Ajay Kumar is one of the brightest kids of my class, a kid i am so proud to be teaching, a kid who doesn’t need to be told to study or sit quietly when bhaiyya is teaching. Basically, he is a perfect student, the type who are every teacher’s fantasy. If you were a teacher you would understand what i am saying here for you would definitely be praying to have a lot of kids like him in your class( Not that the kids who are naughty aren’t wanted, a teacher wants them equally for if they are not there the fun and surprise element goes out of teaching).

However, there was this one thing about Ajay that would make him a true rockstar, this one thing that bhaiyya just recently came to know about, the one best thing that showed the kid’s actual levels of maturity and his grit and commitment towards studies. I will have to give a brief background about the circumstances that led me to the discovery of this fact about Ajay. So, here it is: Despite, always been attentive in class and listening to everything that i said at the very first time(yes he is that obedient), he never came on time for school. Infact, most of the time he was around 15-20 minutes late. Also, he used to miss school atleast 2 times a week. No matter how many times i told him about the importance of coming on time he was still late almost everyday. I even remember telling him that he would fall back in class if he kept missing school like this( something i knew he would hate for he

However, to really know what a true Rockstar Ajay is, you need to know his true story. So here it is: Ajay, despite been so obedient and well-behaved in class always used to turn up late for school. I tried speaking to him about the reason behind his turning up late but was never able to elicit any response out of him. He always choose to remain silent on this one question. Also, Ajay was very shabbily dressed most of the time, he used to wear old-almost worn out shirts and torn pants. I even sent a note to his parents regarding the importance of their kid looking smart and also mentioning how bright he is and the fact that he might get pulled down and distracted from his studies due to neglegence on their parts( Dressing up a kid smartly and getting him to school is the primary parent’s duty). I am yet to receive any response to that note. Also, Ajay had a weird habit of missing school to the extent of atleast 2 days a week. This was all very weird for his cousin, who is also a student in my class was always on time and was very smartly dressed. Also, as he and his cousin lived together, the fact that one came on time and the other always late puzzled me no end. I was really troubled as i just couldn’t figure out a reason for him wanting to miss school and even turn up late for it. Knowing the kind of student he was, i knew that lack of interest in studies was not the reason which was holding him back.

Now, one day when he again came late to school, i asked him to stay out of the class-room and told him that the only way you are attending today’s class is if you tell me the reason behind your coming late everyday and missing school so much. Yet again, i could elicit no response out of the kid. In my irritation on being unable to do anything about it i had just started scolding him when the head teacher of my school, who was on her daily rounds, asked me to come over to talk to her. It was then that she told me about Ajay living with his uncle(his Dad’s brother) and also about the uncle’s wife making him do all the house-work. She also told me how around a year back, one day Ajay had come to the school badly beaten up with stiches on his head. That was when they had found out about his aunt beating him up and making him do all the house-work. Of all the reasons in the world, this was one i hadn’t ever imagined but then post joining TFI, i have witnessed a lot of things that i could not imagine or feel were possible.

I was shocked and over-awed together, shocked because i just couldn’t figure out how someone can do this to a child. How can she ill-treat her own nephew so badly and that too in front of her own kid. The world is actually a  very shitty place to live in. Also, i felt over-awed by the child. Despite facing so much at home, this kid was amongst the toppers in my class and not even once had i seen him display any sign of despair. This spoke volumes about his courage, his maturity and that too at such an early age. I have seen so many people cribbing so much over such small things, that the fact that this kid didn’t complain even once about the injustice his aunt was doing to him makes me so much proud of him. Also, his commitment towards his studies is something that inspires me.

You are a real Rockstar buddy and bhaiyya can learn so much from you.

Nakul