Lachhuar School was up and running and hundreds of children from the Naxalite areas were studying there. I kept getting good reports of the progress of the school and the impact the school was making in that area. I remember it was the occasion of Mahavir Jayanti celebrations when we happened to visit the school. The journey from Rajgir to Lachhuar was rather difficult and by the time we reached there it was evening. After hurriedly finishing dinner, we sat down right outside the school building and held prayers. Suddenly the peace was broken and one of the school staff ran up to me in desperation and panic and said to me, ‘Mataji, you must leave at once and take shelter in the school building. We are in danger. Some antisocial people are coming this way.’ I said, ‘It doesn’t matter, let’s continue with the prayers.’ He again said with anxiety, ’Mataji, these people are very dangerous and well-known criminals who have endangered the lives of many people. They can harm us too. Please go inside.’ I responded, ‘We are not scared of anyone. It’s important that we continue with the prayers.’ Just as I had finished saying this those people arrived.
The leader of the group bowed down and, with his hands folded, greeted us by saying, ‘Pranam, Mataji’. Everybody there was astonished, and he continued, ‘Mataji, we have led a sinful and unproductive life. But what has happened to our lives must not happen to our children’s lives. We do not want our children to become criminals. So today we are here to thank you for starting this beautiful school in this area. No words are enough to express our gratitude. We are sure that the children studying here are empowered to do good work and not follow in our footsteps. Thank you Mataji. Thank you once again.’
The entire group bowed down again and whilst blessing them I was just thinking of the power of good work. Lachhuar is not a safe place to travel. Pilgrims are always scared of the crimes here. But now with the effort of the school, things are changing and to my surprise, the very people who were responsible for the crime are now becoming protective of this area.
