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| Harish with Hari!! A friend indeed!!! |
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| Here is Harish's group of friends, his supporters!! |
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| Harish's entry on stage! |
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| A scene from the play!! |
For
the past two days there is hardly any student in the classrooms. They were busy
with the preparations for Teacher’s Day.
It
was Thursday. As many weren’t in the class, I sat there along with a few
students who weren’t participating in the program.
There
were two boys on a bench involved in a deep conversation; one of them, a
physically challenged boy who was looking angry and upset. After a while, I
could see his friend had closed his ears with his fingers and was very much
frustrated. Finally he got up and walked away from him. I called him to check
what really went wrong. What I found out opened my eyes!!
He:
‘Ma’am, Harish loves to participate in the program but he is too scared that
others will mock at him as he is handicapped. We (8 friends in his group) are
trying to encourage him to be on stage. He is talented. Though he is
handicapped he manages to run, to do gymnastics and he can play some part in a
skit too. But he doesn’t listen to our words and gets angry whenever we tell
him to perform!
Me:
Leave him alone if he doesn’t want to be on stage. Why are you making him
angry?
He:
But Ma’am, he loves to be on stage and he has to go and perform. He is scared
of the few boys who tease him. He says that he will leave our school.
Me:
Oh!! Others tease him?
(He
discretely showed me the 2 boys who tease Harish)
He:
Ma’am, only when he goes on stage they will stop teasing him. All of us
encourage him so much. Why can’t he listen to us than listening to the ones
that tease him, Ma’am?
(Everything
made sense, but I was completely lost)
Me:
Now, what do you want him to do? And how to make him perform?
He:
Can you help us Ma’am? Will you please tell him to participate in the Teacher’s
Day skit Ma’am?
Me:
I can tell him. But will he get a role?
He:
Yes Ma’am, Our friends are there in the skit. If the seniors give permission,
he can join.
I
took Harish and his friends outside the classroom. I made Harish understand
that he has to take the first step to come out of his own handicap. He finally agreed
to fight it out and was too happy. In no time his friends brought the boys who
were in the skit. They were beaming with joy. They called the Asst Captain also
and she promised me that she will make sure that he is going to play a role in
the skit. Harish looked confident and was gathering courage and determination
to break the walls of limitations around him. From now on, Harish’s world would
expand and his horizons would widen!!
Harish’s
friends jumped around me and thanked me as I made it happen!! They looked at me
as if I am a magician. Yes, what they couldn’t do in all these years, I did it
in a minute!! But then, did I do anything great? Is the Teacher a miracle
maker? NO, NO, NO!!!
As
I took my bag and walked past the children I had started admiring them. 11 year
old children taught me the positive result of unfailing love, kindness,
support, encouragement and friendship. My hope in the New Gen increased to
another level and a doubt remained if it is the adults’ selfish lives that
pollute the young minds!!
Today
we celebrated Teacher’s Day. Yes, Harish played the role of 'Good Student' in the
play along with his friends in the comedy skit. He has gone miles in his life
than yesterday. His friends are sincerely happy for him. I took the group to
our School Correspondent with this inspirational story and she congratulated
all of them. What better thing could happen on a Teacher’s Day!
A
Teacher isn’t a miracle maker, yet plays a part in the making of a miracle. The
real miracle is the ‘Student’, the ‘Child’, who teaches her unending lessons of
goodness and innocence. And each time when I witness such a miracle, I thank
God for making me a Teacher.
I
remember all my Teachers who made Miracles happen in my life and thank all the
educational institutional institutions (where I studied and at present working)
for moulding a better person out of me.
With
a prayer to Almighty God to bless all the teachers with His wisdom and
knowledge, Sindhu.
