In what many would call a ‘full-circle moment’, 61-year-old Indu Vithal Pawar walks to school hand-in-hand with her 94-year-old mother, Housabai Chindu Kedar. The duo are students at the Aajibaichi Shala in Maharashtra’s Fangane village. They’re all smiles as they make their way to school.

Indu Vithal Pawar (left) and her mother, Housabai Chindu Kedar (right). Image Credit: Krystelle Dsouza

Indu, who says she was deprived of this childhood ritual because of social norms that questioned the need for girls to receive an education, is thrilled that she’s now getting to experience it with her nonagenarian mother as her classmate. And when Indu chats and giggles with the other ‘girls’ — the average age of the class is 60 — Housabai doesn’t reprimand her. ‘My mother is deaf. She can’t hear me talking in class,’ the cheeky Indu shares. Housabai’s tenacity is echoed across the class of 28 senior citizens, who, despite their various ailments, routinely attend the school every Saturday and Sunday from 2:00 to 4:00 PM.

It isn’t a smooth ride, literally or metaphorically. I figured that out for myself as I travelled 113 kilometres from Mumbai to Fangane. But the beauty of the village more than compensates for the bumpy ride. Fangane is cocooned in a manicured carpet of green. The landscape is undominated by any other colour. But every weekend afternoon, that changes. Bright pink dots start to appear, 28, to be precise. The women in their vibrant uniforms make their way to the one-room school, which is complete with a blackboard, desks, and chairs.

Housabai Chindu Kedar making her way home after class. Image Credit: Krystelle Dsouza

No one walks alone. Some have a friend for support, while others have a walking stick.

Where self-belief is the curriculum   

Most reporting documenting Aajibaichi Shala highlights the journeys of its students. Their resilience deserves to be applauded, but, as I discovered, the sole teacher, Shital Prakash More, has an equally compelling tale. Shital studied until Class 10. Eventually, she married. But in 2016, when Zilla Parishad School principal Yogendra Bangar, whose brainchild Aajibaichi Shala is, asked her if she would take on the role of teaching at this unique school, she decided to challenge herself and agreed.

Shital Prakash More has been teaching at the Aajibaichi Shala for a decade now. Image Credit: Krystelle Dsouza

‘My first thought was that if these elderly women could, and wanted to, study at this age, I could do it,’ Shital shares. Alongside teaching the women every day, she pursued her own studies, going on to complete her Bachelor of Arts degree. At Aajibaichi Shala, she covers the basics, such as barakhadi (the Indian alphabet), how to sign names, how to recite poems and songs, and how to read holy books. But Shital takes no credit for the women’s progress. Instead, she says their progress is the result of their enthusiasm.

‘Even when they find it very difficult to learn, they still come to the school. Their hands tremble, but they still try to write, in the hope that one day they will be as good at reading and writing as others,’ she says, adding that what started as a batch of over 30 women has downsized over the years. ‘Two of them passed away, one of them lost her vision, and another broke her leg.’

But the ones who can attend always do. Parvati Maruti Kedar (62) says she’s found two things at the school: friends and joy. ‘We have so much fun when we are together. We play kho kho, talk to each other, and sing songs,’ she says. She proceeds to sing one, where the standout line is ‘ulta sulta lihla tari madam karil saral ga (even if we write haphazardly, our teacher corrects us)’.

Parvati Maruti Kedar in her uniform. Image Credit: Krystelle Dsouza

At Aajibaichi Shala, success can’t be measured by a single parameter. For each student, it is different. For some, it is being able to rattle off the barakhadi; for others, it is being able to write their names; for yet others, it might be being able to open their own bank accounts.

When Yogendra started the school in 2016, he knew it was an unusual idea. Sharing what inspired him, he says, ‘Since 2013, I had been teaching at the Zilla Parishad School in the village. One day, we had organised a programme on Shivaji Jayanti. Many women attended. Some of these grandmothers shared how nice it would be to be able to read the scripts on the life of Chhatrapati Shivaji.’

The following Women’s Day, Yogendra thought of bringing about a tangible impact in the lives of these senior citizens. ‘I felt like the biggest gift for them would be to learn how to sign, and so I decided to start a school and asked Shital (whose children studied at the Zilla Parishad School) if she would teach them,’ he says. The single-room school was built with funding from the Motiram Dalal Trust, started by Dilip Dalal.

Subverting norms 

Gulab Shivaji Kedar (66) gets nostalgic about her childhood when she attends school. ‘I was the oldest sibling; my younger sister and brother were sent to school. But I had to stay home so I could wash the vessels. I had responsibilities.’ However, now Gulab fulfils those childhood fantasies. ‘My grandchildren came to drop me off at school on my first day,’ she says. Likewise, Nirmala Sakharam Kedar (65) shares, ‘My parents never had the money to send me to school. They were daily wage labourers and used to earn a few rupees a day.’

The students of Aajibaichi Shala writing on their slates during class. Image Credit: Krystelle Dsouza

Teaching a batch of senior citizens isn’t conventional, Shital shares. ‘They keep forgetting what you teach them. You can’t teach them all together, because some can’t hear. You have to sit with each one separately.’ That being said, a decade with these women has deepened her understanding of their interests and talents.

According to a HelpAge India report, 40 per cent of elderly people who are illiterate reported not having access to any sources of income, compared with 29 per cent of respondents who are literate. The study was conducted across 20 tier I and tier II cities in 10 states, with a total of 5,169 older people and 1,333 caregivers surveyed.

The goal of Aajibaichi Shala is to make a dent in the problem and help senior citizens become more independent. Sonabai Maruti Kedar (79) is one example. She shares, ‘Now I go to the bachatgat (self-help group) meetings, and I feel confident sharing my opinion. I even sign wherever I have to. Earlier, I used to put my thumb impression,’ she says.

The students of Aajibaichi Shala in their school. Image Credit: Krystelle Dsouza

Being part of the school is opening new doors for these women. In 2022, they were invited as guests on Kaun Banega Crorepati. Now, they routinely take sponsored trips across India and appear in several shows.

Shital shares what this resilience is underscored by. She says, ‘One woman, Sitabai Deshmukh, used to come to the school every day until she got sick. When she died, she was buried in uniform with her bags and books. Her dying wish was to be literate.’ It’s a testament to how, in Fangane, a powerful story is unfolding, shaped by an unwavering desire to learn.

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The quotes in the article are the author’s free translation from Marathi and Hindi.