Blown with the wind

 Part I

 If you ever happen to get your posting in the east……I suggest these two prerequisite to have in you; the first requirement is to have big yet strong heart and equally important is to have a healthy liver.

Let’s begin first with the thing that feels and later on with the thing that helps digest.

After a brief orientation on teaching conducted by ministry of education in Thimphu, I was posted to Trashiyangtse, in eastern Bhutan. Lichen community Primary School was the place. 

The School, teaching staffs, teaching materials and resources available didn’t bother my consciousness. The staffs were professionally and socially sound, the materials were amply supplied by the Government and the academic blocks well constructed. The children act no differently. Their innocent and expressive faces caught every ounce of my attention in a positive note. But their stories made me experience a paradigm shift in the way I regarded death of one’s parents.  

As every man I had my own conviction. I had this believe that every parent will look after you through high school and see u graduate, see you get a job, manage a bride for you and latter they caresses and bring up  your  children. They are there for you more than half of your life! It was sort of mandatory on part of parents to be there for you, it was what I presumed. During my schooling I never had friends who were orphan/ looked after by single parent or I never heard of it. This atmosphere further cemented my conviction as I grew up.

But here in this small village with serene atmosphere, my fantastic conviction had no place. There are children seemingly cute, cheerful but consumed by destitute. There are orphans, children with single parent and illegitimate children (bastard is so mean a word to entitle poor souls, what wrong on earth did they do to call them bastard?) in almost equal proposition in a school of 65 charming students. You indeed need a big yet strong heart to meet and stay with these children.

The day I knew all about this whole thing I promised myself that I shall not limit to teaching them English grammars but make them smile, laugh and make them feel loved at least while they are in school. I do so much of storytelling and hugging. However some of them are recipient of Kudu (financial help from Government) but when I questioned myself ‘What else can I do for them?’looking at their small bright eyes my heart literally melted. So did my conviction!