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Pamela Bhagat

Lalita, from Sitamarhi district in north Bihar, was beaten by her brother for daring to attend an informal school. Today, she is a karate black belt, who supports herself.

Lalita with her mother Saroopia Devi.

Dusty, neglected Sitamarhi district in north Bihar is the most unlikely place to encounter girl power. Yet, not only in her own village of Kanholi, but in the district as a whole, an 18-year-old Mushahar (one of the most oppressed Scheduled Caste communities ) girl, is courageously influencing entrenched mindsets to change literacy levels and social practices. In recognition of her indomitable spirit, Lalita was featured on the cover of the UNICEF State of the World's Children Report 2004 and, ever since, she is a celebrity here.

Sitamarhi district's claim to fame is the mythological emergence of Goddess Sita from its soil. Now, as if in consonance, it is another daughter of the soil who is transcending all limitations to set new standards for the region. With almost 63.5 per cent of the district's population living below the poverty line, female literacy and education of the girl child has never been particularly high on anybody's agenda. Female literacy, at 26.35 per cent, is almost half that of male literacy (51.02). It is also 7.22 per cent below the State's average (33.27), and 27.81 per cent below the national level (54.16). And among SC women, literacy is a mere 1.6 per cent.

"I still remember the day my twin brother caught me going to school," recalls Lalita. "He beat me up because he was ashamed of the fact that I dared to study when none of the men in our family had ever attended school. When my mother condoned his violence, I could not understand why mothers do not take sides with their daughters. But today things are different. Now my mother encourages everyone to send their daughters to school."

Lalita has introduced her community to the merits of education; she works to prevent child marriage and encourages parents to send their daughters to school. In addition, she inspires the youth to strive towards a world of possibilities — mobility, independence, gainful occupation and social acceptability — all through literacy.

It was in 1997 that the Mahila Shikshan Kendra was started by the Mahila Samakhya — `Education for Women's Equality' programme, run as part of the Bihar Education Project — in Muzzafarpur to provide basic education to girls.

Lalita was one of a group of 25 girls who attended this innovative eight-month course in 2000. This is a residential programme started for illiterate and semi-literate girls between 12 and 18 years with the objective of returning them to Class V in formal schools. "Up till then, I'd spent my childhood doing housework, collecting fodder and wood for fuel and caring for my siblings," she says. Interestingly, the curriculum at the Mahila Shikshan Kendra included anything but housework. Girls learnt to read and count, they learned cycling and karate, hygiene and healthcare, conversation and public speaking. They also expanded their horizon by travelling 200 km by bus and train to far-away Muzaffarpur for the course. Initial resistance from parents and elders was understandable and was a major obstacle in retaining the girls for the complete duration of the course. But now, four years down the line, while the rest of her companions have not pursued their education further, Lalita has become a role model for girls from 1,500 villages of Sitamarhi district.

Even before she attended the course, she was adamant about acquiring an education. When her family dissuaded her, she would steal away to the `Jagjagi Kendra' (informal school) run by Kanti Devi, affectionately called Saheli Didi. "It was Saheli Didi who convinced my family about letting me enrol for the course that changed my life," says Lalita. After the course, she returned with Rs 300 (an incentive given to each student at the end of the course) and skills that helped her to set up a tailoring shop. But she wanted to study further. Once again she approached the Mahila Shikshan Kendra, which agreed to sponsor her for further karate training while she attended regular school.

And the rest, as they say, is history. Lalita graduated from the basic white belt through various colours of proficiency in karate — yellow, green, blue, orange, brown, and black — in a short span of time. "I love karate since it not only helps in responding to harassment with strength but also teaches discipline," she says.

After being featured on the cover of the UN Report, Lalita travelled to New Delhi for its simultaneous release from 166 countries. She met politicians, film stars and faced a press conference, after which she acquired the sobriquet of `Karate Kid'. "I used to speak only Bajika (the local dialect) in my village but now I have taught myself Hindi and, some day, I hope to speak English too," she says earnestly.

Today, Lalita is a celebrity, the only literate girl in her community of Mushahars in her village, a karate expert who travels four districts to teach, and also a Std VII student who supports herself. She sends Rs 600 home to her family every month. "Now I believe that every daughter has the potential to earn and I tell everyone to think differently," says her father Bhadai Majhi. Her mother, Saroopia Devi, beams with pride as she says, "Look at the way people respect my daughter."

Says Sangeeta Dutta of Mahila Samakhya, "While the programme is yet to achieve its target of sending all the girls to school, the process itself is bearing results." Her reference is to the increased awareness among the communities here of various Government schemes that are now being demanded. These include the Indira Awas Yojana or housing loans, ownership of land, better roads and the employment of additional teachers by the panchayats (village councils). Enrolment in local schools has increased substantially, resulting in the demand for more schools. Child marriage too is not acceptable anymore. Girls are now lining up for the eight-month course. The number that comes for the screening process is increasing every year — from 50 in 2003 to 75 in 2004 for just 15 seats in the Sonbarsa Block, which includes Lalita's village.

Says Sangeeta, "This is in sharp contrast to the situation four years ago, when the girls and their families had to be coerced to attend the course. Basically, these girls have advanced life skills and their approach to learning is enthusiastic and practical." As Lalita prepares to demonstrate her karate skills she states emphatically, "This is not what I will be doing forever. I want to keep studying and become an accomplished teacher. I want to teach girls about the world outside their experience. And I dream of a school in every village."

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