What lies ahead

So there is this little child, a rather modest small town girl. She keeps to herself, does her work most earnestly, as best she can. Her father, now retired, used to work at the steel plant in Jamshedpur. They are the kind of family for whom the things they have always aspired to have, have always been two steps ahead of their capacity to afford. They are the kind of family, always righteous and morally upright, who have had to save penny by penny, actually evaluate the cost of each item on their monthly shopping list and try and save as much as they can. With a lifetime of such economy, they have managed to educate their daughter first in architecture, then in design from the premier institutions in the country. This child, unlike most other children of this day and age, understands the value of this economy and of the sacrifices her parents have made. She works in another city, away from her parents, saves as much as she can and enjoys the simple pleasures of life, like strolling away in the company of close friends in a highly alluring shopping area, content with what she has, knowing that she is well provided for.

She is ambitious and wants to study further, so on the sly, she applies for entrance exams on her own steam and clears a few of them. Going through a most long drawn process, she balances work, sourcing education loans, liaising with the international college of her choice, patiently networking with professionals the other side of the world, to try and find the confidence to go so far away from the warmth of the familiar. The fees cost her what nothing has ever cost her before. Her parents feel the strain of the expenses however they know that with this child of theirs, they have done something right. They approach their relatives, ex-colleagues, pull every string, reach out to every contact, manage every loan organized or unorganized that they can, to add to the child’s education loan, possibly mortgage their house to put together the money for the fees in an economy of the ever weakening rupee. The child runs pillar to post, from city to city, tracing back every college in the journey of her education to get her transcripts in order, one sheet of paper, one certificate at a time. The visa process is strenuous, riddled with bureaucratic norms and amidst much uncertainty and anxiety, she finally gets her study visa.

She is running late for her classes which have begun already. She will join the term delayed by a month. The time in between, finally one of some sort of rest, she will use to go and spend time with all her friends and family. That is her story so far.

Why do I write about it? I have lived in my life, quite a few stories of this sort, where people I know have flown away in pursuit of higher education. Not one of them has been as hard, earnest or persistent an effort, one made possible by the collective commitment and belief of so many people coming together. Of course, there will be several families in this country who go through this kind of angst. I know of the anxieties of her parents of the well-being and righteousness of their only child. To me what matters, is how this small town girl with ambition and merit has managed to take matters forward for herself. It is progressive, one that can change the course of her life, add to her employability, undo all loans, uplift the finances of her family, take her parents places they always aspired to go, that were always two steps ahead of their capacity to afford.

It takes three generations to change the fortunes of a family. She is the third generation and her triumph is one of values, grit and sheer belief. Which is why I write about it.