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| Harsh Neotia gives away the scholarship to a winner at GD Birla Sabhagar. Picture by Anindya Shankar Ray |
It was a happy moment for Class XII student Shahina Farhat of Anjuman Girls High School as she went up to receive the Udayan Shalini Fellowship at an event organised at GD Birla Sabhagar on November 16. “I want to sit for the joint entrance examination. The scholarship money can pay for my tuitions and help me buy books,” she said.
Similarly, Nafisa Hussain — a second year student of Loreto College — had relief writ large on her face. “Now I know that I will be able to complete my studies,” she said.
Shahina and Nafisa were among the 292 under-privileged girls who received the scholarship given by an NGO, Udayan Care. The scholarship aims at making the disadvantaged girl child more self-reliant. The programme commenced with a power-point presentation about Udayan. This was followed by an oath-taking ceremony. Students also sang Aaguner Parashmani, in keeping with the mood of the afternoon.
The West Bengal chapter of Udayan Care was started in September 2007. Initially, 188 students were taken in its fold and another 104 were added in 2008. The NGO shortlists deserving students from various government schools. A candidate must score a 60 per cent in her boards or college exam to be eligible for the scholarship. Her family’s annual income should also not exceed Rs 72,000. The candidates are tested on the basis of NAT (Need, Ambition and Talent). There are fellowships both for academic and vocational courses. It is Rs 7,000 for senior secondary school students, Rs 7,500 for those pursuing vocational education and diploma courses, Rs 9,000 for college students and Rs 18,000 for those pursuing professional courses like medicine, engineering, and chartered accountancy.
“Udayan also mentors needy students. For every 10 students, there is one mentor, who meets them once a fortnight and tries to resolve their problems,” said Kusum Bhandari, the convener of Udayan Care. The students are from areas like Rajarhat, Howrah Calcutta and Hooghly.
Also present on the occasion were industrialists Suresh and Harsh Neotia, advocate and writer Ram Kishore Chowdhury and businessman Bishamber Sureka.
For Sreejita Bhattacharya, a student Muralidhar Girls College, this scholarship is not just monetary support. “It has made me more optimistic about life,” she said.