One Rupee Revolution

“If you cannot come to the college, the college will go to you.” — The promise that transformed the landscape of South 24 Parganas.

The year was 2006. Inside the hallowed, high-ceilinged classrooms of St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata, a question was posed that would change the path of thousands of lives. The then Vice-Principal, Rev. Dr John Felix Raj, SJ, stood before a room of bright, ambitious students and challenged their sense of social responsibility.

“You all are the privileged ones sitting in this classroom,” he noted, his voice echoing against the silence. “What can you do for those who cannot even dream of going to school?”

An uneasy quiet settled over the room. It was the silence of realisation—the recognition of a vast gap between the world of elite urban education and the stark reality of rural India. Finally, a student gathered the courage to ask: “Father, please tell us, what can we do?”

Fr. Felix Raj’s response was not a request for a massive endowment or a complex policy change. Instead, he asked for a small, personal sacrifice. “Can you sacrifice one rupee a day? Can you save one rupee from your daily coffee or your samosas?”

The response was instantaneous and thunderous: “Why not? Surely we can.”

With that simple affirmation, the “One Rupee Revolution” was born. This was the genesis of Prayas – College to Village, Village to College, a movement that proved that small, consistent actions, when multiplied by thousands, can move mountains.

The Architecture of Sacrifice

What started as a classroom challenge quickly gathered momentum. This was the brainchild of Fr. Felix Raj, whose vision as a visionary educationist has always been to channelise youthful energy into tangible social action. Under his guidance as the former Principal of St. Xavier’s College and currently the Vice-Chancellor of St. Xavier’s University, the project was institutionalised through the college’s Social Work Department.

The students didn’t just donate; they committed. Class representatives took up the mantle of coordination, ensuring that the collection of these single coins became a ritual of empathy. Initially, two villages—Pandua and Gurap—were adopted. However, the passion of the students was contagious. Within just three years, the map of Prayas expanded to include eight more villages: Debipur, Shalpukur, Ghostomath, Hogulkuria, Mirga, Jhantipahari, Bolorampur, and Bholakhali—the latter being a community severely ravaged by the AILA cyclone.

Fr. Felix Raj often reminded his students, “This money is not a donation; it is a sacrifice.” By giving up a small daily luxury, the students were not just funding development; they were weaving their own lives into the fabric of the village community.

A Unique Pedagogy: The Three Stages of Prayas

Prayas is not a traditional charity; it is an educational pedagogy that functions on three distinct stages, connecting what Fr. Felix Raj calls the “Two Temples.”

The Temple of Wisdom: The College, its Management, Faculty, and the students’ families.

The Temple of Prosperity: The Village, its local administration, partners, and the rural families.

Stage I: The Planning Phase

Everything begins with dialogue. Before any action is taken, the college management and the village leadership collaborate. They identify the specific needs of the community—be it educational resources, health infrastructure, or social awareness. This ensures that the project is not “imposed” on the village, but rather “grown” from within.

Stage II: The Implementation Phase (The Heart of the Exchange)

This stage brings the “College to the Village.” Every weekend, groups of college students leave the comfort of the city to live and work in these adopted communities. They conduct door-to-door surveys to understand demographics, host tutoring sessions for children, and organise sports and cultural activities.

But the movement is a two-way street: Village to College. Twice a year, the village children are invited to the city. For 3 to 4 days, they camp within the college walls. They are taken on city tours and campus walks. More importantly, they spend this time with their Dadas and Didis (elder brothers and sisters). In these few days, the college students become role models, showing the children that a future in higher education is not a distant myth, but a reachable reality.

Stage III: The Outcome – The Birth of a Rural Campus

The ultimate success of Prayas is perhaps best illustrated by the story of the Raghabpur Campus. During a meeting at Raghabpur, the village community shared a heartbreaking concern. They told Fr. Felix Raj, “If you ask us to encourage our children to pursue higher education, where is the college? Our children, especially the girls, have to travel more than 12 kilometres to find a college. We worry for their safety, and we cannot afford to send them to Park Street.”

It was then that Fr. Felix Raj gave his famous response: “If you cannot come to the college, the college will go to you.” In 2014, St. Xavier’s College Rural Campus at Raghabpur was established. It was the fruit of years of hard work by students who had been tutoring these children since 2006. Today, it stands as a testimony to the power of a focused intention.

The Transformation of Hearts

The impact of Prayas is dual-pronged. While it has revolutionised rural education, it has also revolutionised the character of the urban student. Many students admit that they initially volunteered for the village camps to fulfil mandatory social credit requirements. However, they returned from the villages with something far more valuable: a transformation of heart.

They encountered “the real India”—the India of harsh challenges, poverty, and resilience. By stepping outside the “four walls of a classroom,” they learned lessons in humility, love, and social justice that no textbook could ever provide. They didn’t just teach the village children; they were taught by them.

From College to University: The Vision Scales Up

The “unstoppable visionary,” as Fr. Felix Raj is often called, did not stop at a rural campus. In 2017, he paved the way for another landmark: the establishment of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata.

In just eight years, the University has become a premier destination for knowledge seekers. Naturally, the Prayas movement has evolved with the institution. What was once “College to Village” is now Village to University and University to Village. The scale has increased, but the core philosophy remains the same: education must be a bridge, not a barrier.

A Call to Every Citizen

The story of Prayas is a reminder that we are all participants in the building of our nation. We are born into a society that is often unjust, but we have a choice: we can leave it as we found it, or we can choose to be the “One Rupee” that starts a revolution.

The world is currently divided by walls of economics, geography, and opportunity. But as Fr. Felix Raj believes, “If it is God’s work, it will continue.” We must put our hearts and minds together to heal these wounds.

A nation can only be termed truly “developed” when every citizen, regardless of their birthplace, can live with a mind without fear and a head held high. We must promote this spirit of Prayas wherever possible, bridging the divisions to build a united, harmonious world.

Views expressed are personal. The writer is the director of the Social Work department and NSS at St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata