“I worked on a construction site along with a head-mason in an upper-caste family. When I was thirsty, I asked for water. A lady from an upper-caste family brought water, refused to give in my hand and poured into my hands. I was perplexed. I asked myself why? I did not have the courage to ask her. Later, I sat with the head-mason and asked him about the incident. I learnt how upper caste people treat the Dalits. Infuriated by this incident, I along with the like-minded youth in my village, formed a small group to challenge the prevailing caste mindset of some persons in my village. Now my dream is to unite all Dailt community members in my village, like how my grandfather used to do, and fight against caste-system, injustice, and discrimination”, stated Mr. Mangesh.
“In my village youth have completed graduation but they are unemployed. My dream is to serve the youth by educating them on human rights issues, as the quote goes, ‘Jana Seve Janardhana Seve’ (service to people is service to god). As a budding leader I want to attend to the needs of my community and village”, said Ms. Asha Rani.
“I am grateful to people who sponsored my education. Now, I can proudly say, I am a graduate in Diploma in Education (D.Ed.). A few days ago, I was selected as a guest teacher in a government school. Now my dream is to sponsor a child for education,” promised Ms. Reena. I am Ms. Deena pursuing B.Sc in Nursing. I want to serve my people after completing my education. I am aware that nursing is a noble profession, serving people with dignity and respect and saving lives. My dream in life is to unite my people in the village and fight for our rights.
These were the sentiments and experiences shared by the participants after attending a training session on ‘Self and Society, organized by Indian Social Institute, Bengaluru (ISI-B) in collaboration with Gulbarga Diocese, Indian Catholic Youth Movement (ICYM) and Carmel Seva Trust from 22 to 24 July 2022. A total of 35 youth participated and among them were 11 female and 24 male trainees. The resource persons were Mr. Manohar, Executive Director, CARE; Fr. Francis Balaraj and Mr. Shujayathulla from ISI-B, of Social Inclusion and Democracy Unit. Personally, I felt privileged to accompany the youth, who were bubbling with hopes and aspirations.
Shujayathulla. E
Facilitator of programmes, Karnataka