The 'Rags to Swag' Story of Assam Girl Chandrika Basumatary

Guwahati, July 18, 2019:

The story of Chandrika Basumatary, who hails from Gouribari, a small village, nestled in a pristine and calm corner of remotely located BTAD district of Udalguri in Assam may not be too melodramatic, but can definitely be an inspiration for many youngsters.

More so, the narrative of this girl, her struggle and climax is emblematic of her journey from 'rags to swag'.

Basumatary's story goes back to the time when people grew up accepting insurgency and violence as the norm in the State. She belonged to a poor family and is the second child amongst three. When she turned five, her parents got separated, and that was the event which changed her life.

After her father left them, Chandrika was looked after by her grandparents. They took care of her studies as well as daily needs and she somehow managed to graduate.

But her problems did not end there. After her grandfather retired, it was difficult for them to manage her studies to pursue higher education. Nonetheless, Chandrika continued her studies and was extremely determined to look for a silver lining between the dark clouds.

Chandrika started looking for an opportunity wherein she could prove her determination and be self reliant. But, due to lack of opportunities, she remained idle for quite a long time.

Financial problems in her family barred the possibility for her pursuing a master’s degree.

When the outlets of employment for this girl child were getting narrowed to a funnel of uncertainly, she came across a friend, who told her about the effort of a local Army unit of Red Horns Division in Udalguri, wherein ICICI representatives from Guwahati were being invited in an Army Camp for a workshop on imparting free vocational training to the youths of BPL families.

The workshop organized by the Army in the remote place proved to be a turning point for a determined Chandrika. As part of the ICICI CSR , she was selected to participate in a three months' training on office administration at the ICICI CSR training centre at Guwahati.

The three months' stay at Guwahati converted this village girl into a more confident urban girl. Chandrika excelled in the training imparted and due to her perseverance and unflinching determination, got a well-deserved placement in a job immediately after the termination of the course. She got a placement with the NESFB Company with pretty decent initial stipend per month.

Now, Chandrika is working in Dhubri and is staying with her grandmother. The confidence which she developed over the last five-six months has motivated her to explore job avenues beyond Northeast.

Chandrika Basumataray thanked the Army for being the conduit of her success. She said “I admitted that if it was not for Army and ICICI, I would not have achieved my dream of being self reliant and successful”.

She now intends to look for more lucrative jobs after gaining experience in her present job.

She also expressed her gratitude by saying: “I could only imagine the Army as security providers earlier, but the role of mentor played by them for me and several other students of the district, is a true revelation of yeoman service rendered by the Army towards social welfare and nation building”.

Inside Northeast’s Campaign #LetsSaveDeeporBeel is now supported by Oil India Limited (OIL). Join us as we continue the awareness campaign to preserve the only Ramsar site in Assam which is facing immense threats (A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention). We need your help to preserve this site of great ecological importance. Join the #LetsSaveDeeporBeel campaign and tweet about it, and do tag us on Twitter. Let’s make some noise!