I Watched Planes from My Village – One Day I finally flew in One

I come from Nathuwakhan, a small village with simple living where my journey started in Uttarakhand’s Nainital district, a Himalayan state in India.

I come from a farming family. Farmers struggle with limited resources, especially water for the fields and access to good fertilizer. There are no healthcare and education facilities here, so people often migrate to cities in search of a better life.
I went to a public primary school in my area to start my education and then to a private school in my village, where I studied from nursery to grade 8. After that, I took admission in S.S. Negi Government School in Nathuwakhan for grade 9.

Something very special happened in tenth grade. The Chirag Foundation gave me a scholarship based on my class 9 grades and my family’s background. This was the first scholarship in my life and I was extremely happy. Before that, I had taken scholarship exams in class 5 and class 8 but I was not selected. But when I finally received the Chirag scholarship, I felt proud and confident that with hard work anything is possible.

The Chirag Foundation helps girls in education and healthcare. When my friends came home and shared stories about hostel life, I thought about how wonderful it would be to experience that as well.

When I was selected, all the fees and necessary expenses related to my education were covered in the scholarship. All scholarship recipients gathered at Chirag Foundation’s office in Audakhan, where we stayed in a girls’ hostel during winters. Girls from various districts came together, and we attended tuition classes from morning till evening. There were also life skill sessions, and career guidance from mentors. We even had self-defense classes.

As we interacted with students from different districts, we formed strong bonds. We felt very happy together, and when it was time to leave each other, we wished we had more time to enjoy, learn, and shape our futures together.

In 10th grade, I achieved the best marks in my class. When it came time to choose a stream for 11th grade, I felt confused about which path to take, especially since I wanted to pursue a career in the army. A fellow from the SBI helped guide me in making my decision, and I chose the Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics (PCM) stream for future opportunities. However, there was an issue: my school did not offer the PCM stream, and I had to travel far to continue my education in this area.

My parents said I could take a bus that would drop me off right at school. I kept going to school in 11th grade, taking the bus. But things changed for me in 12th grade. I started going to a Mathematics class right after college, which meant I couldn’t take the bus home anymore. Because of this, I had to walk 8 km to get home. Sometimes, we had to accept rides from strangers, which was hard for me as a girl in India, but it was often our only choice.

The Chirag Foundation told us about the International Awards for Young People (IAYP) in 12th grade. I found out that the Duke of Edinburgh gave this award, which made me even more interested. They talked about the three medals you could win: bronze, silver, and gold. To get each medal, we had to do three things: learn new skills, volunteer, and get some exercise. I chose racing as my physical activity, social work as my volunteering activity, and the skills category as an English speaker. After reaching the bronze level, we went on a memorable trip to Delhi, where we saw famous landmarks like the Red Fort, India Gate, the Lotus Temple, and Qutub Minar.

This was my first time in Delhi, and I will always remember it fondly. We got bronze medals and certificates to celebrate our successes. This experience has taught me the value of hard work, the importance of education, and the beauty of making friends, all of which I will carry with me as I keep going after my goals.

I was introduced to the world of the Merchant Navy through Laxmi Di, who is an SBI fellow working with the CHIRAG non-governmental organisation. In my 12th class, I had heard of Indian Navy, but I was not aware of the Merchant Navy. She gave me with a lot of information about the Merchant Navy, and as I started reading about the Merchant Navy, I became interested in joining the field.

Through her again we were introduced to the Jaljeevika NGO and the Chakra scholarship provided by them to girls those who are courageous enough to join the Merchant Navy. We were selected for the scholarship along with three of my friends. To join the Merchant Navy, we had to pass the IMUCET exam. Once we pass the exam scholarships would be provided to us.

I continued my studies and attended classes on the Merchant Navy for which Sameer Sir guided us on how to prepare for the exam, and we learned how to improve our English skills. In the meanwhile, I passed my 12th class in good marks from my S.N.S government school in Ramgarh.

Then the day came when I received the news of qualifying the Chakra scholarship who invited for an all-paid exposure visit to TS Rahman College in Navi Mumbai. I had only seen Mumbai in movies and had heard of it from tourists visiting our village.

I couldn’t believe I was going to fly for the first time. In my village growing up I had watched planes fly above always dreaming that I will sit on it one day. I became the first person in my family to fly, much to the delight of my family.

When we reached the airport and boarded the plane, I was amazed by the sight from the window. The earth looked beautiful and surreal. I gazed in wonder at the sight of the mountains and the river. The night view was just out of this world. Reaching the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai was a wonderful experience for me. I was in awe of how large it was. Jaljeevika team welcomed us, and we proceeded to the College, where we met Sameer Sir, who had prepared us for the event.

A big event was organized there. I had been nervous to give my speech, which I had prepared with Sameer Sir’s guidance but I spoke in front of everyone in Hindi especially to a crowd that I had never addressed before. It was an emotional moment for me because it represented all the aspirations of all the girls in the village who were willing to work hard.

We met all the students in the campus who were studying to get into the Merchant Navy form. When I saw the students dressed in proper Merchant Navy uniforms, I felt proud. Then I went home. And told the people of the village about my experiences of flying to Mumbai.

Later that year I took the exam. Unfortunately, I did not get the selection. I felt uncertain about my future so I told my family about my desire to get into the army. I got support from my family for my decision and got an opportunity from CHIRAG NGO for a scholarship from Eternal university and Badrika Ashram from Himachal Pradesh where I could get a BCA degree. I did not know anything about the course for which I contacted Haritha Di who helped me convince my parents to let me take up the course and simultaneously prepare for the army.

I joined Eternal University later that year. It was a bit challenging for me to manage everything on my own as I was far from home, but I didn’t give up and started my studies with the other Navgurukul scholarship girls. I visited my family during the winter vacation and was preparing for my further studies when I received a call from Haritha Di regarding a major event for which I had been chosen to represent our culture from Uttarakhand, in association with CHIRAG NGO in front of the Duke of Edinburgh which would be once in a lifetime experience. We worked hard to set up our stall with our handicrafts and arts representing our culture and then we clicked pictured with the Duke,

After the event we returned to the college by bus and reminisced about the opportunities life has given me.

Now I am continuing my studies and working on my computer skills and languages.

As I look back my first semester has been a learning experience as I am balancing my BCA study with army preparation. Though confused many time I have been able to secure in internship and also exploring vlogging where I share my college experiences in YouTube.

Submitted by Commonwealth Correspondent Sameer Misra

The article is a first-person account of Dolly Bisht, one of my students and her resilient journey.