“Are you
kidding? How will you pay for your Akka’s dowry?” I ask, without a hint of confusion he calmly
replies “Well, my morning wage is around 1000 and evening I earn 2000, for family
expenses I save around 1500, for my studies and miscellaneous stuff it’s around
500 and the rest I save for my sister”. Aghast my friend asks him “what about
your studies?” with no hesitation he says
“School time is between these jobs, so I shuffle between this anna”. I scratch
my head, Chandra is just about my waist high but he delivers a stunning clarity
well above his age.
 |
| Chandra talking about his studies |
We use the word
“Extraordinary” rather exaggeratedly, anything that we think we could not do,
we immediately deem it extraordinary effort, not until I came across
Chandrasekar from Nolambur – Chennai.
The daily
routine of Chandrasekar starts as early as 07:00 am, he starts cleaning the
array of cars, hurries back to his house and makes haste to reach school on
time by 08:30am. After school Chandra can be seen washing dishes at a Parotta
shop, as dusk falls he returns for a good night’s sleep awaiting a busy day
ahead.
Chandra’s life
has been surging ahead with this routine for quite a few years now; he is 15
years old and has a family that comprises of his mother, younger brother and a
sister who was married off recently. Chandra’s father left the family when the
kids were still young, a family argument that led one thing to another with the
father walking away. With no job and little to serve the kids, chandra’s mother
became the sole breadwinner until the kids started supporting her as well.
At 13, kids would
love to play, study and eat well but the sudden turnabout of events pushed the
family into a state of financial dilemma and the obvious decision was to send
the kids to work. The elder sister was married off too and after a few days the
in-laws started questioning about the dowry agreements for which the family had
no answers. With such financial burden, one would have thought that these kids
from such a socially challenging environment would eventually set out to work,
but what Chandra had to say really amazed us.
“Every time we
had money problems, my mom would ask me and my brother to go and work, with the
money we earn we are able to buy groceries, medicines, save for sister’s dowry
but I decided that if I need to do more, the only possible way is educate myself. I simply
don’t want to keep buying slippers for mom, but a Saree for her, instead of
paying debt, I want to build a house; only possible if I finish my studies”,
left me wondering if I have
ever put my education to use till date.
As he finishes
his school and heads to his evening job the park is crowded with kids playing
cricket and the little batsman in him longs to whack that willow, but he simply
enjoys the sight and continues to the shop. Chandra’s brother still goes to work
at a automobile manufacturing unit and Chandra’s prime task is to make his brother understand the value of
education and take him to school along.
 |
| Chandra receiving award for best performer |
He doesn’t fret
much about his future, simply has a rigid agenda that he sticks to, further
reveals his aspiration to play cricket and become a software engineer, all that
and he says this is an ordinary routine, nothing to be astonished about. I would completely agree with him for he has given a new insight on when and what the word "Ordinary" should be used for.
We leave with a
heavy heart, but little Chandra knows his job is not done until his younger brother tags along with him to school.
