Shivani's Thoughts

I haven’t gone to class with anushka in what feels like forever. And I actually MISS these kids. These kids are really something special and I think that we will both agree that they teach us as much as if not more than what we teach them. They aren’t from very privileged backgrounds but there families are working hard so that they may experience better things in life. 

This class isn’t something like English or maths tuitions which is necessary for their future, but I’m amazed at how open the parents were in sending their kids to learn something so new and different. 

Photography, is not something easily taught or learnt. The only way to do it is to click more pictures. to click different pictures. to click the same picture in different ways. To MAKE these pictures in your head before you actually click. And that’s basically what we’ve been struggling to make them do. THINK before you CLICK. Creativity isn’t always easy to express. These kids haven’t been given too many opportunities to express their thoughts and ideas so freely in school. It is hard to do that given the system of the schools we study in. But I believe that although the activities in our photography class involve giving them certain boundaries, the one thing that anushka has taken care not to do is tell them how to think.

And wow do these kids think different. For starters, I never realised how kids actually 'see' things differently from grown-ups. I mean, they are short, and are always looking at things from below! The world is a big place, and the kids know that. Grown-ups think its all figured out, and everything has a system…but it is a really confusing place to live in. 

Its okay to be bewildered. Is only the first of many things I’m learning from these kids….

They’ve been teaching me many more things, including speaking Marathi with the right accent and correcting the many grammatical errors. On a more philosophical note though, here are some other things I’m learning.

Be happy.

Love everyone, even if they aren't around to love you back.

Things are born and things die, that is the way the world works. And that’s  all there really is to it.

Be Happy.

Don’t promise stuff if there is even a teeny tiny chance it might not work. even if that teeny tiny chance involves a sudden unforeseen act of Nature.

Everyone LOVES SURPRISES.

The world is a big big place and I shouldn't forget that just because I’m taller now. 

Be Happy.