Kamal Kumar Biswas.TOD.Balurghat
As dusk settles over the villages of South Dinajpur, the familiar sound of a Bullet motorcycle travels along the rural roads. For nearly 20 tribal children in Digra village, that sound has come to mean something more: the arrival of a teacher, a friend and a reminder that education can open a door to a different future.The rider is Dulal Barman, a professor of Physics at Balurghat College and a native son of South Dinajpur district. For the past several months, he has been travelling almost every day between his home, the college and Digra to teach children from economically disadvantaged tribal families — entirely free of cost.
His initiative began with 18 students. The number has now grown to around 20, while efforts are also underway to bring school dropouts back into education.Digra, under the Amritakhand Gram Panchayat of Balurghat block, is home to roughly 100 to 150 tribal families. Many depend on daily-wage labour or work as masons. For families struggling to meet basic household expenses, the cost of books, notebooks, clothing and other educational necessities can become an additional burden.Mr.Dulal Barman has tried to bridge that gap himself. Along with teaching, he provides children with notebooks, books, clothes and other learning materials whenever they are needed.
What began as a personal initiative has gradually become a small community movement. The children, Mr. Barman says, do not see him simply as a professor who comes to teach them.“They call me their friend,” he said. “They do not lack confidence. What they need is a little courage, support and the right direction.”The timing of his effort carries particular resonance this week, as Teachers’ Day is observed in India on September 5, marking the birth anniversary of philosopher and former President Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. The day is traditionally an occasion to recognise teachers whose influence extends beyond classrooms and textbooks.
For Mr. Barman, that role has taken him far beyond the college campus — onto village roads and into the lives of children whose families often have limited means to support their education.His Bullet may be an unlikely classroom bell, but for the children of Digra, its evening arrival has become a signal of opportunity.And for a son of South Dinajpur who teaches the laws of physics by profession, the most meaningful lesson may be a simpler one: education can change the direction of a life when someone is willing to make the journey.
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