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SO PROUD: Hemanna (left) with his mother and Meghraj with his father on their graduation day |
The first batch of nine zero-education candidates who were trained by Foundation 4 Life, an NGO, graduated on Saturday. They were selected from villages and trained in Bangalore from September last year.
They were given on-the-job training at Graditim, a BPO in Chennai.
New lease on life
"Our son used to graze cattle in our village at Koppal. Since he never went to school we thought that he would be a cattle grazer all his life. But today he speaks very good English and looks smart also," said Thimappa, Ramesh's father.
Ramesh (19), recalls how he was cheated when he went to sell onions since he did not know basic maths.
"Sometimes when I went to the market to sell the onions grown in our field, I was fooled. This was just a year ago. Now, I not only know numbers but I have learnt computers too," he said.
Widening horizons
Meghraj (20) too did not think beyond his farm.
"I thought that I would either become a farmer or a coolie like the rest in my family. I had never been to school. Now suddenly things have changed and I can confidently speak in English and am no longer shy," he said.
His parents Kuttappa and Laxmamma lovingly call him 'Sir.'
"He has become a 'saheb' now. I am very happy and I just can't stop smiling. When I sent him to Bangalore I was a bit apprehensive. Now, I don't want him to come back," said Kuttappa.
When Hemanna (22) went home after his training, his mother was unable to recognise him.
"His looks and demeanour have completely changed. He looked smart like a city dweller. Only when he came closer I recognised that it was my son," said Devamma.
Hemanna used to work as a security guard and had never been to school.
The pioneers
25-year-old techie Rajesh Bhat came up with the idea of training uneducated people for BPO jobs.
Sunil Savana, executive director of Silicon Plains, boosted him and his two other techie friends, Ajith Satpute and Samik Ghosh, to join him. The four together started Foundation 4 Life.
"Last year we selected nine people from various villages in Karnataka and trained them in English and computers. The next batch with 100 people will begin soon. We also intend to start BPOs in villages where the villagers can work," said Rajesh.
