of letting her be away from home & for further education. Also, they had reservations about her joining Baru Sahib, being a Hindu herself. But ever since they visited Baru Sahib and saw the environment with their own eyes & knowing about Sikhism as an epitome of all religions; their doubts evaporated and they felt comfortable, secured & happy about seeing her pursue her dreams there.
Harpreet, though not baptized into Sikh way of life, loves & lives by the ways of a true “learner” i.e. a Sikh. She is part of reciting the five divine routine scriptures of the faith. She voluntarily asked to be renamed to Harpreet Kaur & carries herself piously in uniform attire that is respected at the institute.
Harpreet Kaur, is observed to be an exceptional student at the ETT program and a prospective teacher at an Akal Academy. Her enthusiasm, capacity to learn & absorption levels are enormous and she surely is set to soar up high with the wings she has grown.
Commendable is the work of unassuming organizations like Baru Sahib that are plodding on to bridge the gaps between haves and have-nots and the benefactors who choose to sponsor deprived girls like Harpreet.
~ Ramandeep Singh, Student
~ 6th Aug 2013, Rohini, New Delhi
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