A Road less taken…….Leading towards Equality!

 Childhood is measured out by sounds and smells and sights, before the hour of reason grows. It is a world of miracle and a kingdom where nobody dies. A child is a gift of God. The ecstatic bliss we endure while watching these innocent faces cannot be expressed in a simplistic manner.

But what about those angels who mellow before their age? These are simple beings with acute thoughts. They are the flowers which bloom before time. ‘Manpreet Singh’ of Akal Academy, Ratia is one of those children who have proved that tiny brains do have bigger thoughts. His views and reasoning over life is very different from the children of his age. He is a kid bestowed with blessings of the Almighty and endowed with eternal values. He affirms the famous saying- ‘Simple living, high thinking’. His positive attitude towards life is wonderfully shown in his article. The beautiful message of ‘Sharing and Caring’ which he conveys through his write-up might seem very mild but it has a strong and deeper meaning. He has beautifully summed up his essay by saying “Jeda vand khanda hai, oh khand panda hai” meaning ‘Who shares with others gets sweets in return’.

In today’s contemporary world, where everyone is busy with their hectic schedules and running behind their insane desires, very less people are bothered to transmit spiritual values and moral virtues in their children. In the era of play stations, movies and video games, the children are not at all interested in even knowing the harsh realities of life. Discrimination is in every sphere. Though it may be society or may be in any profession. The talks about equality are actually all vague as the only thing people really have in common is that they are all going to die. In the world where no one is free the prejudices and pride, this young chap of grade 3 talks about ‘sharing and eating together’. The moral values and eternal thoughts are dissipated from our society and neither our today’s education system is interested in getting children aware about these basic manners and etiquettes. Formal education is given more importance than Value based education.

We are startled to see children like Manpreet from Akal Academy, Ratia which is under the aegis of The Kalgidhar Trust – Baru Sahib, with such serene and innocent thoughts even today. They show that humanity and benevolence has not been vanished away from the hearts of people yet. Being harsh and mean will not take you anywhere. We are limited in the amount of help we can give to others. It is far better to help a soul come closer to God- than all the help received. Living for others is always better than living for yourself. A vision of an equal and uniform world from these baby eyes might be unbelievable but not impossible.

Therefore, Victory is not won in miles but in inches as we should not follow where the path may lead, instead go where there is no path and leave a trail.

~ Gurleen Vedi, BA (Eng.), Mata Sundri College For Women,

~ New Delhi, 26th June 2013

Stringing Pearls at Baru Sahib - “I want to learn ….” A life to turn….

Every child that goes to school learns a quote “Where there’s a will, there’s a way”. But in reality, how many of us do actually put it to use? Can somebody make his/her life, a ritual founded on the basis of the same?

Learning has different motives for different individuals. Those letters written in black ink can become the passage to one’s ultimate goal in life. To such a person every minute is vital to grow.

Akal Institute of Rural Women Empowerment is a social endeavor of The Kalgidhar Trust, Baru Sahib and has been creating lives by providing those deprived the privilege to study and stand on their feet. Many girls who are 10th or 12th pass are taken up and provided with a platform to learn and a chance to become teachers in the Akal Academies run by the Trust.

Baljinder Kaur, who hails from a small village of Mangewala in Punjab, didn’t even know Basic English at the time when she was enrolled in this program. Her father works as a painter and has never been to the school. When asked what she wanted to learn, her clear answer was English. It might be both a surprise as well as subject of curiosity for those not aware of the conditions of the schools in rural India.

Baljinder understood the importance of education so much that she took the maximum advantage of the little resources provided to her. She not only learnt modern day subjects but also developed a strong belief in the Almighty. Her everyday spiritual activities made her a strong girl who was ready to face the world outside.

She had the zeal to learn and learn more. One could always spot her with books around. She was extremely involved in the books that made her stand out among her peers, the topic of discussion was an irrelevant one, and she would open her books and try to gather something productive. Though she had to get up early for her morning routine, she used to cut down on her sleep and tried to read as much as possible. Her efforts paid fruitful results; starting as the weakest she superseded those girls who once had a background of English. She became one of the toppers of her batch who would not only do her work but also helped her fellow mates especially Kamaljeet and Baljeet in the best possible manner.

A Punjabi girl, with folk accent that turned into a charismatic lady with fluent English, carrying a philanthropic attitude. Her industrious outlook enabled her to come out of her cocoon bounded by immense shyness. To her it was all a magical dream, where a fairy has altogether changed her life from the chuhlas, cowdung, kucha houses to laptops, internet, high rise buildings.

Today, she knows the world around, she understands how important it to work hard. She has an ambition now and moreover a will to do. She is currently pursuing her skill development program in Mohali and is amongst the brightest students in her class.

She is still reading, but not children books anymore. Her abilities have increased many times, she hogs on thicker novels now. And yes, her motive to learn English has been completed, now she is on a newer boat with a new destination to be something in life.

~ Harshana Kathpalia, B.Com (Hons.) Hindu College,

~ New Delhi, 26th June 2013