LUCKNOW Barely clothed, a 4-year-old boy stands amid the ruins and fluently names parts of the human body in English. When prompted, he confidently recites the days of the week, from Monday to Sunday. His name is Rinku, and like many children here, his first lessons came not from a formal school, but from a makeshift classroom run by Manju Devi, 50, in Vikas Nagar’s slum cluster that was ravaged by fire on Wenesday evening.
For nearly two decades, Manju’s open-air school was the starting point of education for hundreds of children in the area. Teaching up to classes 4 and 5, she helped them learn basic reading, writing and arithmetic, skills that later enabled many to transition into government schools or even run small businesses.
Today, that classroom lies in ashes.The blaze that tore through the slum destroyed everything, blackboards, charts, books, even the fans that offered some relief during harsh summers. What remains is an empty patch of land and a teacher waiting, hoping to rebuild.
“Everything is gone, but I’m not worried for myself. I’m worried about these children,” Manju told HT. “They used abusive language earlier, but now they don’t,” she added with a faint smile.
A resident of Vikas Nagar, Manju started the school in 2006 after her marriage did not work out. While she earns a living by taking home tuitions, she has been teaching slum children for free.
“I bought blackboards, alphabet charts and study material from Aminabad. All of it has burnt,” she said.
Despite the loss, her resolve remains intact. Around her, children like Rinku continue to recite lessons, living proof that her efforts have not gone in vain.
For Manju Devi, rebuilding the school is not just about restoring a structure. It is about reclaiming a space where hope, discipline and dreams once took root.
www.hindustantimes.com
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