Its been two days since I have been trying to write this entry. Never before have I taken this much time to write especially when doing this has been the first thing on my mind.
It just doesn't seem to make sense to write the last post so soon, it just doesn't seem like one month! It seems like yesterday when we got a mail from AID and we were busy collecting the documents we needed to send them from our institute. I can clearly recall those few weeks spent in anticipation of their reply and the excitement upon getting the opportunity to work with Parichay. I wouldn't say I was excited right form the beginning only, keeping in mind the fact that our institute requires us to do community work, this started off more as a duty, as something that needs to be done.
We got in touch with Mr. Bajpai, a date was decided and we went to meet him. We saw the community and the first thing that bothered me then was the amount of travel that was involved. Mr. Bajpai wanted us to reconsider our decision of interning with Parichay since he knew it was a difficult task to reach the community every morning that too in the scorching heat, but there was something that pushed us and prevented us from backing out. The result ? We started working from the next day.
I think it was the first day with the kids that made me realize that there was no other place I'll rather be despite the terrible summer heat of Delhi. It was the welcoming nature of the kids, their curiosity and their willingness to learn that affirmed our belief in the fact that we had taken the right decision.
The month that followed was filled with excitement, anxiety, happiness, disappointment, exhaustion, we went through all sorts of emotions ! The happiness upon seeing the kids every morning, the satisfaction upon knowing that what we were teaching was of being use to them, the disappointment at the not so good results, the anxiety when they were taking a test prepared by us, the awe felt at their innocence, the sadness as the last day was drawing near, the excitement on Sunday evenings to meet the kids the next day, the despair at knowing that there was so little that we could do for them , the feeling of warmth felt the entire time knowing that there are a bunch of people somewhere in this planet who respect, regard and love us so much, so many emotions, so many feelings, all in just one month ! All of this came out in the open on the last day.
As I have been saying since such a long time, the kids had prepared a function for us. The function consisted of around six dance performances, some poems and two short skits. The zest and happiness with which they danced truly showed how much they had been practicing and working for this moment. An interesting thing that I noticed was the fact that despite being grown up and being mentally matured, we people find it so hard to display our emotions, to show our feelings, to tell the other person what we truly feel on their face. The kids whom me and Prateek had been teaching were all extremely sad because we were leaving, but none of them could really express it in their words, on the other hand, the kids of the junior section were all hugging and shouting and asking Shivangi to not to leave, and expressing how much they wanted her not to go. It was so easy for them to hug us and to tell us that they would miss us but we were finding it so hard to say just the same when I know the intensity of what we were feeling was so much more!
Yes, there was some crying as well, the kids did cry, and it took us all of our combined efforts to make them believe that we won't ever forget them and that we would keep visiting always. The kids gave us a letter that they had written and a small token of their love.
We had got photographs developed and gave each one of them a sheet with the photograph along with something written. It was great to see the kids smile upon receiving those ! We had even made a movie (Courtesy Prateek) which we showed to them at the end of the function, the kids were absolutely delighted to see themselves on the laptop :)
We sat with them for some time, talked about things, about the past month, they told us of the things that they loved the most about us and we in turn encouraged them to always keep studying. They took our phone numbers and the phone hasn't stopped ringing since then !
We must have got up around five times to leave but then each time ended up sitting back again ! We laughed with them, danced with them, ate with them , sang with them and to an extent even cried with them.
The best part of the day ? We were standing, the three of us, and each kid came and made us eat a small bite of the Gulab Jamun ( a famous Indian Sweet) that they had arranged for us. Yes, we all had around twenty bites of Gulab Jamun that day and we made them eat as well ! It was all too sweet. Everything.
Finally, we went to Mr. Bajpai and he handed us a small Ganeshji each, it was a different feeling that we all felt at that moment. We knew that a tie, a bond had been created with this small community which we will ensure to keep safe.We knew the more we lingered around there, the more difficult it would be for us as well as the kids to bid each other farewell. We decided to get going, and when all the kids came till the end of the passage, till the door of the community to see us off, I knew there would be no NOT meeting these kids again!
Upon our way back to the metro station, when Prateek said "Hum sach main ab yahan nahi aayenge ? "("We really won't be coming back here ? "), my belief in the upper mentioned thought was reinforced.
I don't know why I am sounding this melancholic when I know we will meet them again ! We will go and teach them again ! We will give them a surprise test and be happy when we realise that they remember what all we had taught !
Yes, the next time I visit the community, I will post and express my happiness upon seeing their smiling faces and hearing their joyful talks !
Till then, Zindagi Migzara !
It just doesn't seem to make sense to write the last post so soon, it just doesn't seem like one month! It seems like yesterday when we got a mail from AID and we were busy collecting the documents we needed to send them from our institute. I can clearly recall those few weeks spent in anticipation of their reply and the excitement upon getting the opportunity to work with Parichay. I wouldn't say I was excited right form the beginning only, keeping in mind the fact that our institute requires us to do community work, this started off more as a duty, as something that needs to be done.
We got in touch with Mr. Bajpai, a date was decided and we went to meet him. We saw the community and the first thing that bothered me then was the amount of travel that was involved. Mr. Bajpai wanted us to reconsider our decision of interning with Parichay since he knew it was a difficult task to reach the community every morning that too in the scorching heat, but there was something that pushed us and prevented us from backing out. The result ? We started working from the next day.
I think it was the first day with the kids that made me realize that there was no other place I'll rather be despite the terrible summer heat of Delhi. It was the welcoming nature of the kids, their curiosity and their willingness to learn that affirmed our belief in the fact that we had taken the right decision.
The month that followed was filled with excitement, anxiety, happiness, disappointment, exhaustion, we went through all sorts of emotions ! The happiness upon seeing the kids every morning, the satisfaction upon knowing that what we were teaching was of being use to them, the disappointment at the not so good results, the anxiety when they were taking a test prepared by us, the awe felt at their innocence, the sadness as the last day was drawing near, the excitement on Sunday evenings to meet the kids the next day, the despair at knowing that there was so little that we could do for them , the feeling of warmth felt the entire time knowing that there are a bunch of people somewhere in this planet who respect, regard and love us so much, so many emotions, so many feelings, all in just one month ! All of this came out in the open on the last day.
As I have been saying since such a long time, the kids had prepared a function for us. The function consisted of around six dance performances, some poems and two short skits. The zest and happiness with which they danced truly showed how much they had been practicing and working for this moment. An interesting thing that I noticed was the fact that despite being grown up and being mentally matured, we people find it so hard to display our emotions, to show our feelings, to tell the other person what we truly feel on their face. The kids whom me and Prateek had been teaching were all extremely sad because we were leaving, but none of them could really express it in their words, on the other hand, the kids of the junior section were all hugging and shouting and asking Shivangi to not to leave, and expressing how much they wanted her not to go. It was so easy for them to hug us and to tell us that they would miss us but we were finding it so hard to say just the same when I know the intensity of what we were feeling was so much more!
Yes, there was some crying as well, the kids did cry, and it took us all of our combined efforts to make them believe that we won't ever forget them and that we would keep visiting always. The kids gave us a letter that they had written and a small token of their love.
We must have got up around five times to leave but then each time ended up sitting back again ! We laughed with them, danced with them, ate with them , sang with them and to an extent even cried with them.
The best part of the day ? We were standing, the three of us, and each kid came and made us eat a small bite of the Gulab Jamun ( a famous Indian Sweet) that they had arranged for us. Yes, we all had around twenty bites of Gulab Jamun that day and we made them eat as well ! It was all too sweet. Everything.
Finally, we went to Mr. Bajpai and he handed us a small Ganeshji each, it was a different feeling that we all felt at that moment. We knew that a tie, a bond had been created with this small community which we will ensure to keep safe.We knew the more we lingered around there, the more difficult it would be for us as well as the kids to bid each other farewell. We decided to get going, and when all the kids came till the end of the passage, till the door of the community to see us off, I knew there would be no NOT meeting these kids again!
Upon our way back to the metro station, when Prateek said "Hum sach main ab yahan nahi aayenge ? "("We really won't be coming back here ? "), my belief in the upper mentioned thought was reinforced.
I don't know why I am sounding this melancholic when I know we will meet them again ! We will go and teach them again ! We will give them a surprise test and be happy when we realise that they remember what all we had taught !
Yes, the next time I visit the community, I will post and express my happiness upon seeing their smiling faces and hearing their joyful talks !
Till then, Zindagi Migzara !
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