N.B. Nair
The crusader for literacy, uplifting women from inequalities and their economic empowerment – Kariveppil Rabiya, or K V Rabiya in short was born in a backward village – Vellilakkadu in Malappuram district of northern Kerala.
Rabiya came into prominence for her stellar role in initiating the illiterates into literacy and educating the uneducated in the backward district under the aegis of Kerala State Literacy Campaign in 1990. She challenged polio, which affected her since childhood and finally crippled her by the age of 14 years. But the fire in her belly did not allow her to sit back and blame fate.
Rabiya had to discontinue regular schooling by the time she was in the 10th standard, as it was difficult for her to walk to school almost two kilometres away from her home; there was no road, and she had to negotiate a hillock on way to school. After qualifying for the 10th standard, she went to a college for her Pre-Degree Course (PDC) – now Senior Secondary School. Since the college was three-four kilometres away from her home, she stayed close to the college along with her sister.
“I had back pain at the age of 7 and by 14 years, the pain became unbearable. From 7th standard also, it was a daunting task to go to school, as my condition worsened. By the time I reached 10th standard, I had discontinued regular schooling, as my legs started bending backward. I prepared for the examinations in 10th standard by self-study at home. I got a high percentage of marks in the 10th standard,” Rabiya talked to Inspirational India about her childhood.
“After PDC, my way to regular education was closed. I studied books prescribed for graduation, and post-graduation at home but did not write the examinations. At home, I also learned several languages, Hindi, English, Arabic, etc. besides, literature, reviews, scientific articles, biographies, religious books – whatever I could lay hand on.”
Malappuram District Collector V.R. Prem Kumar handing over Padma Shri Award to K V Rabiya on behalf of President of India
Rabiya was born into a large joint family. Her parents and six children, paternal uncle and his family, a widowed paternal aunt with her two sons, and step-grandmother and her son – four families under a single roof. “In the present times, you cannot even imagine such a joint family,” she giggled.
Since it was bodily difficult for Rabiya to pursue higher studies, she stayed at home. “Since I was at home, I decided to take tuition classes for the children in the family and neighbourhood. I was 100 percent confident; I could become a better teacher,” she said.
Though after initial hesitation, parents in the village sent their children for tuition classes with Rabiya. They could not ignore the fact that Rabiya’s students performed better in examinations than others.
“Unlike the school syllabus, I used to give comprehensive teaching on every subject to my students. In the years that followed, students trained by me maintained better performance than others. After a couple of years, even teachers of those schools sent their children to me for tuition. I used to charge fees only from affluent parents and it was free for poor and financially or socially deprived children,” Rabiya said.
“Gradually, students from different parts of Malappuram district also started attending my tuition classes. That was a recognition for my teaching credentials, though I had no formal qualifications required for a teacher.”
It was around this time, the Kerala government launched the literacy mission in the state. “I wanted to be a part of the mission, but was denied the opportunity, as I did not have the prescribed qualifications,” she expressed her disappointment.
“But I had a strong yearning to be part of the literacy mission. Your desire and dreams drive you. It was at that time, a person who had taken the responsibility to make people in our village literate had to appear for his post-graduate examinations. He requested I take over the classes until his examinations were over. Without thinking twice, I jumped for it. Later, he did not return to take the training centre over, nor did I give it up.”
The literacy mission was like a festival from the village to state level as the government had set its ambitious target of attaining complete literacy in the state. “There was an evaluation of the literacy training classes at all these levels and my class was the only one that met the benchmark in Thirurangadi village. It was in 1990,” said a confident Rabiya.
“I had used all mediums – radio, newspapers, books, and publications outside the formal curriculum to teach my students to sustain their interests. The same technique was adopted for ‘students’ of all age groups, who were attending the literacy training programme,” explained Rabiya about her approach to teaching.
According to Rabiya, an ideal teacher, though remaining unchanged in physical appearance, should evolve continuously with their knowledge base. Only then he or she could be a successful teacher.
Rabiya said, many delegations came to study the Literacy Mission of Kerala and they all finally ended up at her study centre – whether it was from Delhi, Nepal or America. But, the national and international focus on her role in the literacy movement did not please some status quoists, who did not wish the women getting empowered.
“Once, when I was undergoing treatment at Kottakkal Arya Vaidyasala, these deceitful people persuaded the officials of the Literacy Mission to hold a competition among the training centres. I had already prepared my trainees adequately. But they held the competition in my absence and lowered the grading of my trainees deliberately. There were no telephone facilities in those days. I bought a postal card for 15 paise and wrote to the Mission officials that I would not accept the competition held in my absence. If I have to accept the results, the competition should be held and judged in my presence,” she recollected how some grudging people schemed against her.
Rabiya felt victorious when the authorities, instead of holding another competition, revised the grades and placed her trainees on top of the list.
The village had no development earlier, as there was no road, no power supply, no water supply, and no one to guide the women. Finally, it was for Rabiya’s credit, the district authorities sanctioned roads, electricity, telephone, and water connection to the village. The one-and-a-half-kilometer road was named Akshara (letters) Road, recognising her contribution to the literacy movement.
Rabiya set up a small-scale manufacturing unit for women, a Jana Vidya Kendra (public education centre), Women’s Neighbourhood Group, started awareness classes, and schools for physically challenged children. At the village industry, these women made paper packets for drug stores. All these made women in the village empowered and economically independent. There were rejectionists in the society, who did not like women coming out of the four walls of their homes and questioning male supremacy.
Men, whose ego was hurt, started discouraging women in their families from participating in these activities. They talked around, trying to spread the falsehood that Rabiya made financial benefits from her activities, but did not share it with the participants.
Rabiya then set up a state-level voluntary organisation, named Chalanam (Motion) Literacy Development Organisation, in short Chalanam. The decision to set up a formal body was to induct more people and make her activities transparent to shut the mouth of her distractors.
Besides Malappuram, Chalanam started handling the literacy movement in Kottayam district also, where the volunteers of the organisation, numbering about 300, started taking classes to trainees of all ages.
“We are also running six schools for differently abled children without any support from the government,” she revealed.
Rabiya with volunteers of her NGO Chalanam and children
In an effort to shore up the finances of the movement, Rabiya and her associates set up a publishing house – Chalanam Publications. “We received support from writers across the state. I used to write; my two works Swapnangalkku Chirakukalundu (Dreams have Wings) – an autobiography and Mouna Nombarangal (Grieve in Silence). Mr. Jose Nanjilath, Secretary of Chalanam, who was an author in his right, also contributed his works for publication. We pledged our gold to set up and start the publications. My volunteers from across the state distributed the books,” she explained the struggle.
Besides, Chalanam expanded its activities like training women in tailoring, embroidery, and setting up neighbourhood self-help groups for economic independence. They had 60 such groups to empower women in the region, which were involved in small-scale works like preparing packed snacks, pickles, artifacts using coir and coconut shell, waste plastic and fused bulbs, etc. “I am proud to say that perhaps, Kudumbasree – the community organisation set up by the Kerala government for economic empowerment of women, was on the lines of our self-help groups,” said an elated Rabiya.
As Rabiya’s activities received recognition from various organisations, she was invited to address events, give lectures, and expand her activities throughout Kerala state. But gradually her physical condition worsened, and she became totally immobilised, with all her backbones fractured.
“If I say about my health condition now, it is not even zero, it is in minus,” she said in self-pity.
“I became polio-affected at the age of 14, at the age of 32 I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer and had to remove the left breast, then at the age of 38, I slipped and fell in the bathroom, when the top portion of my backbone was fractured. Now I am completely bed-ridden and use a remote-controlled bed. To move around, my sisters used to carry me to a wheelchair. Those sisters also died of Corona. My brother-in-law, my younger sister’s husband, used to help me; he also died. My house is an orphanage now, whose responsibility is on me. But still, I have not stopped the activities of the organisations,” Rabiya summed up her life.
Rabiya also started counselling women, who have been wronged by their family and society – even fighting to get them justice from courts, fighting religious and economic lobbies, and even the underworld. “I continue to fight without any compromise with these groups. I have also received death threats from some of these lobbies, as they believe, my social interventions question male supremacy in the society and liberate women from their subservience,” said Rabiya as she indicated a death threat received very recently.
Rabiya so far received 64 awards and recognitions, including the fourth highest civilian award Padma Shri, the National Youth Award in 1992-93, the first Kannagi Devi Stree Shakti Puraskar (Award) Youth Volunteer against Poverty instituted jointly by the Government of India and UNDP in 2000, Bajaj Trust Award, Kerala State Literacy Samati Award – all for empowering women and championing literacy.
Malayalam film director Ali Akbar now known as Ramasimhan made a biographic movie about Rabiya and her iconic contribution to literacy in Kerala despite her physical inabilities. The film named ‘Rabiya Moves’ was dubbed into 14 languages.
Rabiya’s inspirational story, despite her disability, and fight against odds is now part of the school curriculum in Kerala for Standards IV and V.
From complete immobility, Rabiya continues to give hope to humanity, especially those suppressed sections like women and the illiterate.
Image courtesy: K V Rabiya