A place where I feel good

When Basant Sahu saw his friend working as an electrician in his village, he wished he could do something on similar lines, but was clueless where to pursue it. However, his joy knew no bounds when he came to know that such a course exists at Thathaithangar, not so far away from his village. He immediately made up his mind, convinced his mother and took admission at the centre.

Pratham’s vocational training centre at Thathaithangar (Dist: Simdega) offers a course in the Electrical vertical. Students from Simdega and Gumla districts take admission at this centre and after getting trained as electricians enter the job market.

Basant’s initial aim was to get enrolled in the police force. However, due to family commitments, he could not attend the first round of selection. “My father died when I was very young, and since then I live with my mother”, he begins his story. He values the fact that his mother worked very hard so that he could go to school and study until 10^th grade in his village school. However, after completing 10^th grade, he started working and began earning for the family. However, he did not secure a permanent job. Instead, he worked as a labourer, which made him earn some money but at irregular intervals.

While his motivation was his friend who works as an electrician, he was also attracted to life outside his village because of Hindi movies. “In our village, we speak in Sadri, and hence it was difficult for me to adjust to Hindi in my school. Thanks to the movies, I can understand Hindi and now I can speak it quite well”, he says. However, neither there is a television at home, nor has he been to a theatre. He has watched all the movies on his mobile phone. “I like the movies, but I do not know the name of any actor or actresses”, he says with a smile.

Adjusting to the new schedule at the centre took some time, his friends never made him feel homesick. “We discuss a lot of things during lunch and dinner. Most of the times, the discussion is about our job after this course, our work and the plans ahead.” While many of his friends want to work as an electrician in their village, Basant has higher ambitions. “I want to work in a big city…like Mumbai or Delhi”, he says. And why does he want to stay in a big city? “There are a lot of opportunities...and I will feel good”, is his candid reply. However, before moving to a big city, he has some plans for his village as well. “After I start earning, I will improve the agriculture in my house. I have to build a new house and also construct a well. And before all this, I want to buy something for my mother”, he says with a smile.