<p>I have been inspired by none less than the late Mother Teresa who, I read, would take the Christ’s injunction, “As you did it to the least of these brethren, you did it to me,” quite literally. Motivated by this ‘saint of the gutters,’ I decided to take a day off to do some NSS (National Service Scheme) work at the NGO ‘Dream-a-Dream’ which has as one of its pet projects a residential school, Ananya.<br /><br />So, one bright winter-scented morning, a group of us volunteers boarded a Winger van to take us to the venue, a village-like hamlet. All of us adults had a desire to do our bit for the unfortunate and possibly make a difference so the simple village folk could benefit from us — as we would from them!<br /><br />Once we arrived, our team leader divided us into groups where our duties included teaching (that was given to me as I was the only teacher in the group!), running simple errands for the grown-ups in the village and talking to the aged and the infirm to mitigate their palpable loneliness. After lunch, we planned to show the villagers a few videos on health concerns, a concept almost alien to them.<br /><br />I breezed into the small, dingy, make-shift classroom where about 20 boys and girls were sitting crammed on threadbare mats. Nevertheless, their young faces beamed with an optimism towards learning, and that is what we wanted! I introduced myself as a teacher, passionate and in love with teaching, who tried to use examples, concepts and anecdotes related to the mindset of the students. So, with them, I promised to use village-related examples. I was to teach addition and subtraction and I genuinely wanted the concepts I taught to stay with them.<br /><br />“Suppose, we have three cats, of which one gets attracted to a curtain and starts playing with it, how many cats are not playing?” Pat came the reply of a sprightly young girl named Arohi, “Ma’am, there will be none. The other two cats, too, will start playing since they are copycats!” Everyone giggled at this, for Arohi was obviously a keen observer of animals!<br /><br />As the morning wore on, I explained more theories, my mind seeking, exploring and scanning further examples I could offer. There was fun and frolic involved, too, in the sheer amount of mathematical problems I gave them which they wrote down and solved diligently. By the end of the problem-solving marathon, they looked exhausted but also heartened and grateful.<br /><br />Finally, as we were to break for lunch, Arohi approached me tentatively and asked, “Ma’am, why not come to my hut for coffee?” Not wishing to trouble her and her mother, I quickly declined. Her innocent eyes filling with tears, she said, “I know why you refuse. I am Harijan.” Immediately regretting my words, I joined her for coffee. But for the rest of the day, I was quiet and introspective as her words, tearful and poignant, reverberated in my mind for a long time.</p>
<p>I have been inspired by none less than the late Mother Teresa who, I read, would take the Christ’s injunction, “As you did it to the least of these brethren, you did it to me,” quite literally. Motivated by this ‘saint of the gutters,’ I decided to take a day off to do some NSS (National Service Scheme) work at the NGO ‘Dream-a-Dream’ which has as one of its pet projects a residential school, Ananya.<br /><br />So, one bright winter-scented morning, a group of us volunteers boarded a Winger van to take us to the venue, a village-like hamlet. All of us adults had a desire to do our bit for the unfortunate and possibly make a difference so the simple village folk could benefit from us — as we would from them!<br /><br />Once we arrived, our team leader divided us into groups where our duties included teaching (that was given to me as I was the only teacher in the group!), running simple errands for the grown-ups in the village and talking to the aged and the infirm to mitigate their palpable loneliness. After lunch, we planned to show the villagers a few videos on health concerns, a concept almost alien to them.<br /><br />I breezed into the small, dingy, make-shift classroom where about 20 boys and girls were sitting crammed on threadbare mats. Nevertheless, their young faces beamed with an optimism towards learning, and that is what we wanted! I introduced myself as a teacher, passionate and in love with teaching, who tried to use examples, concepts and anecdotes related to the mindset of the students. So, with them, I promised to use village-related examples. I was to teach addition and subtraction and I genuinely wanted the concepts I taught to stay with them.<br /><br />“Suppose, we have three cats, of which one gets attracted to a curtain and starts playing with it, how many cats are not playing?” Pat came the reply of a sprightly young girl named Arohi, “Ma’am, there will be none. The other two cats, too, will start playing since they are copycats!” Everyone giggled at this, for Arohi was obviously a keen observer of animals!<br /><br />As the morning wore on, I explained more theories, my mind seeking, exploring and scanning further examples I could offer. There was fun and frolic involved, too, in the sheer amount of mathematical problems I gave them which they wrote down and solved diligently. By the end of the problem-solving marathon, they looked exhausted but also heartened and grateful.<br /><br />Finally, as we were to break for lunch, Arohi approached me tentatively and asked, “Ma’am, why not come to my hut for coffee?” Not wishing to trouble her and her mother, I quickly declined. Her innocent eyes filling with tears, she said, “I know why you refuse. I am Harijan.” Immediately regretting my words, I joined her for coffee. But for the rest of the day, I was quiet and introspective as her words, tearful and poignant, reverberated in my mind for a long time.</p>
