While we are setting up the Christmas tree and a crib, to recreate the setting and mood of the birth of baby Jesus in a manger, we could not pull our eyes from the scene in the catbox home designed by little Varun for the mother cats. The big papa cat Pum with his large bushy tail, was sprawled at the edge, with the mama cat, Cheetu, resting on his large body on one side taking comfort in his presence while the new born kittens suckled on their mothers bosom. And one could not ignore the group of our community classroom children patiently working around the table making embroidered pieces, doodling on found shells, origami Christmas trees, rattles from found seed pods, etc. The Christmas scene seemed complete with all of this happening around us. The spirit of love, care, safety, were palpable in this one large room. The key ingredients for nurturing new born babies and young minds.
Baby Jesus thrived under the care of his parents Mary and Joseph. He was first taken far away to be born in a safe environment. He was born in a natural environment with animals watching over him. He was born in much simplicity and humility, grew up assisting his father in carpentry and helping his mother in everyday chores. This led to him growing into an adult full of empathy, gentleness, who upheld the values of truth and righteousness till the day he died on the cross.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
The new kittens too thrived in the care of Cheetu and Pum. The mother cat would be round the clock watching over them when they were playing or exploring the yard and sleep blissfully when they were esconsed in her bosom. She would play with them teaching them how to hunt, escape and dominate. And then at the end of day, they would all rush to papa pum for a cuddle! They are growing to be loving, people friendly and super hunters of mice. The garden space was earlier dominated by the yard dogs who would not let any other species survive be it birds, frogs or snakes. The cats have tamed them to be gentle and patient with sharing space with others. The kittens are learning the same.
The children of the community classroom too thrived in the safe learning home environment in the village of Taleigao. When we first started the community classroom, the earliest group of children from the neighbourhood were facing the flak from many for being rogue, dirty and goonda types. We did nothing, but simply opened up our shared space with all the children – privileged and others with less privileges. We shared our time, earnings and material possessions with them with no prejudice. We loved and cared for each one of them. We also impressed upon them key values of truthfulness, kindness, honesty, trust and hard work by practising these in our day to day lives and whilst we engaged with them. We allowed them to learn by doing, exploring and making. We cooked together and many a times camped together!
We also shared our large family of pets with them. They felt free to hug, roll on the carpet or cuddle with them. This helped them build an emotional bond with them, they became more sensitive to the needs of the pets.
Each of the children’s families adopted us in return inviting us into their homes and partake into their festivals and family celebrations. The more privileged kids who were being fostered under our care as they were sent for phone quarantine, learnt to do all routine house duties. They learnt to replace time spent on devices playing games with physical exercise and reading. Getting up early to plant seeds and make vegetable beds in the fields of Taleigao, harvesting fresh tambdi bhajji and ipomea aquatica growing wild on the periphery of the fresh water ponds and growing herbs in pots became a routine. During weekly reflections each child was able to share and express how these experiences had made them better and how they felt enriched emotionally. Today many of our children are great ambassadors. They have excelled in the courses they were mentored to choose and are now working responsibly. Some are making an effort to complete their academics, when there was a time they had almost given up. Some have discovered their skill in making products and now are on the path to becoming entrepreneurs. Some are pushing at their potential as artists and are soon going to work on small mural projects commissioned to the team.
Children teach us many things too. We learnt to sleep on the floor together, swim and dive in the lake with abandon, make friends with crocodiles, snakes and monitor lizards while trekking in wild neighbourhoods and jump from rocky outcrops into hidden coves along the beach. We learnt to catch mud crabs from small rocky islands and roast them on found firewood under the night sky. We learnt to relish wild kanna, chunna, jamun, wild jackfruit and gontams (small sweet mangoes) on our outdoor learning excursions. We learnt to be more and more close to nature. We learnt to shed the layers of materialism and entitlement. We felt lighter, free and childlike in return.
Christmas is a time to reflect and truly understand the potential and responsibility we have as adults, teachers and parents to nurture children. Like Joseph and Mary. Love, care and giving can change us to be better. This practice is not a one off action. That is easy to do. But what is required is continued practice from the time a child is born to his or her growth as an adult and beyond. And that may seem difficult but not impossible. Let this Christmas nurture us all.
(Tallulah D’Silva is an
Architect and silver awardee of the Golden
Door Award 2020 for
truth and integrity.)
