Click to play videoBaghwanala village (Uttar Pradesh): Several parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh go to the polls on Thursday, many of them are among the most backward areas of the country.
But the Bagwanala village in UP's Varanasi district has seen significant development thanks to a baal(children) panchayat.
Chandakumari leads the charge as the children of Baghwanala village raise their voices for their rights. “I am the panchayat head,” she says.
This parliament of children meets once a month and topping their agenda is development of their area.
“We have an anganwadi and the road. We now need a school,” says Chandakumari.
But their drive isn’t just for better physical infrastructure. They are also promoting equity and social justice, often adopting innovative means to do that. For example, they perform a play for the entire village with the message: ‘Say no to dowry.’
And their effort is winning admirers. “The children are teaching us what they have learnt,” says a resident of the village.
It is the hard work put in by a local NGO that is now bearing fruit. “We were inspired by the concept of the folk school,” says Prashant from People's Vigilance Committee.
When their area goes to the polls, these children will not vote but they have already begun their march towards political awareness.
In the days ahead, their voice, demanding a better tomorrow for themselves, is bound to become louder.
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