Sonu Rani’s failure: Shattered future of the Harijans?

Despite dreaming big, Sonu had to limit her dream and resorted to giving private tuition only. This shattered the ray of hope about the future of the Harijan community and led them towards darkness.

Sonu Rani Das, the only graduate of the Harijan community, had dreamt of becoming a teacher to establish her own language and to spread the light of education among her underprivileged and uneducated community.

But she failed to materialise her dream.

Despite dreaming big, Sonu had to limit her dream and resorted to giving private tuition only. This shattered the ray of hope about the future of the Harijan community and led them towards darkness.

The first graduate of Tanbazar sweeper colony, Sonu Rani Das had faced thousands of impediments on her way towards empowerment in her community. Bypassing all the thorns of obstacles, she stepped on university and graduated. Apart from studies, she also worked with different Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).

Belonging to Harijan community, she represented Bangladesh within the border and beyond. At first, she participated in the "Global Exchange Programme" in Scotland for three months under the "Bangladesh-Scotland cultural exchange programme".

Later, she went to Geneva to attend the human rights conference. There, she highlighted the Dalit women's position in the political arena in a seven-minute speech which was acclaimed by all.

Afterwards, various mass media featured her success stories. She earned a name as the torch-bearer for her Harijan community.

She was also featured by the international media BBC. 

However, following her dream, she appeared for primary teachers' recruitment test in which 1,773,917 candidates took part but she could not secure a position in the list of 55,295 successful candidates. With this, her dream of becoming teacher was shattered.

"At present, I am completely unemployed. What is the point of completing the study by working hard? What will I do by letting my children study?" Sonu Rani told UNB.

"I do not even feel to suggest anyone of the slum educating their children. Once those cited me as an example, now suggest their children to remain aloof from getting education citing my exmaple. I just listen to them bowing my head," she pointed out.

"It is frustrating for me as I could not become a teacher, but it is more frustrating for the future of my community," she said.

The situation of my community will remain unchanged, she lamented.