Click to play videoJammu It’s never too late to begin and you are never too old to learn - well that's exactly the message villager in the border areas of Jammu are giving by going to school, some of them even after crossing the 90s.
They say one is never too old to learn and the 90-year-old senior citizen of Jammu would agree. Illiterate till the recent past, he can now write his name, and can spell it right too.
Every morning Buti Ram, a resident of Jinder Mallah, and his wife in Jinder Mallah village near Jammu make way to a one-room school for senior citizens.
It's a class of 50, and all of them are making a brave attempt to learn for different reasons.
Buti Ram says, “Is umar main is liye shuru kiya sauda lena hota kabi shahr jaana (I started at this age so that when I go out to buy something I shouldn’t be cheated, Also when I go to the city, I know which bus to catch).
Another resident of Jinder Mallah Babu Ram says, “Now I can even share this knowledge with my grandchildren. I can show them this is A, B C D.”
The school was started two years ago by 26-year-old Garu Ram, a matriculate. Ram spent his earnings to start the school. But it took a lot of convincing to get elders join the classes.
Garu Ram says, “Initially it was difficult and even I felt shy. There were my unclces and aunts, it was odd but now we all are like friends.”
They may be a bit of a late starter but it's never too late for a fresh beginning. Most of the students have weak eyesights or weak bones but all of them have a strong will and that’s what makes it a class apart.
(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter and Google+)
displayed with permission. Use of the CNN name and/or logo on or as part of CNN-IBN does not derogate from the intellectual property rights of Cable News Network in respect of them.