THE PUPPIES
My friend Giri conducted a Workshop for our young students this morning. He had called it ‘Success Mantras – 2’. Two weeks ago, he had held his first Workshop and called it: ‘Success Mantras -1’.
Giri conveys his message through simple games, which the young participants thoroughly enjoy. A very complex principle can be conveyed through a very simple game, and Giri is a genius in it. Two weeks ago, during his first Workshop, he gave the kids a simple activity of raising a tower with blocks. How simple! But, when the kids actually began to do it, they realized how hard it was. Most of them could not even go beyond five blocks! In the end, Giri revealed his first Success Mantra: Start on a sound foundation. “To achieve success, you need to first focus on the basic principles – the foundation,” he declared, “Else, my little friends, your tower would soon lean, collapse.”
In today’s Workshop, he dealt with another four Success Mantras. The last of the four hit them hard. It was a game of football, played by two participants at one time on a tabletop. The aim was to score the maximum goals. Each one was given three chances at one time and the game of soccer began. The young guns, when tried, focused not only on scoring the maximum goals, they also focused on ‘blocking the efforts’ of their opponents and minimizing their chances of winning. “Whether you like it or not, the moment you come into this world, you enter the world of competition,” Giri reminded the young minds. “It is a fact of life, and early you accept, the better for you.”
The young minds are full of innocence. They compete while playing. But, to comprehend a reality that the life is competitive was a bitter pill for them. Giri told them, “You have to choose the field you would like to work, the level of competition you are able to withstand and go about your life. But, you can not avoid it.”
Outside our classroom, there is a garden. In one corner of this garden, our students, particularly the girls, loved to huddle and watch about half a dozen newborn puppies. “How cute!” This was how all these young kids would exclaim. The puppies would be vibrant, full of life – jumping, playing, falling on each other… it was a delightful sight, the one that would fill you with sheer joy and evoke innocence. But, I had seen a very sad and strange reality about these little puppies, several times over, but had kept it to my self. Today, when our ‘classroom puppies’ felt the bitterness of the pill Giri had served them – and began to question him as to why one should focus on increasing his or her chances of winning/succeeding in life, he told them about the real puppies. “Have you ever watched puppies when their mother comes to them to offer milk?” Giri asked them. Goose pimples ran over my body! “Did he read my mind?” I asked in silence. “These kids have been blissfully watching those ‘cute little things’ all these days… Did he know that? Have these young kids of our class observed the sad and strange reality as I had?”
“Friends, watch this scene, whenever you get a chance,” Giri declared, “The mother would stand there offering her nipples only for some time. The little puppies, however hungry they may be, have to jump to get hold of their mother’s nipples, compete with their own bothers and sisters, pushing and pulling, stamping on each other… and get as much feed as possible with in the allotted time. Then, comes that moment: their mother would suddenly pull herself away from her babies – and off she would go, without even looking back to check which of her babies did not get the chance to suck her nipples, which is still hungry!”
There was a stony silence in our classroom. Perhaps, our puppies had noted this as I had. I am sure, Giri did not know this reality as he unfolded before us the bitter reality of a competitive world. There is only that much time for all of us… Our mother has come to feed us… but, we had better know she would go any moment.
“Some puppies grow up into healthy dogs,” Giri told our puppies, “sadly, some die within days, hungry.” Later, after every one had left, I shared with him my own dilemma. And, I was in for the final ‘mantra’ for the day. “The real tragedy of life is not ‘death’,” Giri quoted a philosopher; “It is what we lose when we are still alive.”
I felt relieved that I had still not lost my innocence. Yes, however competitive life might have been, so far!
GERALD D'CUNHA
Giri conveys his message through simple games, which the young participants thoroughly enjoy. A very complex principle can be conveyed through a very simple game, and Giri is a genius in it. Two weeks ago, during his first Workshop, he gave the kids a simple activity of raising a tower with blocks. How simple! But, when the kids actually began to do it, they realized how hard it was. Most of them could not even go beyond five blocks! In the end, Giri revealed his first Success Mantra: Start on a sound foundation. “To achieve success, you need to first focus on the basic principles – the foundation,” he declared, “Else, my little friends, your tower would soon lean, collapse.”
In today’s Workshop, he dealt with another four Success Mantras. The last of the four hit them hard. It was a game of football, played by two participants at one time on a tabletop. The aim was to score the maximum goals. Each one was given three chances at one time and the game of soccer began. The young guns, when tried, focused not only on scoring the maximum goals, they also focused on ‘blocking the efforts’ of their opponents and minimizing their chances of winning. “Whether you like it or not, the moment you come into this world, you enter the world of competition,” Giri reminded the young minds. “It is a fact of life, and early you accept, the better for you.”
The young minds are full of innocence. They compete while playing. But, to comprehend a reality that the life is competitive was a bitter pill for them. Giri told them, “You have to choose the field you would like to work, the level of competition you are able to withstand and go about your life. But, you can not avoid it.”
Outside our classroom, there is a garden. In one corner of this garden, our students, particularly the girls, loved to huddle and watch about half a dozen newborn puppies. “How cute!” This was how all these young kids would exclaim. The puppies would be vibrant, full of life – jumping, playing, falling on each other… it was a delightful sight, the one that would fill you with sheer joy and evoke innocence. But, I had seen a very sad and strange reality about these little puppies, several times over, but had kept it to my self. Today, when our ‘classroom puppies’ felt the bitterness of the pill Giri had served them – and began to question him as to why one should focus on increasing his or her chances of winning/succeeding in life, he told them about the real puppies. “Have you ever watched puppies when their mother comes to them to offer milk?” Giri asked them. Goose pimples ran over my body! “Did he read my mind?” I asked in silence. “These kids have been blissfully watching those ‘cute little things’ all these days… Did he know that? Have these young kids of our class observed the sad and strange reality as I had?”
“Friends, watch this scene, whenever you get a chance,” Giri declared, “The mother would stand there offering her nipples only for some time. The little puppies, however hungry they may be, have to jump to get hold of their mother’s nipples, compete with their own bothers and sisters, pushing and pulling, stamping on each other… and get as much feed as possible with in the allotted time. Then, comes that moment: their mother would suddenly pull herself away from her babies – and off she would go, without even looking back to check which of her babies did not get the chance to suck her nipples, which is still hungry!”
There was a stony silence in our classroom. Perhaps, our puppies had noted this as I had. I am sure, Giri did not know this reality as he unfolded before us the bitter reality of a competitive world. There is only that much time for all of us… Our mother has come to feed us… but, we had better know she would go any moment.
“Some puppies grow up into healthy dogs,” Giri told our puppies, “sadly, some die within days, hungry.” Later, after every one had left, I shared with him my own dilemma. And, I was in for the final ‘mantra’ for the day. “The real tragedy of life is not ‘death’,” Giri quoted a philosopher; “It is what we lose when we are still alive.”
I felt relieved that I had still not lost my innocence. Yes, however competitive life might have been, so far!
GERALD D'CUNHA
Comments
You are right, Girish, that so ofen, we fail to notice the simple truths around us... In stead, what we see is the media hype and sensation.
I am happy that God has given me the gift to watch and appreciate the simple, commonplace scenes in life like that of those 'Puppies'.
By the way, Girish, the mother of those puppies died some days ago due to malnutrition... and three of those puppies as well for the same reason.
And, you know what, Girish? You don't find our students interested in those surviving puppies... nor you hear them say, "How cute!" Probably they may not be aware.
Life goes on, any way...
Do comment; do charge me...
Love,
GERRY
Inspite of India being the second largest producer of wheat and rice and we have problem of malnutrition due to which people often die, rather die like a hungry dog.