Social studies teacher M. Srinivasa Acharya, 50, constructed a 16-foot-tall, 1-foot-wide brass-plated pen as a tribute to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, whose recent efforts helped pave the way for the 2010 enactment of India’s Right to Education bill.
From February 5 to March 29, Acharya and two Hyderabad artists, Ratnam and Malikarajan, labored from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. everyday building the Bharatiya Paali (India’s Pen) from sheets of brass, and then etching illustrations of Indian culture, Hindu dance forms and musical instruments all over it.
The project cost Acharya Rs 2.5 lakh ($5,555 USD), 448 hours and perhaps some strands of his remaining hair, but he holds no resentment.
“Since it is the token of our love and appreciation, none of us complained about undertaking so much effort,” he told the Wall Street Journal.
Acharya hopes to present the pen to Prime Minister Singh on behalf of all Indians as a thank you for his part in securing the Right to Education bill, which has been in the works for almost 10 years. Its implementation will make education a fundamental right for every child between the ages of 6 to 14.
Although India has grown tremendously within the last one hundred years, it still remains plagued by an illiteracy rate of 66%, which means that over 450 million Indians cannot speak or write.
If money is the engine that makes the world go round, then education is the oil that powers that engine. And without education, a society has no hope of developing into something beyond what it is now. This especially holds true for a third-world nation like India that is gradually becoming an international superpower.
Prime Minister Singh has paid it forward for millions of Indians, and in return Acharya has paid it forward for Singh. It’s a simple gesture, but one that holds a very deep meaning.
“My only wish is that all the children in the country should have the right to primary education. They should have access to pen and pencil, which are their weapons to fight against poverty and illiteracy. My idea of presenting this as a gift to the Prime Minister is that whenever he sees it in his drawing room, it should remind him of those children who are deprived of their right to education," Acharya said.
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