Naxal who gave up arms to educate the poor
On November 13, 2005, as many as 1000 armed Naxals had taken the entire town of Jahanabad hostage. They had broken into the prison, shot 11 policemen and freed 150 of their comrades. One of the masterminds of the Jahanabad jail break, Nand Singh, was also freed on that day. However, today he is a modern Valmiki, after giving up arms and landmines. His new weapon is pen and he educates poor kids of his village, free of cost.
Nand Singh begs door to door to keep his school afloat and manage daily snacks for his students. "I used to be a hardcore Naxalite and was imprisoned in the Jahanabad jail. It was for us that the Jahanabad jail break was carried out," said Singh. According to villagers, the pain he suffered in the jail made him take up the new job. "Nand ji was a hardcore Naxalite and he had escaped from the Jahanabad jail. He faced torture and pain in the jail, and after his release, he began imparting free education," said Sanjay Yadav, a villager. The school had humble beginnings, but now there are more than 300 students on the rolls, all getting free education and free snacks. Most of them come from extremely poor families. Classes take place under a tree and there is little infrastructure beyond the moral support of the villagers. "Nand ji begs in the village to teach children. He also manages snacks for them after the school gets over," said Sanju Devi, a villager. His scary past does not really scare away villagers or even kids. Rather, they love their bandit turned teacher who doles out biscuits for them every day and joins in their morning singing. "We go to his school for our studies. He teaches well. At the dismissal, we also get chocolates and biscuits," said Nashima Tashlim, a student. Nand has served a three-year jail term for his involvement in the Jahanabad incident and as a reformed Naxal, his goal is to wean away his old comrades from violence to constructive work. "Nand ji has sided with the mainstream and teaching poor children. We are also in talks with out leaders to get associated with the mainstream," said a Naxal. One transformed man is touching hundreds of hearts and if this tribe grows big, the impact would soon be felt in this entire Naxal heartland of central Bihar, helping the government's efforts to curb Naxalism in a big way.
On November 13, 2005, as many as 1000 armed Naxals had taken the entire town of Jahanabad hostage. They had broken into the prison, shot 11 policemen and freed 150 of their comrades. One of the masterminds of the Jahanabad jail break, Nand Singh, was also freed on that day. However, today he is a modern Valmiki, after giving up arms and landmines. His new weapon is pen and he educates poor kids of his village, free of cost.
Nand Singh begs door to door to keep his school afloat and manage daily snacks for his students. "I used to be a hardcore Naxalite and was imprisoned in the Jahanabad jail. It was for us that the Jahanabad jail break was carried out," said Singh. According to villagers, the pain he suffered in the jail made him take up the new job. "Nand ji was a hardcore Naxalite and he had escaped from the Jahanabad jail. He faced torture and pain in the jail, and after his release, he began imparting free education," said Sanjay Yadav, a villager. The school had humble beginnings, but now there are more than 300 students on the rolls, all getting free education and free snacks. Most of them come from extremely poor families. Classes take place under a tree and there is little infrastructure beyond the moral support of the villagers. "Nand ji begs in the village to teach children. He also manages snacks for them after the school gets over," said Sanju Devi, a villager. His scary past does not really scare away villagers or even kids. Rather, they love their bandit turned teacher who doles out biscuits for them every day and joins in their morning singing. "We go to his school for our studies. He teaches well. At the dismissal, we also get chocolates and biscuits," said Nashima Tashlim, a student. Nand has served a three-year jail term for his involvement in the Jahanabad incident and as a reformed Naxal, his goal is to wean away his old comrades from violence to constructive work. "Nand ji has sided with the mainstream and teaching poor children. We are also in talks with out leaders to get associated with the mainstream," said a Naxal. One transformed man is touching hundreds of hearts and if this tribe grows big, the impact would soon be felt in this entire Naxal heartland of central Bihar, helping the government's efforts to curb Naxalism in a big way.
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