In this book published by the Malala Fund established by Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, girl children who have struggled to acquire education write first-hand accounts

WHENEVER I imagine war, images of the aftermath come to mind. Everything is scattered and I can see only people and things that have some­how survived bombings. I can feel the ominous silence after heart-rending blasts. I can see the school of which nothing is left, and children who had come to school with dreams in their eyes, and belief that the future will be bright if they study. I can only imagine what those children must be going through when they have to choose between going to school and saving their lives.

This book of the evan­gelist Malala Fund estab­lished by Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, is a first hand account of children who have experienced all this. Written by girls who were stopped from going to school, and when they got a chance to study, war and attacks took away the opportunity.

Dare to Learn is an im­portant narrative that tries to tell the world that even as in one corner of the world the skies were rain­ing bombs and missiles, some seeds in another corner of the globe were trying their best to flower. There are 25 stories in this volume written by girls who first had to face hu­miliating taunts for being ‘girls’, and then prevented from studying. Some were married off at very young age. Girls who struggled and somehow overcame this misery, faced terrorist attacks and civil and inter­national wars that created more shackles. These are stories of girls who fought the kings of patriarchy. Who took on the responsi­bility of fighting the world. And they fought, not with arms, but with books!

You may feel at the beginning that stories of all struggles are the same. The girls seem to be confronted with similar challenges, but as you read on, you will find each story unfolds a new chal­lenge. Every girl has her unique problems to face. What binds all the stories together is the courage, spiritedness and perse­verance of these girls to study and make something of their lives, as Malala has done. In addition to India, the book includes stories from Iraq, Nigeria, Uganda, Turkey, Pakistan, Venezuela, Morocco, the UK, Brazil, Canada and Ethiopia.

The stories unfold dreams. Nirbas Basitkey from Iraq says: “My favou­rite subject in school was maths. To most students, maths is a subject that they want to steer clear of. But to me, each math­ematical problem served as an embodiment of a problem in my own life. If I could successfully solve ‘x’, why would I not be able to solve the problems of child marriage and girls’ education in my own com­munity?”

There are prayers in some stories. Writes Rav­danur, living on the border of Syria and Turkey: “You grow up fast when every day is a fight to stay alive. My last eight months in Syria were spent almost entirely indoors. Our town was bombed every day and we had to hide for safety. I was always praying for peace, dreaming about peace. I could see that it was so needed.”

Offering new insights, these narratives should reach far and wide — in villages, towns and cities. Especially to girls who are experiencing similar situations. And boys too who have not had to face the challenges of “being a girl”. The book is a must-read for young adults and teachers. It needs to be translated into many languages and taken to a wider readership.

These stories are also of parents who gave their daughters wings to fly. And of teachers who stood by and supported these girls in adverse conditions, of this NGO that has risen like a sun in these girls’ lives.

Malala Fund and Harper Collins deserve a heartfelt ‘thank you’ for telling these stories in detail with much care.

MUDIT SHRIVASTAV (The Book Review)