Reaching for the sky at Swaeroes
For thousands of students from marginalised communities in Karnataka, the Swaeroes centres have come as a saviour. Swaeroes is an abbreviation of Social Welfare Aeros (the Greek word for sky).
This movement was started by Praveen Kumar, an IPS officer who is currently the secretary of the Telangana Social Welfare Society. Inspired by the ideology of Jyothirao Phule and Dr B R Ambedkar, its objective is to empower children from marginalised communities.
The movement has uplifted millions of children from weaker sections in the last few years, especially in the Naxalism-affected areas in Telangana.
The Centre for the Study of Marginalized Communities at the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) started piloting the Swaeroes centres in Karnataka, based on the success of the concept in Telangana.
The centres really took off after the lockdown in the state. As many as 140 Swaeroes centres were started in the state, in the districts of Bagalkot, Vijayapura, Gadag, Koppal, Ballari and Tumakuru. The community-based researchers associated with the study centres at NLSIU were the ones who started the earliest Swaeroes centres in Karnataka.
The teachers at the centres voluntarily offer their time and are not paid salaries or other allowances. The students are provided with educational materials and food, say Devaraj Obalesh and Shariff Biliyali, the state committee members of the Swaeroes centres.
According to volunteers of the Swaeroes centres, the initiative is opening new doors for children from underprivileged sections and leading them to a limitless sense of being.
Stress-free environment
Across the state, these learning centres function out of whatever space is available — long corridors, classrooms or even community halls.
The classes are conducted each day with the rules of physical distancing being observed. Apart from lessons in the syllabus, general knowledge and English language skills are also taught. Sports have also been given prominence.
People from various walks of life, retired college professors, government officials, doctors and teachers are also providing financial support to the Swaeroes centres.
“Children learn new things in stress-free environs. Parents personally verify the progress of their wards in academics and sports,” says Professor Annapurna, a lecturer from Savalagi in Jamkhandi taluk of Bagalkot district.
Another such volunteer and benefactor is Shantharaju, a resident of Gandhinagar in Chikkanayakanahalli in Tumakuru district. He acts as a mentor for children of waste workers. He brings orphans to the Swaeroes centre and ensures facilities for the students under one roof, even offering them food like milk, biscuits, bread and other eatables.
“My father, a construction worker, died some months ago. My mother is physically challenged. She visits various places to sell hairpins to earn some money. I would get hot meals at school. However, the school was shut down due to Covid-19. I had mostly forgotten what all I had read, but now I am learning new things. I am also getting food,” says 12-year-old Roopa.
The story of Kiran, a student of K Gudi school, Chikkanayakanahalli, is equally moving.
“I don’t have a mother. My father goes out for business and returns only after weeks. I am left with neither food nor education,” he says.
He is now under the care of a Swaeroes centre.
Manjula Malagi, a postgraduate in Social Works who hails from Mariyammanahalli in Ballari district, runs Swaeroes centres in her region. Her dream is to uplift unprivileged children through education. By focusing on educating children from the marginalised classes with community-led initiatives, the Swaeroes centres are continuing a long tradition of social reform and empowerment in the country.
(Translated by Jagadish Angadi)
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