The story of Kampher-eiei Pala is a tear jerker but it also is a story of courage and grit. Here is someone who fights to achieve his desired goal. This is such a rare phenomenon in a situation where too many young people give up too easily citing poverty as a reason for dropping out of school and resorting to drugs as a panacea for their mental wounds. This is the general trend across Meghalaya today, so much so that even churches are looted and banks vandalised. Poverty is a stark reality and so is the single-parenthood syndrome that puts so many families at a grave disadvantage. A mother with three or more children having been abandoned by her husband must single-handedly cope with life and ensure that her children do not starve. This is the flip side of Khasi matriliny which is a much- glorified social system with its hidden pangs that few care to explore. A single mother with four or five kids finds it well-nigh impossible to see them through school. She contends that giving them two square meals is itself a tall order, forget the schooling. Hence children drop out of school and join the workforce. It is pointless talking about child labour in Meghalaya because nearly every family in the rural areas has at least one child or more working as cowherds at ages 10-12 but that is either not noticed or is normalised.
Kampher with four other siblings really stands out as a beacon of hope in a society that seems to grope around in a hopeless maze. This young man about to become a doctor needs to be set up as a role model for many others in an equally depressing situation. Society needs to hear how he overcame all the hurdles that life threw at him and rose to where he is today. How did he derive that mental strength and the character to push on and not give up? Many would have moaned their fates and given up to get into a rut and become part of the problem. It’s easy to fall by the wayside and join that cycle of poverty but Kampher has broken the cycle and hopefully will his other siblings. To survive working in the dark dungeons of a coal mine which has claimed many lives is itself a miracle.
Kampher’s story however would not have taken the trajectory it has without the benevolence of We Care Foundation a philanthropic organisation led by Dr Bishnu Medhi and his team. For years now this Foundation has assisted poor students with the potential for medical studies and also for other fields. They have not only assisted the students financially but have also mentored them and encouraged them to stay the course. This is an exceptional endeavour and We Care Foundation has done this silently without seeking publicity. Such organisations deserve the collective gratitude of society.
