Why is whale so big in size? And what causes an island not to sink irrespective of being surrounded by gallons of water? Oh yes, who makes the sea water salty?
Don't you know all the answers? Well, neither do I because I accepted these things as they are, these questions are the product of the curious minds I have the opportunity to teach, kids who never have watched sea or shores, and I bet those who didn't even know the correct spelling of whale or how the island is pronounced. I am talking about the kids who live a life which revolves around cramming up the table to vomit it out in front of their class, those who never forget to put a spoon in their boxes in place of pens because the thought of mid-day meal is a feast awaited. To the 11 year boys who know well the difference between a paddy field and a wheat farm, to the girls who themselves are no less than a wonder-woman at juggling things, they can cook perfect, clean, do daily chores, manage their siblings and assemble sharp at 5 pm in the ground where we teach them.
I wonder how my childhood was when I was this young. Did I bother to think about whales or the island or the salt in the sea? I guess not, did I bother to watch my mother cooking and the art of slicing vegetables? Nah! I was busy with my friends, with my cartoons and with the homework, and I called it a day. A simple routine for a 10-11-year-old. But kids I teach remind me each day how dumb as a kid I was, with so many resources at hand it never occurred to me to search for the size of whales or the salt in the sea.
Kids I teach, belong to a humble background and have limited means, their lives revolve around few selected things yet their power to imagine, to reason, to question is boundless. They are always bubbling with energy, with laughter and mischief and they have their eyes glittering with dreams, dreams so big to not fit in their current lives, dreams which may transcend them from this world to another, maybe someday. Believe me their eyes shine, and this magic is real!