Importance of Education

All my life, as far as I can recall, there was one thing my mother always made sure I understood – to be independent. She always used to tell me that everything else is secondary; education is of prime importance. According to her, it is like a gust of fresh air that cleanses the stagnant mind and lets you think clearly. Though I never understood why she said that, I used to nod in affirmation; until recently, when I realized why she used to stress the importance of education so much. Let me share a story with you all today. Pranita was 15 when she was about to elope with her boyfriend. She was ready to give up everything – her education, her family and trust her entire life into the hands of someone she knew just for few months. But on the day of eloping, she was caught by her dad. Furious, he sent her to some relative’s house in a far away village and there she was kept under strict supervision. She didn’t wish to continue studies and neither did anyone force her. She spent her time doing household chores until 3 years later, when she was married to Ashish, a guy of her dad’s selection. Pranita didn’t object. Infact, she welcomed it as the much needed change in her monotonous life. Ashish ran a small business in partnership with his friend. Pranita had to attend the business parties thrown by clients along with Ashish. She enjoyed it and relished it. But time doesn’t stay the same, for good times do come to an end. One year passed in a jiffy and Pranita was enjoying her new life with Ashish. But soon destiny played a cruel joke on them which changed their lives forever. Ashish’s business partner tricked him and ran away with the entire money. They went broke. Soon they were on streets. They sold their home, jewellery to make a living. Ashish tried his hands at different jobs but nothing worked. In the midst of all these troubles, they had two little ones to feed. Frustrated with the troubles, Ashish became a slave of alcohol and started hitting Pranati. Her life turned into hell. There was nothing she could do, for she didn’t know how to lead a life if she stepped out of Ashish’s home. So she took it all silently, seeing the face of her little ones. Things weren’t getting any better. Situation worsened with passing time and so did Ashish’s cruelty. He took loans to satiate his thirst for alcohol. Hundreds turned into thousands and thousands turned into lakhs. The loan sharks started asking back the money and one fine day, he ran away leaving behind Pranati and the kids to face the wrath of the loan sharks. What could she do? She wasn’t educated nor did she have any idea how things worked in real world. She tried to find a job but couldn’t. Life isn’t that easy. It became difficult to make the ends meet. She cried regretting her past. She wished she had payed attention towards studies and had learnt something. Then this day wouldn’t have come. She would have at least known how to deal with the situation. Today, she is still striving to find a work with decent pay to make the ends meet. But there is one thing she does – sending her little ones to school. She stresses the importance of education to every child she meets. She tells them how education is the only that could help them lead a better life. So that was Pranita’s story. Neither she, nor her dad had realized the importance of education and in the end, they paid a huge price for it. Seeing this changed  my perspective towards life. I now know why my mom used to stress so much about education. Good education is that weapon which can aid you out of  difficulties. It gives you the courage needed to face any situation. It gives our life a sense of security. Education is freedom. It gives you wings that help you reach heights. I am lucky to have parents who know the importance of education and sent me to school. But there are many children who are denied this right to education. Kids are either made to work or are married of at an early age. Join hands and help to save such kids. Help them get back their childhood and secure their future.  Because with every child that joins school, our country will progress towards development.