| Sabi- Born Leader |
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Name: Sabi
Age: Around 8
Home town: Kollam, (South Kerala)
Parents : Salim, who works in a cashew nut factory; mother remarried to escape the physical abuse and trauma.
How he reached here: He was rescued from the streets where he was forced to beg by his alcoholic father to make money for his daily dose of booze and drugs. Now he is studying in class I and is trying to build his future block by block.
Vivacious and sprightly, I could see streaks of leadership qualities in this thin frame right from the word 'go'. The go-getter in Sabi volunteered to distribute the toffees and goodies I had taken for the kids . I was amazed to note that he made sure that everyone got their share, calling out names, he doled out the share of each and every one of them in no time. He was good at trouble shooting as well; he brokered a truce when two boys had a verbal dual on the color of the balloons they each got. Sabi stepped in to solve the issue by giving his own red balloon that the other boy wanted. I saw that these boys have a large heart and a willingness to care and share unlike the kids of the affluent families, who tend to be selfish and greedy.
He hardly stands out in a crowd- a small framed boy with indistinct features. The boy next door image is only enhanced by his bright purple tee shirt that appeared a shade bigger for him. His body is smeared with dust that he might have kicked up during a bout of frenzied action on field. Though he is too small for being the captain of the group, I spotted a leader in the making in this confident chap.
In between our conversation, he was taking short breaks to attend to his daily chores like folding the dried clothes and watering the plants. He also likes to play football and cricket in his free time. Before taking leave, I came up with my stereotype query about his future aspirations. Pat came the reply from this tiny tot' I want to be a doctor'. He was all ears as I talked about the nobility of this profession, and the unbeatable status tag that goes with it.Suddenly his gaze fell on a helicopter that was hovering above the back waters and spontaneously he told me that pilot would be a better option as he can virtually touch the clouds! This reminded me of the famous quote on kids, which summed up my thoughts about this little master.
“Adults are always asking little kids what they want to be when they grow up because they're looking for ideas”!
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