Surajpur—the name itself felt full of light, but in reality, the village was still living in darkness. Not the darkness of no electricity, but the darkness of no dreams, no education, and most of all, no hope.
The village was small and simple, but life had stopped moving forward. The hands that worked in the fields had never held a book. Children followed in their parents' footsteps—working in fields, taking care of animals, and doing hard labor. Going to school was a distant dream, and becoming something after studying was thought to be only for the lucky.
In this village lived a 15-year-old boy named Arjun. He had dark skin, a thin body, but his eyes always had a special shine. Every morning at 4 a.m., he woke up, helped his parents with house and field work, and then rode his broken bicycle 3 kilometers to go to school.
Arjun’s father was a laborer who earned daily wages. His mother was often sick—with coughing, weakness, and constant headaches. They had no money for medicine, and there was no doctor in the village either.
Still, Arjun never showed sadness. He believed that no matter the situation, if your will is strong, the path will appear.
One day, a new teacher came to the school—Vivek Sir. He had come from Delhi under a government program. On his very first day, he asked the students:
“What do you want to become when you grow up?”
Some said, “Doctor,” “Engineer,” “Police officer”—but many remained silent, as if the question was foreign to them.
When Vivek Sir asked Arjun, he stayed quiet for a moment, then said:
“I want to become a change, sir.”
Vivek Sir smiled, looked into Arjun’s eyes and said:
“Change starts with a spark. Will you be that spark?”
Arjun nodded. Something changed from that day.
He began studying even harder. After school, he kept reading. But the biggest change was this—he started teaching the other kids in his village.
He began under a tree. Two kids came—Ramu and Guddi. Arjun brought old slates and books for them. He taught them the alphabet, numbers, and how to write their names.
Slowly, more kids joined—five, ten, fifteen, then twenty-five.
At first, villagers laughed. Some said, “He’s just a kid himself, what can he teach others?” Some even stopped their kids from going.
But when those same kids came home and wrote their names or did simple math, their parents’ thoughts changed.
One farmer said, “Now my son calculates our crop earnings by himself. Arjun has done something amazing.”
Of course, there were challenges.
Every big change faces hurdles. Arjun faced many too.
Some elders of the village said, “This boy is filling the children’s heads with nonsense. Will they hold pens instead of tools now?”
He even received threats: “Stop teaching, or you’ll face bad consequences.”
But Arjun didn’t get scared. He said: “If we want to move forward, we must study. We can’t stay in the fields forever.”
His courage made the village youth think differently. Some boys joined him, and together they dreamed of building a small school.
Seeing Arjun’s efforts, Vivek Sir sent a report to the education department. In a few months, an NGO gave Arjun a scholarship to study. Now he had books, stationery, and most importantly—support to chase his dreams.
He topped in 10th grade, then 12th, and went to college to study for a B.Ed. (Bachelor of Education). But he didn’t look for a city job.
He came back… to Surajpur.
Now, he wasn’t just Arjun. He was "Guru Arjun”—the first teacher born in the village.
Arjun donated a part of his field. He opened a small library there. He collected old computers. Then he laid the foundation of a school—Prerna Public School.
Now children didn’t sit on the ground, but on benches. They had notebooks instead of slates, and for the first time, an international syllabus was taught in the village.
Girls who never went to school before now proudly wore school uniforms. Parents, who once thought studying was useless, now eagerly checked their children’s report cards.
Years later, Surajpur changed completely. There was a health center, a small bank, and most importantly—every house had at least one educated child.
Arjun became an inspiration. His story reached TV, newspapers, and even the government. He received a National Teacher Award. But when someone asked him:
“What do you think is your biggest reward?”
Arjun smiled and pointed to his old students Ramu, Guddi, and Seema—who had become a teacher, nurse, and engineer.
“They are my reward. They are the sparks that spread the light.”
Now, even the children of Surajpur dream—of becoming doctors, engineers, and most of all, of becoming a spark.
Moral:
Every big change begins with a small spark.
We must protect that spark from dying.
People like Arjun remind us that no dream is too big if we try with all our heart.
If this story touched your heart, please share it. Maybe somewhere, in some village, another Arjun is waiting for his spark to be lit. Also, share your feedback so I can improve my next story. And if you’ve read this far, go ahead and follow too!
See you with the next story. Until then, goodbye!
