Meet these ‘Super 40’ who are funding dreams of gifted but needy girls in Jalaun

JHANSI: Books were always Anushukha Jatav’s best friend. Last year, the teenager sadly realised that her poor parents could no longer send her to school. She dropped out after Class VIII. And then, a miracle happened. She not just went back to school, but also cleared Class IX with 92% to make her parents proud.
The 15-year-old resident of Bhaupura village in Konch block of Jalaun district is not the only lucky girl.There are 40 like her who are currently able to pursue their education because of a bunch of good Samaritans who are bearing the cost of their lodging and transportation too.
The brainchild of Jalaun DM Mannan Akhtar, Kishori Samadhan Yojana is a Trust run through public funding. It has 40-odd members, including retired government employees, businessmen and corporate executives, who contribute both money and time to ensure meritorious girls from underprivileged families can continue with their education.
“I want to complete school and college, and become an IAS officer,” Anushukha said, no longer afraid to voice her dreams. Father Chandrashekhar Jatav, who runs a small convenience store in their village, is supportive. “I have four children. It was not possible for me to fund their education. I am thankful to those who have taken the responsibility of helping my daughter pursue her ambition.”
Incidentally, Jalaun is one of the most backward districts of India and has an adverse girl-boy ratio. Against every thousand boys, there are 865 girls while the national average is 945. Under such circumstances, girls dropping out of school has been a major concern.
The Kishori Trust selects its beneficiaries on merit basis from eight Kasturba Gandhi residential schools, where they are taught till Class VIII.
“Kasturba girls mostly belong to Scheduled Castes. Some come from poor families, some are orphans. Many are unable to complete school education. So, we decided to help,” DM Akhtar told TOI.
Rajesh Kumar Sahi, who oversees the Kishori project and has contributed for the cause from his personal savings, said they had created a corpus of Rs 8-9 lakh for the education of these girls.
Nilesh Singh (72), a retired principal who lives in Konch, has taken the responsibility of educating one of the girls till Class XII. “I have two daughters and a son who are well educated and settled. I understand the importance of education. Hence, I came to help in this wonderful initiative,” Singh said.
Avinash Gupta (32), a manager with an insurance firm in Lucknow, said helping these girls brought him joy. “A friend of mine volunteers here and one day, he invited me to do so. It has been one of the best decisions of my life,” Gupta said.