Belhara/Barabanki (Uttar Pradesh)
In the 1980s, Lachchipur ward, in Belhara town panchayat, Barabanki district was once infamous as ‘mini Chambal’. There were nefarious activities afoot, and the police were often there conducting raids.
“This had an adverse impact on the lives of the 300 odd families that lived here, especially the children,” Nurul Hasan, an inhabitant of Lachipur, told Gaon Connection.
So, Hasan decided that he would do something about this and he put up a temporary shelter in front of his house and started teaching children. In 1985, there were just four children who came to him to study. Today there are nearly 400 children, aged between four and 13-years of age, who study at the Madrasa, the 65-year-old said proudly.
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But, it was a difficult journey, getting here, Hasan said. “It took a lot of persuasion to get the parents of other children to join in, but gradually the numbers increased. I needed more teachers to help me out. But I had no money, so I sold four bighas of land, to manage,” Hasan said. Currently he has three other teachers assisting him.
Along with teaching them Urdu, Persian and verses from the Koran, Hasan also instructed them in English, Hindi, Mathematics and Science. “People objected to other subjects being taught at the Madrasa, but I did not budge from my intentions.
Students who graduated from the madrasa have not only grown up to become theologists but are also excelling in fields like healthcare, engineering, and academics.
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“The funding for the madrasa comes from public donors. Initially, we faced resistance from the society when people said that science, mathematics and English are not the subjects to be taught inside the madrasa but when students from our madrasa began excelling in their fields, the critic’s outlook changed. At present, there are 400 students studying in the madrasa,” Hasan said.
Mehek Khan, a student in the madrasa stated that studying science, mathematics and English is beneficial for the students.
The funding for the madrasa comes from public donors.
“Studying these subjects ensures that we are equipped to join professional courses in the future,” she told Gaon Connection.
Meanwhile, Saiyyama, a student of class eight shared that studying these subjects ensures that she can easily join any other institution if needed. “I want to become a teacher. Here, we not only learn religious knowledge but also practical subjects which help us grow up to become suitable for employment. We can also join any other institute because here the emphasis is also on modern education,” she said.
Zia-ul-Hasan, the principal of the madrasa stated that he aims at developing both skills and values in his students. “We try to humanise our students. We don’t want western education to corrupt young minds and we focus on inculcating values that ensure empathy in our students. We want our students to grow up to become not just consumers in a society but also its vital contributors,” the principal told Gaon Connection.
“There was a time when scholars from across the world used to flock to India to learn. We want our country to regain that reputation in the world,” he added.
