Saturday Mornings

"Good Morning Teacher!!"

A bunch of kids greeting me in their chorus sing song, and all standing in unison, and that's what Saturday morning brings for me.They are just like the other kids you've come across..some smiling, some shying away from your inquisitive glances, some wanting to come closer and have a tete-a-tete, and then some Einstiens's lost in their own dream world..sounds like just another primary school class setup, right..but may be not.Unlike you and me, they are the kids of those slum dwelling construction workers, who keep changing places because of their changing jobs. As a result, their kids can't have a formal education, and are deprived of this very basic need.

But not always, if you have a SMILE school around:)

SMILE schools are an initiative of Samyukta Foundation, which cater to the educational needs of such children.These schools have permanent faculty, that teaches children six days a week.

And we, a couple of folks, go to these schools every Saturday morning to see, how the children are progressing, and track individual children of their progress.Some of the brighter folks make it to permanent schools as well, and believe me, the sense of introducing a child to the world of knowledge is so fulfilling.

I started doing this only a couple of weeks back, and it wasn't an easy thing for me initially to get out of my bed at 9 on a Saturday morning, when you would instead like to loll cosily, after a hectic week at office, and when you got to sleep only at 2 on the Friday night. Believe me, for the first time, I had to use all my will power to do so..and then there was the dreaded language issue..the kids don't understand Hindi or English, and I have no doubts on my Telugu proficiency.

So I thought, I might not continue this for long...but dunno what kept me motivated, and I am glad, it did:)

I look forward to Saturday mornings now, waiting to be greeted by those smiles. These kids are from a different background. They look different, and some of them don't even take a bath regularly..Most of the time, its rags that make up for their school uniform, and some of them have slates in one hand, and a younger sibling's finger in another. Yet they are as innocent as any other kid..and the pleasant fact is that they love to learn..in fact, more so than their privileged counterparts..probably because when you don't get something easily, you learn to appreciate it more. A shack for a school, with no electricity, and these kids learn there..all motivated, all set to work.

They introduce you to a different world..a world of needs, worries, and uncertainties..and also to a world of hope..one where they would some day be fulfilling others's needs..and one where they would stand up for themselves.

I go there, teach them all using gestures, chalks, and slates,.. and bring back a few smiles in return...and all the effort is worth it!!

Smile Please!!

After a looong time, its time to do nothing:)..I am OOF(Out of office) for NINE whole days..wohoooo!!
Nine days of doing Nothin...eating..lolling happily in the bed...freaking out..and chilling!
And when I say chilling..need to mention my trip to snow world yesterday..Priya's here at Hyderabad, so early in the morning yesterday(that was at 1 p.m.), madam demanded that we visit the famous Snow world..and we set off!
After a gruelling time between the Hyd traffic, we managed to reach the place, shelled out some 600 odd bucks for tickets, and after all the wait in the queue, we found the whole setup utterly disgusting...there was no snow, and the place was not at all maintained...I was kinda feeling cheated for all the effort, time and money.
But then, something happened that made my day..and I am still smiling thinking about it.
The snow world shows are hourly, and they batch people for each show. Apart from us, our batch comprised mostly of couples aged 65-70, and they were a big group. It was sheer joy to see them enjoying the whole thing with a child like hullabaloo, trodding in their long jackets, gloves, and snow boots. They were playing merrily like a bunch of kids just released from school..jumping, enjoying rides, and even snow boarding!!
And while I and Priya were figuring out what next, I suddenly heard a really cute "Smile Please!"..Curious, I turned around...and there was a pair of toothless smiles awaiting!!
One of the elderly couples was posing for photographs, and an old 'daddu' was trying to set the right pose for them.."uh..aise nahi, haath pakdo, aur thoda sa Smile Please": I heard him say.

They smiled.
I smiled too!

Children of Heaven-Part II

There are those days, when you feel absolutely disgusted by all the right and wrong things going around you, and you crave for an escape from eveything, just searching for some solitude..gripped by the annui of a routine life, stagnant relations, pressing deadlines, and the burden of your aimless ambitions..and one such evening, I was just strolling the road to the historical south Indian temple in the vicinity, thinking all that I needed to tell dear "Rab ji"...and as if HE knew it all, something happened on the way, that just made me feel lighter by tonnes.

There was this bunch of kids by the roadside(yep, the same ones in tattered clothes, which lot of us loath, and detest touching), watching me curiously, as if I was an extra-terrestrial who just landed into their country. I tried to avoid this constant attention I was getting for a while, but then something from inside told me to pass on a smile(and trust me, it was a genuine one)to them..And believe it or not, the kids were so over-joyed as if I made their day..one smile from me..and I got so many in return..they followed me for some distance, waving and laughing merrily all the way..and I couldn't stop myself from joining them, leaving all cares in world beyond, and just living that blissful moment.

I did not go to the temple then..HE was there in the smiles of those kids.