Showing The Way
April 2009
Slumdog Millionaire may have awed the world and won the ultimate recognition in the form of Oscars, but unfortunately nothing has changed much for the urban slums in India. However, there is one person who is striving in her own way to make a difference to 17 kids in a small jhuggi cluster at Vasant Kunj, Delhi.
Surjeet Kaur, 66, who herself has studied only till the tenth class, makes it a point to teach these children for two hours each morning, in a makeshift school in a park behind the Singh Sabha Gurudwara in Vasant Kunj. After the lessons the children are also provided with lunch. She has made it her mission to educate needy children and the idea occurred to her when she saw these children begging to supplement the family income.
Surjeet is also trying to get some of the brighter children admitted to MCD schools to ensure that they have a future. Baljeet, who is a resident of the same area, also lends a helping hand in grooming these children. The children consider Surjeet to be a mother figure, as she takes a genuine interest in their welfare and is also concerned about their hygiene and cleanliness.
Besides her dedication to the slum kids, Surjeet also spends time in the gurudwara each day, taking care of the cleanliness in the premises and the kitchen. She organizes food camps and distributes food in neighbouring jhuggis and old-age homes. For years now, she has been getting silk cloths/handkerchiefs donated to the gurudwara, stitched into dresses and distributed at government schools.
As long as people like Surjeet Kaur exist and continue doing their bit towards the betterment of mankind, hope will float!
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