The story so far:The hailstones destroyed their crop. They decide to be positive and replant.
“We need more players,” said their cousin, Rudra. “It’s boring to play cricket this way.” He threw down his bat. They were in the backyard.
“Where are the other kids?” asked Dharti.
“Nobody wants to play with you,” said Rudra, in his matter of fact tone.
“Why is that? We play cricket well,” said Akash puzzled.
“It’s not that. The kids don’t speak any English, they are shy.”
“Well, I am shy too,” said Dharti. “Everything is new for me. I am just learning Kannada.”
Akash was upset. It was hard to make friends.
“I’m only playing with you, because Ajji promised me rava laddoos if I do,” he added making them feel worse.
Exchange students
That night, Akash and Dharti went to bed feeling miserable. When Akash was packing his bag for school the next day, he spotted a book on the table — LearnKannada in 30 Days. It gave him an idea.
“I know! Let’s start an exchange programme — learn English and Kannada class. We can teach each other,” he said excitedly.
“I think it’s a stupid idea,” said Rudra, when asked. “Nobody wants to sit in a class after school.” He picked up his bat and wickets and left. “Ajji’s laddoos are over. I will come when she makes a new batch.”
The idea was great. Akash put up a flyer in the school. The teacher was delighted and gave them pens and paper. Ajji spoke to some parents.
Slowly kids began to trickle in. The class was held under a tree. They practised sounds, told stories, and sang songs. Ajji and other adults chipped in when they had time.
Every evening sounds of A for Apple, B for Ball alongside … a, aa, e, ee rent the air. Some children came up with a dance to learn the Kannada alphabets. The adults were impressed.
“I want to be a teacher too, after all I know both English and Kannada,” said Rudra. He was feeling left out. He turned out to be a good teacher — a natural. Everyone began to converse in English and Kannada. Mistakes were made. But it was fun.
And the best part of the class was that, it always ended with games.
To be continued...
