Education in India – Some is done, More is required

India is a developing nation known for its diversity in all forms ranging from
Himalayas at the North to the Indian Ocean at the South; from Thar Deserts at
the west to the snowy mountains of Sikkim at the east, it’s a country full of
alluring sights and amazing people. A land known for unity in diversity is the
largest democracy in the world which is for the people, by the people and from
the people. Possessing such an asset, the country has disadvantages too.
While wide variation in everything has led to ample diversification in people’s
needs, they’ve also created unevenness in their ability to possess the basic
necessities of life. For such an issue, Education is the challenge, for such a
challenge, Education is the solution. Acquiring a Literacy rate of 74.04% as
per the survey conducted by NSO in 2011 against 12% at the end of British
rule in 1947 looks like a significant reformation but the level is well below the
world average literacy rate of 84.1%. While the situation in urban areas is far
better off with a literacy rate of 85%, still much more is required in the rural
areas with literacy rate of 65.5% as per the census conducted in 2011 where
the basic Education is still a dream far from reality.

With the 12th version of Hero MTB Himalayas, we’d like to have
the change we wish to see by reaching out to nearly 10,000 children from 30
Government sponsored schools along our 650 km long way journey starting
from the “queen of hills’ Shimla and finally concluding to the “land of his
holiness” Dharamshala. We’ve been a part of this Social Outreach program for
years now and students always greet us with broad smile on their faces.
The elation which riders get by interacting with the villagers, the delation they
get by playing with children and the pride they get by educating to the
students has always been a cherry on the top. Keeping this in mind, we’ve
initiated a new project named Mission SMILE meaning Spreading Education,
Mitigating ill health, Improving Sanitation, Love nature and Eradicating Hunger
to cater to the needs of an ideal planet and to have a better tomorrow.