Education is the Third Eye of a Child

 KISS is now the world’s largest residential tribal University, home to thirty thousand indigenous students who are provided nutrition, holistic formal & vocational education from KG to PG free of cost.  Further, it is the embodiment of empowerment of the marginalized, underprivileged group of students who strive to become change agents for their communities being emancipated from acute poverty through education. They are the harbingers of new hopes & new dreams for many children of their locality.

    

We are recounting the heart-rending story of Bale Deogam, a small girl from the  HO Tribe in the remote village of Harichandanpur Block in Keonjhar district. A cloud of gloom settled on the sleepy village as the mother of Bale passed away suddenly leaving behind three small children, i.e. two young daughters & a son. Life moved on, as the pyre of Bale's mother settled in the burning ground. Bale could not forget her mother. As the darkness of night enveloped the village, Bale used to search for her mother in the far-flung stars. Bale’s father tried to pull on with life with his three children. Days were very hard, as the family struggled to make both ends meet & arrange two square meals for themselves. Overnight Bale settled into the twin roles of a housewife & a nurse for her little sister. Cooking meals for her daily wage earner father & brother & taking care of the household became the daily routine. But fate was cruel enough to snatch away her father-the sole bread winner, who succumbed to an unknown disease. Little Bale was shattered. Yet she did not lose hope. Her young brother's daily wages were insufficient to support them. So she also tried to add to the family income by working as a road construction worker & by collecting firewood on her young shoulders from the forest & selling it in the market. Amidst all this turmoil, Bale did not give away to despair.  In her heart, she hoped for better days. Bale always wanted to study.  As days passed by her brother could realize this & decided to enrol her in KISS. Bale came to the mother Institution-KIIT. She could not believe her fate. Would her long-cherished dream will ever come true. Thoughts of nursing her infant sister & preparing food for the brother hunted her conscience. Gradually Bale overcame this turmoil & looked ahead. She was admitted to class-II in KISS in 2012.

Joining KISS was a dream come true for Bale. She marvelled at the father-like figure of Prof. Samanta, who had dedicated his all to needy children like her. Achyuta Samanta had understood the pangs of hunger from his own life experience. He is providing food to the hungry for whom getting two square meals was also a distant dream. He has further facilitated them with all study materials to get a decent education. Prof. Samanta is a role model for the students. His life has been an epic struggle against heavy odds. KISS teaches all about the greatness of giving everything. Bale hopes to follow in the footprints of Samanta sir. She wants to do something for so many deprived children like her.

As times passed by. Bale is a student of class VIII today. She is growing in the path of progress. KISS is providing her with the opportunity to preserve her own culture & heritage. She practises her arts & crafts.

In terms of Population, the scheduled tribe population constitutes 22.8% of the total population of Odisha as per the 2021 Census.

The HO tribe generally live in multi-ethnic villages. Large tomb stones personifying their ancestors lie in different corners of the villages. Dancing is part & parcel of HO life. They follow exogamous marriage practices. The Sun God is the supreme deity. The village deity resides in the sacred grove. The festivals are associated with agriculture seasons. By occupation they are basket makers & rope makers. The HO language belongs to the Austro-Asiatic family.

In India. Children like Bale can be found in every nook & corner. Heart-rending stories of malnourished children facing the scourge of illiteracy & poverty make the headlines of our country. This is more so rampant in marginalized societies. Odisha has a big percentage of the tribal population. KISS with its innovative pedagogy & model plays a crucial role in nation-building in today's times & has successfully intervened to create a new life for the disadvantaged class, hand in hand with the state govt. Machinery.