Neeti Chandrika

I remember mom telling me stories from Neeti Chandrika when I was little and shared her own experience, by applying the line from the very same book for an essay writing contest at her school. The line goes like this… ఎవ్వాడు జీవింప ననేకులు జీవింతురో, వాని మనుగడయే మనుగడ.... It means ‘one’s life is not significant, unless he is useful to humanity’. A very profound statement which explains the gist of living. Needless to say she won the first prize as started her essay on Mahatma Gandhi with this line. When I asked her how she related the line from a small story in Neeti Chandrika to Mahatma Gandhi, she said her father gave her the clue. I was amazed at the connection how wisdom is passed across generations and eventually to us, through simple stories that we Indians often take for granted.

I wouldn’t take full credit of acquiring such wisdom as I seldom paid heed to Mom. Now I living far away from her and the only connection I have is the daily telephone conversation, she did not stop passing on the wisdom she inherited from her elders. Each time I hang up the phone, I am super charged with energy to do something. How far I am able to translate that into something useful is another thing, but the motivation is clearly felt.

Today is one such day that I started off after talking to Mom.  I found an email from Chitra, a very enterprising girl I know from Hyderabad who is always keen to learn and teach. Chitra and Anjali are friends from Hyderabad who tagged along with me to visit the girls housed at MV Foundation hostel. During my days in Hyderabad, Chitra and Anjali were quite helpful in teaching the kids, team building games, telling stories with morals and organising medical camps at the MV Foundation hostel for rescued child workers. Both girls believe in holistic education. So when they visit the girls, they ensure that the stories they tell these kids have a moral at the end of it. We all heard these stories from our grandparents and parents when we were little. But for the girls at MVF, our young ladies Chitra and Anjali fill the void.

Now they carry on the tradition without me and keep passing on the positive changes that they are able to make and bring me the stories from homeland which works as a magic potion for me across the miles to derive inspiration. Thank you Chitra.

The content of Chitr’s email was a video link to a success story of a girl, Malliswari, who realised her dream to be a camera woman. She worked in the agricultural fields as a child worker to support her family, discovered by MV Foundation volunteers who enrolled her in the girls’ hostel to pursue education. The video is a narration of her journey as a child labourer to being the first Camera Woman in Andhra Pradesh state. She now is a positive role model to the rest of the girls at the hostel who look up to her. Please find the link to the video here.

Chitra, Anjali, Malliswari all three girls in my life bring a lot of hope and encouragement by sharing their stories. I am glad they found me and vice versa. Mom tells me that every person in our lives have a reason for being there. Some we spend only a few moments, yet leaving their lasting impression. I am compelled to share these positive stories after a friend who follows my blogs, enquired what I am up to these days. He encouraged me to write in the first place and is my constructive critic. I realised I haven’t shared anything positive since I came to Calgary dwelling in self and complaining about how much I miss my friends and India. I am glad I am bestowed with such good friends who motivate me and many others. So, here is to you my friends, across the miles, for rescuing me… ఎవ్వాడు జీవింప ననేకులు జీవింతురో, వాని మనుగడయే మనుగడ.... ధన్యోస్మి.

Note: There are 11.9 million children in India in the age group of 5-13 years who are denied the right to education as per official statistics. The number is appallingly high if one looks at the unaccounted figures. MV Foundation is an organisation rehabilitating these children and puts them in school. On an average MV Foundation spends Rs. 2,500 (US$ 40) on each child per month to restore their childhood, ensure proper education and instil values of life. I request you to help the organisation in anyway you can and by spreading the word. Thank you. For more information please visit http://mvfindia.in/

Note 2: For those who can read Telugu- here is a link to Neeti Chandrika. http://www.andhrabharati.com/strI_bAla/index.html