If, somehow good inspires the bad to come to it, then the positive conversion is easier because when bad leaves its place to be with good it does this to be like good or in other words it finds some attraction in good. In my case education became that attraction and officially uneducated children, adults started coming to me for it. A garage was converted to a class room: a ply board plank with white laminate became the white-board, ordinary sketch-pens were used as illustrators, and some cheap wood-furniture was procured to make seating arrangements (these were painted by us: the whole family to make them look good and attractive). All stage well set to begin the show. But the audience was missing. So who will initiate the ice
-breaking activity? The potential audience was a nuisance for us (us here stands for the whole colony) and we for them.
Urinating on our boundary walls, pelting stones on our glow-sign boards, disfiguring our planted trees, using expletives anywhere everywhere or creating unhygienic conditions how so ever possible (you imagine one) was a common phenomenon. On their behalf, scornful looks, shooing away attitude, speaking on their parents (because we never spoke to them we spoke on them) and some more unperceived grudges. Their nights were drunk nights, making lots of noise, abusing each other; ours were spent sleeping, studying, watching daily soaps, movies etc. Who will bridge the gap? It all started with an informal conversation between our parents and theirs: and the garage turned into a room was full. That is how things are in our life so much of gap but only an informal conversation turned to be so fruitful that the bridge was built in a day. Two opposite teams were now in one room. Bad coming to good became possible.
First job at hand was to train them to embrace health and hygiene. I remember a boy of six years, who was never complying with the rules laid down by us of bathing and coming to school. One day, as usual, he came late and dirty. I was determined that day to make him clean, so I took him to the tap right in-front of the room asked him to take off his dress, purchased a bathing soap and gave him a nice bath, dressed him once again and lo he was clean. It was an unusual act, everyone in the room was stunned but I don’t know why and how this boy got so much attached to me? Cleaning the flowing-nose, training them to avoid burping publically and loudly, combing the hairs or plaiting the hairs a bit of this and that of everything that could make them look different. What I felt I can’t explain but seeing the change was really fascinating.
The story telling will continue…