9. Two worlds and a purpose to follow...

Our first trip was to a village called, Khatihaar. We had planned our trip before so we left for the place early in the morning on a Sunday, and reached there by 10 am. Initially we went to a place where children were playing, we sat on grass and called the boys playing there. At first, they hesitated, but then, after our convincing them for some time, they came. We asked them their names, their hobbies and whether they go to school or not. To which they replied that it was of no use going to school, the teachers didn’t teach them properly, and moreover used violence whenever a child didn’t answer them correctly. Almost all of the teachers were same. The saddest part of all this was that they had started seeing school as a place of torture and now it became a burden for them to attend the school. After listening to so many negative views, we thought that if this continued then no child would love to study, or aim to be educated. Those teachers had filled so much poison into the minds of small children.

We really became disappointed to hear that, and then tried to convert all these things into positive. We deviated from the topic for some time and asked them about their dreams. We asked them what they wanted to become when they grow-up ? We got various answers, some of which were really optimistic while others disappointed us a bit. Some wanted to become doctor, some pilot, some wanted to build cars, and many more listening to which, we were so glad. These children wanted to become rich, lead a nice life, but were not able to find the correct way leading to that future. There were some others who just wanted to work as their parents did, sit at some shop and sell items. They were not willing to see dreams, they tried to restrict their thoughts. Then we started, and explained them that they all had so much talent to pursue anything in life, god gave them hands, legs, a beautiful mind, a pure heart. That was all one could want from anyone, and once we have all this, its just we who shape our future. We asked them to free up their thoughts, try to let their dreams fly and touch the sky. We just get life once, we should not restrict ourselves to anything small; dream ... dream big and then put in all your effort to make your dream come true.

We also explained them the need of education, and that, it's only knowledge that would lead them to the place they wanted to be at, or maybe see themselves maybe 20 years from now. We gave some them some funny examples which I guess, must have helped them to create a positive image about school and studies. We asked them not to take studies as a burden, but as a sport in which you just try to give your best, then it doesn’t matter whether you score good or bad, just study and try to gain the knowledge. We asked them to tell their parents about the situation prevailing in the school and ask all of them to go and complain the higher authorities about the misconduct of teachers. After that, we played with them for sometime and then went ahead.

We visited the well from where whole of the village had drinking water. Although the water in the didn’t seem to be much polluted, but the place surrounding that well was miserable. All of the village’s waste was thrown some 4 meters away, all the animal garbage and a drain flowed besides it. We both were stunned to see the ignorance and also the lack of awareness among the people there. We went to a shop whose owner seemed to be a bit dignified. We went and sat on the chairs kept outside his shop. When he asked what did we want then, we both opted for a Perk. Then we slowly and steadily started interacting with him, and shifting the topic to what we wanted to know.We then asked him about the major problems they faced and how satisfied they were with the present governance. Are all the promises being done to them were being fulfilled or not ?

Then he told us about the electricity, which was the major problem. He mentioned that it just remained for 10-12 hours and that too its intensity always remained so less, as there was overload and also the theft of electricity. They had tried to complain but no serious actions were taken. There was a big trouble with the amount of supply water they had been promised. And similarly we came across the various troubles they faced in village. Although we always used to feel that villages are so peaceful and people there loveable and tolerant, that day we saw the other face as these people didn’t really tried to raise voice against or were just trying to adjust with any situation whatsoever it may be.

It was a big day and we came across so many problems that were required to be dealt with in proper manner and as early as possible. We returned back to our college in the evening and thought of relaxing after the hectic day. But, it was college, how can anybody expect to ‘relax’, when you are a part of a group :P. During the evening, it was almost certain that we went outside our campus every other day and then return late at night, except during exams. It was the only time (exam), when our whole corridor would turn from a fish market to a disciplined workplace. I and Sameer tried hard to convince other people but all our efforts went into vain. So finally we agreed to go. Our favorite hot-spot was ‘Times’ Mall. It was the most busiest place in the evening in the whole city, and was full of crowd almost everyday. And the actual and most important reason was that it was located at a place near to a NIFD. So all the students there were also the regular visitors of the place.

As we were tired after a long day’s work, except Sameer and me, everyone started doing the business, they went there for (staring at some of the hot chicks of the city) . We took there leave and went for some ‘window’ shopping inside the mall. Then we sat in a coffee shop and just tried to spend time there till all of the other members of the group were satisfied and had their quota for that day finished. It actually felt nice to see various kind of people around, a colourful life of the outside world as in college it felt so dull, seeing the same people around yourself, with almost no movements, bikes, cars etc. And families, I loved to see people spending time with their family, children, enjoying some glorious moments with them. I used to miss my school friends very badly some of the times, really wondered what the life would have been if we all were still together. Anyways, you don’t always get whatever you wish in life, sometimes you have to accept the reality and move ahead. We knew that we were best friends and will always remain the same and just hoped that wherever each of them were, they remained happy and succeed in whatever they wanted to achieve.

Suddenly Sameer started –‘Two worlds, poles apart, and that too the same day, haa ... Whole day long we spent time in a village where people used lanterns even in the day to find items from dark parts of their shop, and here there is so much light that, I think, the whole place where we went must not be having power equivalent to its half. Here people come and buy things worth thousands of rupees in no time(without any prior thought), and there they would think twice before spending some hundereds of rupees which they might have accumulated for past 2-3 months. We sit here and had a coffee of 50 bucks, and quite surprisingly, they just try and use every 50 rupees that they earn in best possible way.’ Then I continued -- ‘ hmm .... exactly. Life of people located not more than 15 kms, from here are soo different. There is such a vast difference in lifestyles of them. And the one responsible to fill this gap also must be enjoying in a party. But then, we cannot always just blame others, this country belongs to us too, those people who are suffering are also one among us and those here enjoying there life are also the same.’ ‘If we have problem with the existing scenario, then its we who have to bring about the change.’

Saying these words I suddenly stopped. All those past memories ran through my mind and then when I thought about what all happened, I was dumbstruck. I thought that while in class 11, I had no reason whatsoever to take arts. And as I was moving ahead without any direction or purpose in my life, now I had ‘one’. I thanked god and was so grateful to him that he led my may way when I was clueless.

Now, I wanted to join ‘politics’. I knew that whenever I would say these words to anyone, even some of my close friends, or maybe parents too, would be surprised. I knew that this term ‘politics’ had such an impression in minds of people that instant this word was spoken, a sudden image was created in minds of people ( I think I don’t need to mention here about what that image contained). But then, I thought at some point of time, someone or the other had to do something (someone had to get into the drain to clean it). Till when, we will wait for that ‘someone’ to come and change everything for positive. I had an opportunity, being a student of political science, and now I’m not going to back out. Now, that was the day when I too had got a purpose in life.