Que Sera Sera...

* There was hope that was endeavored upon to bring about the much needed change that each one of us would like to see in the world around us. However something as abstract as destiny, financial security and social inhibitions won the battle against the concrete of determination and will. Probably now was not a good time to start marching in the direction of the winds of change....when... I do not know...but giving in to the future is the only path that I am certain of...scared of saying this but I hope that the hope in me rekindles once again...Que Sera Sera...*
A 10 year old idli vendor at Jogeshwari station is sobbing profusely because he is scared of the severe punishment that will be pelted at him by his “master” because the municipality fined him on that unfortunate day.
On a Sunday evening, there is a 6 year old girl on the Marine Drive promenade who is endeavoring to make a sale of at least one pencil with a glowing star at the non-lead end to the nonchalant pedestrians.
An advertisement on a television at CST showing a happy bunch of kids playing with paper boats in a beautiful town is being watched dreamily by an 8 year old whose hands, out of habit, are gesturing the commuters to put some money in them.
Examples like these are plenty but the common thread between these children and many more is their dreams. All children have an excellent imagination which gives rise to some powerful dreams that have the power to create magic in the world. However the only way that these thoughts and ambitions could be put in concrete is through the path of good education.
I would like to define education as a life long process that is much more than literacy; it is the will to learn life, and it goes hand in hand with the spirit of liberty and love. Education empowers an individual to not only dream but also to construct the roads to achieve them. Education gives the courage to bring about the change in the lives of individuals. Proper education imparted at the right phase in life can help revolutionize the gloomy lives of children like the ones described above. Education can help the idli vendor to understand that only he is the “master” of his life and nobody can violate his self respect and personal space. Education can teach the little girl the correct application of the pencil that she was selling which would eventually help her collect all the “glowing stars” that life has to offer. Education can give birth to the much needed confidence in the 8 year old beggar that could catapult him in the world of happiness that he dreams of.
I believe that by being a Teach for India fellow, I get the platform to bring about this transformation in the lives of the children and bring equity in the way education is imparted. Ignoring the straining situation of education in India is not going to help anyone and it is time to be accountable to bring about the change in the basic foundation of the society.
India is in her 63rd year of independence; however her citizens are not happy with the vices that are crippling her social stature. The strong “lack of equal education to all” pillar is supporting these vices. The pillar has to be eliminated today. The Teach for India fellowship is the perfect tool to abolish the bane of inequity of education.
Change always comes bearing gifts. And there is no better time than the next second to bring about the much needed winds of change in our society. It is time again to have a tryst with destiny to bring about the ray of hope amidst the dark clouds hovering above our society.
I see the fellowship as an opportunity for me to not only bring about the implementation of this reflection but also spend the next two years conceiving and accomplishing beneficial projects towards the cause of equal education in the under resourced schools of India. This fellowship with Teach for India will give the necessary pragmatic leverage to my thoughts and ensure actual fulfillment of the mission with concrete measures.