300 odd youth refilled their tanks with truck loads of joy,enthusiasm n love. With the crowd stretching themselves out, laughing themselves out, and again laughing themselves out ( in that order for all the days .. ), the course also tested the volunteers in ways more than one ,, and I am sure every single one of us have tales that can last all night ... a BRILLIANT YES PLUS ..
Rashmin Bhayya - finish off Sweeden assignment soon ,, and come back ,, else get them all to Bangalore ,, they can also add some variety to our WORK :)
Here are the course photos ,, I was also immersed in the course that the photos have not come as good as they should have ,, but some of them are nice ,, comment them for better pictures the next time around
DAY 1
DAY 2
DAY 3
DAY 4
DAY 5
Jai Guru Devaaaaaa
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
Innocence still prevails
Been an eventful week, with life playing almost all its cards, was fun.
Desperation, Anger, Sorrow, Hunger and finally joy did prevail. But had an interesting couple of hours with this 10th standard kid called Pradeep (Pradeepu in kannada).
Around 4ish on a Monday evening the kerala transport bus headed towards Mananthavady, shows up at a rural town called Antarshanta and a flurry of no less than 20 kids push each other into the rickety four-wheeler. I pulled myself to the corner seat and came in Pradeepu and his friend Sureshu. Minutes pass where I ponder if I am in a right mood to strike a conversation, questions like "Why of all places now ?" "What am I going to speak" , " Dont think he knows any English". But nature has its own ways to induce curiosity, the sight outside was super-splendid that I just had to know more about it and I started off on the cliched note.
"ninna hesarenu ?" - {What is ur name ?"} - Pradeepu
"elle hogthethaya ?"-{intended meaning - "Where are you going ?"} - Deepkope
"illi enmaduthithey ?" { again intended - " What were you upto here" } - 10th standard exam
the checker comes in, collects 21 each from these boys ( I wonder, a 21Km ride is some ride and to take it during your 10th exam was something I could never think of, I used to crib about the 9 km ride on dad s scooter for my 10th exam), and Pradeepu tends exact 21 Rs from his pocket.
All the more interested to continue the conversation, I initiate the second time
"Kabini elle ithe ?" - { Where is Kabini } - the response was in malayalam - " Malayalam ariyo ?" - malayalam in a kannada accent - { "do you know malayalam ?" } - I felt like Ricky Ponting loosing his middle stump to Sreeshant - clean bowled.
After this it was just as good as two Mallus involved in some deep political discussion, intense it was but I was the only one asking.
He told me that his dad works for the post-office in the village called Deepkope. He and his classmates had come over for the past 10 days to Antarshante to write the Board exam and were put up at a Govt Dorm. ( He had a bag as big as my laptop back pack and it carried his dress for 10 days and also the books for all this 5 or 6 exams - now I just cant relate to that).
He also explained that he used to be in Bangalore as well till 5th standard in a mutt on Kanakpura road, and had to come back since help was required at home. 4 acres of land meant a lot of physical labour, and meant no time to spare. He enquired what I was upto and added that they could not study computers as the lone computer at school came in when they were in 10th and due to board exams computers was not a subject. We then spoke about Cricket and television and yeah even elections. I then asked him what he would like to be in life and the answer was instant -" Want to study plus 1 plus 2 and then go to Mutt to do seva " - No IITs NITs or IIMs
Next I asked him if he has visited any place other than Karnataka, to which he passionately replied - Panamara (Panamaram - another rural town in Kerala, probably 20 km from his village). Here we are in Bangalore, complaining having missed out on planning a long weekend outing. I then asked him his fav food to which he jumped up to say - Rice and curry. - No PIZZA's or Paneer tikka. He was holding a half torn polythene of vegetables for home from antarshanta, probably his take-home after the 10 day outing. I opened up my bag checking for a pouch to which I sincerely refused even before I could find one.
But I did manage to find a DAIRY MILK bar (thanks to Bau for putting us off sugar, this bar was lying asleep in the bag for quite some time) and I offered it to him but he utterly refused to accept it. He then took time off to explain the nature of animals and the work that the locals do inside the forest. I was impressed when he said - " Animals do not do anything until you harm them " - have heard these lines quite a few times, but this was not like one of those TV anchors who would run at the sight of an untamed dog, I could see from his eyes that he meant it.
He then opened up his backpack and offered me grapes, to which I said, " you take the chocolate and I will take this " and he agreed with a broad SMILE. He promply placed the DAIRY MILK safely in his pocket, probably saving it for his brothers and sisters ( a 5 Rs bar ). Minutes before getting down, he picks up his phone book, asks me to write down my mobile number and again safely pushes the book into the depths of the bag. He hesitantly gets up, shook my hand twice. Once down he again comes below the window, gives me another bye and I could see his there till the bus went out of sight to him.
The innocence still prevails around us, Urbanization has spoilt as all with this regard. Innocence can just dissolve all the sorrow and grief, I was on this journey to console my Mom who had lost her dad, and I was virtually uplifted after this conversation, I had so much to learn and much much more to learn.
Days tick like seconds, here I am at 01:24 on a Friday morning, cribbing to get up @ 5 45 for group sadhana, hope I make it ... this is an innocent intention :)
Desperation, Anger, Sorrow, Hunger and finally joy did prevail. But had an interesting couple of hours with this 10th standard kid called Pradeep (Pradeepu in kannada).
Around 4ish on a Monday evening the kerala transport bus headed towards Mananthavady, shows up at a rural town called Antarshanta and a flurry of no less than 20 kids push each other into the rickety four-wheeler. I pulled myself to the corner seat and came in Pradeepu and his friend Sureshu. Minutes pass where I ponder if I am in a right mood to strike a conversation, questions like "Why of all places now ?" "What am I going to speak" , " Dont think he knows any English". But nature has its own ways to induce curiosity, the sight outside was super-splendid that I just had to know more about it and I started off on the cliched note.
"ninna hesarenu ?" - {What is ur name ?"} - Pradeepu
"elle hogthethaya ?"-{intended meaning - "Where are you going ?"} - Deepkope
"illi enmaduthithey ?" { again intended - " What were you upto here" } - 10th standard exam
the checker comes in, collects 21 each from these boys ( I wonder, a 21Km ride is some ride and to take it during your 10th exam was something I could never think of, I used to crib about the 9 km ride on dad s scooter for my 10th exam), and Pradeepu tends exact 21 Rs from his pocket.
All the more interested to continue the conversation, I initiate the second time
"Kabini elle ithe ?" - { Where is Kabini } - the response was in malayalam - " Malayalam ariyo ?" - malayalam in a kannada accent - { "do you know malayalam ?" } - I felt like Ricky Ponting loosing his middle stump to Sreeshant - clean bowled.
After this it was just as good as two Mallus involved in some deep political discussion, intense it was but I was the only one asking.
He told me that his dad works for the post-office in the village called Deepkope. He and his classmates had come over for the past 10 days to Antarshante to write the Board exam and were put up at a Govt Dorm. ( He had a bag as big as my laptop back pack and it carried his dress for 10 days and also the books for all this 5 or 6 exams - now I just cant relate to that).
He also explained that he used to be in Bangalore as well till 5th standard in a mutt on Kanakpura road, and had to come back since help was required at home. 4 acres of land meant a lot of physical labour, and meant no time to spare. He enquired what I was upto and added that they could not study computers as the lone computer at school came in when they were in 10th and due to board exams computers was not a subject. We then spoke about Cricket and television and yeah even elections. I then asked him what he would like to be in life and the answer was instant -" Want to study plus 1 plus 2 and then go to Mutt to do seva " - No IITs NITs or IIMs
Next I asked him if he has visited any place other than Karnataka, to which he passionately replied - Panamara (Panamaram - another rural town in Kerala, probably 20 km from his village). Here we are in Bangalore, complaining having missed out on planning a long weekend outing. I then asked him his fav food to which he jumped up to say - Rice and curry. - No PIZZA's or Paneer tikka. He was holding a half torn polythene of vegetables for home from antarshanta, probably his take-home after the 10 day outing. I opened up my bag checking for a pouch to which I sincerely refused even before I could find one.
But I did manage to find a DAIRY MILK bar (thanks to Bau for putting us off sugar, this bar was lying asleep in the bag for quite some time) and I offered it to him but he utterly refused to accept it. He then took time off to explain the nature of animals and the work that the locals do inside the forest. I was impressed when he said - " Animals do not do anything until you harm them " - have heard these lines quite a few times, but this was not like one of those TV anchors who would run at the sight of an untamed dog, I could see from his eyes that he meant it.
He then opened up his backpack and offered me grapes, to which I said, " you take the chocolate and I will take this " and he agreed with a broad SMILE. He promply placed the DAIRY MILK safely in his pocket, probably saving it for his brothers and sisters ( a 5 Rs bar ). Minutes before getting down, he picks up his phone book, asks me to write down my mobile number and again safely pushes the book into the depths of the bag. He hesitantly gets up, shook my hand twice. Once down he again comes below the window, gives me another bye and I could see his there till the bus went out of sight to him.
The innocence still prevails around us, Urbanization has spoilt as all with this regard. Innocence can just dissolve all the sorrow and grief, I was on this journey to console my Mom who had lost her dad, and I was virtually uplifted after this conversation, I had so much to learn and much much more to learn.
Days tick like seconds, here I am at 01:24 on a Friday morning, cribbing to get up @ 5 45 for group sadhana, hope I make it ... this is an innocent intention :)
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