A Village Visit and Glimpses of a School: #Blogiversary #GuestPost #TuesdayMotivation
A village visit and Glimpses of A school: Tulika singh
A few years ago while on a visit to my hometown my cousin suggested we go visit his farm/mango orchard a few kms from the city. The children were reluctant for no reason except that it was just easier to sit home in the AC glued to their gadgets rather than go exploring on a hot summer day. If you know the North Indian summer you might even sympathise with them.
However, as a mom, it’s my task to drag them out of their comfort zones and I never disappoint. We were soon on our way, four adults, a teen and three children.
Once there, they stood around beginning with their whine of ‘What should we do’ when my brother suggested a walk. Evening was setting in as we strolled down the beautiful garden lush with summer blooms.
The farm stood right in the middle of a village – a typical UP village. Walking out into it was like opening the cupboard to Narnia and finding a whole different world. It’s a wonder how we can travel an hour or two and find a place so completely different in every imaginable way.
The air was cleaner, the trees more lush and green. The houses were all single storied and built in a cluster leaving wide open spaces as far as the eye could see.
We passed the dimly lit kachcha houses with children playing outside. Men sat around, done with the tasks for their day, while women smiled at us as they moved in and out of the homes busy at their chores.
Beside a small pond rich with fish, we came upon the village school. It was a rather desolate-looking, unpretentious single-storied L-shaped structure with blackboards on its outside walls. Most classes, it seems, were held, not in the rooms, but under the open sky.
Out of curiosity we went up close to find, through the half erased writing on the board, that the children had been studying computers! Was there ever such a paradox! It was heartening and heart-breaking at the same time.
What a far cry this was from the air conditioned, multi storied school of my children where elevators whizzed up and down, where we spoke of hands-on learning and each child had a computer to himself, in addition to the laptops and tabs he had at home!
Meanwhile, these kids here, didn’t even have a proper roof for their school leave alone a computer. How on earth can we expect them to compete with city kids? It’s a wonder if even one of them can rise above his/her situation simply through talent and capability. And yet some of them did it and did it pretty well.
H and N thought the school was pretty ‘cool’ with a rather romantic idea of studying in open air. They were perhaps too young to appreciate the struggles that came with it. However, when they now complain about the absence of some basic comfort at school, I remind them of that village classroom.
I hope they never ever take their privileges for granted, that they continue to be grateful for them. Over time, perhaps they will learn to be empathetic of people less fortunate than them and more appreciative of their talents.
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Tulika a.k.a Obsessivemom fell in love with the written word a long long time ago. That came in pretty handy at her job as a journalist until her twins came along and she exchanged nightshifts at the desk to those of a very different kind. She now enjoys juggling multiple roles as a freelance writer, editor, mom blogger and book blogger. Her current assignments include editing a full-length novel while dealing with twin teenage angst.
Join her on her parenting journey at www.obsessivemom.in or find her sharing her book love at www.beataboutthebook.wordpress.com.
You can also find her on
twitter: @obsessivemom06
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This guest post has been written as part of my Third Blogiversay celebrations that started today. NatashaMusing turns 3 on 6 December, 2019.
Please mark your calendars, and join me here with my very talented blogger friends who will be gracing NatashaMusing the next six days with posts on some of my favourite genres: Musings and Reflections, Photography/Art, Travel, Well-Being and Fiction.
Corinne Rodrigues of Everyday Gyaan- Rekindle the light : 2 December, 2019; #MondayMusings
Tulika Singh of Obsessive Mom : 3 December, 2019; #Musings
Robert Goldstein of Art By Rob Goldstein : 4 December, 2019; #WordlessWednesday
Esha Mookherjee of My Soul Talks : 5 December, 2019; #Wanderlust/Travel
Keith Hillman of Keith’s Ramblings : : 6 December, 2019; #Fiction
Damyanti Biswas of Daily (W)rites : 7 December, 2018; #Fiction
12 thoughts on “A Village Visit and Glimpses of a School: #Blogiversary #GuestPost #TuesdayMotivation”
An interesting piece which really got me thinking. In our society, kids always want the next gadget, plaything, device. But children such as those in this piece have to make do with what they have. I would suggest that those without are happier and more content than those that have it all.
Incidentally, ten years ago my friend Rosey went as a volunteer to Africa to work in a village school. She wrote about it and I’ve just added iit to the site I’m creating for her stories. If you’re interested it’s here –
https://myfriendrosey.wordpress.com/2019/12/05/when-rosey-went-to-africa/
Thank you Soumya. Gratitude is a truly underrated feeling.
Thanks Esha. I think all are kids need exposure to other ways of life. They are normally in their own bubble where a simple thing like the WiFi being down is a catastrophe. I hope exposure makes them grateful for the things they have while also becoming more empathetic.
What a post! Tulika does such a brilliant job here that it felt like I was actually walking around this school.
Most of us take our privileges for granted and crib about the smallest things when there are kids/people out there who are fighting for the basics. The sooner we realize how blessed we are, the better.
Pure delight! Our kids are privileged no doubt but are also more empathetic. I often find that children who have less are embittered and resentful of those who have more . The children who rise above their difficulties often lack empathy for others struggling . Not always of course
Sure, that’s a great viewpoint. Thanks for pointing it out Sunita. 🙂
Sunita I think our children don’t spare much thought for the less-privileged or if they do, it rarely translates into action. And I’m not blaming them. It’s we as parents who fail to make them aware. I myself have thought many times of involving them in some kind of social work but their schedules are so demanding, it’s just not possible. Perhaps we need to make it a priority.
“Perhaps we need to make it a priority.” Yes that hits the nail. My children go to the dog shelter with me often, or to donate clothes to kids on the street, or give them juices, snacks, treats (which I carry in my car), but I feel it’s so important to involve them in social work that is consistent and long term.
I have a doctor friend at Medanta who takes her children every Sunday morning at 7 am, to go volunteer at this place for the less privileged children.
I hope I can turn this message and post of yours into an actionable reality.
What a lovely post by Tulika! So glad she got her kids to experience this. I often think, we, as parents don’t do enough to expose our kids to the other side of their privileged lives to show them how others live, in a parallel reality where nothing and no one can ever be taken for granted, where people have to work extremely hard for a living and aspire to reach to a level that our kids have been granted readily in a platter, as soon as they were born!
Last year, Arjyo did a week-long internship with an NGO that works with less-privileged as well as differently-abled children and it was such an eye-opener for him. I think we should encourage these experiences more often. Don’t you think so, Natasha?
Couldn’t agree more, Esha. Your comment and Tulika’s post has gotten me thinking. It’s been a while I got the girls engaged in something like this. Time to renew those energies.
Thank you so much for all your lovely, heartfelt comments. <3