I enter the gates of the school and today being a Saturday, children are having Drawing classes. Some students dressed in their blue uniforms and blue sweaters are sitting in ordered rows on the verandah of the sopan vidyalaya, drawing their favourite stuff on their drawing books. As I arrive there, even before the teacher could introduce me, all students uniformly stand up, fold their hands together and in a very disciplined manner greet me in their semi-musical style, "Namaasteee Sir". Having taught this type of kids years ago, I am surprised and amused at their discipline.
The Principal and teachers introduced me as an IAS officer and am sure no kid knew anything about what or who is an IAS. I did not even correct the teachers that I am actually not an IAS per se. I just cleared the exams and in fact might be into some other service. But that didn't matter right now. The kids sitting in the verandah were class 5 and class 6 students. Soon Class 7 and 8 students were called from their classrooms and asked to sit as my audience. I was supposed to say something to the kids. Trust me, I have given as many speeches as a 28 year old man can possibly make and yet every new audience is a challenge. And in fact, school kids are the most difficult audience. First of all, because they are always forced to listen when they would like to talk and play. And mostly, because they don't make a sense out of the unnecessary complicated adult non-sense that you talk.
I was a little perplexed as to what should I say these kids. Few days back I was giving Marketing gyaan to MBA students in Delhi and I was so much more comfortable there. Nevertheless, I ask the kids if they know who I was. They nodded their heads in the negative. Surely the teachers used a very complicated terminology to introduce me. I smiled and aksed kids if they felt disturbed in their drawing classes by an outsider. Thankfully some older kids knew that I have been coming to the school earlier also. I begin my talk by asking why do they come to schools. A Class 7 students says, "शिक्षा पाने के लिए" (to gain education). I ask what shall they do with that education. Another kid says, "इस से हमें अपने आस पास कि सारी चीजों कि समझ होती है. (we are able to understand the various things around us). ''Is that all?'', I ask. ''Does school teach us only about ourselves? What's the purpose of such an education? just to take care of ourselves?''. "NO", the entire audience shouts in unison. A smart girl says, "शिक्षा का उद्देश्य यह है कि हम न सिर्फ अपनी बल्कि दूसरों की भी समस्याओं का हल प्राप्त कर सकें." (The objective of education is not only that we solve our problems but also solve the problem of others.)
By this time, I am surprised by not only the clear, crisp hindi of the students but also their sharp minds and well articulated speech. I now get into a long chat with them. I tell them who an administrator is. They guy who is invisibly responsible for running the country, who ensures that trains run, roads are made, schools are built and electricity reaches homes. Kids are excited. I tell them what exam did I just pass and why passing this exam is such a big deal. I ask them if they have ever seen their principal giving so much respect to somebody, the way their principal was showing respect to me right now. They laugh and say "No". Don't they also want that their principal should give them such respect? "Yes", they shyly say. I tell them how I also thought so when an IAS officer came to our school. "Our deadly ferocious Principal was giving him so much respect, I wanted to be like him." A small kid asks, "तो आपने क्या किया इसके लिए?" (what did you do for this?).
''You all can all become IAS officers. But for that you will have to study very hard. As of now, try to remember everything you study because you will need to know all the school knowledge when you take this exam.'' "पर सब कुछ याद थोड़े ही रहता है? (but one can't remember everything)'', a cute kid questions. The teachers smile. I ask how many kids remember our country's name. "BHAARAT" shout all kids. "And how many of you know which city do we live in?" "KANPUR" again a common shout. ''So how come you have not forgotten these?'' Kids are a bit puzzled.
''When you read or listen to something again and again, you start remembering it. Do you all remember your names?" The kids laugh at such a stupid question from me. ''How come you never forget your names? Because you listen to it again and again. In fact even a pet dog starts remembering its name and responds to it.'' The kids find my gyaan revealing. ''Would you like to listen to a story?''. Vibrant affirmative nods from the kids.I tell them the story of a small kid many years ago who wanted to study but the Guru denied him admission because he didn't have a line of education in his palm. "The kid sat down beside a well crying. There he saw that the rope that passed over the rim of the well had created a mark on the stone. He was surprised how a rope can put a mark on a hard stone. He sat there the whole day and observed how everytime the ropes were pulled, the stone was rubbed and he realized that only after several repetitive efforts could the rope cut through the stone. The kid went back to the guru and made a line of education on his palm and pleaded that he would work very hard. The guru gave him admission. That kid later became one of the most accomplished grammarians of Sanskrit named Varadraj. You would read this story in some books someday. The doha रसरी आवत जात ते सिल पर परत निसान (the continuous rub of the rope makes a mark on the stone) comes from this story."
The kids were smart. They got the moral of the story without explaining. They understood that I was asking them to do the same thing again and again if they can't get it right the first time. Isn't that what I did? I cleared my JEE in my 2nd attempt and my Civil Services in my 3rd attempt. The kids showed their understanding of my story with an applause. A few sparkling eyes of girls and boys looked at me in awe as if saying that we shall also become great someday. Not to mention that they were not bogged down by the fact that they came from poor and disadvantaged families. It is such sparkle in those little eyes that gives me hope. The hope that change is very much possible. And not only that change is possible, we are very much capable of directing and accelerating change. A small centre that Dr. H.C. Verma and some IITK students started on an abandoned compound of a government school is today a full-fledged school from class 1 to class 8. Our students over the past ten years have achieved a lot. In fact, one of the teachers at Sopan Vidyalaya is an ex-student of ours. Some of our students have also gone to do MCA, BE (electronics) and Computer Hardware maintenance.
I was told that we are coaching some kids for NTSE scholarships and Sopan hopes that someday its students would crack JEE and Civil Services as well. I came back to my room, but before leaving, the Principal told me that the kids have made something for me and that it would be delivered to me by the evening. In the evening, one of our ex-students came to my room and gifted me a pen-stand, made by the students. Beautifully packed in a golden wrap and silver ribbon, it is a pen-stand made of cardboard. The kids have used a blue velvet paper for base covering. One side has the Shiksha Sopan logo, two sides are decorated with beads etc and the fourth side has a tri-color stitched to it. The kids believe in the idea of India and the significance of the national flag. This is what they are taught. This is also what was taught to us, but we seem to have forgotten the tri-color. For many of us, an IAS is about power, about easy money, about access to politics. For those school kids, it is still about their country which they are taught is their motherland. In those kids eyes and hearts, India still thrives. In their eyes, there is still hope.
