ratikantbanerjee@ centralchronicle.in
Raipur, Jun 17: There is a saying that ‘only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile’, which goes true, given selfless services of Devendra Nagar resident Uma Dhote for the betterment of the poor and underprivileged women and children. By helping others in the need she is making her own life happy and meaningful. Many unemployed women got jobs after they received art and craft training from her.
A versatile lady, Uma Dhote, who is working as HoD, Art and Craft in Delhi Public School (DPS) Raipur says she has been deriving utmost sense of joy by empowering women and supporting children within her vicinity and other places in the city. For me social service is a passion, says Uma who has been working for betterment of women and children for the last 22 years.
Nardaha, which once used to be an undeveloped village and a sort of nuisance area, has now turned into a prosperous village ever since it was adopted by DPS Raipur. Today most of the women in this village are earning their livelihood after receiving free vocational training from Uma Dhote.
Since 2010, every year during the summer vacation Uma Dhote has been rendering her services to the Nardaha village for the betterment of girls and women. She gives the training at different parts of the village with objective of benefiting maximum women and girls.
This year the vocational training in the village began on 20th April under kind support of Girls Higher Secondary School Principal Parvati Mehta. Uma Dhote imparted training for stitching, embroidery, beauty parlour, mehendi designs, Rangoli making, fabric painting, spray painting, poster colour, warli art, Madhubani, Mandia art, card making, calligraphy, flower making, drawing, lamp making, decopath, bookmark, clay art and other disciplines of art.
Fully trained women are continuously having jobs according to their own style. In this way some women have their own beauty parlours and they are also receiving orders for marriage and other functions. This has enhanced their confidence besides making them financially sound. Some other girls and women are stitching clothes like designer suits and blouses. Now they are having their own machine to work, they take orders and do well in their art. Some of them go to the party venue and decorate the place with rangoli. So this is a kind of passion for them because they take orders for this and uplifting their own lifestyle. More than 200 women are receiving training. Some women make cloth bags, pencil pouches, small handbags. Uma Dhote not only provides them raw materials but also imparts training.
Along with the vocational training girls are also fulfilling their wishes like study. The training is also given about the health and hygiene. Those who left study are now being given guidance and support for study along with study materials. They also motivate the girls and women to continue education. Many of them have successfully passed their school education.
Uma, popularly called as Masterni Didi by her well wishers, has taught more than 740 women and girls at her house at free of cost besides incurring cost of their text books, notebooks and even exams. Moreover she has so far imparted vocational training to more than ten thousand women for their self-reliance besides educating girls working as housemaids in her neighbourhood.
