An army of ONE

Rahul is one of my students at my class in the village of Galjwadi. He has been positively imbedded in my memory since recruitment day and my first impressions of the child have not been proven incorrect. He has the right ingredients needed in one who wishes to escape the endless cycle of poverty being born into poverty—dedication, hard work, and timeliness.

On recruitment day, we found ourselves in Galjwadi, fruitlessly waiting for invisible students to arrive. We had almost lost hope and had started to pack ourselves back in our car, when we saw a frail, tall kid coming towards us in the distance. Our mood brightened and a few of us almost ran towards him to let him know about our program. Upon telling him about it, he said he actually was making his way to attend our class. We asked him about the other children and asked his help in rousing up a good bunch in 15 minutes, while we made a quick stop at another village.

15 minutes later, when we came back to the Galjwadi teaching site (a quaint school next to a simple temple, resulting in a beautiful setting), the boy had rounded up more than 20 kids of all ages. This boy had revived the village for our cause in such a short amount of time. This is Rahul. And he isn’t a one-hit wonder either. Each day, he is the first to arrive and the last to lßeave. He pays attention, answers the questions correctly, and granted, has some qualities that would make him a superb last-bencher (no notebook, forgets homework), I do feel that he will go somewhere with the right guidance and support.

Sadly, those are the very things he lacks the most. He is an orphan—his parents have passed away and he lives with his 21 year old sister. Every time I see him, I see that little fire of potential burning. And each time, I fear for the fire dying out—which, in my heart, I know it most likely will. This country does not have room for little unknown children to break out as powerful, young adults of tomorrow. It is so easy for a child like Rahul to get lost in the midst of the other billon people, all equally desiring a stable, strong, happy life. Perseverance and dedication can get you only so far in a world that is run by under-the-table, corrupt tactics. An innocent soul like Rahul can so easily be tainted by the dishonest way of getting that desirable happiness and peace, thus feeding the beast that keeps on escaping death and instead keeps growing bigger and cunning with each passing day.

I say a prayer for Rahul and for the other special poor, little souls like him that can so easily get trampled and lost in this world of the privileged and the rich. I pray that God show a little mercy and give such children the way to their goals without contaminating their innocence. Let them too have a shot, let them too breath in an air free of worries, let them too escape their circle of misery.

~Isha Antani~