Bhuvan Singh Dhanwar remarked, “We know the compromises we had to make that day. In the 1980s, when the dam began to fill with water, we had to leave everything behind and flee to this Ranai hill. Our homes, fields, grazing grounds, and children’s playgrounds were all submerged.” Dheer Sai added, “The Bangobandh dam improved the lives of countless people, but it destroyed our home.”
The title “Rice Bowl” given to Chhattisgarh owes much to the significant role of the Bango Dam. This dam, built on the Hasdeo River in Korba district, is central to the story of the people from the small village of Ranai Pahad. Even now, there isn’t an Anganwadi center for children’s education. Many of the panchayats here have been affected by flooding, and the entire area is surrounded by dense forests, making it one of the most remote regions of Chhattisgarh.
To avoid submersion, all the villages in the Hasdeo River valley moved to the hills. While their homes were safe from flooding, but they were cut off from basic amenities due to dense forests, the heights of the hills, and the lack of proper roads. One critical facility they were deprived of was education. Bhuvan Singh says with great disappointment, “Somehow, we climbed up the hill and built our huts there, living our lives in the forests. Now, it seems our children’s future will be the same.” Juksay from the same village shares his experience: “Khophkhara Primary School, within Sakho Panchayat, is about 10 kilometers from my village. I used to go there with my friends to study. But one day, a herd of elephants suddenly appeared before us. We were all trembling with fear, but by God’s grace, the elephants did nothing to us. However, after that, continuing our studies beyond fifth grade became impossible.”
When asked what they do all day since there is no school, the children nearby, Om Prakash and Lakshmi, both about 8 or 9 years old, said, ‘We collect wood from the forests and graze buffaloes and goats.’ Radha said, ‘I pick Dhavai flowers and dig for Kauwa Gondi.’ Various herbs are found in the forests of Chhattisgarh, including ‘Dhawai’ flowers and ‘Kauwa godi.’ ‘ These are sold in local markets as well as markets as far away as Raipur. They are considered major forest products of Chhattisgarh and are a significant source of income for the local tribal communities.
ASPIRE has extensive experience working on children’s education in such remote areas. In December 2022, they began focusing on the education of children in this region. Initial meetings with the villagers revealed that Bajrang Singh Paikra, a member of the Block Development Council, had been advocating for children’s education for a long time. Bajrang Singh says, “As a BDC member, it is my duty to ensure they get their rights. While it was impossible for me to get a school opened here, we managed to arrange for some children to stay with relatives for their education.” Despite Bajrang Singh’s efforts, ASPIRE’s survey found that 54 children in the area were out of school.
Aspire has always prioritized making local representatives and residents responsible for education and collaborating with them to advance the cause of education. As part of this effort, Aspire, together with local representatives and villagers, initiated the establishment of an NRBC center to educate out-of-school children. Aspire provided two trained teachers, books, library for the children, and TLM (Teaching Learning Materials). Ward member Ramratan generously offered his home to serve as the NRBC center. Thus, the children’s education began, with teachers using activities like poetry, stories, jokes, rangometry, TLM, and rhymes to teach the children.
Two months later, seeing the children’s regular attendance and enthusiasm, other local representatives—Bajrang Singh Paikra (BDC member), Prince Agrawal (MLA candidate), and Ashwani Kumar (Chowki Station In-Charge)—provided the children with uniforms and shoes. Community involvement didn’t stop there. NRBC teacher Shiv Shankar shared that a children’s fair was also organized with great enthusiasm to raise awareness within the village community. Monthly meetings began to review the children’s progress reports. In one of these meetings, it was decided that a larger space was needed for the children to study. For this, the villagers are taking the initiative and building a very beautiful house using wood and tamarind leaves. Aspire has always believed that people have the desire for change; they just need a bit of support. Aspire is committed to unlocking the potential of public initiative.
As a result of this collective initiative, community members and district/block representatives jointly demanded that the Collector ensure the operation of the school. Following the instructions of the Korba Collector, all children from the NRBC center were directed to be enrolled in the nearby ‘Khirti’ Primary School (6 km away) under the RTE to integrate them into the mainstream education system. However, due to the considerable distance of the school, the community members refused to proceed with the enrollment. The villagers said, “How can our children go to a school 6 km away, facing the jungle and wild animals?” They insisted on having a school operated within the village itself. The Korba Collector had to heed the villagers’ concerns, and it was decided that until a school is established in the village, the children would continue to receive all necessary facilities at the NRBC center in Ranai Pahadi. The people of Ranai Pahadi are now quite aware and proactive. They have elected a ward member from their village, Ramratan, as the inspector of the NRBC center. Ramratan has participated in a PRI exposure visit to Odisha through Aspire, where he received five days of training. Additionally, his wife, Neera Bai Dhanwar, promptly informs the Aspire office if she notices any negligence by the NRBC teachers.
The people of Ranai Pahadi are now quite aware and proactive. They have elected a ward member from their village, Ramratan, as the inspector of the NRBC center. Ramratan has participated in a PRI exposure visit to Odisha through Aspire, where he received five days of training. Additionally, his wife, Neera Bai Dhanwar, promptly informs the Aspire office if she notices any negligence by the NRBC teachers.
It’s been over a year and a quarter since this center began operating, and now not a single child in Ranai Pahad is out of school. Although the village still doesn’t have a government school, with the help of Aspire and The Hans Foundation, they have a structure known as the “NRBC of Ranai Pahad.” This center provides midday meals, uniforms, books, notebooks, a small library for the children, and even a cook who prepares the midday meals for the children. Radha’s mother, Neera Bai, says, “We never thought that an organization would come to this forest, climbing up the hills for hours, to teach our children and help them dream of a better future.” Om Prakash’s father, Shivram, says, “Our children had never seen the inside of a school. They didn’t know how education worked or what it could do. Neither did we. Our children used to run away when they saw officials or outsiders, but today, because of this center, our children’s situation is changing, and we are changing along with them.”
Although Ranai Pahad is quite high, it is not higher than the spirit of its people. It is a significant achievement for all of us today that not a single child from ‘Ranai Pahad’ is deprived of education, despite there being no government school. There are many other tribal villages in the country like ‘Ranai Pahad’ where children need such structures, where they can weave their dreams without fear or deprivation and fulfill their social responsibilities as empowered and aware citizens. The people of Ranai Pahad have already won half the battle, which includes facilities like children’s education and midday meals. The fight to bring government schools and teachers to their village is still ongoing.”
