Just One Piece

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A memorable anecdote strikes my mind occasionally, whenever I look down alley of life and I am keen to share it with all. It occurred few years back when I took up a job in a secondary school to deliver lesson plans as per requirement of my B.Ed. program and was assigned merely senior classes to teach.

After a relaxed Sunday, I reached school at sharp 7:30 to start another new day in school with assembly. After finishing with it, I was handed over time table of current weak by time table in charge. I threw a causal glance on it like every weak assuming not much change in schedule, but I was quite surprised to see my name on it as a substitute teacher in column of class 4. I was puzzled and to resolve it I went to the time table setter and asked -“Why class 4 is assigned to me?”

“Ma’am, class teacher of this class is on leave today and no other teacher is available to replace her due to their occupied schedule, while you have less periods today to teach, that’s why.” She replied hurriedly.

“But mam, it’ll be difficult for me to handle primary class without experience and moreover, method of teaching them is also different. Even I have nothing prepared for them, at least you should have told me beforehand.” I said exasperatingly.

“You don’t have to worry so much ma’am. Just engage them in some activity or give something to learn and keep vigilance to maintain decorum to avoid any disturbance for other ongoing classes.” She said engrossed in her paper-laden table.

Seeing her reluctant manner I grabbed attendance register and headed to the classroom situated upstairs on 2^nd floor. I could overhear the notorious noise of the kids even from outside walking through the corridor.

As I entered into the classroom, all students chimed in chorus-“Good morning ma’am”.

“Very good morning students”, I reciprocated informing them- “Today I’ll be taking your class in absence of your class teacher.

Now began bombardment of their cute queries, chattering, laughing, fighting etc. I literally had to shout to keep them in behavior causing my throat a pain. In meanwhile I floated a look at a thin, weak-looking boy sitting silent in a forlorn corner behind, not responding to anything in class. I asked him for reason. Before he could be able to speak out something, other students seemed to be more eager to tell about him -“Ma’am he never completes his homework.” “He never learns his lessons”, so on and so forth. It flared up my curiosity to know more about him. I tried to prompt him to break his silence ordering others to keep silent. From the information delivered by him hesitatingly, I concluded that he, named as Krishna, belonged to a very poor family and few days back he had fractured his leg due to an accident.

The rhythm of class was broken by a shrill buzzing of bell announcing for lunch break. Students got busy with their lunch boxes in a hustle-bustle and I drowned myself into copy-checking to utilize my time utmost sitting right in the class, as I was not supposed to leave the class even in lunch time. Suddenly a loud voice echoed in room- “Listen friends!! Take out a piece of food from your tiffin and put into this box. Each one of you!” I lifted up my head to see who it was. It was Shabana, head girl of the class, addressing all students with an empty lunch box held ahead in her soft, tiny hands.

Unaware of the real situation I asked her – “what’s the matter Shabana? What are you doing?”

“Ma’am Krishan brought no lunch today, so we are collecting food for him.” She replied.

And within no moment the box was overflowing with rainbow-colored variety of food, sufficient to gratify the hunger of any person. She gave it all to Krishna for eating with a contented smile on her face.

The contribution of just a piece caused no lack of food for well-fed students, while it gratified hungry stomach of a poor student. Although, it was acted most innocently on students’ part, but it left a mark on my conscious, overwhelming heart with generosity hidden behind the naughtiness of those angels. Kudos to the teacher who taught them such values which are only buried in leaflets of books nowadays; specifically for elders!! At that moment my only concern was that if these kids would carry on applying the same values with practical approach when transformed into adults or would indulge themselves into farcical show business abdicating all human sensitivity?

It also impelled me to deliberate the symbolic situation of crisis prevailed in current society where rich are growing richer day by day snatching the grain from hungry mouths of poor rendering them poorer. This small step of kids should be considered a lesson to us, the so called adults and mature people. If wealthy and prosperous people equipped with all resources consider it a valuable duty to share a tiny part of it for welfare of myriad of poor people, the day is not far away when India will see a new sun to lit up with equality by uprooting the weeds of poverty as well as of social evils; born and flourished from the womb of mother poverty.