The First Move

It was 7 months and 5 days ago. They had been done with their last conversation. Shilpa sat by her kitchen table and gazed into the night sky. The breeze sent chills down her spine and the truth that now stared in her face.

It seemed like only yesterday that Anjali and she were shopping at the new Pluto Mall in the city. They'd shopped for a whooping 18,000 bucks in all, celebrating their first paychecks. Exhausted, they dragged themselves to the food court and helped themselves to a sumptuous lunch. Just out of impulse, the giggling duo dumped thier bags in the car, pulled up inox and went to "Dhoom". How they came out with the oohs and aahs about John Abraham! That was almost 2 years ago.

A tear dropped onto Shilpa's hand now.She got up from the table and went to drain the coffee- it had grown too cold, with the window open. As she turned on the tap, the smilie on the wall reminded of her of a sunndy sunday afternoon, not more than a year and a half ago.

Anjali had knocked on Shilpa's door on a sunday afternoon and when there was no response, she'd begun to bang and the neighbour came and yelled at her to be quiet. After a minute Shilpa had come hair all ruffled and kajal spread under her eyes, "Oh, its you! I thought it was Lata aunty.." Anjali could not believe Shilpa was sleeping in the afternoon.. "Moron, what the hell are u doing in your bedroom?! Dont tell me you have some guy in there!" "Oh shut up yaar! I'll get you a lime or something" By the time shipa had got the lime ready, Anjali was in her bedroom, spread newspapers on the floor, arranged for water and colours from Shilpa's drawers and turned the AC on.. all set! Shilpa was horror stricken and asked as quietly as she could, "Just what in the world do you think you are doin?" "Come on, monkey.. that's your bit.. just over there.. We are making smilies for Anu, Parth and other children in your layout.." (She was referring to the street children in that locality) 1 hour from then, the floor of the room was filled with little perfect smilies smiling at them in bright yellow. The next day, after giving all of them a smilie each to pin on their clothes, the girls decided to keep one each for themselves.. The one smiling at Shilpa from above the kitchen sink was the one from that sunday afternoon.

The memory hit Shilpa like a cold knife through her chest. She wiped away that drop of tear that was about to drop form the tip of her nose. She shut the window and switched off the lights in the kitchen. She walked to her room and sat on the edge of her bed, facing the open window. As a light breeze blew, she could hear a tinkling as the wind chime Anjali had given her for her last birthday danced to the breeze.

When they had shopped one evening for a friend's birthday present, Shilpa had found the chime in a store and said she liked it a lot and will buy it the next they visit the store. Many visits later also, the chime lay forgotten. Then on her birthday, Anjali gave Shilpa a gift wrapped in yellow-gold paper. And as Shilpa unwrapped it, she found to her amazement and wonder the same wind chime that she'd liked in the store but forgot about it for months. How she was moved! She gave Anjali a tight hug and unspoken words were understood in that minute.Just as she came out of the reverie, the chime clinked again.

Exactly 7 months and 5 days ago, that ugly scene came up in the canteen. A little misunderstanding grew into a feud. Shilpa and Anjali, known across campus as the bestest of friends got up from their seats, and glared at each other. In not mroe than 10 minutes from then, the whole canteen stood and watched as the friends grew miles apart- right before their eyes. They stopped short of laying hands on each other's collars. And since then, they had not spoken a word to each other. Each waited for the other to make the first move. And the move was never made...

And there, on her table, by candlelight, now sat a lone bit of paper, fluttering under the weight of a cell phone. The bit of paper that tore away a part of Shilpa's life, the bit that took away what Shilpa held closest to her heart. The cell phone beeped to life with a new message and the backgorund shone bright- two laughing girls sitting on a seashore.. Anjali and Shilpa. The message was from Riya. Shilpa opened the message and read what she already knew from the telegram: "Hi, I thought you should know.. Anjali is no more" Shilpa slid to the floor, weak and trembling. She clutched the cell close to her heart and tonight she didnt hold back, she didnt fight anymore. She hugged her knees and cried. And this time, she knew that the most comforting shoulders in the world are gone. Gone without saying goodbye.

A gust of wind blows out the candle just as it blows the telegram outside the window...

Children of a ‘Lesser God’…?

Feeling feverish… Guess the class on ‘Management beyond Profit’ can be injurious to health… ! :D Oh Gosh… I can’t believe Im starting this blog with a joke… :)
For the record, I was feeling ill starting morning… :)

Today we watched a documentary on the initiative of Inderjit Khurana- the social entrepreneur. She took the school to the children of the railway platform… For they would not….Go to a school elsewhere from where they live (The Railway Station).

She is saving these children from the dangers they are faced with… Death, disease, prostitution or suicide…

Im sorry Im being so hard-hitting in choice of words… However, reality is best stated as it is to make an impression…

A whole multitude of thoughts ran into my mind at that point…. A terrifying feeling of my heart falling into my shoes… :) The usual desperation that comes when faced with such harsh realities, which gives rise to questions like ‘Why is this… How is this… Why is it still existing if there are initiatives like this and.. Banyan running…?’

I have always seen the destitute and homeless, and as the Professor rightly pointed out, we try not to see… (probably because we are afraid of what feeling it will spawn) And shut it up in a closet so we don’t think about it… :) I was no exception. I used to feel a pang then… at the dichotomy in life… :) I still do. Its sharpened, after that class.
The most terrifying feeling has to be… That everything else we do… all the things bother us… Seems to fall away in the face of this terrible reality these children face… of Gangsters, drugs and prostitution…

For the first two questions… I still have no answer… It is like another wise Professor said… ‘It simply is. Accept it. Without getting emotional’. :) Then lets think about what to do about it.

Perhaps this is only the beginning of an awakening. For there are still, some (what I feel) are pretty basic structural issues, and perhaps, moral issues (though they will seem utopian, from my point of view as a fresh management graduate… But then, Im thankful Im not cynical enough to fail to pose these questions/ suggestions)

Here are some points I can’t seem to get out of my head:

What on earth is the government doing? I do not accept comments like ‘magnitude’ or ‘complexity’ or ‘resources’.

If there can be trade of non-existent securites for a later date (called a ‘Future’ in those mad stock markets), which is regularly monitored by SEBI and the Fin Min, then the HRD Ministry can very well do with a hitching up of pants and perhaps a resounding reality check. I feel destitute children are more important than FII Regulations. Period.

Yes, Im naive… Being like the young Alejandro in the movie the ‘Mask of Zorro’ when he rushes at his Master in a fit of anger only to be disabled of his sword within seconds.

Im talking of a huge system… And a huge complex web when I say… ‘Lets do a mass campaign… Hands-on… And rescue these children… Or lets dig into the treasury of cash-rich Institutions and use it for the midday meal scheme of these children…Or Lets not admit any company to earn more than a certain monetary amount of profit without parting with a percentage toward Charity… (Read: Not as taxes)

:) Im guessing emotion… Is only the first step in this realm of social activism.

My point here is… All that progress seems awasted to me for if our basics are not right… Its almost like saying ‘So what if you’re hungry, you’re living in a golden palace..!’

And that’s where Im headed. :) That is almost like a death sentence. Death of feeling, and sensitivity. :)
Perhaps I can make a difference with this awakening. :) Maybe that’s what this course will teach me… First, help me gain an understanding of the problem. The ‘root cause’… And then…What to do, and how to do..

Now I can understand why a Mr. Nachiket of ICICI or Mohd. Yunus… This is the sort of thing that can make you not sleep at night, if you don’t appreciate and resolve to do something about it. :)

I think I also understand the phrase ‘Children of a lesser God’… Only too well.

There’s this other interesting thought… I have noticed that many of the people who take up these causes are people who ‘have’… and realise the implications of ‘not having’ …. Its called ‘having the heart’ …So perhaps instead of treating as a cruel joke that we have much, while others do not… I shall take it as an opportunity, to live… knowing of the other side… And to be aware at all times, that the power is in my hands to do something for them… The children,.. not only children, but men and women of a lesser God… :)