~Kaveri, a lone warrior...~

 Everyone was talking in vernacular English with exceptional drawls with a view to dominate the conversation – the parents were well off and of course they were educated, maybe they were lucky to have received quality education from prestigious schools in Delhi. A bit showoff was evident though not a deliberate gesture.

As I was a mute observer to all of this charisma, suddenly there comes a family which catches everyone’s eyeballs – the family is unique in its own way – as the society calls them the ‘EWS’ or the ‘Economically Weaker Section – the tagline is munching of its dignity but we as a society have castigated them. 

From the visible appearance the parents of the girl seems to be not highly educated and this was proven when the father asks the guard sitting near the aisle “ Kapde and Kitabein Kahan Milengi?” (from where will we get clothes and books?), the guard showed them the way sitting on his chair. The gesture of the guard was profoundly different as he seems to be entertaining them as just another like him – as he did not stand from his chair whilst he answered them, a distinct gesture which he didn’t do for other ‘highly educated and rich parents’ of kids coming to school to fetch books and clothes.

While the parents continued to talk in marvel English with occasional tongue roller verbatim, this girl’s father just stood in complete silence as he was bluntly ignored by others – I could see the cold feet the society showed to such people – distraught on the behavior of these educated parents as for them it didn’t matter who he was and that they knew him for sure to be from an EWS strata of society.

Suddenly the twist of tale happened, as the father was confused to ask for the free books and clothes which such parents are supposed to have under government’s concessional scheme, the girl rose to the occasion and went inside the school bookshop and started to talk in a tone which astonished many.

She started to converse in impeccable English in a clear-cut vocab to the surprise of everyone – her contrast clothing and the background seems to be just not matching the tone she spoke of. As some moments passed, her mother came into the room and voiced her concerns thus - “Kaveri beta, dress aur Kitabein mil gayi kya?” [ Kaveri, did you got the dress and books?]

She was quick to respond, ‘Nahi Ma, abhi nahi, bola hai bhaiya ko” [No , I have told the shopkeeper, he is taking it out]

Everyone started to have a conscious look towards both mother and daughter as if something extraordinaire had happened in that moment, surely it was something extra ordinary, something momentous – the icy silence was broken when one student’s mother greeted Kaveri’s mother “Namaste!, meri beti aapki beti ki dost hai…” [Hello, my daughter is your daughter’s classmate], suddenly this gesture made Kaveri’s mother comfortable as she forgot her opaque personality amongst the group of parents standing there…. The two ladies started to converse with equanimity withstanding the prodding eyes of ‘high-class’ parents who still seems to be from a different planet, but surely, they were in the receiving end as they were made conscious of what education can do to anyone be it from EWS family or otherwise…

A lovely lesson was given to many such parents and to my kids – that be whatever you are in the outside world, in the institution of schooling , your worth is your pure play knowledge and education – as it certainly is the power which will take you across many hiccups life shall offer you in due course – your image and dignity will not subside by your current habitat but the power of your mind shall base your competition with resourceful students who surely have an edge over you – don’t be subservient of their status, once inside the school you will have the power to subside them by your knowledge…I truly believe that little girl had been given this life lesson by her circumstances if not by  parents… truly Kaveri was the hero of that moment, no doubt!