"And what do you call this?" I ask the young vegetable seller in the basement of Krishna Apra Garden, a society in Indirapuram.
"Cauliflower," says 18-year-old Ayaz Ali proudly, with a toothy grin.
I have been asking him names of the vegetables he's selling, and he has been responding with the correct answer — every time. I am curious, and impressed. Who teaches him, I ask.
That's when Soumya Parhi's name crops up. An English teacher in St Thomas School, who lives in Krishna Apra Garden, has been educating underprivileged children in the vicinity over the past 1.5 years.
Ruksat, Dilsat, Aadil, Amiriya and Rozy, still shy of their teenage years, make a living selling balloons, cotton earbuds, roses and other low-cost items to passers-by near the society. Parhi found them on the streets and decided to give them an education. She started teaching them English, and managed to bring their lessons on a par with the school she teaches in. All the stationery the children use has been gifted by their beloved "mama", as they like to call her. "The kids are welcome at my place any time of the day, and I pamper them by cooking them their favourite dishes," Parhi says. "The children reciprocate the warmth. They even came to wish me Holi with whatever colour they could get hold of."
Ironically, the only roadblock she faces is the reluctance of the children's parents.
"They do not understand the importance of education," Parhi says, grimacing. "I guess it is difficult to understand things when you are working as a daily labourer and have the next meal to worry about. A child to them is just another means of earning a few pennies more. The kids are forced to contribute to the family."
There are times when the children visit Parhi only because they are hungry. She, however, makes sure that the treats are served only after studies are over.
"Bringing a group of crummy children into an upscale society was a problem initially," she says. "But I am thankful to the society's RWA for helping out. The RWA members delegated a security guard to lead the children to my tenth-floor flat."
She believes that nobody, and especially not children, deserve to live a life of such hardship. Being a full-time teacher, a responsible mother and a wife, Parhi stresses that it is her spirituality and life lessons that gave her the drive to embark upon this mission to educate. "It is my way of giving back to society. I am also thinking of taking things to the next level by getting these children admission into proper schools. I will do whatever I can for them," she says.
May the force be with you!
