The Experience!
Some experiences leave a deep imprint on mind, never to be forgotten. I had this experience yesterday. It was nothing sudden, a group of students from class VIII and IX at Devnar School for Blinds was coming to our facility for presenting some models. This was a programme organized in sequel with the other programmes organized under "Engineers week". We knew of this fixture well in advance through the mail circulated by our manager. Of course a technical presentation by students of class 8th and 9th really didnt hold any great promises as far as knowledge enhancement was concerned. What with the week full of "Tech talks" and the like, I was least interested in another bout of technical jargon that would reel above head leaving me agape like a gauche in its wake. A welcome relief to interact with children and may be test their knowledge, I thought. I agree that nostalgia of my own school days also pulled me towards the "Board Room" where this programme was scheduled.
So there I was,post lunch,standing in the conference room where the group of children was seated. What I saw there froze my feet and locked my tongue. Gone were those idyllic thoughts of interacting with a vibrant childhood..it was as if I had moved into another world. There were 10 of them in all,seated on chairs around the huge conference table. The room had an eerie silence while the children shoved on their places, perhaps forming a mental picture of their surroundings.The silence was punctated by the elderly principal of the school who asked them to introduce themselves to us. One by one they stood,telling their name and class. They spoke fluent english. The principal told us that while God had deprived them of their vision, they had a keen sense of perception and sharp reflexes.
I was too dazed to speak. They were children and like other children they had their dreams, their aspirations, the desire to see the world, the keen wish to come out of dark into light and see the beautiful world by themselves. Simple things that we take for granted were such great dream for them! I wanted to talk with them but I was at a loss of words. What could I have told them? That there is a lake nearby? That the area around them is full of precariously balanced rocks and beautiful landscape? Or that we work on a PC and they could come and try their hands on net? My train of thoughts was interrupted by a voice.."Sir..Sir", a boy called me. I turned around. His face was an epitome of innocence and he looked at me keenly : "Sir is there a window in this room?" I could not understand how to answer the question. The principal understood my delimma. He replied ; "They sense from the warmth that there must be a window nearby". I found my voice and explained him in detail the entire ambience. I wanted to go on and tell them more, as if from my words they could see what was around them..but I knew that its useless. How constrained we find ourselves before the vagaries of God!..and to imagine that I had falsely boasted at a recent mba college interview that I had participated in an educational project for visually impaired. I loathed myself.
They told us that they play chess. In graphic details they described the board structure, at times they seemed to know more than their principal himself! We set up their models around the room and seated each child before the model he had to explain. The models were of human anatomy : blood flow, brain, heart, ear and ironically, the eye. Besides there was a project pertaining to "rain water harvesting" and another one pertaining to chemistry.
We begun with chemistry model, the respective boy deftly handling pipette and flasks. With confidence he explained us the principle and objective of his experiment and with great poise he conducted the experiment. The Ph indicator changed its colour, but he kept blowing into it until interrupted by his teacher. He was greeted with a loud round of applause.
The most painful part was the explaination of an "eye" model by a girl. It was difficult for her to speak. She groped for each protusion on the model, recognized it and explained it. Finally she broke down, the teacher completed the expaination: "And hence the lens forms the image on the retina, enabling us to see". She mumbled something for the sake of repeting this. Yes, I could understand her pain. I saluted her for this calibre.
One after another they came and explained their models, assisted by their principal. At times fumbling, at times groping for the correct point on the protusions made on the models for the sake of their understanding. Yes they did fumble and their presentation was no doubt amature, but this was really not important. The important thing was the way they could face the world despite the darkness around them. The childish enthusiasm was somewhat marred by the pain of eternal darkness around them, but it somehow did not seem to deter them. They had chosen life, and a life of dignity. They had moved bit by bit, stretched their patience to extreme and finally were on their way to vanquish darkness with the light of knowledge. Each presentation was greated by a loud round of applause and this ovation was not sham. It came straight from the heart, for those brave soldiers who has chosen to challenge their destiny through sheer mental grit and determination. We the engineers, appeared dwarfed before them who had mustered courage to challege none other than their fate itself!
Presentations over, the children demonstrated their skill at Braille. They could write and read the complex text told to them and speak flunet english. Overwhelmed by our encouragement one boy excalimed: " We had lost all our hopes until Devnar came to give us the light of knowledge. Now I feel much more confident". These words might appear too precocious from a boy in class 8, but not so when I considered their circumstances. Life had forced them to come to terms with its harsh realities a bit too early. No doubt, their wisdom was deeper than their counterparts who have little to worry except homework!
Thus overwhelmed by the new world I saw, I returned back to my desk.Somehow the world seemed to be more brighter and everything I used to take for granted seemed to be such a brilliant gift! I understood an important lesson: differntly abled children dont need our sympathy,but they do need our understanding. They dont need our charity, but they do need our support, as the chess champion among them put it: " Sir we were really looking forward towards this visit, we will remember it throughout our lives".
I may not become a volenteer at Devnar school, I may not even donate charity. But yes, from now on I will always remember to respect and help those who have decided to eradicate the netherworld around them with the lamp of knowledge. I will remain indebted to this group of 10 children for teaching me this wonderful lesson of life.
So there I was,post lunch,standing in the conference room where the group of children was seated. What I saw there froze my feet and locked my tongue. Gone were those idyllic thoughts of interacting with a vibrant childhood..it was as if I had moved into another world. There were 10 of them in all,seated on chairs around the huge conference table. The room had an eerie silence while the children shoved on their places, perhaps forming a mental picture of their surroundings.The silence was punctated by the elderly principal of the school who asked them to introduce themselves to us. One by one they stood,telling their name and class. They spoke fluent english. The principal told us that while God had deprived them of their vision, they had a keen sense of perception and sharp reflexes.
I was too dazed to speak. They were children and like other children they had their dreams, their aspirations, the desire to see the world, the keen wish to come out of dark into light and see the beautiful world by themselves. Simple things that we take for granted were such great dream for them! I wanted to talk with them but I was at a loss of words. What could I have told them? That there is a lake nearby? That the area around them is full of precariously balanced rocks and beautiful landscape? Or that we work on a PC and they could come and try their hands on net? My train of thoughts was interrupted by a voice.."Sir..Sir", a boy called me. I turned around. His face was an epitome of innocence and he looked at me keenly : "Sir is there a window in this room?" I could not understand how to answer the question. The principal understood my delimma. He replied ; "They sense from the warmth that there must be a window nearby". I found my voice and explained him in detail the entire ambience. I wanted to go on and tell them more, as if from my words they could see what was around them..but I knew that its useless. How constrained we find ourselves before the vagaries of God!..and to imagine that I had falsely boasted at a recent mba college interview that I had participated in an educational project for visually impaired. I loathed myself.
They told us that they play chess. In graphic details they described the board structure, at times they seemed to know more than their principal himself! We set up their models around the room and seated each child before the model he had to explain. The models were of human anatomy : blood flow, brain, heart, ear and ironically, the eye. Besides there was a project pertaining to "rain water harvesting" and another one pertaining to chemistry.
We begun with chemistry model, the respective boy deftly handling pipette and flasks. With confidence he explained us the principle and objective of his experiment and with great poise he conducted the experiment. The Ph indicator changed its colour, but he kept blowing into it until interrupted by his teacher. He was greeted with a loud round of applause.
The most painful part was the explaination of an "eye" model by a girl. It was difficult for her to speak. She groped for each protusion on the model, recognized it and explained it. Finally she broke down, the teacher completed the expaination: "And hence the lens forms the image on the retina, enabling us to see". She mumbled something for the sake of repeting this. Yes, I could understand her pain. I saluted her for this calibre.
One after another they came and explained their models, assisted by their principal. At times fumbling, at times groping for the correct point on the protusions made on the models for the sake of their understanding. Yes they did fumble and their presentation was no doubt amature, but this was really not important. The important thing was the way they could face the world despite the darkness around them. The childish enthusiasm was somewhat marred by the pain of eternal darkness around them, but it somehow did not seem to deter them. They had chosen life, and a life of dignity. They had moved bit by bit, stretched their patience to extreme and finally were on their way to vanquish darkness with the light of knowledge. Each presentation was greated by a loud round of applause and this ovation was not sham. It came straight from the heart, for those brave soldiers who has chosen to challenge their destiny through sheer mental grit and determination. We the engineers, appeared dwarfed before them who had mustered courage to challege none other than their fate itself!
Presentations over, the children demonstrated their skill at Braille. They could write and read the complex text told to them and speak flunet english. Overwhelmed by our encouragement one boy excalimed: " We had lost all our hopes until Devnar came to give us the light of knowledge. Now I feel much more confident". These words might appear too precocious from a boy in class 8, but not so when I considered their circumstances. Life had forced them to come to terms with its harsh realities a bit too early. No doubt, their wisdom was deeper than their counterparts who have little to worry except homework!
Thus overwhelmed by the new world I saw, I returned back to my desk.Somehow the world seemed to be more brighter and everything I used to take for granted seemed to be such a brilliant gift! I understood an important lesson: differntly abled children dont need our sympathy,but they do need our understanding. They dont need our charity, but they do need our support, as the chess champion among them put it: " Sir we were really looking forward towards this visit, we will remember it throughout our lives".
I may not become a volenteer at Devnar school, I may not even donate charity. But yes, from now on I will always remember to respect and help those who have decided to eradicate the netherworld around them with the lamp of knowledge. I will remain indebted to this group of 10 children for teaching me this wonderful lesson of life.
posted by Techie Author at 3:54 PM
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