At age 16, me and my friend founded 21 MILES, our organization aimed to instill 21st century skills in the underprivileged. I still remember the first day I entered the all girls orphanage. Girls aging 5-18 were hustling to get their daily activities done with laser sharp focus. I waved at them. In response, they said “namaste” in perfect harmony with their pearly infectious smiles.
All the girls went to school, some were the same age as me and studied in grade 8 or 9th, some were preparing for the NEET exam and specifically wanted to become a “heart-doctor”, that’s how they described cardiologists. They all had aspirations and limitations, it reminded me of myself. Limitations like the good schools in the city with adequate resources wouldn’t fund their education there, so they went to govt schools which had poor resources. This made my motto to teach them even stronger.
When I took the story and poetry writing sessions, their creative ideas left me stunned. After weeks of learning - be it putting a twist on the classic “roses are red” poem for me or giving me the review of the monthly movie they watched. They had less, but they made the most out of it. Once, when I read them a news article on sustainable fashion and how the “trends” are leading to tonnes of cloth wastage, they recognized the issue and proudly said “didi we definitely follow sustainable fashion”, I brimmed with pride and tears and said “I do too! Afterall shopping is boring”. Their mighty grasping power and application of what I taught them was unreal at times. They were more organized than all of my peers combined. The worksheets, the alphabet cutouts, I made for them used to be back in the storage box before I could put them in myself. They valued it all, and they didn't have parents to teach them this, they were self-taught.
Week after week, a beautiful community formed, being a member of which made me realize that value addition doesn’t always happen by having more knowledgeable and resourceful acquaintances. It happens by having people with empathy, simplicity and understanding for the value of animate and inanimate. I resonate with their ability to adjust and adapt. They remind me how I‘m not a byproduct of my circumstances. I’m the factor of production of my future endeavors, just like them.
