“Dd,tyo kt cha ni aghi dhara ma basirako…uhi ho asti poilo gako.” –she casually said this to me on the way back to home.I was interested to hear more of this (after all i am a girl and i fancy gossips :P). “Yo pali SLC deko.” –she continues. Then i am like “Whhhattt?” . I dint pay much attention to her in the dhara then and now that i knew she was just a kid i tried hard to remember her.

“Kaha jana lako?”- I asked a group of girls hurrying uphill when i was dipping my legs in the cold water of khola, sitting on the warm rocks. “Uta mathi ko gaun ma jana lako…tapai ni auney ho miss? Asti bhakar poilo gako kt herna janey.” I was comfortable with my sitting and too lazy to walk uphill though i somuch wanted to see the girl.(Again i am girl and i love a scene). Also the girl who had eloped was a kid who didn’t even care to wait for her SLC results.

“Dd, wu nai ho asti poilo gako…ani tyo chai usko budho, budho chaine kasto budho dekhincha hai.”-she commented gesturing at two people walking towards us.I carefully examined the girl and her husband. She was wearing a red saree, green tilhari around her neck and wearing a heel which seemed uncomfortable to walk in that unpaved bumpy road.She was all cheerful and shy at the same time returning to her village after eloping few weeks back. I wanted to ask her “Why did you marry so early?”

Its almost three months that i have started living in village and i’ve seen so many issues much more vague than education inequity. Failing in SLC seems less of a problem when you see kids elope or get married after giving their SLC exams (or even before that). It makes me stand in my class and look at their faces and question “Will you also give up studying and jsut run away?”. I dont know why but i feel they wont just quit…I know they are so much better than just getting married.

I want my students to study! I dont want them to run away from their home and more far from their better future!!!