I felt blest to be at Sacred Heart - after almost 3 years of being relieved from its offices formally, still sacred in my heart - almost by accident - only to bid farewell to my erstwhile colleague and former student, Sreejith the meek and humble of heart, almost like Jesus. He had been our Quality Cell Officer for the past 13 years. Also Rakhi, our student counsellor and life partner of Sreejith. She has been with us for past 8 years or so. The duo make me proud of my profession, as they succeeded in showing what I deem as the professionalism of Social Workers, the ability to produce not only skilled work, but spirited work as well, with voluntarism at their beck and call in each of the tasks undertaken. I am sure the campus, the staff and the students will miss them. I hope they will flourish, flower and fructify in their land of better promises, and also be the ambassadors of heartian goodwill, strengthening the heartian world wide web of AASH in Canada! May the Sacred Heart reward them for all the good they had done, and for all the goodness they have shown. Good luck, good friends.
The informal gathering had the present IQAC team, 3 former IQAC directors, and a former principal. The present principal is away building international relations. Many express the impressions Sreejith (and Rakhi) made on them - all positive. Sreejith, the dogged, determined, never-say-no, perceptive, skilled, silent multitasker - old Indira Gandhi school? Kam baat Adhik Mehnat!
Coming from the land of Ram (200 kms away from Ayodhya) and residing at Sitapur, I connected them easily with the maryada purushottam Sri Ram and Maa Sita. Sreejith approaches me and asks: I have a plan to formally seek the consent of Rakhi involving the families concerned to get married with her. Would there be any problem if this is through for us to continue in the college? He told that if the college norms were against it, he could think of quitting. I responded after pondering over the issue that as such there were no such norms, nor did I have any objection to it, but would respond after consulting the management. We usually do not appoint a husband and wife team in our institutions. When I shared the matter with my superiors they also didn't feel anything amiss in that. Just to indicate the delicateness and refinement Sreejith exhibited in matters concerning one's self. Sreejith to all of us, including Rakhi, is the saatwikan - niswan! The one who goes about unperturbed by the changes in the elements, one who keeps self away in engagements - to me, that his self, relishing even though unawares being a saatwik, a niswan!
Rakhi in no way was to be outdone - she excelled in her own way. Initiating orientation to mental health for the new comers, assessing their status using formats, and not completely forgetting her athletic orientation in long distance run, contributing her mite in creating a supportive culture for marathons, albeit in the form of volunteering for the event than actually running.
Rakhi makes it clear that it was nothing of a love affair on the campus (not that there was anything wrong in that per se), but a planned, systematic, goal-oriented decision (just as Social Work would be).
The duo exhibited the versatility, pliability and genuineness that is expected to be part of professional social work. Some people feel they were underpaid, or they could get better paid else where etc. Perhaps true. Some people feel they couldn't practise professional social work. Regarding this, I am not in agreement at all. I think they put to good use the minimum inputs they had received during their training of planning, monitoring, evaluating, listening and responding to, research skills etc. It is perhaps many maintain a very stereotypical concept regarding what social work is all about. To me, give any domain of human engagement, that is a social work arena.
IQAC gives them a huge plaque (rather well designed) - to a person like me, adding to the waste dump! They could have been offered some additional money, instead, and perhaps, given a paper citation, which they could have scanned or even otherwise carried along. I don't know, perhaps, they cherished it.
There was lunch followed at the 'Rendezvous' (in the initial days, our very erudite staff would pronounce it, (and why not), rendezvauz!) but I have many things to manage and I skip that.
I wish them all good!
jug jug jiyen - siya raam ki tarah!
Sreejith's gift to all who were involved - the pictures linked to them from the 3 or 4 TB storage (also from google), using profile scanner, sorted and sent to each of them concerned! As would Zimba say: mind iz blowing!!
Evergreen salute, good young friend(s)!
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