scene one: somewhere in the US a bunch of young bright young indian students are busy preparing for the draw of two to tango.
Two to tango was the name they gave the raffle they set to garner funds for project why after reading about our work. Sonal, Vel, Sneha after much thought and debate decided on a 2 dollars raffle with a 100 dollars price with a target of 1000 dollars. Vel, the young man in a hurry decided to match everyone who gave 8 dollars or the equivalent of the yearly donation for our one-rupee-a-day programme. Enthusiastic and moving mails dropped in my mailbox informing me of the progress or seeking an immediate answer to some query. My heart filled with pride as I saw the names appearing one after the other bringing a glimpse of lovely Indians kids with a heart that beat for their motherland and its lesser kids... and somehow I felt vindicated
scene two: a phone call from a young university student from Delhi's top college informs us to come and collect the receipt book we had given her as it was over.. wow 100 donors.. not bad..
later the same day: two crestfallen kids, rani and shamika, hand over the duly completed receipt book and a plastic bag with 50 one rupee coins.
An extreme sadness fills me... how come none of them thought that something was amiss: one rupee is less than the cost of the paper the receipt is printed on.. forget about thinking of what a rupee given this way can do.. even a beggar throws it back at you
Have our kids lost their heart or their capacity to feel for others so imbibed are they in their cynicism.. Does it take leaving one's homeland to discover that her future is ours too...
Where have we gone wrong..
Note: I have never met vel, sneha or sonal; the other kid is a friend's daughter!