Balwant Rai

Balwant Rai – Of the all the students in the class, Balwant is the only boy to say that he wants to become a teacher. At 14 years old, Balwant is the oldest in his family of 3 sisters and 2 brothers. Balwant’s dad makes a living by finding work as a laborer on the farms of rich landlords in the surrounding villages, while his mom takes care of the house work. Working in the fields is particularly difficult because the work is piecemeal, and the pay is based on the completion of the job, no matter how long it takes. Sometimes, when the work is taking longer than expected, Balwant’s father will take him along into the fields in order to avoid the risk of pay being reduced. If the job takes longer than as stipulated by the landlord, the total pay amount is actually reduced by the day.

Balwant’s favorite subjects in school are Hindi, History, and Geography. His sister Radhika and brother Robin are also students at BSS. What a wonderful accomplishment it would be if one day he found good use for these interests as a teacher.

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