Gazi Jalaluddin: Forced to quit school, driving a taxi, he works hard to give poor children an opportunity to attend school

Our series "Teacher Warriors" honours some of the country’s best and bravest teacher warriors, striving to give kids a fighting chance at a better present and a future floating with possibilities. In the seventh episode, Parvathy Jayakrishnan speaks to Mr Gazi Jalaluddin, a taxi driver from Kolkata who runs 2 schools and an orphanage :

The ride so far has been pretty rough for taxi driver Gazi Jalaluddin of Kolkata. A class topper who loved going to school, he was forced to give up education at the young age of 7 because his family could not afford it. This little boy was determined to give other children from underprivileged homes what he was not lucky enough to receive. From pulling rickshaws and tailoring to running a driving school, Gazi Saheb, as he is fondly known in Thakurchauk village in Joynagar in West Bengal’s Sunderban area, runs two schools and an orphanage, solely from donations received from his passengers and well-wishers. Today he drives a yellow Ambassador with these words written on it – “This taxi total income spent on Orfan’s mission, Sakhiyathan mission and IIFP School. So kindly don’t give any traffic case against this taxi. Thank you, taxi driver Gazi Jalaluddin.” You can’t help but smile at that spirit!

What did you do after being forced to drop out of school in second grade?

I started pulling rickshaws to make money. Years later, I started the Sundarban Driving Samiti, a driving school, where I would bring in boys from my village to Kolkata and teach them driving for free so that they could make a living. We have 400-500 people from Joynagar who are successfully driving taxis in Kolkata.

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How did you start your first school?

In 1987, I decided to convert our half acre of ancestral land with a two-room house into a school. We would stay in one room and the other room was the classroom. I started talking to my passengers for help and some were kind enough to provide books, money, clothes and even medicines. We started with 22 children and two teachers. Every year, we try making a new room to accommodate more children. In 2006, we had 12 classrooms and nine teachers and we could provide mid-day meals without any support from the government. Today, we have grown to become a school with 21 teachers teaching 425 students and three workers. Parents from very low income groups have an additional incentive to send their children because we give them a free meal every day.

Has the government provided you any support to continue your mission?

I have approached ministers for the same but they just send us back to the panchayats. The party workers do not take us seriously either. It is very hard to gain access to the right people and convince them too. I feel it is just a waste of time and energy. I realise that it is easier to talk to passengers and convince them.

What more do you plan to do to ensure children get education in your village?

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My biggest challenge today is lack of help. Both my sons help me fulfill my mission but I want to inspire more people to work for the cause of education. Especially in backward villages like ours, I want people to realise the importance of education and how it can help them lead better lives.

What inspired you to start an orphanage?

I realised that some children who wanted to attend my school were orphans. I started the orphanage to give them a home and support their education so that they could lead good lives.

This article was originally published in the June 2017 issue as a part of our cover story on Teacher Warriors. Subscribe to ScooNews Magazine today to have more such stories delivered to your desk every month.

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Images courtesy – Gazi Jalaluddin

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