ALL EXPENSES PAID, THIRTY YEARS AGO

 

“Privilege is the blindfold that keeps you from

truly seeing the problems of others.”

Unknown

  

One of my uncles (mom’s cousin), who is in his late-seventies, was born and brought up in Bombay. He has some inspiring stories relating to his mother (my maternal grandma’s sister). Due to polio, she had a crippled leg. Back then, the poverty in their village had compelled little children to migrate to this city and work as house helps in Fort area. She, eventually, got married and started living in a tiny room in one of those over-inhabited buildings. My uncle fondly narrates to us stories of his mother’s struggle during those days… how she ran a mess to serve hot meals for young bachelors from her village (Mangalore)… how she would provide shelter for many young, poor migrants from Mangalore… how, soon, she would help boys to find a better shelter in a community club, and girls in a hostel etc.… This seemed to be her life-mission. “My sisters and I were very small when all this was happening,” my uncle recalls, “but, we lived in that tiny room, gloriously.”

Every time I talk to this uncle of mine, the subject of his late mother has to surface… He looks back and recalls his mother’s mission with tremendous pride and joy…

Last evening, my uncle was expressing his long-cherished desire to do something for the society in memory of his late mother. “I have earmarked a substantial amount for this cause,” he told me.

Constraints in life, if we utilize them wisely, can bring the best out of us… They can make us imaginative, empathetic and resourceful. In fact, whoever has done whatever to the less-privileged around, yes, it has, invariably, come from his/her own struggles and constraints. How else can you understand another soul’s plight, unless you put yourself in that person’s shoes?

Empathy has saved this world from going heartless… It has kept the hope burning, alive…

The other day, I saw this young student of mine marking, scribbling, writing on his textbook as I was teaching him. I, always, ask my students to underline some important terms/lines with pencil, but only when required. This boy was doing it with a pen and doing it excessively. Seeing that, I said, “Beta, don’t do it that way.”

He looked at me puzzled, and said, “Why Sir?”

“Because, someone may need your textbook, tomorrow,” I tried to explain…

“Who, Sir?” the boy asked, sincerely…

It was then I realized, that I belonged to a different generation…

The textbooks of each subject of today’s ‘international schools’ cost in thousands. Leave alone their fees, uniform, commutation and other running costs. The parents have to be ready to spend (want to call it ‘invest’?) several crores by the time the child completes studies… Here, I am talking about one child, and I am not talking about going abroad… and, I am leaving alone the cost – ‘investment’ – needed for the house (s), motor car (s), weddings, health and hospitalizations, vacations, gadgets and lifestyle…

So, I realized, that I was living under the rock while life and living underwent these head-spinning changes…

Advice (A): “Beta, someone may need your text, tomorrow.”

Response (R): “Who, Sir?”

Both, the Advice (A)  and the Response (R) are correct…

And, who cares whether or not the two things are related… just as the two generations…

My dear uncle, are you reading this?

 

GERALD D’CUNHA

 

Pic’s: Pixels/ 1. cottonbro studio  2. Tijana Drndarski

                    3. Pritam Kumar

Video: The Wall Street Journal