KARACHI: Five years ago, a group of 50 young Hindu men were living in a tiny Village that had no electricity or gas. Today, these men are spread out in the big cities of the country, either working or studying, and helping others from their community to climb up the ladder after them. When the few lucky Hindu students of Chelhar village made it to higher level universities in the country, they realised what wonders education could do to strengthen their community.

The small village mainly comprises Hindus belonging to the Maheshwari clan. The only schools it has are up to the secondary level. With no university within 60 kilometres of Chelhar, the journey for those students who wish to go for higher education is long.

But the young boys in the village have managed to overcome serious odds and are now making it to the top list for the quota seats for Mithi district – all with the help of career counselling and guidance from their seniors.

Around two and a half years ago, a few students in the village decided to form the informal ‘Chelhar Maheshwari Students Organisation’ (CMSO) to help spread awareness among keen students of their community and help each other with their education, health and financial issues.

Naresh Kumar was one of the lucky ones who went to a university. After passing his tenth standard, Naresh had no idea what to do next. “I had science subjects but afterwards I did not know what to pursue as a profession,” he said. He was helped out by his seniors, who had settled in Hyderabad, Larkana and Karachi. Their advice helped him in deciding to apply for NED University.

Naresh was selected out of almost 800 candidates, all vying for the 17 seats allocated for the students of the Mithi board. He is now a first-year student at the computer science, IT department of the premier engineering university, winning the only seat reserved for a Mithi candidate in the department.

Today, the CMSO is a well organised group of 50 members, all students of the small village and studying in good institutions across the country, including SZABIST, IoBM, Mehran University, Larkana University of Medical Sciences, IBA and Comsats.

The organisation members are also working for the Pakistan Hindu Council and other similar student bodies of their community in an attempt to create a platform for Hindus in the country, and in particular in Sindh, to be socially active.

Sunil Kumar, who is among the most senior members of the group, told The Express Tribune that the members are studying in the “top public universities of Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad”.  Twenty-five of them are studying in just Karachi. Meanwhile, 10 of the members are now working.

The senior students start counseling the boys as soon as they pass their matriculation exams. They train them and prepare them for a viable, practical and in-demand field, said Sunil.

The group takes itself seriously. They keep in touch by holding meetings, visiting their village and also, through Facebook. ‘This is for Chelhar students, use it for education purposes not for fun’ is the stern-sounding description and no-nonsense attitude of the group’s Facebook page.

Festivals such as Diwali and Holi are also prime meeting times. Moreover, they often go back to Chelhar to talk with the young students in the village. Anyone who comes to a city where one of the Maheshwari students is already settled is given a place to stay and free advice on the future education path they could take up. Prepping them for university tests is also part of the unwritten contract.

For all these crusaders in the field of education, religion has never been a barrier. “We are treated as Sindhi nationals,” explained Munesh, who is studying in Mehran University. He said that while he used to think he would take up medicine as a career, his counsellors advised him to focus on engineering, since it was more rewarding and suited to his aptitude.

Munesh said that for the small “ignorant” community of farmers, shopkeepers and handicraftsmen, education has done quite a lot to transform them. “When new students see us, see our urban lifestyle and grooming, they feel envious and motivated to work hard,” he said. This cultivates a sense of competition and more and more parents are interested in getting their students educated now, he added. There are almost 100 Maheshwari households in Chelhar, however, the number is decreasing rapidly since many families are following their young men into the cities.

With an engineer in the family, even Naresh’s parents are now moving to Karachi for good. “They will be here with me within a month,” Naresh informed happily.

While the young men have started upon the rocky path of education and employment, the girls of the village have yet to go beyond secondary school. The CMSO is an all-male group so far and the members remain evasive about when a young woman will be able to join their ranks.