In Bandu's shoes

Three years ago, I thought that the way to save the world was through visiting poor countries and building houses, playing with orphans, and promoting American Culture as the antidote to poverty and suffering. Since then, I have gone through a shift in consciousness that has made me realize that just because I am an American who comes from a privileged background does not mean that I have all of the answers to fix the problems of the world.

Visiting India when I was 15, I knew that I would be witnessing poverty and class oppression. I went to rural Bangalore and stayed at an anti-caste high school named Bapagrama that was started in 1949 at the suggestion of Mahatma Ghandi to educate the Dalit (meaning oppressed) children of Bangalore. I hoped to go to India, teach some English, help some teenagers turn their future around, and help them be prepared for a job that would break the cycle of poverty in their family. Little did I know that while I was going to India to teach others, I would return with a whole new perspective on the world. I did not realize then that poverty is caused by multiple complex factors; many of which I could not fully understand at that time. I now know that poverty is caused by racism, social inequality, and lack of proper education.

I befriended a 12 year old student named Bandu during my first summer at Bapagrama. Like many adult men in the community, Bandu's father is an alcoholic. When I returned in the summer of my 16th year, I had discovered that Bandus father was now paralyzed for life as the result of an alcohol related accident. The weight and burdens of the family are now carried by Bandu, who has to balance school, a job, and housework. Bandu has a pair of broken flip flops that are his only shoes, but he still manages to walk two miles to get to and from school, never missing a day. He communicates with me in almost flawless English, despite the fact that he learns English for only one hour a day. What inspires me the most about him is that he still has the ability to light up the room when he walks in. He is always singing Michael Jackson songs and making the people around him laugh.

It is so easy to live life with blinders on, unable to see the beauty and the potential in the people who live in "third world countries". Perhaps we are wrong to assume that the only way to help them is to give them immediate relief by supplying food and shelter. The children that I have encountered and befriended during my stays in India have all of the potential in the world. In fact, I have discovered that they have become my teachers, and it has been my privilege to receive far more from them than I could ever have imagined.

Any grammatical errors or anything, please point out. Thanks so much :)