GOD HAS NO POOR CHILDREN

 

“He that overcometh shall inherit all things;

God has no poor children.”

Dwight L. Moody

 

 

The book that we brought out, this summer, was about Values… It was titled – ‘Some Things in Life Don’t Move’. Our little ones, young ones and even many adults had written beautiful articles on one or two values they cherished the most in their lives. What fascinated me the most was, that many young kids wrote about ‘Kindness’…

Who says, young kids are ‘heartless'? You must read their articles to imagine the size of their hearts!

 

But, when it comes to ‘kindness’, the question comes – “Kindness towards whom/what?”

 

So, if young kids like Vaidehi or Laksh are moved by the sight of urchins along the streets, Manasi and Vridhi are just moved by the strays – be it dogs or cats, who have no shelter, food or loved ones… Someone like Mrs. Shyla, a widow and a housewife, who is the mother of two working girls, is extremely drawn towards physically and mentally challenged children…

 

My own heart bleeds when it sees a young one struggling in self-confidence. Besides, it, also, bleeds for deserving students who can’t pay their tuition fees…

 

So, each one sees the outside world and responds to it the way his/her heart is wired to…

This morning, I was talking to Shoba, one of my initial students, who is my good friend now. She is presently based in New Delhi. Those of us, who had been following her professional track record, would brand her as the quintessential achiever... a ‘Been-there-Done-that’ type.

 

But then, what we see may be seen with our misty glasses… Shoba shares her story in her LinkedIn sight… I am sharing it here, with her permission….

 

UNDER THE TREE

Shoba Krishnan

I have been a HR professional juggling work and home for over 25 years. I took immense pride in my work, while pushing all other aspects of my life to a back seat. I didn’t realize my parents were slipping away with age; my father was slowly developing Alzheimer which I thought was a normal part of the aging process.

 

One day, I decided to take a hard relook at my life - I chose to prioritize taking care of my aging parents over my work. This resulted in a sheer metamorphosis: moving from being a driven professional to a warm, heartful caregiver. I particularly enjoyed this phase and, to this day, hold a tinge of regret as to why I didn’t start earlier.

 

My parents were happy, felt cared for and passed on. I continued with consulting projects and assignment while exploring creative pursuits like baking, painting and more importantly trying to relax, i.e. Do Nothing. A big challenge I experience from time to time is that “I am useless because I don’t work”. 

 

One such day I stumbled upon some young children in uniform sitting under a tree and studying. On checking, I realised they were children of migrant labourers who studied at this school called “Under the Tree”. Deeply intrigued, I spoke to the people running the school and learnt that they were running this school literally “under the Tree”, providing uniforms, books & a mid-day meal, apart from education.

 

I offered to teach the children. Luckily, they happily agreed.

On Day 1, I went feeling nervous, tentative, and scared about this large step I’d taken. I realised I knew nothing about teaching. Not having any children of my own, I never had an opportunity to teach someone.

 

I went apologetically to the Founders and said I would like to try and see if the children would accept me. They were far more optimistic than me. They were right - the children accepted me with warmth and without fuss.

 

Thus began my teaching journey: I gingerly agreed to teach thrice a week, my inner voice saying, “what if I can’t handle?” 

 

It’s been 7 months now that I’ve gone regularly, imparting knowledge, human values and basic life skills. While I struggle with traditional pedagogy, the children eagerly welcome me with spontaneous smiles, even rushing to wish me good morning. I taught them to shake hands with a firm grip while looking into the other person’s eyes with confidence while wishing “Good morning”. They do this with enthusiasm every single time.

 

Their retention is slow owning to the tough life they lead and the harsh environment they go back to after school. I feel instilling a few skills & values would help in the long run, so consciously focus particularly on pers'sonal hygiene, respecting women, listening, discipline, etc.

 

The Founders have done a commendable job of teaching the children, cleanliness, manners etc, which actually resulted in reducing petty crimes in the area drastically (confirmed by local Police).

 

It has been truly fulfilling to see migrant laborers' queuing up to enroll their children as they see such positive results.

 

My regular opening routine included asking children if they had brushed their teeth. While some did, many unabashedly said they didn’t as they had “no paste”, “mom didn’t remind me”, “slept off”, etc. Their candor disarmed me. I arranged some toothbrushes & paste for them, emphasising that brushing teeth is an important part of cleanliness. Lo behold! I have some of them coming and proudly announcing “I brushed twice today… morning and evening”.

 

Another fun aspect of my teaching journey is the use of reward & punishment. If the children came late, I would have them come up to the assembly and do ten sit ups while the other children counted.

 

Two things happened, one, the children wanted to be on the side of counting and not doing the sit-ups and two, they started coming on time!

 

I felt satisfied that I moved the needle a tiny bit. Yes, I am “useful”, Yes I made a tiny difference.

 

While Teaching, I learnt. Patience, perseverance, and more importantly, Gratitude. While my parents never differentiated between my brother and me, the girl children at school are required to wake up early and do kitchen chores before coming to school while the boys would go out in the evenings, wake up late and saunter into school.

 

Now when I start my next HR assignment, I will bring to bear more emotional awareness at work with different people and I may be able to share my learnings with those in the formative stages of their career.

 

Whether you are a little one, young one or an adult, and whether you are on the top of the ladder or at the bottom of it, one thing is universally true: Kindness is a value that keeps us grounded and grateful in life…

“The presence of even a single poor child on the street means a million defeats for mankind.” Mehmet Murat Ildan said this.

Why did he?

 

GERALD D’CUNHA

Pic’s: 1. www.huffingtonpost.com 2. Shoba Krishnan

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