Saturday, August 21, 2010

Learning to build birdhouses

This week my team met to review our progress through the first half of the year. We decided as a team to do a community giving exercise together after our meeting. I have always taken the easier way out when it comes to a community service event, donate money. Time seems to be at a premium and I have been very stingy with that.

This Friday, however, I was happy I made amends. I was happy I made the time. With the rest of my team, we visited a school....a very different school. This school is called "Masti ka Patshaala" which roughly translates to "learning center of fun". This is an after school resource center for under privileged children that teaches them through art, craft, music and dance. This is the only way to keep these children engaged, keep them interested in going to school and away from other negative influences. This is the initiative of an NGO called Search Years (www.searchyears.org) whose objective is to reduce drop-outs from schools. I was surprised to know that only about 20% of students who enroll into government schools in India finish their schooling!!

We reached this school and we had an activity to work with the children. Each of us worked with a group of 3-4 children to build our own terracotta birdhouses. The children knew this very well and took the lead in showing me how to make a birdhouse. There was a very enthusiastic small child called Tilak and he was the leader. He told me the details of how to work with the clay, what the size of the opening should be for the bird to be able to build a nest in the birdhouse, what designs and motifs to carve on the exteriors and so on. There was a quiet boy called Vinod who was busy making dummy bird figures and designs to beautify the birdhouse. He worked very hard at it. The third boy in our group was Krishna, he seemed an accomplished consultant when it came to building the birdhouse. He gave good advice to the rest of us, was resourceful in arranging water and clay as we needed and he did make beautiful flower-like designs on terracotta to provide our birdhouse a good finish. The boys told me that they were good friends. They were all in the same age-group, between 8 and 10 years. They were enthusiastic children and you could see that they carried a passion in life.....a passion and confidence to make something out of life.

It was a truly humbling afternoon learning to build a birdhouse from three children. Their palpable passion and enthusiasm was infectious. The simple joy and gratitude that these children showed asks you to stop and evaluate your priorities. It reminds you to be grateful for everything you have. It nudges you to reflect on whether you are spending enough time doing what gives you happiness. It makes you wonder if you are giving enough back?

Later in the evening as I left for the airport, I realized it is not only the birds that need their birdhouses to be strong, it is also these children......they need their hearts to be strong......their spirit to be strong. Life has been and is tough for these children. These children already know what tough circumstances are, but they have the courage and ambition to overcome the circumstances. They have clearly taken the first step. I pray they have the courage to continue. I pray they have the courage to take the leap, but not stop in mid air. I pray they have the courage to take a fall but not break their spirit. I pray for their success.....and I hope they learn to fly and reach their own beautiful birdhouses!!!


Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Kings don't ride on horses anymore

One of the big influences in my life is my grandfather. He was born into a royal family in the British Raj days. The family continues the tradition of the oldest living member being revered as the "King"....well, technically. It is but a notional title of course. In my childhood, I had this notion in my mind, that the older you get, the more closer you are to being King. So, with every passing year, I would ask my grandfather - "When will you be King?". My grandfather would chuckle or smile but say nothing.

One day in the new millennium, my grandfather did become "King". He became the oldest member of the family and with muted fanfare was "crowned". I remembered the numerous occasions when I had asked him the question and now it had happened!! I was really excited as I traveled to meet my grandfather. When I met him, I realized that he was still very much the same. For one, he was still my grandfather. His humility was intact. His caring and loving attitude was intact. His fair and honest approach to life remained the same. I never saw him ruffled, not before, not after. His calm sense of purpose shone through. And I realized that what I admired him for were really these things - humility, fairness, compassion and a calm sense of purpose. This is what makes him the "King" and not just some notional title.

I realize now why he chuckled when I asked him the question - "When will you be King?". I realize now more than ever that he always was and will be "King". In my heart, he is my King. Kings don't ride horses anymore, but they shape other's lives. Thank you for showing the way and living by example...you have shaped my life in a big way!! Hope I live up to it and in case, I can't measure up to it, this will always remain my tribute to you!!

Saturday, August 14, 2010

The case of the missing shopping cart

Having grown up reading Enid Blyton's Famous Five and Secret Sevens, it is but natural that everything in life is either a mystery or an adventure for me. The latest in my series is the curious case of the missing shopping cart.

I was participating in this nation's favourite pastime - shopping in the big hypermarket in that wonderful mall. This is a monthly ritual for our family. It is one of the things that the family does together......grocery shopping for the month in the big hypermarket in that wonderful mall. It is our big adventure weaving through the maze of vegetables, juices and cereals and then emerging at the other end to swipe the card and leave happily pushing our carts. We embark on this big adventure the first Saturday or Sunday of the month.

This Saturday was no different and everything started off just as it should. We walked in and pulled out the shopping cart that was waiting eagerly for us. The five of us - my wife, our two girls, the shopping cart and I - set off on our adventure navigating the maze. At the end of one hour, we had that smile of satisfaction on our faces of a job well done as we swiped our card to pay for the adventure and head on to our car for the journey back home. That is when disaster struck. As we headed back to the car, I could not resist browsing through the bookstore next door and took my eyes of the shopping cart for a few minutes. So did the rest of the family and the shopping cart was left alone outside the bookshop for those few minutes. As we came back, we realized that someone had pushed off with our beloved shopping cart!! We were left holding someone else's shopping cart which was less full and for us certainly less useful.

All hell broke loose, I was extremely self critical about my role in the episode and how I had been irresponsible and stupid to leave the cart unattended. The rest of the family was consoling me and at the same time wondering if I will have the courage to go through this shopping adventure again to pick up the same things and swipe my card again. I reported the loss of the shopping cart and its valuable ingredients to the hypermarket manager. He was trying hard to be sympathetic but none of his efforts could hide the hidden expression on his face that said to me - "Loser". They promised to call me back if someone returned the cart and its valuable ingredients.

My wife and I discussed the issue...nah, no one was going to return it...they might have a long drive back to return it and would give up because of sheer laziness.....or did some one walk away with our shopping cart on purpose......or is this the latest fraud ring in town.....or that new super cereal and the extra chunky pasta sauce that one rarely finds these days, I am sure no one wants to return that. We had every reason to think that our month's grocery and added essentials needed a complete re-purchasing. And yes, there was only one reason for someone to return the stuff. The only one reason that they were kind and decent people. But hey, in today's world, you don't bet on that too much. It was a one in a million chance?

The next day being Sunday was a lazy start. I had tried hard to forget the missing shopping cart and almost succeeded when our phone rang. It was from the hypermarket and lo, someone had returned our cart. That was big news and a huge relief for us. More importantly, it made me question my pessimism that today's world was devoid of kind and decent folks. The one in a million chance had worked....there are a few good men and women out there....believe, trust, have faith....there is goodness around you....don't give up hope. Every Enid Blyton adventure ends with a victory for the good...so does mine.

And before I close to those decent folks who did the decent thing by returning the missing shopping cart, thank you....you help retain trust and goodness in the world.