From being evicted out of her shelter home for housing children of sex workers to being chosen as one of the 10 finalists of the Global Teacher Prize, the recent years have been quite a journey for Robin Chaurasiya. The former US lieutenant and the co-founder of Kranti - a Mumbai-based NGO that works to educate the children of sex workers - is the only Indian to be nominated for a cash prize award of $1 million that’s given to exceptional teachers who are transforming the lives of students as well as communities.
Born and brought up in the US, Robin came to Mumbai about eight years ago after she was forced to quit her stint with the US Army, owing to her sexual orientation. Having experienced domestic violence as a child and then dealing with the stigma of being queer, this 30-year-old has never had it easy. “I started working for the US military so that I could pay for my education. Later when I came to Mumbai, I decided to work for these girls. Because besides the Dalits, the Muslims and the differently-abled, these girls from areas like Kamathipura are also severely marginalised due to their background. I wanted to show the world that if these girls can be successful, anyone can,” says Robin, who set up Kranti in 2011.
Kranti currently shelters 18 girls who are aged between of 12 and 21 years. Far from focusing on conventional education, their curriculum involves learning yoga, theatre, meditation, music and writing. The classes happen over four hours every morning and through the rest of day the girls pursue their hobbies. “We don’t want our students to compete with mainstream. We are striving and fighting to create a new system of our own where the definition of learning is changed by their life experiences. These students tend to have a lot of health issues and internal conflicts, which we try and deal with through therapy and help them bring something exceptional to the table,” Robin says.
It’s a daily struggle to keep the system in place while also warding off nasty remarks, but Robin is someone who sees the silver lining in any situation. “There are some amazing people in Mumbai and the community in Kamathipura is open-minded and accepting, but I have had my share of stories too. Being queer has its own share of challenges. People tell the mothers of these girls not to send their daughters to my school and sometimes the kids are told to pray for me because I’m a lesbian,” she says.
Over the coming years, Robin wants to build a more structured school that would admit boys as well. She says, “I want education to be available to every kid out of school and help children make money from the things they enjoy doing. It is important to be happy with what you do. We see so many people around us who have all the luxuries in life, but how many of them are truly happy ”
The moment when Stephen Hawking announced her name in the top 10 finalists for the Global Teachers Prize, Robin has only one adjective to describe her state of mind at that time. “I was ecstatic. There are so many amazing entries and people are doing some great work all around the world. It’s an honour to be amongst them,” Robin says. She along with the nine other finalists was chosen from over 8,000 applications across 148 countries. The other finalists include teachers from Pakistan, Kenya, UK, Japan, Finland and the US. The final result is going to be announced in March and even though the $1 million is an enormous amount, Robin is certain about what she wants to do if she happens to win the prize. “My co-finalists are doing some amazing work in the refugee camps in Pakistan and in poverty stricken areas. If I win the prize, I wish to split the money with all the nine finalists.”
