School student empowers women and jail inmates; provides them with jobs

Representational Picture

A general perception of charity is the distribution of freebies. People usually associate helping others by giving something to them. While the intent in such cases is laudable, a far more profound effort is to enable others. Empowering people and assisting them to fend for themselves is the most desirable and viable way of elevating them. "Don't give the person a fish, teach him to fish." The aphorism applies to individuals and even to countries. Apart from making the recipient self-reliant, it upholds the dignity of the beneficiary.

The aforementioned philosophy was entrenched in the mind of Bhai Meer Singh student of Doon school who with the support of his social service teacher Ms. Amrit Burrett set out to uplift the life of the women in the neighboring villages. Driven by the principle of egalitarianism, Meer Singh was appalled by the disparity in the living conditions of the privileged and the less fortunate. He understood that the only sustainable way of helping the needy would be by securing employment for them, which would then ensure a steady source of income. He had an innate sense of design and remarkable understanding of leather. Meer conceived the idea of setting up a manufacturing facility that would employ women from the neighborhood villages to produce leather accessories.

The first such facility was set up in the Dobhri region and was eponymously named Dobhri House. Meer built on his understanding of the material and finesse to churn out products, which would be both aesthete and functional. The technology deployed was elementary since the working class was composed of unskilled, uneducated women with no prior experience. There was no sophisticated machinery and stress was on hand cutting, pasting, stitching. They made card cases, key chains, and pouches of leather. The products were hand carved and each output was unique and utilitarian.

The first unit was established in January of 2015 and it was still early days before his friends from school Kartik, Kush and Nishit joined Meer. They imparted requisite training to the women workers and whatever earnings that accrued from sales were ploughed back into adding to the equipment base. The boys went ahead to set up another unit by 2016. It was a full-time facility at Dehradun jail where prison inmates made products at jail workshop. A part-time facility within the school premises was started as well.

The operations have progressed at a brisk pace. The boys imparted training to their juniors in school to ensure the continuity of Dobhri House. They are increasing the range of their products to add newer and more complex designs. The efficient promotion on social media platforms has further augmented appeal and sales. In addition to generating revenue by exhibiting in fares, the boys have earned corporate orders too.

Besides the revenue generation and employment support, Dobhri House renders an essential non-quantifiable yet valuable service. Usually, inhabitants from small villages and towns are forced by circumstances to travel out of their native places to earn a living. Dobhri House and such endeavors go a long way in curtailing this exodus.

One of the fundamentals followed was that every unit had to be financially viable. In a society, which still partially carries the burden of a socialist legacy, where private profit was viewed as pernicious, the boys have buttressed the view that profit isn't a bad word. Loss-making ventures are a burden and only those earning an income have the capacity to make a social contribution.

Dobhri House carries forward the ideology and embodies a synthesis of head, heart, and hand.

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