PATNA: She is a law graduate and holds a post-graduate degree in English literature. But what makes her happy is not arguing for clients or being with poetry but teaching and feeding the poor kids free of cost with a mother's tender heart.
She quit a lucrative job of a legal consultant, halted legal practices to ensure education for hundreds of children belonging to poor families.
She took a loan against some ornaments and borrowed money from friends to buy study material and stationery items for poor slum kids of her native place.
Meet the Hajipur-born 35-year old Sarita Rai, who is educating poor students at her 'Topper Study Point - The Udaan' from 2014 in many districts of Bihar including Vaishali, Samastipur, and Saharsa. Her coaching centre has now become a household name in the marginalised families.
Known as "bookbali-didi", Sarita carries chocolates for kids and spends hours counselling the parents to send their wards to her centre for free coaching with books and foods also, if required.
She said initially she had to face people's taunts but she continued her work. Her husband Ranjit K Rai, son Krish Kunal (a budding writer who had written a book on lockdown) never let her down in adverse times.
Sarita said she often faced a shortage of study materials for which she begs from friends and people in the social gatherings. "I spend 10% of whatever I earn as a juvenile lawyer," she said, adding many benevolent people have also been sending books and other study materials to her centre at Hajipur in Vaishali district.
So far, more than 250 poor students have been educated and tutored by her for competitive exams.
Rachna Kumari (8) and Sima Kumari (7) being tutored by her said: "Didi ham logo ko bahut pyar se padhati hai aur kha ne ko bhi deti hai"( Didi teaches us with a lot of love and also gives us something to eat).
Mannu Kumar, son of a rickshaw puller Devendra Das at Hajipur, said that he wanted to study but his father was not sending him to school. But when she knew about Mannu's desire, she reached his house and brought him to her study centre.
In the same sentiment, Radha Devi, who sales vegetables, said her daughter Reena Kumari is now reading the newspaper without going school, thanks to Sarita Tai's tutoring.