No Reading Challenge & Reflections

This Diwali we invited people for 2 hours to complete #noreadingchallenge. For completing the challenge they need to spend 2 hours of their waking time without reading anything.

That means they weren’t able to read books, watch TV, scroll down any social media handles and even can't see the watch.

We invited them to share their experiences over any social media handle they use to spread words about the #NoReadingChallenge. The whole idea was to raise awareness about the lack of quality education in rural areas of MP. Let's see how the lack of functional literacy changes our lives!! We are raising funds to ensure access to learning experiences in rural Madhya Pradesh through this campaign.

1. 𝐔𝐭𝐤𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐚's Reflections

"The other day I was at the bank when someone asked my help for filling an account opening form. The form was bilingual, and the person who asked for help spoke Hindi well. I started filling the details for her. I asked her to spell her name, which she could not. Then I asked her to put her signatures at the end of the form. She said she did not know how to sign. She was 18, married and had a kid in her hands. Out of curiosity, I asked her about her education. She told me she did not go to school. She was told that there was no point of her studying because ultimately she had to get married and raise kids. She could only speak Hindi in a dialect. She could neither read nor write, just like her husband.

"Listening to her, I realised my privilege and couldn't help but feel proud and happy that my parents gave me the gift of education, taught me in best of the institutions and pushed me to study harder till this day.

But along with the realisation of my privilege, came a sense of responsibility too, a feeling that I should make the best out of the opportunities that have knocked on my door and do something purposeful with my life.

"I really loved the idea behind the #NoReadingChallenge by 𝐌𝐆𝐌𝐃. I actually found it scary to imagine how my life would have been without education. I went numb for a minute."

2. Jyoti's Reflections

मेरा गाँव मेरी दुनिया के नो-रीडिंग-चैलेंज के अपने अनुभव साझा करते हुए ज्योति कहती हैं...

"2-घंटे का यह #NoReadingChallenge बहुत कुछ बदलने की क्षमता रखने वाला है। बिना कुछ पढ़े बिना कुछ लिखे उन 2 घंटे में मुझे एक अधूरापन महसूस हो रहा था। मैं बहुत बेचैन हो गयी थी, समय जैसे लंगड़ा कर चल रहा था, खत्म ही नहीं हो रहा था। ऐसा लग रहा था जैसे मेरी आँखे मेरा मन कुछ खोज रहा है। कुछ जान लें कि क्या हो रहा है?

"उत्सुकता, बेचैनी और छटपटाहट से भरे ये 2 घंटे हर उस अनुभव पर भारी हैं जो मुझे सबसे ज्यादा दुखी करने वाला लगता था। मैं खुश हूँ कि मैं पढ़ सकती हूँ। किसी चीज को नहीं जान पाना कितना मुश्किल हो सकता है इसका एहसास भी तकलीफ-देह है। नहीं पढ़ पाना यानि नहीं जान पाना; यह समझौता कितना बड़ा समझौता है?

"इस पल दिल से एक ही ख्वाहिश है कोई भी ऐसा नहीं हो जो पढ़ाई से दूर रहे।"

3. Abhimanyu's Reflections

"So I stumbled upon this unique #noreadingchallange by Mera Gaon Meri Dunia.

"Honestly these 2 hrs of no reading has forced me to think so much. I realised how I thought that education is not that important part of an individual as everyone gets it but I realised that it is a privilege and not everyone gets it.

"Education is the foundation of my every dream, thought, ambition and knowledge and to think that there are many who are devoid of such things just aches my heart and shook me to my core.

"Education should not be a privilege but right in true sense."

Abhimanyu is a Research Associate working with a think tank in Delhi.

4. Vasudha's Reflections

"I took the #noreadingchallenge today morning for two hours. Though I thought it's a convenient time to take it, as I generally don't read in the mornings. It was rather tough as I couldn't even see the time. My workout time extended and so did for every other activity.

I had to ask my mother to even tell me about the note I was making an urgent payment through. I definitely had urges to check my Instagram many times but that was fairly resistible.

I feel I was left handicapped to make sense of a major part of my world I was constantly living in. I felt irritably dependent and was eagerly waiting for the two hours to end."

5. Kamlesh's Reflections

प्रिविलेज(विशेषाधिकार) की दुनिया मेरे लिए कब मेरी ज़िन्दगी का नार्मल बन गई, मुझे पता ही नहीं चला!

मेरा गाँव मेरी दुनिया का दिया हुआ नो रीडिंग चैलेंज जब मैंने किया तो मुझे ऊपर लिखी बात समझ आई. पढ़ना, लिखना, समझना, और शब्दों या अंकों की दुनिया में बेझिझक घूमते रहना मेरा स्वाभाव रहा है लेकिन सिर्फ दो घंटे के लिए सब कुछ भुलाकर यह सोचना और जीना कि मैं एक अनपढ़ हूँ मेरे लिए सबसे मुश्किल एहसास था.

मैं शायद उन बच्चों का दर्द कभी नहीं समझ पाऊं जो शिक्षा से वंचित रह गये लेकिन मैं इतना तो दावे के साथ कह सकता हूँ कि शिक्षा का मानव जीवन में क्या महत्त्व है!

शुक्रिया _______________________________

We are grateful that people trusted us and spread awareness about education and supported us to work more intensively towards our aim of empowering quality educations spaces in rural Madhya-Pradesh.