Yashoda Maa’s ‘pathshalas’ lend Bhubaneswar slum kids a voice in Odia

Bhubaneswar: In the narrow lanes of Bhubaneswar’s slums, where access to formal education remains limited, a grassroots effort is helping children find their voice in their mother tongue.

At the centre of this initiative is Nibedita Lenka, fondly known as Yashoda Maa, who has been promoting learning in Odia among underprivileged children through her Barnabodha Pathshala.

Nibedita was a social worker for the past two decades, devoting herself to social uplift with a strong emphasis on education rooted in language and identity. Five years ago, she set up five Barnabodha Pathshalas (learning centres) across slum clusters in the city, creating spaces where children are introduced to reading, writing and speaking in Odia.

These Pathshalas are in Somanath Basti, Sitanath Basti, Chunakoli Basti, Rickshaw Colony Basti and Jagannath Ambatota Basti, collectively catering to 150 children now. Every day after returning from schools, children of these slums spend two hours in the evening at the Pathshalas, strengthening their Odia speaking and writing skills. And beyond academics, they learn social values, art, dance, music and debating skills.

While Nibedita teaches in one of the facilities, she has engaged four local volunteer teachers for the purpose. And why Odia? “In Odisha, the book, Barnabodha, is regarded as the foundation stone for Odia language learners. In schools, children study in Odia but it was noticed that they need more support in improving their reading and writing skills. Many are first-generation learners. That is why the focus is on Odia,” she explained.

What makes her work even more remarkable is that it is largely self-funded. Drawing from her personal savings, Nibedita started these centres and has sustained them year after year, driven by compassion rather than institutional backing. “Initially, I started these learning centres from my own savings but over the period of time, I received many awards with prize money, which I have invested in these centres,” said Nivedita, who is a native of Nayagarh district. Every month, the teachers are paid Rs 1,500 each.