Literacy

Literacy rate in India might be cited at around 74% (in 2011), but the ground reality is that even among the so-called educated youth, 'employability' remains a key challenge. The main reasons behind this are a lack of communications and other finer skills. This is an important gap that needs to be bridged, and we bring to you an organization in Bangalore committed to doing this from the past several years, with great success.

Sanchali, a social project, provides free alternate education to children & employment to the women in rural areas. We chat up with Dakshayini Gowda to learn how beautifully she blends education with jewellery to make this happen. “We have created look-alikes of pottery, textile, beads, etc. of that period to give them a chance to learn history in a fun, interactive, lively and more effective manner,” Dakshayini says. And since she wanted to ensure that the workshops were free for all, she decided to fund them by starting an eco-friendly jewellery project with the women in the villages in Karnataka.

Pratham Books celebrated International Literacy Day in a unique way - by holding storytelling sessions for thousands of children across India. Read an account of one such session held by our friend and writer in Assam, and learn about the beautiful experience storytelling can be - both for the listener and the teller, while serving as an important educational aid.

In 1979 he quit his government job and decided to find a more meaningful life. See what he achieved in the hills of Arunachal Pradesh!