Was it beautiful?
The day was all like before. My usual Saturday good mornings used to happen nothing before 11 a.m. But something was different that day. I didn’t know what but when the alarm clock rang in its irritating tone, I realised I had to go for something new that day. “CRY” they had said. Reach not later than 10:45 a.m., be on time, otherwise we will leave you out there. These words were already running in my mind when I realised it was already 10:30 a.m. “RUN” my mind said and the next moment I found myself rushing to get fresh. Somehow, running out of my breath, I reached the place where all were waiting for me, I guess. A sense of anger of being late on the very first day reflected through their eyes.
Thus began my beautiful journey with the awesome organisation “CRY : Child Rights and You”. I knew it wouldn’t be that easy to cope with but my enthusiasm towards teaching pushed me here. Here I was riding my cycle in the scorching heat of the sun on the uneven roads, surrounded by unknown faces all having a common goal in mind. There were people of all ages, from the first years(still settling down in their college life) to Ph.D. people(all ready and experienced to face life). A mix of feelings ran inside me.
First we reached the local district of Arasini where we had a school comprising children of Classes 2 to 4. From the gates, we could feel those packets of energy radiating out from the school campus. Young minds, still small enough to understand why they were being sent to school were being found running here and there shouting and screaming in a joyous mood. So much energy! Some were shy, some were bold enough but one thing that bound them together was their urge of knowledge and the desire of pushing the society bonds away and reach somewhere much beyond their people around.
Having spent some time with them, we thought of taking a round of the village, since most of us had the first day there, including me. What I realised from the small visit of the village is that the life of the people isn’t full of roses. The lack of awareness in terms of cleanliness, utilisation of resources around and the standard of living is not very good. Something wasn’t right. I didn’t know who to blame, the government, the local administration,the localites or we people as a whole. This thought struck in my mind and left a deep scar in my heart.
Next we went to the school of Amlatoria. It had already begun raining. I wouldn’t say it was raining, it was rather pouring down. I could see our umbrellas unable to do their jobs very well but somehow we reached there all drenched. Shoes were covered with mud, trousers brown with dirt but our enthusiasm didn’t come down at all. We saw the playground there which had been constructed by the seniors of CRY with the help of recyclable tyres. It was beautiful in the pictures but in the real life it was even more.
After the rain stopped, we decided to head back to the college campus. Three hours had already passed in a flash of time. From the burning sun to the muddy roads, we had a mix of experience that day. It seemed as if even He was saying, “See, this is what it takes to do something for the society. This is just the beginning, there is a lot to come. Strengthen yourself and let’s meet the next day.”
What I felt at the end is that let us all do the best with whatever facilities we have. Let’s not grudge, let’s not be sad, let’s not brood. We should be grateful to Him for giving us such an important opportunity to do something for ourselves and for the people around. This life comes only once. We should all live it to the fullest. Thank God every morning for giving us this life, these beautiful people around us, friends, parents, teachers and what not. Smile and let’s spread smiles.
Thank you CRY for the day and many days to come. Hope we will have an awesome journey together.
