Vineeta Rao
Auckland, March 29, 2025
A dedicated Constable’s compassion and dedication lead to the establishment of a school for local slum children.
Most people who spend time in India grow desensitised to the sight of child beggars. But Dharamveer Jhakar, a Police Constable in Rajasthan, is not ‘most people.’
In a remarkable move of compassion and dedication, he decided to do something about it.
Making a difference
Constable Jhakar noticed several children begging near the Women’s Police Station at Churu, a city in the Sekhawati region of Rajasthan, where he was posted. Many were orphans and lived in abject poverty in the slums nearby. Those who did have parents were not much better off. Most families in the slums were so poor that all hands were required to work, irrespective of age, in order to ensure that they had the bare minimum of food to eat. Therefore, education was not a priority.
He was asked to participate in a month-long campaign to rehabilitate these destitute children. He noticed that nothing had changed after the campaign and that the children resumed begging outside the Police Station.
Before joining the Police, Jhakar aspired to be a teacher. He completed a Bachelor’s degree in Education (BEd). But his family’s financial compulsions dictated that he accept the first stable job that came his way, which was with the Rajasthan Police.
When Jhakar saw the children begging outside his Police Station again, he decided to set up some informal schooling for them and began with seven pupils whom he taught for an hour each day.
The Apni Pathshala
Jhakar did not aspire high when he began Apni Pathshala but was determined to replace the children’s begging bowls with books and pencils. Hence, on January 1, 2016, Apni Pathshala was born. Today, it has over 450 students.
“In the beginning, it was tough to assess the attention of the children and their parents’ trust. So, I would only tell them stories, and once attendance became more regular, I switched to textbooks,” he said.
As the number of students grew, the tiny space Jhakar found for his students was not sufficient. With a Police Constable’s salary, the options were limited. But his seniors and colleagues did not let him down.
He was permitted to move his little school to a nearby building under the administration of the Police Department, and his colleagues contributed towards school supplies. Female constables have also stepped up to teach students.
The School currently runs classes from grades 1-7, with 360 students in the lower classes and 90 in the higher classes. Some children are even allowed to collect garbage after school, as otherwise, their parents would not let them attend.
Overcoming Challenges
Truancy is an issue that crops up often. Many of the truancies are because parents need their children to work instead. Another issue is that the slum is at some distance from the school.
The intrepid Jhakar and his collaborators organised a School Bus to ferry the children between their school and home. This has helped control absenteeism.
Even today, Constable Jhakar does the rounds of railway stations and the slums to round up destitute children and enrol them in the School. Nearby schools have accepted his students into their mainstream curriculum and many children now have a future beyond the poverty and drudgery that was the fate of their parents.
If you would like to donate to this cause, please visit https://dharmveerjakhar.com/#home
George Bernard Shaw said, “Those who can, do. Those who cannot, teach.” But by translating his compassion and kindness into action and changing the lives of hundreds of local children, Constable Jhakar has proved him wrong.
Vineeta Rao is an Indian Newslink Reporter based in Auckland.
