A girl from Howrah’s Bagnan, who is the daughter of a mason, is pursuing post-graduation in botany from Calcutta University and aspires to do research in plant physiology.
Despite her financial struggles, Basanti Pal, 21, is the first in her family to come this far.
The road so far has been full of obstacles, she said.
Initially, she faced resistance from her father and grandmother because of the financial constraints that weighed them down.
“I would often try and convince my father that there are others who have been able to become financially independent after studying, so he should let me continue. After my higher secondary results, where I scored 90 per cent, my father started believing that perhaps a brighter future lies ahead of me,” said Basanti.
Her father works as a mason and sometimes in a brickfield earning Rs 6,000 to Rs 7,000 a month, Basanti said.
He could only study up to Class IV and his wife up to Class VIII.
Their younger daughter quit after Madhyamik and eventually got married.
But Basanti, after securing 90 per cent marks in higher secondary and graduating from Uluberia College, is now studying at Bethune College.
However, her struggles are not over yet.
She travels for over three hours to reach her college from her Howrah village. She is the first in her family to go to college and she does not mind the distance or the struggle.
“If I have to study in a college under Calcutta University I will have to travel a lot. I am happy that I could qualify to get admiited in the college. This compensates for my travel,” said Basanti.
She lives in Nalpukur village in Howrah from where she cycles up to a river and takes a boat to go to the other side.
She then takes a train from Birshibpur to Howrah Station and then a bus to Hedua.
“I want to do a PhD and become a lecturer,” she said.
Basanti has got support from Howrah Vivekananda Siksha Kendra, an organisation that supports the education of students from financially weak families. I runs a study centre in Baghnan.
“The fact that I got an opportunity matters to me more than anything else. There are so many like me at our centre who have to struggle even more,” she said.
For the centre it is a challenge to make these bright students step out of their villages.
“It is a challenge to get many of these students to complete their education because there is resistance from families. Basanti, too, faced it. Gradually her father and grandmother changed their attitude and approach,” said Tanmoy Patra, founder of the centre.
“We are thankful for the support of our well-wishers who also fund the education of our children,” said Patra.
