Shella, Aug 14: Binestar Ksanlah of Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills district has set up many schools in remote villages of the northeastern state and sponsored the educational expenses of many poor students.
A school teacher for most part of his early life, Ksanlah, joined India Posts as a postman and served in various branch post offices before he retired in 2012.
That, however, did not deter the 70-year-old Ksanlah from reaching out to poor children in dire need of financial help to continue with their studies.
Wodar Tangsang,50, was among the first students of Ksanlah in a school he founded in 1972 at Wahlyngdoh village. The village was then accessible by trekking 4 hours from Smit village, 12 km south of the state capital.
Currently an employee of the Meghalaya Power Transmission Corporation Ltd, Wodar told PTI that he is ever grateful to Babu (Sir) Ksanlah who came to his village and started a school.
Like Wodar there are many students hailing from poor families who Ksanlah have paid for their education, stay, food and even travelled with them to personally drop them off at their colleges and universities outside the state.
Riphilin Mukhim, 31, currently serving as a nurse at her native Pingwait village, said Ksanlah was like an “angel” who she met through a distant maternal uncle.
“After clearing matriculation examination in 1996, never in my wildest dreams have I ever thought of getting a chance to continue with my studies. Babu readily agreed to pay for my education and my stay in Shillong to complete class 12 since my family members could no afford it,” she told PTI.
Ksanlah also paid for her ANM fees to study at the Ganesh Das Govt Maternal and Child Health Hospital here and also followed up with her till she got her official appointment.
With no government funds and a village fund of only Rs 500, Ksanlah founded the Wahlyngdoh Primary School and later the Upper Primary School where Wodar studied.
The school is now attended by hundreds of kids from the village and nearby villages.
Born to poor parents in Shella, Ksanlah lost his father at a very young age.
“I moved out of my village in search of a better life in Shillong. It was in Shillong that I started to find menial jobs to support myself and my education till class 8,” he told PTI.
Keen to promote education, Ksanlah was invited by many villages to start a school in their villages. He chose remote Wahlyngdoh village under Mawkynrew CnRD block.
He went on to initiate the foundation of several schools in the area and also in Pynursla area (another town where he was offered the post office job in 1996 after clearing his matriculation the year before.
Ksanlah completed his matriculation (class 10) examination in 1995, the same year his eldest son also cleared his matriculation examination.
During his service at the Branch Post Office at Shella, Ksanlah’s helped build a home for one of the contractual employees at the office.
In January this year, he completed building another home for another poor family at his home village, Shella.
“I am so grateful for Mama Bi (uncle Bi). He helped build our house as we are in no position to complete the house whose foundation was started two years ago,” Korda Khyllep, 48, said.
Korda lives in a one room house with no electricity and damaged roofs until last week when she got power connections and another room made by Ksanlah.
The man’s fondness for children and his special interest in their education never stopped really.
He has sponsored for the education of many people and since his retirement, the people he sponsored got together to form the Good Hope Society with a mission to pass on the kindness to those in need.
Ksanlah was made its honorary president and supervisor while over 25 people are members.
The GHS has now taken up in itself to further the cause of reaching out to the less privileged lot by sponsoring the education of many kids, he said. (PTI)
