An opportunity for the poor orphaned tribals of Birbhum to partake of wholesome education
Sishu Tirtha, however, is not a regular orphanage. "The idea of setting up this institution was born after a visit to an SOS Village in Salt Lake (Calcutta) many years ago. I was impressed by the SOS Village concept of providing children not just a place to stay and study, but also a family to belong to. I’ve tried to replicate that here," recalls Thakur, who is distantly related to the Nobel laureate.
Thakur spoke to his family, relatives and friends about his dream. "We started planning in 1989. The main thing was to collect money. We contacted everyone we knew for funds. We collected for a decade and accumulated just enough to buy this land (six acres) and build two hostels, staff quarters and the school in 1999. We started off on December 12 that year with just five kids, four boys and one girl," he says.
The daily activities of the children at Sishu Tirtha is patterned on that followed by the boarders of Patha Bhavan—prayers and meditation in the mornings and evenings, value education classes, social service and formal classes. Classes are held at the school where nearly a hundred other children from the surrounding areas also study. Thakur says that having students from regular families study at the same school helps break down psychological barriers between the orphans and their classmates, equipping the former to deal confidently with the outside world.
Special classes are held to educate the students on Tagore’s philosophy. This comes easily to 68-year-old Thakur, who studied at Patha Bhavan, graduated from Visva-Bharati, underwent the teacher’s training course there and went on to complete his Master’s from London before returning to Santiniketan for a stint at Shiksha Satra—Visva-Bharati’s affiliated rural education programme. His last job was principal of his former school—Patha Bhavan.
Thakur says collecting funds for Sishu Tirtha remains a hurdle. "We depend mostly on individual donations from well-wishers and friends. We conduct small fund-raising activities as well." Tagore plays are staged by the students to raise funds and well-known painters have donated their work which were auctioned by the school.
When he started out, the local people, particularly the tribals, were very suspicious of Thakur’s intentions. Today he is a very popular figure in the neighbourhood and tribals do not hesitate to approach him for help.
Contact Sohini, Diganta Palli, Santiniketan, Dist. Birbhum, West Bengal. Tel: 03463-261080. E-mail: ditusari@sancharnet.in