FBing is the new avocation…
And so the blog suffers.
With these two lines, I would seem to be so redundant as if I have nothing to read, nothing to prepare for.
But then, this is what makes you tick if you are helluva lot human (read: social) and are made to read NCERT text e-books and so you cannot manage to socialise like before.
Quite a few potential posts of mine have suffered sabotage after they popped as fussy ‘what’s on your mind?’ on FB. (I don’t need to elucidate ;))
And this one, I didn’t let go like a status update. (Though the ardour to fabricate a one liner persists)
To begin with, let’s tread back to FB.
Few seconds ago, I was tagged on a photo (courtesy: than-than)…and the album was ‘Independence Day at kartavya’ (uhhmm…boy is an active FB addict…took only an hour to upload pics)…and the flash back started.
I was catapulted to my first day at centre-1 library…
I was a first year then and I was supposed to teach English in class-4.
Dubious of being ragged, I had never wanted to join Kartavya. But, one of my best pals had forcefully dragged me to join in and so I wasn’t ebullient (Rather I was dreaded) about the first day
.
When we stepped in the basti, I saw what I expect majority of Africa is like. I had never been to the interiors of a slum before and the stark reality that lay before me was dreading, even more than ragging.
I saw a little girl. She would have been 8 and 35kg by weight and she parried a water container that would have been around 15lt. I was horrified.
Naked children…they were all so happy in a world so unreal, so brash, and so aggravated.
We were finally in our respective classes, for the first time being called ‘sir’.
My class was small…4 students with brains better than mine.
I questioned myself, “Will they ever be able to qualify IIT-JEE??”
And the answer came ‘No’…Not because they do not have a father like mine who never lets me run out of money.
I felt blessed…so full of smugness for myself.
The next moment, I hated myself for being so selfish…so rude.
I taught them and introspection process ran in the background.
…it has been almost 3 years now and I have been a part of kartavya. Roles have changed but the fervour of the feeling hasn’t.
Don’t know up to what extend we have been able to bring about a change but I am happy that at least we are trying.
Celebrating Independence Day with the kids was such bliss, though I was late to attend the ceremony… (Curse tummy).
P.S. – I had once been to an orphanage for disabled children to celebrate my B’day. It was my father’s suggestion.
It was the first time I had cried on my B’day (except for the day I was born). And I love my father for this.
P.S. – Why do we curse our country so much? Are we so blind to see that it is a mere reflection of us? Why don’t we hate ourselves then?
…cursing is so easy.
P.S. -
