The success story of a teenage girl, living in
India’s eastern Bihar, getting educated by her own efforts while rearing
honeybees for a livelihood has found a place in a school textbook in
India.
Anita Kushwaha, the 17 year old who lives in Muzaffarpur district, about 70
km from Patna has made it to a book published by one of India’s prestigious
educational organisations the National Council of Educational Research and
Training (NCERT).
The chapter titled “Anita and the honey bees” in the class IV
book describes Anita as ‘Queen Bee’. Highlighting her struggle the book
mentions about Anita hailing from a modest background who was born in a poor
family of agricultural labourers. Her parents were too poor to get her
ambition of getting educated fulfilled.
She wanted to study but her parents and relatives in the village did not
encourage. She realised that she have to help out herself and she need to fund her
studies herselff.
Anita came to the limelight in 2006 when Unicef chose her as one of the
‘inspiring stories’ for its girl stars campaign.
She was the youngest among the 15 girls who were selected for the Unicef
campaign. Unicef then made a film on her and released books on her struggle
for education and survival.
She went against her parents and refused to marry at an early age and
decided to earn not only to fund her school studies but her higher studies
also.
She has been doing some odd jobs to earn a livelihood and also assisting in
the upcoming of children of poor families.
Anita who has become a role model and a source of inspiration for many.
Anita is currently pursuing her Bachelors in Arts (English) degree from a
college in Muzaffarpur and is all set to sail higher.
