"Hi Sir! I have just reached the building. Where is the location of the huts?" I asked. "It's just around..next to the building. I am standing outside for you. Where are you?" he said while I was thinking that the voice of this person must be fifty years old. "I can't locate. I am on a yellow bike if you can spot me." I replied with the search mode on. "Ah, ya I can see you. I am behind you." He said. I turned back to see Mr. G the coordinator in a blue T shirt and jeans and as young as I was. In later part of my story I came to know that Mr. G works for an MNC and is at these huts every evening. I was visiting these huts as a volunteer to teach kids present there. Bright sunny day and I reached there just on dot travelling by a time-taking route while I could have chosen the alternative . Moving on stones, I parked my bike next to a hut with blue polythene roof that I noticed was built with coconut branches dried ones, brown in color. Being a fellow human, I knew that it was tough for people to reside in these huts and I chose not to delve much into this thought, being objective on the purpose of my visit. I could feel the fire in the breeze and was juggling between few thoughts, being a natural introvert. I packed my summer accessories(goggles, water bottle, cap, scarf) into the storage of my vehicle. I was wondering if I have to go in to the space of volunteers and introduce myself or should I wait for my friends to come and let them do the talking part which I naturally can't.
But overcoming my boundaries and jumping off the current processes in my brain, I was walking and passing by the huts, writing on my thinking cloud "how are they bearing the heat?". With that thought I went in and removed my slippers to step on a mat with few kids and volunteers sitting on it, under a shade. I quickly understood that it was not the time for formal introductions and checked that every other volunteer was busy with their work while they exchanged smiles with me which made me comfortable. I went in and sat beside two kids. We looked at each other, being hesitant to chirp further. I made a move, asked their names and introduced myself. "S", a kid from a rural place moved here into the city with her parents. She was studying 6th class in her village. She is a school drop out. I asked her WHY? and I could sense the EMBARRASSMENT and DISAPPOINTMENT in her face while she was telling me her story. There were thousand thoughts running in my mind while I was listening to her tale. I come from a good family back ground. I studied till my PG without many hurdles, that I never got a chance to think if education was my birth right or if I was lucky enough to have good parents supporting my education or the struggles my parents have had to see me where I am today or if there are kids like S who would have been happy to have a friend who is going to school so that S can learn from that friend...I never got a chance until now. To deviate her, I asked the other kid to introduce herself and she was "A". A was a cheerful girl going to Zilla Parishad High School. She was in her third class. She wore a frock that looked dusty and with a zip opening at the back that was not functional. "While on the other side some of us earn money and buy clothes more than needed"...flashed a thought in my mind as I placed my hand on A's back patting her twice "Hey Good girl... Lets start studying." I said.
We started with English and a train story. I had to teach them how to spell "Unfortunately". I immediately wondered how did I learn "Unfortunately"? Thanks to my teachers whom I can never forget and whose efforts of teaching me "Unfortunately", I can no more recollect owing to my bad memory. Fortunately or "Unfortunately", I went on with my own skills whatever I had, for teaching them how to spell "Un-for-tunately". I made them write such difficult words and was pondering over a thought of eradicating illiteracy. It's not that easy I know, but It's not impossible too. It is possible but not by me alone. I was thinking what's the difference between me and these kids. When I say "me" here, it means every educated person. I am speaking about knowing the reason behind a person being educated and a person being uneducated. I don't want to reveal the answer that I understood. I would love to see everyone thinking about this difference. When you get an answer, I am sure you would believe that It's possible to eradicate illiteracy and see an educated world. Now "education" here, I believe is very subjective word and to each of us, our way of learning is different. It's a separate topic that can go into pages which I am not touching upon...
To move ahead with our story, We then went to another place 1 km from where we were, to teach few more kids. I got onto my bike and was driving it, paying not much attention mentally to the traffic but to my thoughts again. In no time we reached the place to see few kids sitting under a tree in a play ground that was looking like a golden furnace. I sat down between two kids- a girl and a boy who were may be in their first class. The boy didn't have anything and the girl had a book, a pencil and a water bottle. I wanted to engage both of them together in our learning, so I chose to start with the girl who had a book and asked her to write A to Z. She completed the task beautifully. I appreciated her and asked her to give her book to the boy so that he can write too. I could sense that the girl gave her book unwillingly. I ignored and asked the boy to complete the task. He did write till F and then he didn't know how to write further. I asked him if he goes to school. He replied saying he doesn't go to school. I understood and while I was imagining my own reasons for his situation, he asked me "Can I drink water from that water bottle?". I said yes and asked the girl to give her water bottle. She replied "I won't give Akka(sis), My Amma(mother) said not to share water with him.". I was surprised and sighed. I had thoughts..plenty by now. I was thinking education of these kids is a problem currently in front of us. I now realized educating their parents is also a potential problem that I could somewhat see. This is a cycle..vicious may be. I will not get into further details and analysis now, but I leave it to your thinking....
I helped the boy with writing G on the sand with a stick and helped the girl with drawing in her book with a pencil. I turned back to see what my volunteer friends were doing and then introduced myself to a kid there named say "C". C was studying in 7th Class and would be appearing for the state board exams in a month. I came to know from a volunteer that he draws well. While I was having a look at his drawing book, the volunteer who knew me since a time, told C that I am an artist. I told him "You draw very well C. The bullock cart drawing is amazing. I can't draw it at all!!". C replied "Akka, if you have a strong intention, you can do anything. Please come here daily akka, I can do much better in art then." I was amazed at his positive thinking. I wanted to know more about him. I asked him where does he stay and how does he come to the place we were. He said he comes to this place for tuition and he comes there by walk. I asked him how far does he walk and for how long. He said I walk for some time may be 30-60 min which he wasn't sure about but he said " Walking anyway is good for health akka." I was wondering....He was just speaking about the required stuff in life....Intentions, health!!.. and some of us complain about everything under the sun. I promised him that I will come for his tuition and asked him to make a plan to study even if he has no volunteer to support at any point in time, which wouldn't be the case as far as there is good prevailing.
It was three hours by then that day, volunteering for this activity. Just when we decided to leave, C came to us and said "Akka, go home and have butter milk. This heat is killing. " ......I was riding back home on my bike thinking about C, butter milk and much more...
