When Literacy Becomes Freedom: Republic Day Through the Eyes of Newly Literate Women
Bharat celebrates Republic Day each year with grandeur — parades, patriotic songs, and reaffirmations of constitutional values. Yet the true strength of a democracy is often revealed not in grand ceremonies, but in quiet transformations unfolding far from the spotlight. This year, such a transformation emerged from rural gram panchayats where women — many of whom had never attended school — celebrated the 77th Republic Day for the first time in their lives.
Under the Shiksha Plus adult literacy initiative of the Shiv Nadar Foundation, implemented by Jan Mitra Nyas (JMN) and the People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR), women from Tadi Maksudanpatti, Dallipur, Aswari Barhin Nevda, Barhikala, Kathiraon, and neighboring villages of Badagaon block in Varanasi stepped into public life with a confidence that only education can ignite.
For 75-year-old Champa Devi, Mohra Devi, and Jayraji Devi, hoisting the national flag was far more than a ceremonial act. Their hands — weathered by decades of labor yet steady with pride — lifted the tricolor as if reclaiming a place that had always belonged to them but had long remained out of reach. In that moment, the Constitution was not an abstract document; it was alive in their participation.
You could see the emotion everywhere — hesitant smiles turning into laughter, nervous glances transforming into confident strides. Some women held their notebooks and slates close to their chests, symbols of a second chance at learning. Others stood silently during the national anthem, eyes fixed on the rising flag, experiencing perhaps for the first time what it means to truly belong to a nation.
For those connected to schools and institutions, national festivals are familiar rituals. But for communities historically excluded from education, such days often pass like any other — absorbed by the demands of daily survival. Literacy changes this reality. It bridges the distance between citizenship as a concept and citizenship as lived experience.
That morning carried an unusual energy. Household chores were completed early as women gathered at their learning centers dressed with care and anticipation. Teachers had prepared meticulously — arranging decorations, informing respected village members, and ensuring that the anthem played with full protocol so participants could stand in attention for 52 seconds, honoring the nation with dignity.
Then came the Prabhat Pheri, a moving expression of collective awakening.
Walking through narrow village lanes with banners and the tricolor held high, the women raised slogans that echoed across fields and homes:
These were not rehearsed chants — they were declarations of self-worth.
What unfolded was more than a celebration; it was the expansion of democracy itself.
Adult literacy does far more than teach alphabets. It reshapes identity, nurtures confidence, and unlocks participation. A literate woman is better equipped to understand her rights, access government schemes, support her children’s education, challenge injustice, and contribute to community decisions. Education moves her from the margins toward the center of civic life.
The Republic Day celebrations witnessed remarkable community participation, with nearly 800 learners from the adult literacy program actively taking part alongside approximately 250 other community members, including family members, local residents, and village leaders. This collective presence transformed the occasion into far more than a ceremonial gathering — it became a powerful expression of social inclusion, dignity, and democratic participation. For many learners, stepping into a national celebration marked a profound personal milestone, symbolizing their growing confidence and sense of belonging nurtured through education. The participation of the wider community reinforced the understanding that literacy is not merely an individual achievement, but a shared pathway toward stronger, more aware, and empowered villages.
Reflecting on the significance of the moment, Lenin Raghuvanshi, Founder of Jan Mitra Nyas (JMN) and the People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR), expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Shiksha Plus initiative of the Shiv Nadar Foundation for making this historic participation possible. Coming from a family deeply rooted in India’s freedom struggle — his grandfather endured six months of imprisonment during the independence movement, his grandfather’s uncle, Mr. Markandey Singh, spent eleven years in jail, and three members of his extended family were hanged by the British colonial state during the uprising of 1857 — Raghuvanshi described the celebration as a deeply emotional and proud moment. He noted that witnessing newly literate women and marginalized communities actively celebrate the Republic reflects the very ideals for which earlier generations sacrificed. He emphasized that true nation-building occurs when education empowers citizens to participate fully in the life of the Republic.
The success of this initiative also reflects the dedication of grassroots educators who transformed learning spaces into platforms of empowerment. Instructors including Halima Ansari, Vijeta Verma, Manisha Pal, Rinka Devi, Sandhya Kumari, Vijay Lakshmi, Shweta Joshi, Tannu Tiwari, Jyoti Yadav, Priyanka Kumari, Robina Begum, Archana Patel, Sheetal Kumari, Sapna Singh, Baby Devi, and Pratima Gond worked tirelessly to prepare learners for this historic participation. Their efforts were strengthened by Field Supervisors Shivani Pathak and Vijay Patel, Volunteer Swapnil Pathak, Data Entry Operator Arvind Kumar Gautam, and Area Coordinator Mangla Prasad, whose coordination ensured that the celebrations were inclusive, organized, and meaningful. Behind every confident step in the rally were months of patient teaching, encouragement, and trust-building.
Perhaps the most powerful lesson from these villages is this: democracy deepens when those who were once invisible begin to feel seen. When elderly women celebrate Republic Day for the first time, it compels us to confront an uncomfortable truth — that freedom without access is incomplete. National progress cannot be measured only through infrastructure or economic growth; it must also be reflected in who gets to participate.
Programs like Shiksha Plus remind us that literacy is lifelong and liberating — intellectually, socially, and emotionally. As India advances toward its vision of inclusive development, adult education must move from the margins of policy discourse to the center. A Republic is strongest not when a few succeed, but when everyone belongs.
This Republic Day, the tricolor fluttered as always in the winter sky. But in these villages, it also rose quietly within hearts — carried by women who had discovered, perhaps for the first time, that the Republic was theirs too. Their journey from silence to celebration is more than inspiring; it is instructive. It tells us that when education reaches the last mile, democracy walks with it.
PVCHR also extended special thanks to Shruti for her leadership and commitment in facilitating this process, whose efforts helped transform the vision of inclusive literacy into a lived and proud reality for hundreds of learners.
Voices once unheard now echo through village streets as nearly 800 adult learners, joined by around 250 community members, came together to celebrate Republic Day with pride and unity. Women from diverse backgrounds — including Hindu and Muslim communities — marched with the tricolor, chanted patriotic slogans, hoisted the national flag, and affirmed their commitment to education and equality.
This collective celebration under the Shiksha Plus adult literacy initiative of the Shiv Nadar Foundation, implemented by Jan Mitra Nyas (JMN) and PVCHR, reflects a powerful transformation where literacy is not only teaching individuals to read and write, but empowering communities to step forward as confident participants in the life of the nation.
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