Adiya's story

'Being illiterate is being blind'

Adiya was just 15 years old when her parents arranged her marriage to a man twice her age. Two years later she was already a mother of two. She was never able to attend school.

Adiya was raised in the Hindu traditions. She worshipped her gods, Shiva and Parvathi, by placing rice and coconut on a special leaf, then wrapping it in strips of colorful cloth and worshipping it as a reincarnation. As a young girl, Adiya had heard of Jesus, but did not know anything about Him.

Adiya grew up very poor, in northeastern India, but her family was high-caste. She was taught never to allow lower caste people into her home. She also believed that low-caste people had been born to their low position because they had done something wrong in a previous life and were being punished by the gods.

One day, when her children were young, Adiya needed to travel to a family event in Nepal. She traveled to the nearest big city to a busy bus station. At the bus station, an illiterate Adiya had no choice but to walk among the buses, asking the drivers if their bus would bring her to her destination in Nepal. One dishonest driver lied to her, telling her his bus would reach her destination.

An unsuspecting Adiya boarded the bus with her newborn son, only to later find herself abandoned in an unfamiliar place. It was late at night. She couldn’t speak the local language. She was alone with her baby son and she had no idea where she was, where she needed to go, or how to get back home. She walked to a house, only to find it filled with a bunch of drunk men who harassed her and chased her back into the street.

Adiya was terrified and confused. Reflecting back over ten years later, Adiya considers that night a defining moment in her life. Right then and there, alone in that street, in that unfamiliar village, she vowed to learn how to read and write, no matter the cost. And she vowed that she would never allow her children to grow up illiterate. She says:

"Being illiterate is being blind. You’re helpless."

Finally, she found someone willing to help her. This stranger gave her a place to stay for the night, and the next day helped her on her way to her destination—more than 40 kilometers away.

Adiya did enroll her two children in school. But many years passed before she was able to fulfill her promise to herself.

A couple of years ago, Adiya enrolled in one of Mission India’s literacy classes. In the class she learned to read and write and do simple math. In the literacy class, Adiya quickly became the “star pupil,” according to her teacher. In fact, before the class was completed, Adiya’s grasp of Nepali (the language being taught) was so good, she began pushing the instructor to teach her some basic English phrases, too!

She also came to Christ, as did her teenaged son. In fact, her son now plays guitar in the church that formed out of Adiya’s literacy group. Adiya’s husband also believes in Jesus, but still considers Jesus one of many fine gods. He does not object to Adiya’s decision to worship only Jesus as the one true god.

Adiya’s life is now completely changed. She loves the Lord. She is no longer “helpless.” She strongly rejects caste-discrimination, and warmly welcomes anyone into her home regardless of caste. She says literacy is a key to eliminating caste discrimination.

“In the literacy class, I came to know about God, the Great God above all other gods, the creator of everything. If He created all people, how can one caste be better than another?

As a Brahmin, I never allowed lower caste people into my home. But now, I welcome anyone, just like Jesus would do.

I want to bring change to my community. I want to get rid of illiteracy, caste discrimination, and even teach the people that they should not be throwing their garbage in the streets.”