A GENIUS IN THE WRONG POSITION

 

“There are two kinds of weakness;

that which breaks, and that which bends.”

James Russell Lowell

 

As many of you know, my livelihood doesn’t come from writing or blogging. It comes from teaching subjects - like Accountancy, Costing and Taxation -  to Commerce students. While teaching keeps my kitchen-fire burning, writing and blogging keep the fire in my soul burning. I love both… both are my ‘professions’, whether they bring me money or not. I perform both with equal ‘passion’.

This morning, I was teaching a small group of junior-college students a chapter called ‘Non-profit Organizations’ (NPOs). I think, all of you (regardless of whether you have a Commerce or non-Commerce background) will be able to understand the very basic introduction to this chapter, which is given below:

Introduction:

1. A Non-profit Organization (NPO) is an organization whose main objective is not profit-making, but rendering service to its members.

2.   Hence, a NPO is also known as Non-business Organization or Non-trading Organization.

3.  It is always run by Trust. Hence, Trustees are responsible for running it. They are not the ‘owners’… Trust (the registered body) is the owner.

4.     Some examples of NPO:

. Educational institutions like Schools and Colleges (Not coaching institutes)

. Hospitals (Not private hospitals and nursing homes)

. Sports Associations (Not private sports clubs)

. Gymkhanas (Not private)

. Charitable Institutions like Orphanages, Old-age homes

. Public Libraries

. Fine Arts Societies

. Religious places like Temples, Mosques, Churches, Gurudwaras etc.

Note: They must be owned by a ‘TRUST’.

 

As I said, it’s a simple introduction to the concept of NPOs.

My idea, here, is not to teach you guys this chapter, but to tell you what happened while I was teaching this group of young boys and girls, today morning. There was this boy (let me name him Sirish*) in this group. He is a bright kid, but needs lots of coaxing and cajoling,  all the time. Like many of his contemporary kids do, he, too, stays awake all night… Finds it boring to join the morning online sessions… Homework and assignments… Please don’t talk about them, Sir. He just doesn’t want to do them. And, if you force him to, well, who cares? Yes, this is Sirish, my 17-year-old student, for you. But, I have already told you this: He is a bright kid!

As I was to start this new chapter this morning, I had called him up, yesterday, to cajole him not to miss the basic storyline of this chapter. Despite his promise, I didn’t see him connected when everyone else had. So, I called him, once gain to cajole… He joined. At one stage, I asked him to read the examples of NPOs given in the above introduction. Someone else had read the earlier part. Our young man, before reading out the examples, pointed this to me:

“Sir, you should have written ‘a’ before the word ‘Trust’. What you have written gives a different meaning.”

Sirish had just pointed to me an error – a ‘flaw’ -  in my notes. “A NPO is always run by Trust” and “A NPO is always run by a Trust” are two different things…

And, my boy was perfectly right. No one else, either in his group, or in any other groups, had pointed it out. I knew, immediately, what a strength this boy had and how royally he was wasting his strengths! Still, I didn’t want to tell him that right away and spoil him with overconfidence. I simply said, “Read the examples, Sirish.”

He did, a bit sheepishly!

Towards the end of the session, while giving them  a fresh assignment, I checked if this trick could work with Sirish… I asked, “Boys and girls, did you realize the error in my notes which Sirish had pointed out?”

Most of them hadn’t still. So, I added ‘a’ before the word ‘Trust’ and asked them, again, “Does it make a different meaning, now?”

“Yes Sir, it does,” they all said in a chorus.

“And Sirish, my boy, do you know you have strengths like that?” I asked gently, but with anguish… “Do you know how they are getting wasted?”

“Yes, Sir,” Sirish agreed.

“So, should I coax you and cajole you to send your assignment (hardly taking 30 minutes) by tomorrow 12 noon?”

“No Sir, you don’t have to,” Sirish promised.

“I trust you, darling… And, this ‘Trust’ doesn’t need any ‘a’ before it,” I concluded, “Is the meaning clear?”

“A genius in the wrong position could look like a fool,” says Idowu Koyenikan.

 

*Name changed

 

GERALD D’CUNHA

 

Pic’s: Pexels/Rodnae Producti/pixabay

 

Video: The X Factor UK