THE PACKED LUNCH-BOXES OF OUR TOMORROWS

Pic.: Fr. Reginald Pinto

“What you give, will be for you; what  you hoard, will be for others’;

Do not remember or regret what you give…

For, that will be the packed lunch-box for your tomorrows.”

Sarvajna was a great Kannada poet and philosopher. He was famous for his Tripadis – simple three-lined poems. They were easy to remember and recite… and, they were loaded with meaning. And, the best thing about all his Tripadis was: they ended with ‘Sarvajna’!

So, though we kids in school were bad in memorizing Sarvajna’s Tripadis, we were brilliant in creating our own Tripadis – with colloquial fun. Oh, we would come out with a fresh one every second morning… yes, just like our young-kids do, today, in their FB factories!

Frankly, I had completely forgotten, both, Sarvajna and his famous Tripadis. And, this morning, when I was talking to Mr. Rao, a senior citizen – who, like me, had done his schooling in Mangalore (and much before me) – he recited one of Sarvajna’s Tripadis…

Let me tell you, he did it better than my school teachers had done. Or, was it that, today, the teacher appeared because the student was ready?

I am sure, it is the latter. In school, our only concern was to pass… So, we mugged-up all those (amazing) poems without understanding their relevance or meaning… and, we disliked – and dreaded - the subject, the teachers who taught… and, yes, those poets and writers, all.

This morning, the subject of our discussion was – ‘Giving’. Mr. Rao, who is a very unassuming soul, had something priceless to contribute…

We give in different ways. Financial help is just one of them. But, all our givings, as Sarvajna says, will eventually benefit us, the givers… more than they do to the receiver of the benefit. As the poet says, what we hoard - hold tightly back – eventually only benefit others… And, as he gently reminds us, we should neither regret nor try to remember what we give, because, they will be right there for us, along our tomorrows, as our packed lunch-boxes.

Sarvajna!

GERALD D’CUNHA