Daulat Rahman/Guwahati

One day in the late seventies and after a hard day's work of plying cyclye rickshaw in the southern Assam's Sribhumi district Ahmed Ali hit his bed. In his late thirties, Ali ferried people in his rickshaw all the day to ekk out a living and provide for his family and therefore needed a good sleep.

That night he could not sleep; he woke up after a nightmare troubled him. He was tossing in his bed thinking of his dream all the night. He saw that his soon-to-be-born child too pulled a rickshaw for a living as, like his father, he too was illiterate.

The thought about his child's future without going to school haunted him so badly that he decided to do something about it. He knew that poor children, including his own, change change their fate only by going to school and getting educated.

Ahmed Ali in front of his house

Today, five decades later Ahmed Ali, 89, of the Khilorbond-Madhurbond area in the Patherkandi circle of southern Assam’s Sribhumi (earlier known as Karmganj) district, is a national celebrity and changemaker in his own right.

Of the nine schools he has set up in Khilorbond-Madhurbond and its adjoining areas, three are lower primary, five are middle school (English medium), and one is high school. Five schools have become provincialized, and the teachers and the staff get salaries from the government, while in the rest, teachers work voluntarily.

Ahmed Ali being felicitated

Ali has not stopped dreaming and expanding the scope of his mission. He is making efforts to open a junior college in the vicinity of his village so that those passing the matriculation (Class 10 final exam) from his schools can continue their studies in the college.

Ali is also planning to set up more schools in his village and the nearby areas.

“With the Almighty guiding and showering me with bliss, I am on a mission to change the lives of the upcoming generations. I am happy that I could educate my children along with the rest of the children of our village.

"Some of the pass-outs of the schools are today doinbg well in life and are in jobs. This gives me a sense of fulfilment and satisfaction in my soul. I appeal to the influential and rich individuals from my community to help me financially to set up more schools,” Ali told Awaz-The Voice.

Ahmed Ali at his home

For Ali, education is the most important thing in life, and everyone should have an opportunity to get educated.

“Making a choice to not get educatedn is a sin. The first word revealed in the Quran is "Iqra", which means "Read" or "Recite". This word appears at the beginning of the first verse of Surah Al-Alaq (Chapter 96). The revelation of "Iqra" emphasizes the importance of knowledge, learning, and the role of education in Islam. I will continue my efforts to set up more schools till my last breath,” Ali said.

The presence of Ahmed Ali at the Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi this year caught the nation's attention.

The Narendra Modi government had invited him as a special guest for Republic Day celebrations, recognising his extraordinary services to society. 

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned Ahmed Ali in his monthly radio program 'Mann Ki Baat'.