A Cycle Ride that Changed the Trend of the Village

When I was in class 8 and my sister in Class 6, we were given a cycle to ride upto the school, since the transportation cost till our schools were an extra burden for our parents with high education fees. With that our frequently increasing school activities as we were going to the higher class, was difficult to manage through rickshaw driver as our commuter.

So on our birthdays, we were gifted a cycle to ride upto School. And it was a day of liberation, we could now not only go to school, but attend our sports day, and other activities in school which we didn’t earlier. With liberation, we also faced lots of criticism from our neighbors, villagers and many hooted, which we have to bravely face. Time passed by, we sisters graduated our higher secondary and left our village for our further study. But then came the change behind us. We were among few girls from the village, who studied in Convent school. In villages quality of education for girls was not bothered about. Slowly now parents in the villages wanted to educate their girls like us, but again the good schools were at least 5-6 km away from the village. Then came the mode of transport chosen by us as the only option for them. The cycle became a common mode of transport for the village girls who wanted to study in good schools or even pursue their colleges.

Unaware of all these, one vacation we returned to our hometown. The next morning I was amused by seeing so many girls on the cycle in their school dress. Later when my neighbor aunty came to meet me, hearing I have come, she told me that after you both left all those who opposed our school going on the cycle, has bought a cycle for their daughters and they are going to school and pursuing their studies. Also, I was told of the stories of groups of girls beating the hooters who tried to tease them on their way. I also met the girl whom I have taught when I stayed, she came and thanked me and said we sisters are an inspiration for all the girls in the village, we dream of studying like you and pursue further studies later. She also told me that since you dared to cycle to your school and college we were also allowed by our parents.

I never knew that one move of ours would become a reason for such a big change in the village. Though the whole school life we felt like an offender and unsecured and felt all eyes staring us, but our parents kept guiding us, motivating us and we also silently followed it or else we may have to drop our education. But our patience paid.  I was happy and proud of my parents; they trusted us and dared to take that first step which became liberation for the whole village.

I narrated this incident of mine in an effort to creating a book called “That Takes Ovaries” by Rivika Solomon. I am happy I became an agent of change for my village. And this change has lead to so many other positive changes, like coming up of good schools, girls into vocational courses, girls choosing a career before marriage, education being taken seriously…

Its rightly said If you educate a man, you educate an individual. But if you educate a girl you educate a whole generation. 

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