Day 29 A Kid’s Concern.

Hey there!

I just wanted to drop a quick note after hearing your thoughts. Yep, I actually took the time to listen! Now, some things you mentioned, let’s not dive too deep into those. But the school fees caught my attention.

So, there are these government-run schools that used to be pretty awesome, and some still are, especially in Maharashtra. For girls, it’s practically free, but you gotta pick up some Marathi along the way. Now, those fancy international board and ICSE schools you’re talking about? Well, they’re for the privileged bunch. Not everyone can afford that luxury. I mean, have you ever noticed the kids walking miles to get to school?

And about ICSE and international board schools messing with the organic Indian way of life – I get it. It’s creating a whole different class of kids who can’t even take care of themselves. Seriously, just look around while waiting for your school bus (that is, if you’re not getting the VIP treatment from your parents).

Now, speaking from the ancient times when I went to school, I kinda wish we could shut down these fancy schools. It might help you kids understand where you really come from. Take a cue from Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose – ditching the expensive English school for Bengali.

Walking to school, lugging that heavy school bag – it really makes you appreciate what’s happening around you. So, you creative minds out there, how about figuring out a way to reverse the 52% desertification? There’s this cool story from a village in Maharashtra where kids tackled post-harvest migration by reviving old water channels.

Now, brace yourself because they did this entirely on their own, without any help from parents, NGOs, or even the government.

So, these kids were facing the whole post-harvest migration deal, you know, no income, no water, the whole shebang. But instead of sitting around and complaining, they took matters into their own hands. They were resourceful, courageous, and did I mention they were high school kids?

They decided to revive the old water channels and man-made lakes in their village. Small ponds strategically placed, you get the picture. First year, they just managed to channelize water. By the second year, they had produce that could partially meet their needs. Third year, they were covering their domestic needs. And get this, by the fourth year, they were producing enough to sell outside their village.

And guess what? No parental support, no help from NGOs, and definitely no government intervention. Just a bunch of high school kids doing their thing and making a real difference.

It’s a story worth checking out in the ‘Down to Earth’ magazine if you want some inspiration on what you can do right now to tackle the destruction of nature. Pretty awesome, huh?

Now, about that war talk – John Lennon had a point, right? If everyone wanted peace more than their TV shows, we’d probably have it by now. Be the change, as MKG said. How are you bringing that into your everyday life?

And hey, losing childhood? Well, if you really want something, you’ll find a way. My mom read story books hidden in her textbooks, and my classmates skipped classes for movies. I woke up early just to swim in the river. If it matters, you’ll make it happen.

Let me drop a secret from Anne Frank on you – no one needs to wait to start improving the world. But here’s the real kicker: you can’t change things by just complaining or pointing fingers. You’ve got to build a new model that makes the old one obsolete. Change happens when ordinary people do extraordinary things.

Hope this reassures you a bit. Best of luck!