COMPUTER CENTRE AND BEYOND… Rhea Hansdak

“Hum Gehne Nahi, Rishte Banate Hain” …. The famous tagline of one of the best jewelry brands. Dinesh had no idea how much it meant to others, but for him, it was a gamechanger. He served as a Commanding Officer of the South Garo Hills of Meghalaya from 2010-12 He had heard a lot about the unrest in the border regions. On his first visit, He spoke to the Field Commanders and asked them to engage with the locals. But the locals refrained from meeting any Security Forces. Dinesh insisted on calling them for a cup of tea and asking them their problems. He believed that without their active participation security of border area would be difficult.

In the meantime, a “Civic Action Programme” was organized in the border area. After analyzing, Dinesh concluded that the villagers are illiterate and lacked basic facilities and always had a constant fear of burglars. So, he came up with an idea to start a small project. One day, He met Church leaders and told them about his idea to establish a small Computer Centre. They welcomed his idea and offered him a small room.

The villagers were extremely happy to have the first Computer center in the border area. Dinesh requested the villagers to post two persons at night for the protection of the computer center and when villagers started night duties the problem of burglary completely stopped. BSF also offered a few introductory computer courses to help the kids, and the popularity of the Computer Centre went viral in the nearby area and beyond.

As the project was a success, the locals from a nearby village came and requested to establish a computer center in their village. Dinesh accepted their proposal and with a little initiative he not only created healthy relations within the villagers but also achieved his target by creating a second line of Defense along the international border and thereby “Creating sense of security among the border population” which is a prime role of BSF.

Today when Dinesh looks back, people see the Inauguration Place of COMPUTER CENTRE but he just smiles and sees BEYOND THAT

Abhinek Patel

India, with its diverse culture and rich heritage, has always been a land of disparities. Unfortunately, one such disparity is the social divide that exists among children This divide stems from the differences in socio-economic status, caste, religion, language, and gender. Children belonging to the lower socio-economic strata, oppressed castes and tribes, and minority communities often lack in getting adequate education, healthcare, and opportunities. This social divide among children in India is a major concern for the country's development.

Karan & Yash are of the same age but live in a completely different and contrasting worlds. One goes to a posh convent school in Gachibowli, and the other goes to a government-aided primary school. One in his free time goes to the mall, and movie hall to enjoy himself with his family while the other goes to help his mother to sell sugarcane juice.

During summer vacation Yash goes to his grandparents' house or summer camp, away from his busy life of schooling to a care-free life. This is how usually a 10-year old child is supposed to spend their summer vacation. But not for Karan, he goes to help his mother in earning. He doesn't know the universe that Yash lives in, the universe with Iron Man and Captain America saving the world. His mother said,” I'm not capable of sending my child to a big school like other kids, but I am doing my best to provide him with the education.” She further added that she wants her child to continue his studies and get a government job in the future because many times due to family responsibilities they have to stop schooling and work to provide earnings to the family. Though Karan's mother doesn't want her son in her cart, she also can't leave him alone as he is too young to live alone. He is fragile and gets scared too easily. Though both the kids' worlds are full of innocence, they are poles apart. As they grow up, both will have extremely different childhood memories to change. Karan can surely change his fate with his actions, but with the social injustices and unequal opportunities he will have to work twice as hard to reach half as far as Yash.