Old picture, new eyes.
Age brings along with it perspective. Old events are seen in new light. Such paradigm shifts maybe inconsequential or insignificant, some are of modest force and in rare cases, moments of revelation, if not ephiphany. Our school had planned a visit to the women's jail on the occasion of Diwali in 2006. Sweets, clothes and toileteries were to be distributed and a skit was to be conducted to further the school's No-Crackers propaganda. The story was of a boy who was excited about burning crackers on Diwali, but ends up getting slapped, with the background CHATAAK for added emphasis of the treatment meted out to him, by his sister, mother and grandmother for the inevitable inconvenience, might I say harm, his revelries were going to cause them. Then steps in the boy's teacher who tells him how harmful crackers are and preaches him to celebrate Diwali with earthen lamps and candles. The boy learns his lesson and the usual happy ending is pursued with success. While the gifts were being distributed, some of us students were talking to the residents, I won't use inmates for them, especially after meeting them. With utmost sincerity, they asked us to not to bring any thing for them. "The officials will take it all away after you people will leave", one said. "You are gift enough for us, the skit was beautiful", added another as tears welled in her eyes. We were touched, albeit for a short time.
Now I wonder that I, or most of us, if not all, would have never even thought of those women had it not been for the initiative of our school. And that's the word that struck me, Initiative. Now people my age have careers to make, they are financially dependent on their parents right now and are busy seeking independence. They might want to do charity but their financial and social position are an impediment to their scrupulous desires. But what stops us from doing the little acts of generosity? We see an old lady having trouble crossing the road. She has our full attention, but we keep thinking of crossing the road and helping her. We keep waiting and thinking, waiting and thinking, by the time either she has crossed the road or you have passed her. Even if you do go over to help, you spend some time looking at her and contemplating the idea of helping her (my respect to those who are already doing charity work or don't think twice about helping someone like this). We are apprehensive because we are afraid of what people around will think of us. The smiles, the chuckles, the laughs, which are really a clear indicator of their pathetic mental level, which our action will invite from them. Such people don't matter and the youth never really gave a damn about society, as far as I know. Even I have such inhibitions, but I have started working on them, and I hope so will you.
Now I wonder that I, or most of us, if not all, would have never even thought of those women had it not been for the initiative of our school. And that's the word that struck me, Initiative. Now people my age have careers to make, they are financially dependent on their parents right now and are busy seeking independence. They might want to do charity but their financial and social position are an impediment to their scrupulous desires. But what stops us from doing the little acts of generosity? We see an old lady having trouble crossing the road. She has our full attention, but we keep thinking of crossing the road and helping her. We keep waiting and thinking, waiting and thinking, by the time either she has crossed the road or you have passed her. Even if you do go over to help, you spend some time looking at her and contemplating the idea of helping her (my respect to those who are already doing charity work or don't think twice about helping someone like this). We are apprehensive because we are afraid of what people around will think of us. The smiles, the chuckles, the laughs, which are really a clear indicator of their pathetic mental level, which our action will invite from them. Such people don't matter and the youth never really gave a damn about society, as far as I know. Even I have such inhibitions, but I have started working on them, and I hope so will you.
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