So much can happen in a span of three hours. If you do not believe this, ask Sumit Samos Turuk from Koraput. Most probably, he is still pinching himself multiple times to believe it. Sumit is a rapper, an anti-caste activist and an alumnus of the Jawaharlal Nehru University, who recently got into Oxford University to study an MSc program in Modern South Asian Studies.
It was a dream come true for Sumit, a first-generation learner from a Dalit family. However, what stood in his way of getting there was the massive amount of money that he was required to pay by way of fees. The course fees, college community charge and college deposit amounted to a total of Rs 27,13,480. This was independent of the airfare, rent and living expenses. Sumit was certain that neither he nor his family could afford an amount that huge. When an Odisha government grant that he thought he would receive was rejected, Sumit was left with no other option in front of him.
That was when, on June 1, he started a crowdfunding campaign on Milaap to raise at least his tuition fees. "The campaign lasted for three hours. In that span, I raised my tuition fees and another Rs 8 lakh towards my living expenses. I closed the campaign after that," he says. He is happy and so is his family in his little village in Odisha. "I can count five to six people from this place who have gone to a university. Now looking at me, so many Dalit families will make sure that they educate their children," he says.
What does the data say here?
Now, an average social media user in India will know that Sumit's is not an isolated case. It is quite unlikely for you to not notice at least one fundraiser campaign by an Indian student, who is looking forward to studying abroad. The number may be a little higher this year, in comparison to 2020, considering many countries have relaxed their lockdowns and have vaccinated more people than India did.
According to the data available with the Ministry of Education, the year 2020 saw a 44 per cent dip in the number of students who went abroad to study, when compared to 2019. However, until February 28, 2021, 71,769 students have already left the country to go abroad to study. If the trend continues, there are chances that the number of students who go abroad this year will be at least 30 per cent higher than that of 2020.
Between January and June 2021, Milaap, the crowdfunding platform saw 9,200 campaigns set up by students, seeking funds to support their education. Together, these campaigns raised over Rs 6.6 crore. At the same time, in 2020, Milaap only saw 11,000 campaigns during the whole of 2020, raising Rs 10.3 crore. "In the first five months of 2021, we have seen a significant increase in the campaign set up and donations to educational causes," says Milaap's co-founder Anoj Viswanathan.
Easy, fast and foolproof, they say
So what is it that prompts so many people to start crowdfunding campaigns to fund their tuition fees? "It is one of the easiest, fastest and safest methods of fundraising. It is highly effective too when we consider its massive reach," says Hari Kumar C, an assistant professor of the University of Calicut, who is researching this very topic. "The traditional means of raising funds are too cumbersome with the procedures involved. On the other hand, crowdfunding brings a mutual solution without these difficulties," he says.
These campaigns are pretty much foolproof and there is little chance of being duped, says Anoj. "We only facilitate raising funds for genuine causes. In emergency situations, they try through all the sources possible and crowdfunding will be one of their options. Donations can be withdrawn only with supporting documents and donors are given an update about the utilisation of funds. In case of raising funds for tuition fees, relevant documents from the institutions such as a call letter, acceptance letter and other relevant documents have to be updated on the campaign page," he says.
For Sumit, there were a lot of apprehensions that came with starting the crowdfunder. "I was apprehensive, especially because the year is 2021 and people have other needs to take care of," he says. But for Sumit, this was the last resort. "After my application for the Odisha government's financial assistance was rejected, I was truly dejected and felt hopeless. I spoke to a local MP, a few people abroad and bureaucrats. No one could help me," he says.
He says that he did not know much about crowdfunding and did not expect to raise so much money in such a small amount of time. "I was confident of raising the money. Over the years, I have built good networks through my music and activism but I never thought that it would happen so soon," he says. Minutes after Sumit's campaign was live, many activists, journalists and others shared it, urging people to donate. In fact, for a while, #SumitToOxford was trending on Twitter. Sumit was surprised to see one lakh getting added to the campaign every 15 minutes. "I was about to close the campaign because I had raised the initial Rs 27 lakh. But then, people told me that I may need money to travel to the UK and survive there. And so, I stopped after raising Rs 37 lakh," he says.
What works and what doesn't
Sumit, for a reason, knows that his activism, music and the network that he developed while studying at JNU helped him a lot. "This may not be the case for the majority. They may find it difficult to raise funds," he says. This seems to be true because in Milaap and in Ketto, the two websites that have hosted a large number of fundraisers for foreign education, there are a number of campaigns, where the students hadn't raised even 10 per cent of their target amount.
So what happens if your goal remains unfulfilled? "Milaap says that they will refund the money to the donors if I fail to achieve the purpose," says another student who is raising funds for his education abroad. He is yet to raise even a quarter of his target amount. "I had secured the same admission last year, but I gave it up because I had no funding. I was too shy to try crowdfunding because it seemed unfair to ask people for money during a pandemic and a lockdown. I couldn't take an education loan, because I intend to come back to India and work in the development sector, which won't pay me enough to pay it back," he says, adding that he will give up his dreams if he fails to get the funding this year.
The ugly side of the equation
If you view crowdfunding through your rose-tinted glasses, it is definitely telling you a lot of happy stories. However, not many have forgotten the case of Juhi Sharma, a filmmaking aspirant from Chennai, who had started a crowdfunder in 2017, to fund her filmmaking course in Brooklyn. What she was subject to a lot of trolling and namecalling. Some said that her campaign was an 'Urban poor version of begging'. Some even went as far as to call her a prostitute and asked her to 'beg'.
Four years have passed. Are things any different? Sadly, no. "So many said that I was begging for money and asked me to fund myself. Others said that I don't have any shame," Sumit says. "I'm yet to pay my fee and people wanted to know what I will do after I come back to India. There was so much resentment," he adds.
Realising that he deserves to be in a better state of mind, Sumit took a conscious decision - he is staying off social media. However, back home, his family is excited that their son is crossing the seas to get the education that none of his ancestors had even dreamt of. He is, in fact, set to be a role model that every child in Odisha will look up to. What did his parents say? "They know that they can't fund my education. So, they are happy that people are recognising my work and are helping me achieve my dreams," he says.
