The Special Board

 The hall was full of Chess players from several categories ranging from a 7 year old to several senior citizens who had come for the open tournament. On one table, was sitting this visually impaired guy with his special chess set and pieces. He was sitting alone quietly. Almost as if he was listening to the moves on the other tables.

I went over to him after the last round and asked if he wanted to play. The pieces had some special marks to distinguish the whites from the blacks. They also had a pin beneath to fix them on the board as after every move, he touched all pieces to see the positions. The board was in his mind. It was inspiring to see him pursue his passion. The absence of sight could not stop him. And he had a smile throughout.

And here we are, with everything we need, often complaining.

Come what may

As I was returning home after a long walk this evening, I saw one visually impaired old man walking slowly ahead of me using his stick. The railing on the footpath was a great help as the vehicles on the road were moving at quite some pace. Little ahead there was a gap in the footpath because of a smaller road going inwards.

I thought I must help him cross that tiny stretch keeping him off the road and safe from any vehicles. But the old man smiled back and went on. A smile that carried his confidence. A smile testifying that he has been doing it every day. A smile that melted all my own worries. A smile conveying gratitude. A smile inspiring everyone to smile, come what may.

Driving home a point

 It was his last day at work today. He diligently served as a driver for 32 years. As I had recently joined this office, I didn't really get to know him well. But the words of those who spoke at the farewell today were testimony of his commitment towards work. As he sat there proudly with his children and grandchildren, I recollected our conversation from the previous day.

He came to my chamber and spoke emotionally "Thank you for organising a farewell for me, a driver, and for inviting my family. For the first time, I feel honoured and respected. Please allow me to arrange lunch for you and all staff tomorrow". At the farewell too, he made clear his feelings to all. I am confident, he drove home the point, we are all one family, with just different roles.

Farewell, Bah Sylvanus Lyngdoh !

Dear Environment

Dear Environment

I know we have been bad. Really bad. Cruel and greedy too. The compulsions of livelihood have forced upon most of us some ugly choices. And this is no justification for what we have done. In the process, the ‘sustainable’ prefix of development, has not been sustained mostly. Growth and furtherance of the species has come at your cost. The balance has been ripped apart.

A significant number of us have realized all this and are making attempts to change the way we live. I just hope it is not too late. The soaring temperatures, the melting glaciers, the erratic rains and the monstrous cyclones tell us that you are angry and rightly so. This expression here is not an apology because that won’t mean or change anything. It is just that, we would like you to know that the realization is spreading.

Today, we have planted millions of trees across the earth. These tiny greens made us smile today. But I know it’s just a cliché for you. Much more needs to be done on our part to reverse the damage done already assuming that it is still reversible. I hope all of us realize the gravity of it. I hope all of us remember you everyday and not just on 5th June. I hope we all unite to take you back to your glory days. I hope, and pray, that it is not too late.

- One among the guilty 8 billion.

A teacher's care

It was the closing day of the sports week in that school. As we stood on the stage to witness the finals of the relay race, the runners took their positions. Many of them, perhaps from poor background, were not wearing shoes. Not that it stopped them from giving their best.

One of the senior teachers then started moving along the track which was partly grass and partly bare soil. He started to pick the pebbles on the route and move them aside. He did this with such diligence that one could feel the immense love and care he had for the students. The race had not started yet, but we had a winner already.

One mic will do

It was my turn to address the gathering now. It was the inauguration of the new school building for Mother Teresa School in Babadam. As I started to move towards the stage, Fr John Bosco, the present principal of this school, accompanied me and instructed the staff to ready two mics.

Instantly, I recollected our times in Dadenggre during 2017 when he was the Principal of Little Flower School and I went there to address the students. At that time, I had requested him to translate my speech to Garo as I spoke. Perhaps he thought the same was to be done now as well. I told him with a smile,"Not needed now Father, one mic will do!".

Best Gift

It was my last day as DC, West Garo Hills and the DC office family had organised a wonderful farewell program. It was emotional to listen to all the speeches. It is in such moments that we realise the power of words. The duration of my stint there was perhaps small but not the depth of the bonds developed.

Anticipating the farewell, I had asked them all not to bring any gifts for me and if at all they wanted to do something for me, they should rather adopt a school and do something to help the school get better. Election branch had thus arranged for school bags and other items to be given to students of one school coming from poor background. The smiling faces of those children, made my day, the very last day.

हम होंगे कामयाब एक दिन

They had all gathered in a small tin shed they called their Spark School. To reach there, we had to walk through most part of the slum. A glimpse of how they lived there was enough to dissolve all the pretentious first world problems we had in our head. It is nothing compared to what they face every day, every hour and every minute.

The children of the Spark School had prepared a performance for us. They seemed super excited to get rolling. So much so that it took a while for them to arrange themselves as a group. And then came the song. And they meant every word of it. It was as if the words were emerging from their eyes. Eyes drenched in determination. I hope and pray, that they shall one day. The song is still reverberating in my head. Hum honge kaamyab ek din (We shall succeed one day)…..

He wouldn’t mind

As we sat down in the wedding hall to witness the multitude of ceremonies, I was clouded by a mist of nostalgia. There were so many familiar faces from the place where I grew up. You may have a hard time recollecting the names and the acquaintances but somehow the faces stay for a long time, long long time. Perhaps even beyond. 

 

One of those faces, came closer and sat down next to me. And with a beaming smile on his face, he said, “You were too small probably to remember all this but I used to come to your house to meet your father. He used to help me by writing letters for me as I couldn’t do that then. And he used to tell me at the end never to reveal to anyone that he had written them. But I thought you should know”. It took a while for me to recover from the trance of memories. But when I did, I said to him “I am glad you told me that even while violating the verbal agreement you had with my father. I am sure he wouldn’t mind”. 

It's the fight in you

 When Lisandro Martinez was coming to Manchester United, many opined that he was not tall enough to be a good defender. He would not fit in with the aggressive and modern style of the Premier League. He would be brushed aside by the tall strikers who would have it easy in the air.

Having seen him play since his arrival, leaves no doubt that he is the core of the steel frame in the making. His hostility and aggressiveness is pure mad stuff. The butcher of Amsterdam bleeds tenacity. All in all, proving the good old point, it's not the height, it's the fight in you.

Voice Note

 Among the several birthday messages, there was one voice note. It was from Marryrose who is visually impaired and works at DC office, Williamnagar at the Helpdesk. It was really heartening to see that see remembered. As soon as I heard her voice note, I started typing the response.

And then it suddenly occurred to me that I should be recoding a voice note for her instead. How simply our subconscious just presumes that the person on the other side has the same life chances as us. Why aren’t we alive to the special needs of others. A touch of senility, or a trance of indifference? We must wake up from our clouding slumber.

Memorable defeat

 It was an exhibition football match against a much stronger team than ours. They were physically superior and had the advantage of lower average squad age. We gave our everything, each one of us, but lost 1-4. I strongly believe that one should enjoy the game and the result is irrelevant entirely. Easier said than done though. With the unbridled passion for the game, defeats are difficult to take.

Any yet, I will always treasure this match for this one little moment I had. A back heel assist which led to our goal. So I guess, in all our defeats, there are these moments, which have the potential to propel you forward. We must make these ephemeral moments eternal.

Duties are fundamental too

 In his speech today at NEHU, Honourable Governor of Meghalaya Brig. (Dr) B.D.Mishra (Retd) shared an inspiring facet which really moved me. Whenever he get's an invitation to a convocation he keeps a condition which the University has to fulfil. The condition being that along with the degree, a copy of the Fundamental Duties shall be given to all.

A simple condition logistically but one with a gigantic impact. We all talk about Fundamental Rights most of the time but there is hardly any talk about our Fundamental Duties. This is even more important for the youth of this nation. Let's talk about duties and ensure that we perform them. Like rights, they are fundamental too.