HYDERABAD - For hundreds of poor families residing in the slum area of Hyderabad, 82-year-old Qasim Ali Pirji is a beacon of hope who seeks to transform their lives through quality education. This correspondent traveled all the way to Ghafoor Shah Basti, a slum area of Hyderabad city located along a waterway near a railway crossing, where 82-year-old Qasim Ali Pirji established the Shiv Mandir Tent School. The school, with a current enrollment of 75 students, was set up in 2017 to educate and train people from the remote locality who lack sufficient resources to make ends meet. Residents of Ghafoor Shah Colony, surrounded by filth and polluted water, belong to the Bagri community—a subjugated class of the Hindu religion—usually working in fields and resorting to odd jobs to earn their livelihood. K. Hemchand, a 52-year-old man who never attended school in his life, was thrilled to see his six-year-old granddaughter, Savetri, attending school. While talking to this correspondent, he said, “I never dreamed that any of my family members would attend school, but it has happened, and now their destiny will change.” The school, set up inside a local temple, is managed by three local female teachers—Sonali, Joti, and Arti—who received education at a local school and began teaching here in 2019. Most students arrive barefooted and in tattered clothing. Sonali Bagri, who oversees the school’s administrative affairs, revealed that every month, Qasim Baba and his team provide the students with necessary stationery, ensuring their educational journey remains uninterrupted. Qasim Ali Pirji, who migrated to Pakistan in 1969 and settled in Hyderabad, credits his deceased wife for inspiring him to work for the suppressed classes of the country.