A voyage To The Hearts

A Voyage To The Hearts

Tariq Ahmad Malik

Tariq Ahmad Malik(Aatif)

It was his maiden journey to the sea .The morning breezes were smoothening the otherwise rough surfaces of the sea. The sea was as calm as the dead of the night .They were fifty people boarded on the ship watching with curious eyes how the water slipped past the ship. Thus sailed their ship on and on, without lending anyone curiosity to look deeper in the water shells. Aatif’s attitude was no different from the world that sailed with him to the Elephanta Caves. It was the voyage of nine nautical miles across the sea from the Gate Way of India.

The other day Aatif reached his work place. The voyage of the sea was still abuzz in his mind .He was mindless of the fact that at his work place scores of little children, brimmed with divine innocence ,had constantly been zooming their attention towards him. Their eyes were all agleam with hope and trust , and their lips bedecked with utmost curiosity for knowledge and wisdom. The irony of the situation was that Aatif was not a bit interested in their endeavors. To him theses little monsters were yet another burden on his fragile shoulders .He talked to them thoughtlessly without showing any care for their sentiments.

The innocent cries had ,however, found a breathing ground.  They would feel their tongues getting honey drenched by exclaiming the name of their teacher. Every moment they would feel the distance being scaled rapidly. Their teacher ,however, had failed to inspire them .He was least bothered of the fact that these colourful birds had just left their nests. They had left behind  cradles, the lap of the mothers, the warm beddings, the courtyard, and the rooms stuffed with colorful toys. Aatif had,however, this much of realization that these children were exploring every possibility to bring their teacher round. Under his nose, Aatif would listen to the gossips of these children. Some little boy would narrate how he got crossed with his mother when he had demanded pocket money.Little girls would often complain  of the confrontations which their brothers warranted on them. Everyday some little angel would gift Aatif some soiled apples.The malady ,however, persisted. Aatif did hardly rate their sharing and caring with proper measures.

One evening enlightenment came,and Aatif’s stream of consciousness was evoken. He could not help recollecting the moments which the school children had gifted him.He realized that their world knew only blessing and interestingly he was the pivot of their world.Soon Aatif found his eyes getting wet with tears.He resolved to become the ideal teacher for his ideal students.He waited impatiently to see the new day dawning.

The next day the transformation started .Aatif took his children to the playground, and made them into a circle. He winged their arms flat and chained them together .A thunder of laughter filled the environs.Aatif played “The Lion and The Goat” with the children .At the end of the game all the little angles came and flocked around their teacher and hugged him tight .This was the first time that Aatif had felt some sweetness springing from the hearts of the children and making the teacher feel the happiest creature of the whole world.

Aatif had now discovered the offerings of his sharing and caring attitude.He started to mingle with them every day and found them every inch receptive.If some body would be absent ,he would now miss them badly.One day a student kept absent for successive three days.The fourth day Aatif went to his home to know his whereabouts.I saw his parents getting emotional on seeing the caring  teacher at home.The parents started blessing Aatif  whole heartedly for the reason he was caring their son to that extent.That day ,Aatif discovered that it worked wonder when a teacher makes the parents believe that their son  or daughter meant a word for him.He could anow find a reason to believe that the parents could be convinced to be play their role in nurturing the career of their children.

Aatif would now believe that the children were by every definition ,a divine gift to the mankind.Unlike the grownups ,children never compromised their innocence .The innocence, purity, and sincerity was their hallmark. Their hatred,joulsy,and prejudice,if any ,was short lived .It were they who made the teacher feel special.

Aatif owed all his experience in the profession of teaching to his students.There were now dozens of incidents to recollect to this effect. He recalled one such incident.

One day he paid a visit to a friend.His friend ,by that time, was not at home.His wife told Aatif to wait for sometimes as he was expected to come within half an hour. Aatif entered the main hall.He sat and kept waiting.Soon an eight year old girl approached him with a half dozen dolls.She started playing with these dolls.Aatif found a reason to talk to the girl,

“Which of the toys do you love the most?”

The girl showed her a broken doll ,and answered, “This is the doll which I love most.”

Aatif was confused how a broken doll could be so dear to this child.He asked the girl the reason.She answered with all innocence,

“If I don’t love this wrecked doll, who else will love it?”

The response of the innocent girl brought tears to his eyes.He had never tasted such an amount of wisdom from such a little child before.He was now evoken to the new reality.True is the philosophy that says Child is the father of man.Aatif determined to dedicate all his time for the betterment of children.

How could Aatif make the personality of his students shine, was now a million dollar exploration.He resolved to put in endless efforts for his children.His chest would expand with pride to see his students in action. He started to look for endeavors of his children,and turned his efforts in that direction.

On his part ,Aatif was now very particular about the children.He wanted to see them grooming into advanced learners.He explored every possible opportunity to develop good communication skills in his students.

Aatif drove his students to debates, quiz shows, skits ,performing arts, and other workshops .He started using morning assembly sessions for making students acquire different skills. Morality and value friendly life style remained his priority. Soon he saw the reflection of his efforts quite vividly in his children. He did never believe in making favorites among students.He wanted all the teachers should organize sharing sessions for the students .He believed that the sharing sessions motivated the students to overcome their shyness. He kept golden bells invariably ringing for them.The students would visit library quite often to see Aatif passing directions. He had motivated them to have discussion sessions in the library room.He kept a record of the students who inspired him with their inborn talent, and tried to hone their talent.

He believed that students be given to realize their potential, and be helped to absorb positive self concept.He believed in discipline but never used the rod to prevent mischievous activities.

This narrator believes that Aatif would be still enjoying his enterprising aptitude somewhere. His approach has now acquired good currency. Many of his students have opted for teaching, and they are taking Aatif’s mission forward.