Poor family, self-taught computer man — and now a respected teacher

Battling with a heavy backlog of students eager to join his coaching classes in Swati school, a cry-supported project run by the Rajiv and Neelu Kachwaha Trust, Joginder is more than satisfied with his contribution to a society which almost nipped his aspirations in the bud. Says he, "At Rs 75 per month (Rs 50 for girls), I hope my efforts will make a difference in the lives of people like me. If I could make my journey from humble origins in Rajasthan to a position where I am now able to look after myself and my family, I want to tell them that they too can do so. Maybe I cannot give them a tag of being passouts from institutions like niit or Aptech, but my students are in no way inferior to them. Give them a chance to compete on an equal footing, and then see the difference."

Brimming with confidence, Joginder is more than happy with his new role as a teacher. Bitten by the computer bug ever since he finished his matriculation in Rajasthan, he accompanied his father to Delhi just a couple of years ago and is currently also studying for his bachelor's degree in art from Delhi University through a correspondence course. It was while working in a small company in Delhi that Joginder first lay hands on a computer. And what barely a year ago was just another other job which gave him a salary of Rs 3,500 per month has today become Joginder's true calling in life. This self-taught computer teacher's classes start at 9.30 in the

morning and continue till 4.30 in the evening. And he claims, with some satisfaction, that his students invariably reach the classroom before him. He joined the Swati programme last December to earn something to sustain him through his degree classes and ever since wanted to share everything he knows about computers with his students. "It is at the same time a learning process for me too," he says. The three donated computers in the makeshift dda-gifted hutment are a welcome sight. And the enthusiasm of his students while learning programmes like Pagemaker, MS Office, Foxpro or Windows 95 and 98, is definitely remarkable.

Take, for instance, the difference Joginder's classes have made in 16-year-old Kailash's life. A class XI student of the nearby government school, his father is a sipahi in the Customs and Central Excise department and his mother works as a maidservant in the nearby kothis. "I go to these kothis at 5:30 in the morning everyday to clean their cars. And then, by 8:30 I go to my school and come to these classes at 1:30. I know that with some knowledge in computers, I can aspire for a good job. At least, I don't have to become a sipahi like my father." And there are many like Kailash who know that education is the key to a world outside their slum clusters.

Agrees Joginder: "My focus is not to make them at par with the students of niit or other such premier institutions. Instead, if I am able to make a mazdoor's son a computer operator, it is a huge leap for the family. These boys and girls have today become aware of the fact that without education there is no dignity. And tomorrow when I won't be here, any one of them can take over and continue this process of learning." Joginder can be contacted at: Swati School, R.K. Puram, Sector 12, New Delhi; phone: 6176891.