Jiban Jatra: Mentor Speak | Meghna Baruah

By Meghna Baruah

I’ve been lucky to work on some developmental projects in the early years of my career as a working professional. As a part of these projects I got an opportunity to interact with young students in the villages of Assam on various educational and developmental issues. A strong memory that I have from those times is their hard to miss enthusiasm and eagerness to learn about various career opportunities and partake in new experiences. Every single time, though, I was left mortified with the dearth of resources staring the students in their face. It was the interaction with these young and promising students that kept the flame in me burning to come back and contribute in some way towards their betterment.

Sure enough that opportunity came knocking when I happened to hear about Rukmani Trust. It was through my teacher Lolita Dutta, a design professional and an educator that I was introduced to Jiban Jatra, a worthy initiative of the trust. 

One January afternoon, we found ourselves speaking to children of grades XI and XII in rural Assam. The session introduced children to various aspects of design, an industry that I have been associated with for the past decade. It was heartwarming to note how the children were so interested in learning about the many facets of design. The very sight of so many motivated students peering into their screens, wanting to savor every bit of information, their many struggles notwithstanding, had us in awe. 

At this point I must stop to laud the efforts of the team at Rukmani Trust who ensured that the children could easily comprehend the various aspects and that information wasn’t lost on account of nuances of language and culture.