A music album depicting educational empowerment at Kongappadam Dalit Colony in Palakkad

‘We have a dream’ will be screened at Open Screen in Kozhikode at 4 p.m. on Monday

For the last ten years, families living in Kongappadam Dalit Colony, near the NSS Engineering College in Palakkad, were going through an educational revolution. What was at a time a hub of school dropouts and daily wage labourers, now has three engineering students and several others pursuing various higher education courses.

‘We have a dream’, a music album, is an account of what transpired in these ten years. It is directed by C.D. Sajith Kumar, who also spearheaded the revolution. The album is to be screened at the Open Screen in Kozhikode on Monday.

“We chose to depict our story in an album, rather than a documentary film, as it would have a better reach among the public. We have a message to pass on to other Dalit colonies in the State, who could adopt this method for their own educational advancement if they chose to,” Mr. Sajith Kumar told The Hindu.

As a follower of Ambedkarite ideologies, Sajith Kumar, a Kozhikode native, was shocked to see the plight of the colony residents when he visited the place 17 years after his graduation from NSS Engineering College.

“They had no connection to the world outside. Most people dropped out from high school and took to menial labour. Several people committed suicide,” he said, explaining his reason for starting the ‘Enhance Education Programme’ in the colony. He spent ten years of his life and earnings from his job in West Asia for the programme, and despite several hurdles and political interventions, his efforts bore fruit.

Mr. Sajith Kumar brought computers to the colony and ensured there was internet connectivity. He also gave guidance to the students through volunteers from the NSS Engineering College.

“It was sad to know that even sixty years after the Engineering College was founded, not even a single student from the colony near it could find his/her way into the campus. It happened this time through Athira,” Mr. Sajith Kumar said, adding that the few students who did well have become an inspiration for the rest to aspire for something bigger.