MyMusings: LIB ? No, It has to be LIE !

Last weekend I was volunteering as an YFS member at Rodha Mistry College & social welfare association, Gachibowli.It all started when I decided to develop my leadership abilities and to look at the real world without rose-tinted glasses. I chose that particular organisation as it is very near to my house saving the time for commute. I reached there at 10 AM, called up Prakash (a senior, seasoned volunteer, who works at Microsoft).He is little late and expected to be there in 15 minutes.

I parked my car and started rambling around in that morning lovely fresh air. I crossed the stubby bushes ahead and thrilled to see a small pond blanketed with water plants. In there, I see a black Duckling that stays calm on the surface but paddling like hell underneath, leaving a thick trail on the water. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a flash of thought crossed my mind- what if I encounter a snake! – a pure Intuition. Believe it or not, Iam stupefied to see the next moment, a slender snake swimming sleazily, slowly and vanishing into the water plants that were floating.(I always used to boast that I rely on intuition and I was not proud there at that moment because Snake is not a friendly visitor)

I relished the scenic beauty for full 10 minutes and delighted to be there so early on a Sunday morning and said as if in a rhapsody- WOW Nature is beauty and of course, Life Is Beautiful!

I followed Prakash into a small room, where a batch of 10-12 students of varied age group sitting in the chairs and trying to listen to the regular trainer. After introductions, we all moved to a bigger room with space for squatting on the floor. Then began my favourite hobby- a Yoga session by Prakash and everyone religiously followed doing all Sukshma Asanas and small breathing Exercise.

I noticed that these participants are physically challenged (with deformed limbs either hands/legs) and looks like Underprivileged coming from the poorest sections of the society. I am told that this batch will be trained for 2 months in several areas such as computer handling, read/write/calculate simple things, and how to talk to people. At the end, they would be put in retail places like Hyper city etc., where they will be working as billing operator or such small chores that are not physically or mentally intensive so that they will start earning their own bread.

Later Prakash painstakingly explained the basics of word document for an hour. Believe me this training is so beneficial to those sapped souls, not in terms of knowledge but as an opportunity for them to talk to outside people. I was terrified how much patience I need to have them explain at such a level suitable for their understanding. As the session ended, I spoke with them that as a new volunteer there, I would be taking the session next week.

I started leaving the place in deep train of thoughts and introspection – their faces never leaving my mental plane for the rest of the day, the next day and even the subsequent day. No wonder that King Siddhartha (who lead a sequestered life) turned into Gautama Buddha.

Frankly speaking, they are the people left behind in the society. Some studied up to 10^th grade, some up to 12^th and 1 or 2 till bachelor degree. They neither possess the basic skills of read/write or articulate ideas nor the cognitive abilities to develop such skills. Nevertheless, they look like simple, pure souls with worn-out bodies and years of inferiority complex warped into their brains. When they smile, ironically I felt very sad and had an eerie feeling of sympathy & shock. I blurted out the famous quote- “Life Is a Bitch! and then you die.

For the first time in my life, I felt sorry and Lucky at the same moment. Sorry because such a precarious thing called Birth is THE deciding factor for a person’s destiny and Lucky because GOD has given me a perfect body with modest means to make a mark on this world. However, the journey is riddled with many challenges and obstacles; I should work on them scripting my own movie, I being the protagonist.

I often used to go into deep depression, in which my mind gets sticky, touchy and trepidation for several days together for various reasons. With my parents love and friends’ encouraging words, I recuperate to succour and sense of living.

From now on, I think depression will be the thing of the past as I realise how lucky Iam – Everything is laid down for me: a healthy body ,good intellect, lovely friends and a modest career. I clearly know with my goals and aspirations the path ahead would not be easy but atleast I have the means to meet the end. Figuratively speaking, I know the road and I have the legs to walk but only time can tell if I reach the destiny of my journey.

When I look back at this writing at any point in my life, I would be really happy to have shared these musings with you my dear friends (Iam not sure if you have made (read) at this point).Because, I have pledged at this very moment that I will sponsor education for an orphan or a physically challenged kid -starting from next 2 years and continue till my death.

Fundamentally, I used to not believe in charity from an intellectual standpoint

Great indebtedness does not make men grateful, but vengeful; and if a little charity is not forgotten, it turns into a gnawing worm ---- Nietzsche

But when you look at the people in distress my belief system vanishes into smithereens – Iam willing to help the needy in whatever way I can.

I remember the quote from the English lesson about Mother Teresa in my tenth grade: