Four suits and some money

Some days you hear an incident that keeps on reverberating in your mind and you want to share it. A cousin of mine does charity work in her own way and she believes education is the key way to changing and making a difference in the society. Every year she sponsors a girl child be it, from the school level or the college going young woman. This year, she is sponsoring someone at the college level, all the girl wants to do is read and study further.

My cousin happened to come home, and she narrated how she had met the girl and asked her to buy books and all the stationary she would require for a few months. She picked up one pen and refused to take any more. She prodded her to take a few more she hesitantly took some. Then, she asked her do you have any money? She replied with full confidence, yes yes, ji I have enough. She was happy that Neena (young girl) had money. When she asked her how much do you have? She said, oh I have Rs 200 ji.

My sister was stunned, and she couldn’t answer. She kept quiet, wondering how she could be happy and content with Rest 200.  Neena said she was happy with what she had.

When she was further asked, do you have clothes? She said, yes I have four suits and those are enough. In turn I wash them and use them.

I was amazed at the fact that a young girl of this day and age where we always never have anything to wear is contended with Rs 200 and four sets of clothes. She just wants to study and be educated.

Here , we constantly keep on harping non stop about more and more things , more of everything , trying to appease the want and to fill the ever deep chasm that has no bottom. Its as if one more would make us happy. And , money the root cause of evil . Who doesn’t want a smidgen more ? Just a tad bit more to buy one more thing . It’s the sense of security that money can buy us everything . Money is the false premise which makes us believe that it can buy us happiness, contentment and satisfaction. It is the race to acquire more mammon that causes Man’s greatest downfall. Since, we reach age ,all our focus is towards being something , someone to earn money , to  have a position in the society. We stopped raising children to be empathetic, compassionate and to be most content in what they have. The drive to succeed and to make money, and more of it is the measure of success these days. It is seen by the diamonds, one has, the designer things/items one possesses and what one drives.

Being senti is just not fashionable you see! And to just have Rs 200 is just not the done thing. Actually, Rs 200 would not even cover the cost of a drink in the places these college going kids go in Chandigarh.

The need of the hour is not a crazy app like Pokemon Go , or a swachh abhiyaan , or building more shauchalayas, or even watching more Pammi aunty but to have children who are more compassionate and sensitive to each other to be more humane.

Let us become more fashionable, by raising children who are kinder and not caught in the rut of fashion like us. The onus all lies with us and it’s us who can make a change so we have a trickle down effect.