13-year-old joins fast for school

Mumbai, Dec. 27: Pratik Wankhede is sick of being made to stand outside the classroom when all the others are being taught.

So the 13-year-old reached MMRDA Grounds with his father at 11 this morning to join Anna Hazare’s three-day fast.

But where’s the connection between standing outside class and a strong Lokpal law?

There isn’t any, but the Class VIII kid wants an end to the “shame” he has to endure every time his family fails to pay his school fees.

“It is shameful when you have to stand outside the classroom while others are being taught,” said Pratik, who hopes his fast will be noticed by “somebody important”.

So armed with his red schoolbag, with clothes to last him three days, the boy reached the Bandra-Kurla Complex to begin his fast.

Pratik’s father Ramesh, who worked as a truck driver but has lost his job, said the government had introduced the Right to Education Act, making education the birthright of every child.

“Yet, the school my son is studying in plans to increase the fees, which will make it further unaffordable for us. The management says maintaining the school is becoming increasingly difficult while it continues to run the English medium section.”

Pratik studies in the Marathi-medium section of his school in the western suburb of Dahisar.

Ramesh said Pratik’s decision to fast was his own. “I tried discouraging him, so did his mother and two elder sisters. But he told me ‘if you could fast for 13 days during the August agitation, three days is not a long time for me’.”

Pratik has not told his friends about his fast. “I feel proud that I am fasting here,” he smiled. “My schoolmates will be proud too.”

His mother works as an anganwadi worker and earns over Rs 2,000 a month. The overall fees for Pratik’s schooling goes up to over Rs 3,000 a year and sometimes it’s difficult to pay the fees.

“There needs to be some change to make admissions easier for students like me,” the boy said, adding that he wanted to become an engineer or get into the army.

Not many, though, had thoughts of “change” on their mind as they queued up outside the free-food counters at the protest ground.

While Pratik and the others fasted at the shaded tent on the right side of Hazare’s stage, large numbers of people, wearing “I am Anna Hazare” caps, filled their plates with the food on offer: puri, aloo mutter, chawal and dal.

The food is served thrice — for breakfast, lunch and dinner — at a tent named Anna ki Rasoi. Two social organisations from Haryana and Surat have employed over 80 people to cook the food.

“The food is being served to all. There is no count of the number of people who have eaten here since morning,” said an attendant at the stall.

“The food here is very tasty,” said one man, almost sheepish about his full plate. “We have come from very far to support Anna and had to wait in the heat.”