The Last Straw

The Times of India is running this program in Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai and one other Metro (Not Bangalore) called "Teach India" where they are calling volunteers around the city to volunteer two hours of their time every week to teach kids who've never been exposed to education... So a bunch of these kids came to our college today... They live on the streets near Haji Ali and they were so cute! Their clothes were all ragged and everything - it was quite a contrast to our fashionably clad girls in college; well, atleast half of them, the other half would be in salwar kameez or a burkha and then there are people like us who don't always fall into a category (!!)... Anyway, it was still a contrast. One of the little boys didn't stop crying... Poor thing, he seemed mortified... He wouldn't speak, he just kept crying. I guess everything was just too new and shocking for him... He's probably never seen anything outside of his short life on the streets. It dawned on me, that alleviating poverty isn't just about giving a man a fish, or even teaching him how to fish or whatever.. you have to change the way these people (and that's about 22% of India's I.2ish billion people!!)think... re-socialise them into something other than what they've known all their lives. Now that's a mammoth job.
I'm not a part of "Teach India" cause I'm already doing a placement somewhere else and there are about 40 volunteers from my college and not (yet) enough kids (Hah!) but hats off to the Times of India for initiating this. Let's hope the rest of India catches on and makes India's problems their problems...
I'd just die if I didn't know, if I didn't believe that ultimately there is, atleast, hope.

(Comic ripped from http://www.teach.timesofindia.com/images/downloads/cartoons/800x600/jpg/7.jpg)

"Blessed are those who mourn, For they will be comforted, Blessed are the meek, For they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."

-- Matthew 5: 4-6 (emphasis mine)