If one child is educated, then the whole family is uplifted

An interview with Vasantha Gopal

Vasantha Gopal: “I have always believed that education is like lifeline for everybody. If you educate one child, you uplift the entire family.”

Tell us a bit about yourself.

Vasantha Gopal: I come from a close knit family of three siblings. I completed my degree in commerce at Acharya Paathashala College in 1960s. Back then, ours was the first batch to admit girls in the commerce stream. After completing my education, I took up a job as a personal secretary and rose up in scale to become secretary to General Manager and then became Marketing Executive in charge of Publicity. I also forayed into being an entrepreneur by establishing a boutique and a beauty parlour. Throughout my career my husband and my two daughters have been my pillars of strength and with their encouragement and support I am right now working in the field very close to my heart, that of Education.

How did you foray into social work?

Vasantha Gopal: I have personally never believed in rituals, even though I am deeply spiritual. My way of worshipping the almighty has been through service. I believe that as individuals, all of us have a moral responsibility to give back to the society in whatever way we can. So, we as a family, always chose to celebrate festivals, birthdays , anniversaries and other special occasions through donating to various institutions, feeding poor people and contributing to the education of those who could not afford it. On one such occasion, I came across Satguna Sangraha Trust in Kundalahalli. A group of like-minded volunteers had got together to start a literacy program for rag-pickers and street urchins a few years back which had led to establishment of a small school, in 2006. When I came across this institution, in 2008, I got to know about this wonderful cause and felt immediately drawn towards it. I soon joined this group of ladies, working towards education of children from families which could not afford to send their children to school.

What is your contribution to this institution?

Vasantha Gopal: Back when I joined, this school had just a handful of students and a makeshift place as a classroom. I became a part of six member trustee group with trustees from various backgrounds, put together this institute brick by brick. We chose the place to build the school, put together classrooms, arranged for free midday meals, streamlined donations, put up administrative protocols in place and got teachers over the course of many years. Since, I have decades of experience in administration, my contribution has largely been in building a sound administration, maintaining records and establishing an efficient office management for running and maintaining this institution. Also, since I speak many languages and I can easily communicate with people, I handle interactions with volunteers, staff, parents, students and other trustees with ease. It has been great working with other trustees on this institution.

What drew you towards the field of education?

Vasantha Gopal: I have always believed that education is like lifeline for everybody. If you educate one child, you uplift the entire family. We live in a world where everyone does not have equal opportunities. Institutions like ours, help in bridging the socio-economic gap, imparting knowledge to every child, giving them opportunities to grow and explore their full potential. I have witnessed  how the entire family has risen and gone beyond their social strata, just because of education of children of the family.

What were the challenges in establishing this school?

Vasantha Gopal: In the beginning , our main challenge was getting children to enroll in our school. We used to visit the homes of people to coax the parents to send their children to school. But, as soon as they knew we were coming, they would lock their houses and shut their doors. Then, we began to tell them about our free midday meal scheme to lure them. As more and more kids joined, slowly, we could see the change in the attitude of parents, as they saw that children who were attending the school were learning a lot more than they could ever do in their entire life. Over the last decade, our institution has grown many folds only through positive word of mouth. Now, we struggle to accommodate the number of students who seek admission with us. I can proudly say that now , we not only provide free food and free education for so many students but also free medical assistance through our OPD clinics.

Apart from enrollment of students, what were the challenges you faced with funding and staffing?

Vasantha Gopal: We are a charitable institution completely funded by general public, through voluntary donations. I believe that actions speak louder than words. Those who have donated to our school have helped spread the word and get us more volunteers. Till now, we have never solicited donations or advertised anywhere. People who have worked with us, have greatly appreciated the impact of work we do and have donated on a regular basis. Also, the families whose children study here have taken our good work to people who want to do more by contributing. In fact, we celebrated when we crossed rupees one lakh in a month through donations. Now, we have donations coming from volunteers, organisations and private companies as well. Some of them are monetary, others contribute through materials, food, services or just time.

As far as staff are concerned, most teachers here are postgraduates who join us to do service. There are students too, who work with us, to get credits for social work, as a part of their university curriculum.

Apart from that, we also have a team of volunteers working on our free midday meals program. This volunteer support took years to build, through consistent efforts from all of us working here.

What kind of impact have you seen, when kids get education in institutions like yours?

Vasantha Gopal: Children here are like sponge. They absorb everything from what they see, listen and understand because they are so raw, moldable and free from distractions. We also teach a lot of values here, apart from the regular curriculum. When they go from here to other institutions for higher education, they get appreciation for their morals and ethics. We recently had a student qualifying for IIT Jabalpur, bringing immense pride to us and his parents.

For some of these parents, seeing their children grow and succeed in life, and ultimately rise above their social conditions, is immensely gratifying and so is it for us.

It is so inspiring to talk to you. Who has been your inspiration in life?

Vasantha Gopal: Undoubtedly my parents. My father always taught me to think beyond oneself, about others. My mother was a woman of remarkable strength, both physical and mental. Her mental toughness is, what we, as her children always wanted to imbibe.

How have you been able to balance and make time for your work, your family and your social work?

Vasantha Gopal: I have always believed in making time, consciously, for the things that one loves. Even when I was raising two daughters, I have always worked. Now that they are busy with their own lives, I have completely dedicated my time to my school. I believe that every woman must, apart from fulfilling her domestic duties, also find time to nurture and develop things that give her happiness and gratification.

I have always been a happy person, never the one to complain because I have always believed in asking what next. Focusing on what needs to be done, rather than problems, is the key to happiness.

It has been so motivating to talk to you. I would like to ask lastly, who do you think is a wonder woman?

Vasantha Gopal: I believe that all women are wonderful, each in their own way. Most juggle numerous responsibilities, both at work front and family front. It can get difficult but life will become easy if you can find a meaning and purpose that drives you, motivates you and work towards it.

You can join hands in this noble cause by supporting for Educating a child and celebrating the special day in your family by sponsoring a Day’s meal with your contribution. Reach out to vasantha304@gmail.com