When I was just a child,

I tried to make sense of the things they taught me at home,,

Often, I didn’t understand the mind games they played,

The teaching that I had to respect my elders,

Even when they wronged me,

I couldn’t understand why I needed to respect the people who didn’t respect themselves and us in the process,

Or, respect teachers who fumbled in their own methods of teaching…

Today,

I tell my children,

To give respect where their hearts find respect,

To honour themselves first before striving to make anyone else happy,

To be unafraid to speak their heart’s wisdom just the way it is,

And to not carry the burden of hatred over their shoulders, for life is too short…

When I became a teenager,

I tried to understand the need for a decent education,

And that meant then, that I needed a degree or I’d end up wandering the streets aimlessly,

That I wore the dignity of my family in the way I spoke, dressed and behaved,

That I needed to always comply with the will of society, so that, I was the good child that I was raised to be…

Today,

I tell my children,

That it is not their duty to carry their family on their shoulders,

Nor is it their job to ensure that they take care of us when we are old and frail,

For they have every right to be the individual they have come here to be without the emotional baggage of having to carry any more weight than they can carry…

When I graduated from University,

I realised that everything I learnt in school,

Didn’t prepare me for a day’s of my University’s education,

The Mathematical formulae I was forced to memorise in school,

Was reduced to only add and subtract,

For every day transaction,

Divide and conquer was the ultimate goal – pun intended…

Today,

I tell my children,

Maths is not the only subject in the world,

And Maths teachers are only human,

That they didn’t have to conquer Calculus and Physics,

More than the need to conquer themselves…

Then, I joined the employment world,

And I realised,

That the guys who made it big,

Forgot where they started from,

And expected everyone to make their dreams come true,

I realised that they couldn’t do without their staff but had no problems replacing anyone who didn’t share their vision,

Firing was better than teaching or realigning,

And that, the boss is always right!

Today,

I tell my children,

That they are never taught human values in big universities and corporations,

That, rather than serving a megalomaniac,

It is better to serve themselves,

That, there will always be rock-bottom,

But, we all have to start somewhere,

That, life is not found in the corridors of Harvard or Oxford,

But, in the back-lanes of their own imagination,

And, there will always, always be a better tomorrow, if they trusted themselves…

And when I was done with that phase of my life,

I got married and then, had children,

And in this small empire of mine, I learnt,

That no matter which University I graduated from or what I degree I came home with,

I was the same person,

Older and probably, wiser,

But same nonetheless…

I realised that no matter how well you got life figured,

Everything boiled down to that one decision…

Today,

I tell my children,

That only THEY have the right to decide how best they live their lives,

With guidance if they needed,

That THEY get to take ownership of their mistakes,

That THEY get to make THEIR own choices,

And in doing that,

Being the only ones THEY answer to,

Degrees or no degrees,

Calculus, Science or Youtuber,

It is THEIR life – period.

Today, I realised,

That 27 years down the lane,

My degree has become stale,

My profession is nothing I learnt,

And my bliss is not dependent on a tangible outcome.

That after spending my whole life being disconnected from myself,

As a regular human ‘doing,’

I am now, finally, me…

Today, I tell my children to always be THEMSELVES,

No matter how different they may be from others,

To be brave to show their vulnerable sides even when the world doesn’t have compassion for them,

And to trust that their authentic Selves will always draw to them the right kind of synchronicity any time, anywhere,

They simply need to believe…

SUJATA NANDY WORLD GURUKUL

*Image credit – Pinterest

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