Prakash Rao is a chaiwallah in Cuttack, the capital city of Orissa state, which lies on the eastern coast of India, south of West Bengal. In 2019 Rao was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in the country, for his contributions toward children’s education. It made news because never before had a chaiwallah been singled out for such an honor.
If chai is abeverage that’s all heart, it appears that the chaiwallahs who make it, are even more so. They are that familiar,friendly figure, brewing cups of a beverage that’s consumed for sustenance,comfort, or a pause in the day. Most chaiwallahsin India are small vendors, often selling by the roadside or in tinyhole-in-the-wall spaces, and with limited income. None expect to make millions.Which makes their stories unexpected and heartwarming.
As a child,Rao began helping his father at his tea stall every day. Money was hard to comeby and when his father fell ill, Rao dropped out of school to run the tea stalland help pay the bills. But it seems to have bothered him not to have had theopportunity to study, seeing he had thoroughly enjoyed school while it lasted. Hischildhood dream was to become a doctor.
Nearly 20years ago, Rao decided to do something about helping children around himcomplete their schooling. Many were like him, smart but without opportunity. Hefelt that without intervention, they’d never be able to have a chance at abetter future. In 2000, he opened a school in his house, in which four childrenenrolled. Half of his daily earnings from selling chai—on a good day he made $10(INR700)—went towards the upkeep of the school.
In an interview, he said, “Instead of enrolling them in schools,these children were enrolled in menial labor. Working odd jobs and becomingdomestic helpers, whatever money they earned was often snatched by the men inthe home, who would buy alcohol and turn to domestic violence. It deeplyaffected me, every single day.”
In the beginning, parents were not happyto have their children attend school as it reduced the family’s earnings. ButRao persisted and slowly the numbers of children attending school increaseduntil there were too many to fit in his two-room house. Someone offered abuilding with more room and the school relocated there and was officially namedAsha oAshwasana (Hope and Assurance).
His family—a wife and two daughters—were supportive, with his wife working asa nurse and her income supplementing his own family’s needs. Every morning Raowould sell chai from 5 am to 9 a.m. before going to his school from 10 a.m. – 1p.m. After lunch, he’d return to sell chai until 9 p.m. that night.
As a small school, Asha o Ashwasana does notqualify for many benefits, including the mid-day meal subsidies. For familiesthat struggle with money, the provision of lunch is an incentive to allow theirchildren to remain in school. Rao recognized this and in addition to schooling,he began to cook and serve lunch to the children.
Asha o Ashwasana caters to childrenbetween 3 and 8 years old, after which Rao helps them enroll in a governmentschool. Thanks to his efforts, several of the children who have begun theirschooling here have gone on to complete college-level education.
On India’s Republic Day in January 2019,62-year old Prakash Rao walked up to the President of India to receive thePadma Shri. It was a rare honor, and a worthy one. Sadly the celebrationsdidn’t last long because two days later, he suffered a stroke that paralyzedthe left side of his body. More bad luck arrived in April that year when theCyclone Fani wreaked havoc on his home state. Both his home and school wereextensively damaged.
Milaap - an Indian crowdfunding platform for social causes began a fundraising campaign to help Rao rebuild his home and life. Hishouse is now nearly ready, and the school has resumed functioning with 180children and 10 teachers.
Rao is on the road to recovery. Althoughunable to make chai or teach children, he still visits his tea stall and schoolevery day. His daughter, Priya, helps him with managing both. His illness hasslowed him down but not stopped him, “There’s still a lot to be done,” he said.
Source: Milaap, Asha oAshwasana