An account of my enlightening encounter at Indirapuram slum

Being engrossed in the mundane routine of the run-down machine that life had metamorphosised into, for her; her existence was governed by Austen’s quote (in the novel “Mansfield Park”) where life for her appeared nothing but a swift progression of eventful nothings. Alike others, her life was reduced to a joyless tedious humdrum of hoarding the ephemeral materialistic procurements, that awefully victimised her at the clutches of desolation. It sure as well was not a sunny day for her, until one fine day she resolved to suspend her engagement with the robotic survival she’d voluntarily enslaved herself to (that certainly proved unworthy in rendering her with any respite), and perhaps to map her life on her own terms, forthrightly.

In order to relocate herself in life, restore her stability and pacify her ever-racing mind, she decided to take some time off from her monotonous lifestyle and devote herself for a social cause, in the meantine. And this she effected via the assistance of an ngo (i.e. CRY) she associated herself with; that assigned her a slum area to pay a visit at, for the conduction of some field work. While executing her duties as a social worker, she came across a ten years old girl child (named Aafreen) of that slum, who gifted her a flower accompanied with a sweet enlightening message, i.e., Sometimes small things count for the biggest in life. She was utterly left aghast by this illuminating incident, that certainly functioned a great deal in catalyzing a positive evolution in her life.

Getting to experience this pragmatic dynamic of life at such a grassroot level, she came to the realisation of the wealth of elation that life has in store for her, in numerous teeny-tiny ways. And how, being preoccupied in the vacuous chase of materialistic desires and pleasure, she had turned a blind eye to the treasure that simple and trivial things in life tried to offer her. As a result of being imprisoned by these tyrranising pursuits , she obstructed her own gaeity, herself , consequently handpicking the eternal presence of dejection in her life. 

Despite being stationed at such a disadvantaged position, Aafreen’s optimistic approach towards life was so impactful on her  (who nonetheless belonged to a privileged background), that it managed to touch every fibre of her bone, persuading her to realise the glory in what has been already granted to her by the almighty. The young girl’s utterings caste such a spell on her that she immediately became determinant to slaughter the demons of her mind, that had been ruining her moments of ecstacy since a decade and make peace with her ownself. And thereby deciding to leave no stone unturned in acknowledging the contentment  in small things (or in what she already possesses) in the beautiful journey of her life.

Hashmeet Kaur,

CRY Intern