6 January 2003, 12:32am IST
Kiran Bedi
Annual sports functions are quite similar in the choice of events and the manner in which they are conducted. But the one I attended recently was different, for purely personal reasons. While viewing the events, my mind began exploring and searching for hidden messages behind each performance. I wondered whether the children and their parents, for whom all this was being enacted, were aware of the spirit behind the sporting events. Could it be that the teachers, who conceptualised and organised the events, deliberately structured them in such a way as to make the participants more aware persons? I had no prepared speech; so I decided to take the children on an internal journey. After I thanked the school authorities for inviting me, I asked the students, did they really want to hear a speech? “Yes,” they chorused. I said: ‘‘In that case, you will need to come close to me to be in eye contact.’’ This meant children who were spread out in the field would need to move closer. And they did. The students and I were now in eye contact. I was standing on a platform which was four feet high. To begin with, I made them all sit up and asked them to say “Jai Hind”. I then asked them if they would like to take home a treasure. At first, they responded in a cautious manner as they did not know what I meant. I asked them again if I could offer them a treasure to take home and keep forever. They said: “Yes”. ‘‘Then listen to me carefully and look at me,” I said. I asked them if they knew there was a hidden treasure in all the events which they had performed that morning. I said: ‘‘You began with a display of karate. Do you know what it means?” They all replied: ‘‘Self-defence!’’ ‘‘Of course, but what more?’’ I asked. They looked at me, puzzled. I explained to them that karate gave them courage, fitness, self-sufficiency and self-dependence, all of which is crucial for self-defence. ‘‘You do not practise karate only for self-defence — in the process, you learn courage, physical fitness, confidence and self-sufficiency which then enable you to defend yourself ably. Self-defence is not just a physical act, it is your whole self — your mind, your body and your spirit,” I said to them. Did they understand what I was trying to say? Some, apparently, did understand the larger dimensions of learning. I then moved on to the next treasure I thought they could carry home. I referred to the march past and asked them if they knew why was it so good. I told them what I thought. It was because they had all rehearsed together for many days as a team with a leader who was the best amongst them. They obeyed the right commands with trust and respect. They were focused. They were not absent-minded. So what is the treasure, I asked them. The children came up with various answers: Practice, teamwork, leadership, concentration, hard work... On a lighter note, I asked them if they knew why their parents had lost the tug-of-war game to the teachers. “Is it because you all rooted for them or was it because teachers were united and cohesive?’’ I asked. ‘‘Unity,” they chorused. I went on to tell them that when we all work together with a plan, we prepare, rehearse and are focused, so we can succeed. School sporting events are, in fact, symbolic of the values we need to follow in our lives. These are not rituals; they are demonstrations that inculcate right values in us from childhood, to be nurtured and integrated. And it is this aspect which children need to be told about. This could be an interesting and inspiring resolve with which to begin the new year — to look beyond events and happenings to understand the real meaning of life, and so add value to our lives.
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