Kumar Bahukhandi
Madvi Arjun. a boy from village, a very remote village in Sukma district called Poorvarti which was plagued by Maoist violence for the years, has created history by getting selected in the sixth class in Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Penta (Dornapal), Gaving lack of all the facilities a student should have -Photo Credit-CG/PR
Raipur: One name in the Naxalism-affected Bastar region that has emerged as an example of hope and change today is Madvi Arjun. This boy from Poorvarti village, a very remote village in Sukma district and plagued by Maoist violence for years, has created history by getting selected in the sixth class in Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Penta (Dornapal). This is not just the victory of a student, but a sign of the hope that is now sprouting in every nook and corner of Bastar region .
The Poorvarti village of which Madvi Arjun hails is actually the ancestral village of Naxalite commander Hidma. There was a time when Poorvarti was considered a stronghold of Naxalites. Here the Maoists used to hold Jan Adalat and pronounce the verdict on terror and the fate of the villagers. Now the same Poorvarti village is seeing the rays of the new sun of education and development. Arjun’s achievement has shown that no matter how difficult the circumstances are, if you get opportunity and guidance, you will definitely get success.
Arjun was currently studying in Bal Ashram Silger. His house has neither electricity nor a concrete roof. His parents run the house somehow by farming and labouring. Still, Arjun left behind the difficult circumstances and achieved this feat with his hard work and the dedication of the ashram teachers.
In the last one and a half years, the Naxal eradication campaign run by the Chhattisgarh government has laid the foundation of change in the remote areas of Bastar.
Areas like Poorvarti, where earlier there were no basic facilities like road, health, education, electricity, now road construction, security forces camps, Gurukul schools, health services and fair price shops have started there.
Now the Gurukul running under the supervision of security forces has started providing an inspiring environment for the education of children in Poorvarti. Arjun’s success is the first major achievement of this continuous effort.
District Collector Devesh Dhruv said that selection in Navodaya Vidyalaya from a remote and Maoist affected village like Poorvarti is not only the result of Arjun’s hard work but it is also a sign of positive change in the education system of the district. We want to give every child a chance to grow in life .
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has said that Madvi Arjun’s success is a symbol of the changing picture of Chhattisgarh. This is a glimpse of that new Chhattisgarh, where now there is talk of light instead of darkness. The journey from a village like Poorvarti to the national level Navodaya School shows that the seeds of education, security and development that we have sown have now started bearing fruits. Many congratulations and best wishes to Arjun from my side. Now not only one Arjun, but thousands of Arjuns will emerge from Poorvarti region and will shape the future of Chhattisgarh. The state government is committed to giving wings to the dreams of every child.
This journey of Madvi Arjun is not just the story of a student, but it is the tale of the change that Bastar is experiencing. The walls of Naxalism are now crumbling and the light of education is spreading in the homes and courtyards of Bastar. This is the beginning of a changing Bastar. Now there will be a queue of Arjuns and villages like Poorvarti will write a new chapter of development.
