Strength to Say No (13 page)

Each of the children then had to introduce themselves say the rest of the group, say where they came from and telling a little about his or her life before enrolling in school. We
discovered that we had all come more or less by the same route and had the same problems. We came from poor and rural families. We had all at one time or another worked to help out family members. We had been confronted by parents who wanted us to give up school for economic reasons or for a forced marriage. It was rather comforting to realize that our case wasn't isolated and that we had much in common.

We form two circles around a ring placed on the ground. The kids in the first circle have big marbles; the ones at the back have normal-sized marbles. The object of the game is to push the marbles that are scattered in a random way outside the ring to inside it. For the first circle of kids it is easier because they have big marbles and are closer to the target. The teacher watches us, takes notes and referees the game. He explains to us what lesson we should take away from this .

‘The kids in the first row have big marbles, which represent their potential to succeed. They have an advantage compared with the ones who are in the back, further away on the one hand, but also at a disadvantage because they have only one little marble. Now we are going to change one thing: the first circle has ordinary marbles and the second has big marbles. Now, take your places again.'

We notice that it is possible to push the marbles into the ring even when you are at a distance. I understand the principle: it doesn't matter much whether you are in front or behind, what counts is to have a bigger marble.

‘Poor people are the second circle, the better-off people are the first circle. And as I told you before your potential lies only
in what you have in your hand. You have noticed that you can succeed even when you are at a distance? Remember that the ordinary marble and the big marble represent your academic attainment. If you have a good level you will have more chances to succeed in life. It matters little where you come from.'

I am staggered by this analogy, which makes sense and which explains that even poor people like us can one day get out of poverty. I later tried hard to explain that to my parents, but they never really understood what I meant.

In a second go – still around the ring – they ask us to form teams of two: one person from the first circle and the other from the second circle. You have to communicate discreetly so as not to be blocked by the other teams. It is rather tricky to define the rules and strategies of dialogue with people you've only known for a few hours. If my friends had been there it would have been simpler. The teacher explains to us that he will go back over this game after the lunch break.

I meet several remarkable people during this workshop. Some of them have really suffered, and it seems that what links us is the fact that we've been working when other children were going to school and getting instruction. I also notice that some of us are capable of taking the initiative while others aren't at all. Each one has certain qualities, the aim being to combine them so that a team is effective. I have just understood the other point of the game of marbles.

Other activities are planned until dinner time. At the end of the day we are exhausted, and once in our dormitory we all go straight to sleep.

The next morning they hand out newspapers, scissors and paste. The object of the game this time is to put together a banner on which the words cut out and juxtaposed form a coherent sentence. All the groups are in competition. In the beginning you have to make a sentence with five words as fast as possible. Then it gets more and more difficult with ten or fifteen words. I understand that to win you have to get organized. I get the team together and assign everyone a role. Three are to search for words and are supposed to say them out loud so that we can see how we are going to arrange them; two are busy cutting them out and sticking them in the right order; finally the sixth should supervise the process to avoid an error slipping through. The members of our team demonstrate that this is the right strategy, for we win one game after another. To make the game more interesting, some pupils aren't allowed to make use of their arms and legs, or they are blindfolded. At each new constraint, we have to redefine the roles. The ones who are blindfolded are given the job of, for example, sticking down the words. Those who can't use their bodies read the newspaper cuttings. I like this game a lot because you constantly have to adapt yourself to new rules.

On the last day we all have to give a talk to the other pupils. Fifteen minutes before going up on the platform we are given a piece of paper with the subject that we have to talk about. We absolutely must finish in less than ten minutes and not stray from the subject. All the subjects have been treated in the course of the workshop or in the document that we had to memorize, and I get the health risks during a too-early pregnancy – a subject I'm an expert on.

The last half-day is devoted to a summing up. Mr Kundu congratulates us and explains how this game-playing is actually very important. Once we get back to school we will have a special role to play. To be able to play it properly we have had to develop our oral skills and sense of leadership and make sure we are completely up to date on the rights of children. Before speaking in public we must be sure we have a simple and clear message to communicate, go right to the heart of the matter, master our elocution and the pace of our speech and remember to make use of examples – ideally our own experiences – to increase the credibility of our presentation.

Mr Kundu reminds us that the teaching team is always at our disposal if we need advice or supplementary information. He asks us never to forget that we are different from other kids and that our influence can make things change.

After my speech at the museum a few journalists followed the development of my situation. The interest they took in my story encouraged me in my ideas and my fight. I also received the support of several politicians. In concrete terms that materialized in small donations of money or of goods, chiefly for the practical difficulties of daily life.

A team of reporters came from abroad especially to meet me, and they spent several days in the village. I introduced them to my friends and schoolmates as well as my teachers. They stayed for quite a while talking with my parents.

On the last day we went to the big weekly market at Sampur. Josna, her husband Badhari and Debu came with us. We came back laden with shopping bags: vegetables, a chicken, spices, rice and lentils. There had never been so much food in the house. The reporters insisted that we also buy some cooking utensils, cleaning materials, new mattresses and some blankets for winter. My brother-in-law Badhari was astounded at the sight of a brushed metal razor with interchangeable blades and a soft shaving-brush. The journalists gave it to him, and he promised to keep it for years.

A little before their departure the cameraman handed me some cash. I promised him I would spend it suitably. I asked the
advice of my teacher, who suggested that I enrol in a training course in computing – the only subject that we don't study at all in school because we don't have the equipment.

The little room was nicely arranged. Computers equipped with a webcam were placed in a semicircle. A ceiling fan stirred the cool air blown out of the air conditioner. Just above the office of the owners a big framed portrait of Sai Baba – a figure revered by both Hindus and Muslims – looked down on the room.

Two brothers who had spent most of their time in Calcutta set themselves up in an out-of-the-way spot near their native village to be closer to their parents. They were Muslim and knew all about computers. I signed up for their training course with my friend Budhimuni. The courses took place whenever one wished over a period of three months.

Yusuf showed us how to use computers to listen to music, watch films or even access the internet. We were taught the basics of office computer programs: we learned to create or open a text document, to write and to save. I find the word-processing program very easy to use and very practical, even if I often make mistakes. When there was a power cut the brothers started up the generator, and the computers came to life again. Each time we got to grips with a new concept we moved on to another. These machines contained tons of secrets – and even if we devoted all our time to it we would always have something more to learn. Yusuf was happy to pass on his knowledge: he seemed to have mastered computing to perfection. His explanations were very clear, and he didn't
hesitate to make comparisons with daily life so that we would understand better.