Self- Retrospection (woods are lovely .....miles to go before I sleep)

After a long summer vacations, the schools have opened once again and the children of Ek Koshish have once again started going to the schools after a lull fired by scorching heat of the sun. I am also feeling a sort of vacuum in my inner self as my hours with these children are cut down due to their schools.

Really it is peace giving to be with them, to teach them, to talk and laugh with them, to share their innocent problems, to know about their little needs and to make efforts to resolve their tiny problems. Smile on their little faces, always fills me with immense pleasure and peace.  Do not know the reason as to why it happens actually? But I like and love to be with them. I want to see them grow and gain heights in their lives. I too wants others to join hands in hand in the similar cause. But the question that often arises in my mind as to how can I change the world? What type of other efforts could I do for this cause?

But I do not find exact answers to these issues. But one thing my heart always throbs, is that I can do something very big for these children in my coming future. Heart’s voice I always accept. I too wish God may help me in achieving my goal! Sometimes questions arise if we are part of this universe and nature, then why disparity exists on this beautiful planet? Why are we not equal? Why there are billions poor children with no education, no privilege? Mind tries its best to know the answers but is lost in the haze of plenty thoughts and arguments. Ultimately I just think that I have to make my efforts listening to the voice of my inner self only.

I just remember the beautiful lines of Robert Frost- “Woods are lovely dark and deep, but I have miles to go before I sleep”. How beautifully, Frost has tried to resolve the ongoing conflict in mind and advocates peace in the turbulent and wild inner self of a person mad for attaining goals in life.

Anubhuti Jain

 

Ek Koshish One Attempt  

 

Poverty and Education: A Vicious Circle of Cause and Effect

  Today while working with the students, I was just thinking whether the education would be able to remove the miseries and poverty of their families. Immediately a question arose in my mind, what if some of the children do not complete their education or are compelled to leave in between due to any reasons? Then I started thinking and thinking and after some time, appeared to reach some conclusion and promised myself to assist these less affluent children to complete their education so that they could break this vicious circle.

 

Poverty as a cause leads to illiteracy and also illiteracy generates property in its turn. As such it is apt to say – poverty is not only a cause to illiteracy but also poverty is an effect of illiteracy.  

 

It is a vicious circle that goes hand in hand. We can understand this problem in this way.  Circumstances of poverty in family affects education of one’s family members in many ways. It is just possible that a student, due to poverty will not get higher education as compared with the children of more well off  people in the society and his lower education would compel him to do menial jobs which would be less rewarding leaving him and his family again in poverty. This example shows that though due to poverty a student could not get higher education. As such poverty is the cause of illiteracy. Also due to his lower education, he could not become able to earn lot for himself and his family which has left the family in poverty.  As such while imparting education it is also important factor that the children receive complete education in the field which they opt for so that in future this vicious circle could be broken.  

 

It appears to be true within the context of entire world that unless and until these children do not receive complete education, they would not be able to break this vicious circle and let us join our hands to assist these innocent children and make this beautiful planet poverty and illiteracy free.

 

 

Anubhuti Jain

 

Ek Koshish one attempt

 

 

NATURE: THE AMBIGUOUS OF ALL

Summer vacations are going to expire very soon. All children are busy in completing their home works before the schools open. Of course they are not as lucky as other children of the rich people who spend their summer holidays at mountainous terrains. Prior to this year, I used to visit to the mountains in every summer vacations and have seen the beauty of Greater Himalayas and have had so many unique experiences which sometimes are still haunting me – What is Nature, Who created it, How is it healing, what can it have its impact on one’s inner and outer life, whether god and nature are the same and if so, who created god? All these questions coupled with strange and unique experiences are unsolved and are still unanswered in spite thousand and thousand years after human creation.

All of a sudden, when I was taking a class of the children for the purpose of getting their homework completed, I asked one question from one student, named Ravi- what is nature? There was a pin drop silence and every child was looking at one another’s face. Ravi who was a student in 6^th standard was looking down at earth with his face and eyes blank as if he knew nothing. After a few seconds, I took the lead and just to ease out the atmosphere, I asked another question- what are trees, mountains, clouds, wind, rain, stars, sun, moon etc?  Still there was a silence. Though I had asked a very basic question but these children were unable to answer. The question was why? It appeared to me that they were so ignorant that they could not resemble themselves with nature. Then to break the silence, I told them these are Nature.... Nature is like our mother............... that cures our miseries and paves the way for our growth. .... I was just talking about the goodness and motherly traits of nature, in the mean time Rakhi, a girl child, spoke extempore ...” Agar Prakriti hamari mata hai, toh bhookamp kyon atta hai aur hamare ghar gir jate hain aur bahut log maare jatein hain” (If nature is our mother, why earthquake comes and pulls down our houses and many people are killed). I was shocked to hear such a response from such a small child. I called her near to me and asked very politely as to why she thought so. Her mother had told her that an earthquake had come recently in the region of Nepal and its surrounding parts of India and many of her relatives were killed. I had no answer except hugging that girl. In front of my eyes I had my good memories which I had lived with nature during my several trips and on the other hand what the girl child had spoke with such anger against nature.

Children are always true as they do not adopt dual standard while putting forth whatever is in their inside. It is true, Nature may be furious but the question is why? I am still haunting to find the answer and reply to that child! 

Anubhuti Jain

Ek Koshish one attempt

Why Are We So Selfish………….? (A Pathetic Real Story)

Today I would like to share a heart touching incident which I came to know here. Two children (real brother and sister) used to read in our this organisation. Their father was a drunkard and mother used to do petty house hold jobs. There were other 2-3 brothers and sisters. Elder sisters had been married in tender ages. Elder brother too used to do menial job in his tender ages. This girl was very week and used to live in dirty and torn clothes. Same position was that of the boy as well. One day, the persons of this organisation saw these kids on hungry and thirsty state in the boiling road in scorching heat in May 2011. They were in bare feet. Only God knew, how they used to walk with bare feet. That person of this organisation went to their parents and requested to get this kids join Ek Koshish. Initially the father was not ready, though the mother was ready. Father raised questions like who would pay for, what would be benefit of all such a ‘drama’, our forefathers were illiterate and lived a life like ours and we too would do the same etc. Anyhow, he was convinced that if they become educated, they would change their life style and thinking and the entire family would be able live with dignity and pride. Any how he started sending these two kids to this organisation. They required thorough one to one personal attention as they were totally backward, lacking confidence and in short knew nothing. It was as if they were from a different illiterate world.

Though it was a herculean task to inculcate them, but this challenge was accepted as a solemn duty by the entire organisation. Special attentions, hours and hours every day, were given on all areas for their development and growth. For the first six months, they could not even understand the basics. But after six seven months, when they had shed inner fear from their brain, both started doing wonders and started learning alphabets, etiquettes and manners…. They started doing anything like a kid from higher society even they started dreaming of becoming doctor or teacher etc.

In 2012, taking their growth, they were got admitted in a good public school by this organisation. In short, surprisingly they did very well and both were among the first five in their classes. In sports, music and dance also they had started doing well. Everyone was happy to see their growth.

But all of sudden in 2014, their father refused to send them to school. On being asked he excused that he could not do any work know and as such he wanted these kids to do some work to support his day to day life. It was very sad and surprising. Ultimately he withdrew these kids from public school in spite of fervent appeals of all volunteers from this organisation.

One day what was seen, was shocking! The girl was doing work as maid servant with her tiny hands in a house on monthly petty wage and the boy was compelled to join some tea/coffee stall to clean the utensils…………how pathetic it was. Destiny had crumbled upon them!

Just think……who spoiled their life- parents, luck, God or anything else? Why we are so selfish? Why we do not come out of our selfish motifs even in the matter of our kids? Was that the duty of a parent towards his own kids? Could liquor lead to such a down fall of person?

I am still thinking a right answer………….!

 

Anubhuti Jain

Ek Koshish one attempt

ILLETERACY : THE ROOT CUASE OF POVERTY AND SLAVERY

Hello

I am working with this wonderful NGO for the last 2-3 years as and when I get time and also during my vacations. the prime motif of this NGO is - imparting education to the children coming from the down most strata of society, for  their all round growth of those who could never dream of getting education and become like us. It is a wonderful experience for me to teach these children. It is of immense pleasure to play with them, to listen their thoughts about life.... really a new world for me which has changed a lot of my thought process. it is not only peaceful but also seem to provide a meaning to my life as well when I am with them. It is really soothing and exciting to see them growing in such a different atmosphere. Alas everyone the world could contribute like this to eradicate illiteracy and poverty from this beautiful earth.

It is true, illiteracy is the real cause poverty and slavery which in turn results into human miseries. If  we the well off people pay a little attention to these people who lead an  illiterate life, I am sure wonders can happen on the earth................. But I unable to think as to why we all do not think like this and remain busy in ourselves. No one thinks about the causes of such illiteracy so no body thinks about solutions to this gigantic problem that has made more than 70 % population of the world illiterate................

Any way, this year also in the summer vacations, I have joined this organisation to be with these innocent children and would be sharing my experience on my blogs at least for the time I remain here. ....


Thanks

Anubhuti Jain



Ek Koshish one attempt