Creating a “New” Caste: Education


Flying south along the Himalayas, we had no idea what to expect when we arrived in Varanasi (Benares), one of India’s most politically and religiously conservative cities, and one of its poorest. Buddhist pilgrims from all over the world pour by bus into the nearby village of Sarnath, located only ten minutes north of Varanasi. It is in this town that Buddha’s Smile School (BSS) is located.

Since 2004, Amistad has been the primary sponsor of BSS, a free primary non-denominational school for those with limited access to India’s public education system: Bangladeshi refugees, untouchable (Dalit) caste children, and the children of lepers. Founded by visionary school teacher Rajan Saini Kaur, this nondenominational school is named after nearby historical Buddhist sites. BSS is a warren of seven unplastered, three-sided windowless classrooms where street kids crowd together on cement floors to learn. Amistad board member Melanie Boyd and I had come to see BSS (which has grown in attendance from 60 to 220 children over the last four years) and the two new classrooms that Amistad helped build in 2007.

We rode along to pick up students in the new van donated by Geir Davidson and his Norwegian community. (Enthused after a visit to BSS, Geir inspired his Norwegian town to help.) The other students would arrive on foot or by auto rickshaw. Many of the students work early in the morning with their mothers collecting and sifting through street garbage for items to sell for 9 cents per pound. Some children are forced by their parents to beg before or after school. Others work stringing beads to sell to Buddhist pilgrims. One boy who graduated on to middle school this year is a silk weaver by night. All the students are born into the untouchable caste. But there is a new saying in India, “Education is the new caste.” These fortunate BSS students have been ‘reborn’ into a new—albeit unofficial—caste which will lead to change and opportunity as no other caste has before.

Some of the students’ homes along the highway were especially deplorable; nothing but simple lean-tos made of mud, plastic sheeting, and garbage, constructed merely feet from the wheels of cars, buses, and wrecked motorcycles. Electricity is a luxury in such communities, and is often wired illegally. We learned that one BSS student, Amit Kumar (12), had suffered severe burns all over his body when he and four other children stood under illegal electrical lines that suddenly collapsed on them. Amit was fortunate to live through the tragic accident, as three of his friends perished. But even so, he now needed scar repair surgery on his left leg, which Amistad hopes to sponsor in the very near future.

We were especially grateful over the past year to have the support of the Flora Family Foundation (FFF), making it possible for us to provide a nutritious hot meal for every BSS student at midday. Fortunately, after the FFF grant was utilized, another wonderful organization offered to provide the daily meal. We profoundly thank the French group, L’Arche de Dolanji, for their generous help.

Visiting Varanasi’s Rajghat Leper Community

On our third day we visited the Rajghat Leper Community, home to 20 of Rajan’s students. Visiting this close-knit, lively, proud little village moved me to my core.

We parked the car and made our way down a quiet, isolated street. The impression I got was that very few outsiders paid visits to the leprosy community—not even merchants—for when we entered their compound, adults and children alike came pouring from their homes, crowding around Rajan. They were crazy about her. She is one of the few people from the outside world who truly loves them.

The deep caring shared between the community members was evident, as was the love they had for their children. A man without fingers carried his little grandson with immense pride and tenderness, and young mothers showed me their babies. One breathtakingly beautiful young mother wanted a shiny stainless steel bucket front and center in the photo with her and her children. Not speaking her Hindi language, I could only surmise that her bucket was new and used in making family income. Teens asked me to take their pictures, preening, looking cool, showing off their shared bicycle.

Bhola, a young father of two students, is the community medic. As we walked by his open air “clinic” we saw him change the dressings of the lepers, tenderly and respectfully wrapping their hands and feet so they could function with as few infections as possible.

“The beggars’ children respond so well in school,” beams Rajan. “This gives me peace in my heart. I wish to educate all these needy children through my intense love and hard work. It’s due to Amistad they are provided all the necessary things. I can only give my deep love and motivation. One day they will shine like the sun.” What Rajan is accomplishing on a financial shoestring is nothing short of miraculous. Her monthly budget for educating 220 students, including nine teachers’ salaries, is about $3,000 per month. And now Rajan has the new challenge of finding school fees, uniforms, books and food for her elementary graduates as they move into public middle schools. This year BSS had their first graduating class and 14 children are now enrolled in middle school.

When I asked Rajan how she moves forward in the face of such difficult obstacles, her answer was simple: “I depend on God,” she says.

—By Karen Kotoske, Executive Director

We thank Amistad’s generous friends, Nancy and Larry Bunn and Peggy and Bill Wagner, for enabling Amistad board member Melanie Boyd and Executive Director Karen Kotoske to visit Amistad’s India programs.