THE TRAVELLER AND THE TOURIST

 

"The traveller sees what he sees;

the tourist sees what he has come to see.”

Gilbert K Chesterton

This happened some days ago. I was teaching, online, two of my bright eleventh-standard students – Nitya and Ananya. I forgot to tell you, that the subject was ‘Accountancy’…

Mind you, not any ‘Rocket Science’!

As always, I being who I am, I got intensely involved in my teaching, and kept hammering into the two young skulls this: “Learn these things like a story… Learn from your heart… Connect these things to your bigger plans – where you want to go, what you want to do… etc., etc.” Then, I said, “It’s about a month now… You both are doing extremely well.”

I asked Nitya, “Beta, you want to be a Chartered Accountant… Do you feel excited about it when you learn this subject?”

“Yes Sir, I do,” replied Nitya, quickly.

I asked Ananya, “Beta, you want to pursue MBA in a premier institute… Do you feel connected?”

There was a pause from the other end. So, I checked, “Ananya, did you follow what I asked?”

“Yes Sir, I followed,” replied Ananya, “But, I don’t know, now, about what I want to be – a CA or an MBA.”

“Wow! That’s an honest answer,” I said, “‘I don’t know’, when it comes from an honest space, it’s a powerful statement… It’s filled with life… It opens the doors. Because, it shows, that you earnestly want to know as to where you want to go, what you want to do… ‘I don’t know’, therefore, should never be a ‘dead word’!”

For these two bright girls, it’s just the beginning of their journey through this vast world of Commerce studies. So, expecting them to write their goals, right now, on a hard rock, isn’t fair on them. Nitya is clear… But, it shouldn’t mean, that she has no right to change her mind as the journey continues. Ananya is a bit hesitant, right now, to chisel it on the hard rock… But, it doesn’t mean, that she is not as earnest as Nitya. She will discover her destination along her journey, through her restless quest: “I want to know”, which will be born out of her sincere confession – “I don’t know”!

Yes, ‘I don’t know’ is not a dead word… It’s a living word… The key to the door of tomorrow – not for Nitya and Ananya alone, but, for all of us.

Two days ago, Darpan - one of my dearest friends, and an old-student - messaged me. “Sir, Heena’s (her only daughter) birthday will be17th of this month. She has high regard for you. So, could you please send a short video-message for her… She will be blessed!”

Heena is pursuing her studies in Humanities from one of the top colleges in Mumbai. Some six years ago, in the summer vacation, after Heena’s eight-standard exams, Darpan had come to see me in my office along with Heena. Both,   mother and daughter, were very clear on one thing: That, the young one would  pursue Psychology in the years to come! But, that’s not the reason why they had come to see me. The reason was, that the young one had to do much more to understand better the human mind and behaviour. The mother wanted her 13-14-year-old girl to actively participate in our summer programme… That’s supposed to be just the beginning of Heena’s long association and involvement in the Dawn Club summer-programmes. Since then, five years in a row, Heena attended these programmes, she learnt, she assisted, she took lead in organizing the annual certification events… and, through this pulsating journey, she got the first-hand taste of the human mind… yes, how peculiarly it behaved!

Many times, I have teased Heena, “Beta, do you still feel excited about Psychology?”

“YESSSSS Sir!”

Dr. Deepak, one of my dearest friends, too, had come to meet me after his tenth-standard exams. He was very clear about his goal: A Doctor… a Psychiatrist, in that… which, he did. But, importantly, Deepak stayed back with the Dawn Club in helping me hold powerful sessions, year after year, for some three decades! He is in his forties now, and has lived in half-a-dozen cities pursuing his profession. But, when it comes to the summer programmes of The Dawn Club, he has always toured hundreds of miles just to be there – and ‘give back’!

Incidentally, Dr. Deepak has been Heena’s ‘most favourite’ mentors. She has proclaimed it from the podium, countless times. Apparently, Darpan has requested him, too, to send a message for her young one. I don’t know what message my friend, student and well-wisher would send to Heena on her birthday to surprise her. But, here is the message he had sent, last night, to me before we went off to sleep…

 

Dear Heena – and, dear Nitya and Ananya – are you all able to see the dots?

Well, success and fulfillment in life are the outcome of our ability to connect these ‘invisible dots’…

Happy b’day Heena… A happy journey, too!

 

GERALD D’CUNHA

 

Pic.: 1. David Marcu 2. Masut Kaya 3.jamesnorbury.com

 

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