When 7 kilometres cost an education

I live in Singar Nagar Colony, Mawaiyya, an informal settlement in Lucknow district, Uttar Pradesh. I have been studying music at the Bhatkhande Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya, which is approximately 7 km from my home. The journey from my house to the college is not merely about distance; it is rupees counted and risks weighed.

Every morning, I start at 11 am: 1 kilometre on foot to Mawaiyya Main Road, then a shared auto for 4 km to Charbagh. Even though the auto tends to get crowded, I prefer it to the e-rickshaw, which costs more. From Charbagh, I board another auto to cover the final 3 km to college. The entire journey takes me an hour to complete and costs INR 100. The amount increases to INR 200–250 if I take a private auto. Unfortunately, there are no buses on this route. If there were, INR 22 would suffice.

I cannot afford INR 100 every day, so I go to college only two or three times a week. This has impacted my studies. To pass my exams, I often end up rote-learning the syllabus, which is especially difficult for a subject like music. Every semester, a notice arrives at home from the college about my attendance. During exams, however, I have no choice—I have to attend college almost every day. 

Safety is another concern. On the days I attend college, my classes only end by 4 pm. Living in an informal settlement, without any proper street lights around my area, I must return before it gets dark. My parents start worrying if I get late, and then my mother goes out to search for me.

I face the same issue when I want to spend time with friends after college, and this has affected my social life.

There are some women auto drivers in the area, but they are few and far between. There is also a metro station 2 km from my home, but it doesn’t connect to my college. I also avoid using it because the stations are often empty, which does not feel safe. I am not alone in experiencing these challenges. Many students in my college face similar transportation issues. Students come from different places, and the college doesn’t provide any transportation support.

Despite these obstacles, I want to continue my education and become a music teacher. I am now in my final year, but I plan to continue studying in the same college and learn to play the tabla. My friends and I have also formed a music group, and we have written several rap songs together; one of them is about the problem of inaccessible transport. But every aspiration comes with the same calculation: the hour-long journey, the INR 100, the safety concerns, the worry about getting home before dark.

Jyoti Thakur is a final-year music student and volunteer with Climate Agenda in Lucknow.

—

Know more: Learn why urban transport planning in India needs to be gender sensitive.