Gift of a bike ups literacy levels in Maharashtra village

FOR EDUCATION: Armene Modi gave bicycles to girls of Shirur so that they could go to school.

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Shirur, Maharashtra: In the fight for literacy, sometimes small and unlikely things can become tools of empowerment.

For Armene Modi, it was the bicycle and she is responsible for more than 450 girls getting educated all because she cared to give them a ride.

For people like 17-year-old Anita, the cycle is not just a mode of transport; it’s an endemic change.

“Earlier, I used to walk to school. I used to get late for classes. Now because of my cycle I can come on time,” she said.

Travelling to school 7 km away was an uphill task for many a girl in the Shirur Taluka of Maharastra, until bicycles came their way through an NGO called Astha No Kai, which means ‘a better future’.

Its founder, Armene Modi, wanted to raise litereacy among the women in Shirur. So she started a bicycle bank to help the young girls.

“We started to give the girls bikes at a nominal cost of Rs 300,” said Armene.

The cycle bank has brought schools closer and aspirations higher.

“We have seen dropout rates come down and marriageable age going up,” she says.

Initially, Armene faced a lot of resistance from the villagers. Now there are more takers for these prized vehicles.

The literacy of girls may have risen in Shirur but for Armene, her work is far from done, at least till every girl in Shirur is cycling her way to success.