अक्षरदान : निरक्षरता से स्वतंत्रता

अ, आ, क, ख... अक्षर की माला, ककहरा। हम सभी के लिए इसके क्या मायने हैं। शायद बहुत मामूली बात। सीखने की पहली सीढ़ी ही तो है। अभी भी देश भर में अक्षरज्ञान हजारों लाखों का सपना है। जो भाग्य मानकर स्वीकार कर लिया है। अब वे आंखें इस तरह के ख़्वाब नहीं देखती।

बच्चे ,राष्ट्र का भविष्य। समाज का सुनहरा कल। जिन्होंने हमारे साथ मिलकर उत्साहपूर्वक ठाना है कि उनके आस-पास वे लोग जिन्हें पढ़ना नहीं आता, नाम लिखना नहीं आता। उसे उसकी पहचान देंगे। पढ़ने और अनपढ़ होने में जो अंतर है, सभी इसे साथ आकर मिटाने के लिए प्रयत्नरत हैं। उसी दिशा में 15 बच्चों ने अपनी मां जिन्हें पढ़ना लिखना नहीं आता था, उन्हें नाम लिखना सिखाया। यह काम उन्होंने महज 21 दिनों में पूरा किया। किया हुआ वादा पूरा किया। शुरुआत में उम्र का एक पड़ाव पार कर चुके लोगों को सीखने ले लिए ख़ुद पर विश्वास दिलाना जरूरी था। जो बच्चों ने बखूबी किया। आगे बड़े स्तर पर सिखाने का इरादा लेकर हम दिनोंदिन बढ़ रहे हैं।

ये कहानी है लॉकडाउन के दौरान हमारे बच्चों द्वारा अपनी मां को उनका नाम लिखना सिखाने की, उनकी ज़ुबानी...

The immortal, the honored, thy beloved, quotes 'What's in a name.’ Now looking around it, seems actually there is so much. It’s a name which gives you the 'name' , the identity and the ability to respond. It is very uncertain that one lives without a name, after all we find ourselves somewhere entangled in between the letters and associated with it are our presence and self-hood.

Akshardaan, the gift of letter, is the journey from incomprehension towards recognition. It is a hope of connecting the identities with dignity and individuality. It’s a theory of how we see the septuagenarian free and democratic India and its people. It all started the last month when the children decided to make their mothers learn how to write their names. As they quote, “It never ever was a great feeling to see hands working day in and day out to make them learn and grow into an educated person were never able to seek this pleasure.” It is immense content to see how sensitive these young brains have been moving towards a more inclusive world. During this they committed themselves to hold the hands of their mothers for something which was a ‘right’ forever. They associate this with the multiple instances of not being able to sign in schools, banks and recognition of paychecks, however, we all may find ours. The journey went through the bandwidth of the rainbow, but the answer of one “why” overcomes all the interrogations of 'how'. Sometimes unavailability of time for mothers to give an initiative to something which can be sidelined over other priorities, as it always had been, and other hesitancy to do something for selves seemed too unaffordable and selfish. Right after these days we stand with more people satisfied with their abilities to learn something new at an unconventional stage and eagerness to move in the world of letters. This was about hope, a feeling to let them receive what was always their, a feeling of giving back an effort to cherish the memories of the learning process for children, for us. We hope to see this going forward to mark more changes in our intellects and make people stand with their sense of oneness.