The Girl Who Taught The Poor and The Rich A Life Lesson

She quit helping others begin.

Villagers have more than the big heart; poverty exists in their pockets and not in their feelings. Often I read such quotes in books, but on that day, I loved the quote. This incident is when I came to another city for further studies, being one of those hundreds of thousands of youngsters who left their homes.

I couldn’t totally understand the teachers I was taught by in my college, so I joined a coaching center away from my college. Our coaching teacher would arrive at exactly 5 pm; we would be free by 6:30 pm. Since I was a hosteller, it took me no effort to figure out the number of girls who attended the coaching. The hostel guys might not remember the maths formula they studied a day ago, but they definitely know the top their girl's color was wearing that day. Today was the first day of my coaching. And I surely had read the quote ‘The first impression is the last impression.’ So, I washed my face twice, wore my favorite white shirt, added some fragrance to it, and left for the coaching. Sir hadn’t arrived yet when I reached there. The first few benches were filled with girls, and boys were sitting on the backbenches. I also sat on one backbench and started looking around. You may call it my childishness or human nature, I mean, judging people based on their looks and attire. I was doing the same while sitting there. Hair made well, wore decent clothes equals good girl, and looks like she just woke up equals not such a good girl.

Then sir arrived, so I got back to my studies. One month passed by like that, and my name was written on that last bench four times by now. Reaching the coaching, entering the class like a star, sitting on the same last bench even if the front benches are empty, and doing the usual, categorizing girls into good or bad.

There was a girl in them, brown face, curly hair, not so clean clothes. If you saw her, you would guess she came from a low-income family.

After attending the coaching classes, I visited a shop nearby and bought two packets of biscuits from theirs. In the meantime, the same girl walked in and took a packet of biscuits too. As we were walking out of the shop, a small kid wearing raggedy clothes came in front of me and started asking for alms, showing his hands. I shoved him away because I thought it was all drama. Then the kid moved towards her. She gazed at the kid for a moment, then at her biscuit, and moved it towards the poor kid.

It was clearly visible that she needed those biscuits. Still, she kept it in the kid’s hand. I was both amazed and ashamed at the same time! Whatever. I moved on. Now, we are both headed in the same direction. Ten steps forward and something hits her. We turned around and saw the kid threw the biscuits at her and was blabbering something with a crying face.

Everyone who sees this made the same ‘such a shame' face. But the girl’s expression was on the sad side. Then, she picked up the biscuits and walked towards the child. ‘Mind your own business ‘ ran in my mind, and I moved on to my hostel without waiting to look at the further story.

Kindness is the best form of humanity. Doris Lee

Sometimes, there are some things and some humans we can’t forget, even if we try. I was lying on my bed that night. Thinking about the incidents that happened earlier in the evening. Why did she give those biscuits to him? And why did he throw them away? Why would someone do something like that and a hundred other questions. I don’t remember when I fell asleep, but I did.

The coaching was closed for the next three days. When it began again, our same old days continued too. But she was missing. I didn’t see her on those first benches anymore. There were a lot of questions in my brain in the beginning. But, along with time and getting into the daily hustle and bustle of life, she became a memory.

A few days later, I saw her again. All my questions started juggling into my brain. With no second thought, I went to her and said, ‘Hey!’ She looked at my face for a moment and replied, “Do we know each other?” “Nope! We don’t, actually. But, didn’t you come in that maths coaching?”

“Yes, I did!”

I offered her a handshake and said, “I’m Vibhor; I studied there too.”

She shook her hand with me, “I’m Anupama.”

*chuckles*

“Was that funny?”

“Well, you sounded like James Bond, just now!” I replied.

*laughs*

Then, she asked the most hated question for students like me.

“How are studies going?”

Suppose you leave the relatives and neighbors aside, who ask this pathetic question. Now, she already asked it.

“Fine!” I replied.

Before she asked any other miserable questions regarding studies, I asked her.

“Why don’t you attend coaching nowadays?”

She was quiet for a few moments. Then she said– “I teach small kids now.”

I thought she might do so because of some financial issues, maybe. In the meantime, a bunch of children came there and hugged her.

“You’ll come back tomorrow, right?” One kid pleaded.

“Yes!” She said, smiling.

After saying goodbye to the kids and asking them to go home, she started moving herself too.

Of course, I admired her. But there was another face in that group which grabbed my attention. So, I asked her, “He was the same kid, right…” She understood as soon as this. “Yeah, he was.”

Now that I knew her (a bit) and we were friends (kind of). I needed to know the whole story.

“What happened after you went back to talk to him?” I asked.

“I wiped off his tears and asked him the problem. He said he didn’t need those, but money. He replied he didn’t have a mother and his father is a drunkard after asking the reason. He has a younger sister, too, and they want to study.”

*Sighs*

“They tried going to a government school, but the teachers don’t teach a thing, and the students keep fighting with one another. I got a bit flustered after hearing all this. Then, after thinking for a while, I asked him if he would study from me. You may guess his answer!”

So, this was the story! I still had a question, though.

“You could have taught them at any other time; why leave the coaching?” I asked.

She smiled pleasantly at me and said, “You ask WAY too many questions, you know? Yes, it was possible. But, the kids didn’t have any stationery, and my coaching fees were the only money I had.”

This girl doesn’t amaze me with every word she speaks. She was right about me, though. I am a curious person, and I had to clear another doubt.

“What about your studies then?” I blurted out.

“Do you think I need that coaching? After all, I am a brilliant student, and self-study is one of my top skills!”

We had almost reached her home now.

“By the way, if you ever come to my home, please tell my homies I come to coaching daily!” She said before galloping in her street.

That day two things in life were clear. First, keep your heart bigger than your pocket. Second, you are never wrong to do the right things. I was happy seeing this face of humanity but was crying in my insides too, seeing the human inside me dying.

“In life, no matter what you achieve, whether you became something, but be a human being.”