He's 23 and a tailor's son from a very humble home in Bhistipara, Hirapur, in Dhanbad. But, his values make him stand out as a young man India can be proud of.
Md Jahiruddih Ansari, a commerce graduate and a UPSC exam aspirant who comes to the Gandhi Seva Sadan library every day for reference work, cleans the bust of Mahatma Gandhi there every morning without fail. He also lights a diya at the state library some 200 metres away from Gandhi Seva Sadan every evening when he goes there to study because he feels "libraries are the temples of education".
Most unusual for a 23-year-old, right?
Jahir, as he is known to friends, has also been teaching the three Rs to around 50 children of rag-pickers at a slum south of Dhanbad station for the past five years. His friends Dipak Kumar, Swamitra Gautam, Ranjit Prasad Sahu and others also join him regularly in this endeavour.
Jahir's idealism shines even under tough circumstances. His tailor father Md Ramzan earns less than Rs 9,000 to feed a family of eight, so Jahir imparts private tuitions at different homes and a coaching institute, Genius Academy, to supplement the family income. With his teaching assignments and his own studies for civil services exams, it is a wonder how he finds time to light diyas every day and teach slum children.
"I just do it," Jahir smiled.
A devout Muslim who offers namaz five times a day, he also sings the favourite bhajans of the Father of the Nation at Gandhi Sadan. "I find mental peace in doing so," he said.
"For me, Mahatma Gandhi embodies many things, including tolerance, far-sightedness, social reform, nationalism, leadership and religious harmony. Gandhiji believed fearlessness is a state of the mind that comes through honesty. I consider him the world's most fearless leader."
If he becomes a bureaucrat, what will his priority be? "I believe poverty and growing disparities among people are the biggest challenge affecting followers of all religions in our country. That's why we should follow Gandhian ideals to fight these challenges together," said Jahir.
