http://www.yuwa-india.org/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-20929762
This morning, with my second cup of tea, I read this article. I was impressed. In fact, very impressed. A person in roughly my age bracket, from semi-rural Minnesota, is living and working with teen-age girls in rural Jharkhand. He is teaching them football and through that, giving them an opportunity to create their own space in their world. Now, I am someone who is, in general, easily impressed by feats of great moral courage and conviction. And I am sure that discerning readers and critics alike will find something to challenge and down play in this story. However, for me, this is truly the essence of a life of creativity, conscience and conviction.
Adolescent girls in India are, perhaps, one of the most ignored members of society. With lots of house-hold responsibilities but the status of a child, with no say on most issues. I make this blanket statement, with full awareness that I might be accused of stereotyping, falsifying truth, regionalism, anti-India propaganda etc. I am not saying that this does not happen elsewhere in the world. Neither am I accusing all households in India of undermining their adolescent daughters. My reason for saying this is because I have seen it happen over and over again - in several different areas of India. It could not have been starker that what I came across while working on a project on HIV-awareness among rural Rajasthani girls a few years ago. These girls work, and they work and work. But where is the play? I realize that play might be a privilege for many but isn't it time to change that. The world is changing and everywhere, especially in USA where mass shootings seem to have become everyday events, a young person must find a creative, healthy release for her energies. And, of course, team sports are the perfect solution.
Mr. Franz Gastler, the protagonist of the BBC story feature, can be credited with thinking of this solution and making it available for so many girls. What did leaving Edina in Minnesota, a town of less than 50,000 inhabitants, to go to Harvard and then to come to Jharkhand take? What must've went through his mind when he first arrived to the region? How does one dream of such big ideas in the face of such grave challenges? How does one have the audacity to think that, even though my idea is not completely planned or mapped out or that it might not change everything overnight, it's still worth a try? How does one take a chance like this? Who are the risk-takers amongst us? What sets them apart? Does fear of utter failure never haunt them? I had once heard a sher, an Urdu couplet, that goes thus
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-20929762
This morning, with my second cup of tea, I read this article. I was impressed. In fact, very impressed. A person in roughly my age bracket, from semi-rural Minnesota, is living and working with teen-age girls in rural Jharkhand. He is teaching them football and through that, giving them an opportunity to create their own space in their world. Now, I am someone who is, in general, easily impressed by feats of great moral courage and conviction. And I am sure that discerning readers and critics alike will find something to challenge and down play in this story. However, for me, this is truly the essence of a life of creativity, conscience and conviction.
Adolescent girls in India are, perhaps, one of the most ignored members of society. With lots of house-hold responsibilities but the status of a child, with no say on most issues. I make this blanket statement, with full awareness that I might be accused of stereotyping, falsifying truth, regionalism, anti-India propaganda etc. I am not saying that this does not happen elsewhere in the world. Neither am I accusing all households in India of undermining their adolescent daughters. My reason for saying this is because I have seen it happen over and over again - in several different areas of India. It could not have been starker that what I came across while working on a project on HIV-awareness among rural Rajasthani girls a few years ago. These girls work, and they work and work. But where is the play? I realize that play might be a privilege for many but isn't it time to change that. The world is changing and everywhere, especially in USA where mass shootings seem to have become everyday events, a young person must find a creative, healthy release for her energies. And, of course, team sports are the perfect solution.
Mr. Franz Gastler, the protagonist of the BBC story feature, can be credited with thinking of this solution and making it available for so many girls. What did leaving Edina in Minnesota, a town of less than 50,000 inhabitants, to go to Harvard and then to come to Jharkhand take? What must've went through his mind when he first arrived to the region? How does one dream of such big ideas in the face of such grave challenges? How does one have the audacity to think that, even though my idea is not completely planned or mapped out or that it might not change everything overnight, it's still worth a try? How does one take a chance like this? Who are the risk-takers amongst us? What sets them apart? Does fear of utter failure never haunt them? I had once heard a sher, an Urdu couplet, that goes thus
Kaun kehta hai ki aasman mein ched nahi ho sakhta,
Ek patthar to tabiyat se ucchalo yaroon!!
It translates roughly to the following.
"Who says you can't punch a hole in the sky?
Have you ever tried throwing a stone upwards with all you've got!"
Have you ever tried throwing a stone upwards with all you've got!"
Maybe that's all what Franz Gastler has done; he thought of an idea and then gave it a try with all he's got. The stone landed in Jharkhand and the skies of girls there certainly seem to have opened a bit.
(Image from www.yuwa-india.org)
I agree with you - adolescent girls in most of India are ignored. Obviously, we need more such initiatives, and if they could be local, it would be even better.
ReplyDeleteUnbelievable! What a man!!!!
ReplyDelete