I can see the golden rays of sun playing hide and seek with clouds and painting a beautiful picture in the sky as I stare at my reflection in the nearby side mirror of a car, a young boy of 13 years is staring back at me wearing dirty and torn clothes, I sigh at my appearance and move forward to perform my daily task and start sorting out wrappers and dry papers from the pile of garbage on the side road. I try to find useful things which can land me more money and put them in my plastic bag hanging on my back as I move on. I can hear the laughter of two friends from afar as they are making their way to school wearing backpacks and uniform as I stare longingly at the book in one’s hand. The thing which has a totally different world inside, through which I can travel through space, time and there is no limit. I can imagine whatever I can, but how? How can I do that? When I don’t know how to read? I am only one step away from becoming the wise person but how can I? Who will come forward to help me do that? No one! No one has so far, so why will they in the future? I wish I could read all those books I found while picking garbage and had to hide it in the secret place so my father couldn’t find it and sell it just because we’ll get more money and can buy a day’s meals from it. But how can I? Because they are the world to me, a hope for me to the better future even though they are torn from inside just like me. I wish someone would come to me and teach me. How grateful I’ll be to that person, he can never imagine. He’ll be the reason for my better future and I’ll be the reason for someone else’s. But, l can only wish. I wish I could read I wish.
Then, one day as I was continuing my same routine of picking garbage, a young man around 25 years came to me and started asking my name but I was too afraid to answer so I didn’t reply him at first then after he asked that one question and I didn’t realize the answer would change my entire life. He asked if I was interested in studying and I don’t know what came upon me I straight away said yes! And after that he asked me if I was interested in studying and I straight away nodded my head with tears streaming down my face and after that day we would meet at the same place for two hours and he taught me each and everything. He was,
The one who taught me how to see,
not only what’s in front but the other side of the picture to be able to see the depth of everything. One, only a lucky few can see.
The one who taught me how to think. Not only what seems to be the truth but what’s the truth behind the lie. One, only a lucky few can do.
The one who taught me how to find my own soul which was lost playing hide and seek with me, only a lucky few can find.
I am lucky because I met an angel who has shown me the secret door to find my own self in this world of lost souls.
But, from the start I asked this question to myself, why? Why he was doing this? Why? Then I asked him one day and he answered with a smile on his face, “I was waiting when you would ask me and I’m glad you did. I am not the one who is doing this alone l, we have group of 30 friends who started this to. We were fed of blaming the system for all our problems and ti give opportunity to every children, citizen to study and have a meaningful life but then we realized one day the problem wasn’t in the state the problem was in ourselves, so we started to talk about this issue of our own self to start this practice mass agitation against our silence by taking things in our own hands and try to take part in a minuscule change if we can. So we started this initially by 5 people, of changing a single life by teaching them not only academics but basically how to be a better human and then it expanded and more people joined us now we are 30 people and thus will increase further as the one who we are teaching will also change someone else’s life.”
I was so touched by the concept that I promised myself I would also join this practice and how he saved my life and made me better.I would also try to help others around me and hopefully this positive, nonviolent practice of agitation will help change entire lives.
namra707 