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Time of India
24-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Simdega JAC 4th rank holder sells ‘thongas' to fund studies
1 2 Ranchi: She is 17 and learning to manoeuvre her financial challenges to pursue her dreams of cracking the civil services someday. Meet, Shobita Bilung, a tribal girl from the non-descript Korongo village in the remote Simdega district, who sells "thongas" (paper containers) at sweet shops and roadside carts in Morabadi to fund her textbooks and living expenses while pursuing an undergraduate programme in economics (honours) at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee University (DSPMU) (to be renamed as Veer Budhu Bhagat University). In 2022, she scored 80.80% in the Jharkhand Academic Council (JAC) matriculation examination and was among the 10 top from her district. She bettered the rank in the JAC intermediate by bagging the 4th position in all of Simdega. On both occasions, the Simdega district administration felicitated and awarded her at a formal ceremony at the district collectorate to honour the district toppers. Bilung said the authorities, while encouraging girls to study, assured all possible govt support in their endeavours by linking them with govt schemes. "However, none of the promises were translated into action, so far," Bilung told TOI. Over three months ago, she again applied for the govt scholarship scheme (e-kalyan) for tribal and poor students at a camp organised at her varsity, but she is yet to get a penny, she rued. Bilung has four siblings. While a brother and a younger sister are back home in Simdega studying in schools, her elder sister is nursing dreams of pursuing medical studies. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like One of the Most Successful Investors of All Time, Warren Buffett, Recommends: 5 Books for Turning... Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Currently, Bilung shares a rented shanty with one of her friends near the university. "My father runs a small tea and snack shop in my native village and my mother is a housewife. Although he manages to send room rent, I take orders and sell 'thongas' to tide over other expenses," she said, adding that seeing poverty from close quarters, she can't demand more from home. On the idea of "thongas", Bilung said she learnt it from her father when she was at home. "I thought of putting that skill to use here. I managed to earn Rs 400-Rs 500 per week by selling them to roadside carts and sweet shops nearby. I use the money for books and other personal expenses," she said, adding that she recently bought some NCERT books with the money to prepare for the civil services. However, Bilung's story isn't an isolated case of underprivileged students striving hard to pursue studies. From her varsity alone, at least 2,000 such students are struggling to get govt aid. Talking to TOI, Sarvottam Kumar, the dean of students welfare of DSPMU said, "At least 2,000 applications are pending for govt-linked scholarships from our varsity alone. Under the scheme, whatever they pay for tuition fees gets refunded. Ironically, we followed up with the authorities concerned many times but received no proper response. There have been cases where many don't even get the aid due to bureaucratic and other hurdles. " Sanjay Kumar Bhagat, the officer in charge of the district welfare department, said currently they were dealing with around 1.5 lakh applications in Ranchi alone. "We are trying our best to verify and process the applications under various schemes but it takes time. Currently, we don't have an allotment of funds and even when we have, it gets exhausted quickly due to the huge number of applicants. Once the funds come from the govt, it can be disbursed," he said. Tribal welfare minister Chamra Linda didn't respond to calls for his comment on the matter.
Time of India
20-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Tribal artistes take to canvas to depict climate & gender
Ranchi: The Dr Ramdayal Munda Tribal Welfare Research Institute in Ranchi buzzed with artistic energy on Tuesday as 19 tribal women unfurled their sketchbooks and paintbrushes to translate the complex intersections of gender and climate change into visual art. The event will conclude on Thursday with a public exhibition. Inaugurating the artist workshop on 'Gender and Climate Change,' Rajya Sabha MP Mahua Maji emphasized the urgency of giving Adivasi women a platform to tell their climate stories. "I really congratulate the organisers for coming up with this unique idea to talk about such an important issue. Through art, these young women can offer perspectives that are often overlooked in policy and public discourse," she said. The workshop, jointly organized by Asar and Deshaj Abhikram, invites the participants, mostly tribal women from across Jharkhand, to reflect on the disproportionate burdens that climate change places on rural and indigenous women. From erratic rainfall to shrinking forests, these realities often intensify the challenges women face in their everyday lives. Srijita Mal, a student from DSPMU, said, "I plan to depict how deforestation has made daily household chores like collecting firewood or water more exhausting for rural women. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo It's about showing the invisible labour and how it's becoming harder due to vanishing forests." Nishi Kumari, another student from DSPMU, described the space as empowering. "This is the first time I've had the opportunity to talk about climate change through art. It's giving our thoughts a canvas," she said. Manita Oraon from Ranchi University said her focus would be on contemporary issue, rising temperatures, and how they affect education of girls. "When schools shut or water becomes scarce, it's the girls who are often pulled back from studies," she said. Mansi Toppo, another participant, said, "It's a platform for women to speak through their art, and to reflect their truths in ways words can't."
