The Rajasthan farmer abandons the house so that children can study there

An Indian farmer from the Village Valonné de Piplodi, in the state of western India in Rajasthan, found himself at an improbable projector.

Mor Singh, 60, never went to school but his disinterested act to put his house back to the village school – after he was seriously damaged due to heavy rains – made him a local hero.

His modest two-room residence now works as a higher primary school frequented by 50 to 60 students from the village, he says.

Last week, the government of the State gave Mr. Singh 200,000 rupees ($ 2,266, £ 1,682) in financial aid for his thoughtful gesture.

The Rajasthan saw its most humid July in almost 70 years with 285 mm of rain recorded throughout the state, according to the meteorological center.

On July 25, a roof in class collapsed in PippiDi, killing seven children, injuring 21 others and leaving the village of the village unusable.

Two days after the incident, Mr. Singh and his family, who includes his two-year-old grandson, moved to a bamboo cabin and Tarpaulin, whom they installed on a plot of land a few meters from his house.

It is not an “ideal accommodation”, but Mr. Singh is ready to abandon his comfort for the future of children, he told the BBC by phone.

“If I had not made this quick decision, many children would have abandoned. The only other school is in a neighboring village, which is a two-kilometer trek (1.24 thousand) in the hills. Although the older students would have succeeded, the youngest would not have,” he said.

It took him three years to build the house and he moved there with his family 13 years ago.

The July 25 tragedy in Piplodi exposed the systemic problems of mediocre school infrastructure through Rajasthan. A recent government survey shows that more than 5,600 state schools are in a dilapidated state.

After Mr. Singh converted his house to school, the government of the State declared Piné a “model village” as part of a federal program.

This would help attract more funds for a new school, a playground, a health care center and other facilities, Ajay Singh Rathore said a local official at the BBC.

“The construction of a new school in the village will take it at least another and a half,” he added.

Some 90 families, mainly tribes, live in PippiDi.

“We are a poor community and we have barely seen development,” said Singh.

“This is why these children can go to school, get education and achieve their goals.”

Mr. Singh’s noble act turned it into a local celebrity.

“He is a hero for the whole village,” said Ram Dayal, whose daughter was injured during the July 25 incident and now goes to school at Mr. Singh’s residence.

Another resident, Ram Kumar, said: “If he had not offered his home for the school, many children would have abandoned. We all appreciate his gesture.”

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