Uttar Pradesh is one of the most populated states of India. Recently a map went viral on the Internet that compared population of the state of UP with other countries in the world and the findings were astonishing to say the least.
Down below is map from a news article that appeared on Quartz India and it was found that
Uttar Pradesh’s population is so large it’s more comparable to the other largest countries in the world. As data scientist Aron Strandberg shows, every country in Africa, Europe, and South America has fewer people than Uttar Pradesh.
In this state, a friend of mine (who is a Facebook activist and writes aggressively against the evils of casteism in India) runs a school for kids of the weaker section. These kids belong to a particular community/caste locally known as musahar which translates to the rat eaters in English. Sadly, the evil of untouchability is still prevailing in our country and my friend Ajit Singh who belongs to upper caste (sic) has taken a vow to eradicate this evil and bring these musahars to the mainstream.
Udayan is a school run by Ajit Singh and his family who live in a small village (Gazipur) in Uttar Pradesh. The school intends to bring the kids of poor and oppressed villagers to the mainstream. The school is one of its kind. Kids not only study here but also participate in Yoga, Dancing and Sewing Classes. The aim of the school is not just to make them literate but make them self sufficient at the same time.
The idea of running this school spawned on Facebook and he decided to bite the bullet. Since then many people have participated, contributed to his cause but every now and then finding money to buy school supplies or warm clothes or blankets for kids becomes a problem.
He often announces his plans on Facebook and urges people to donate whatever they can according to their capacity. Some people send old clothes, some people donate money, and sometimes people drive all the way from their respective places to spend a week or a month in his school. Some people have donated their old laptops to the school as Udayan believes that it is equally important for kids to stay in touch with the technology.
Although it is true that intentions matter more than the money but such changes that require foot-soldiers to march at the grass-root levels, money indeed becomes an indispensable asset.
Ajit Sing in the left
If you haven't checked his #hendrix22lovesyou campaign, I suggest you do and make more and more people aware of it.
The pressing demands for the school currently are
- Warm clothes
- Shoes for kids
- Blankets
Whatever earnings I make through this campaign, I will donate that to Udayan School (minus logistics costs/transaction commissions if any)
If you too want to make a generous contribution to this noble cause, follow Ajit Singh on Facebook