"Ma is in the construction of the third floor" says kabita rather proudly, pointing towards the hostel in construction beside the hostel number 9."I just washed the utensils and it’s time for Ma to come and start making rotis". She quickly wears her plaits and rushes into her dingy dwelling made out of plastic sheeting. she comes out after a creak of an old iron trunk from inside, with her book and pencil given to her by "nirvana" in hands. She nods "chalo" .I pick up, children to nirvana form this area, the area where the construction labourers temporarily stay until the permanent buildings of the "citizens of tomorrow" are made.
Dark brown hair and a calm face wearing no expression, with a typical Indian features, as if an Indian poet of beauty has carefully defined them. A thin air of cement dust making its way through the curls of hair, twinkling eyes that are eager to hear something new, something never heard before, like "A B C D...",this is kabita. Wearing a faded brown kurta pressed fit to her body, probably through the course of time. With orange flowers printed on it, those are always in bloom. She hops throughout our way, barefoot, like a rabbit, plucking some tall grass that touches her hands, humming tunes never heard by me....
"We waited a lot for you yesterday, why didn’t you come?" she questions. I start explaining "you should be knowing that yesterday was rakshabandhan ,a holiday, a festival for....",my explanation, not allowed to be completed is followed by a counter argument from her side "so what? We can’t afford to miss a class you know! yesterday we were waiting for you..for a long time". I have no answer to this. "We have nothing much to do on festivals you know, you should come to take us daily to the school" she says after sometime, breaking the silence.
We reach the college-canteen junction where a fountain is recently inaugurated. The fountain just starts, the colour of the lights focused on the water change, kabita stops there and stares at it,"kitna mast hai.!!(How nice!!!)...where does this water come from??From the ground? it doesnt give an electric shock if i touch the water ryt?"She asks curiously. she goes nearer to the fountain, without waiting for my reply and coming back in a short while. On the way to the seminar hall, where, nirvana is held, she says, in a low voice," The fountain is nice, but the surroundings at the place aren’t suitable to have a fountain over there, with no shrubbery or flower pots around, it looks incomplete" ."Dont worry, things would come to a balance and completion one day" I say within myself. We reach our destination where kabita is taught addition that day.
The next day. My physics lecture extends upto 5:50pm, intrcacies of the concept of twin paradox, do not get into my brain, I can see kabita calling me, I can hear her waiting for me to pick them to "Nirvana".
Again on the same roads I walk towards kabita's house, thinking of her,as eager as the grass that is waiting to be touched by her on the way.Half the way I find her running towards me,shouting aloud..."saar...look at this.!!" showing her new note book and a blue ball pen."now,I will write in this book,..a new book..papa brought it for me.." full of curiosity she says.."teach something totally new to me, today. things that come after A,B,C,D...I want to write all those things in this new book".Her eyes wide open,twinkling, trying to listen to all that my eyes have to say...
Nirvana is, a voluntary organisation, run by the students of S.V.N.I.T, with an aim to impart basic education to the underprivileged children.
