I was recently discussing about the Mayurbhanj experiment with an old school friend of mine with whom I had lost touch for almost a decade. Discussion somehow took a distinct turn as it was difficult to make any new person understand " what it takes to build community enterprises" and he very affectionately asked me "jab wahan log hindi nahin samajhte achche se and tum oriya bol nahin paate toh tum unhe collective enterprise banane ke liye convince kaise karte ho".(when people there don;t understand hindi fully and u cannot speak oriya, how do u convince them for forming collective enterprise). I wanted to explain him poverty statistics and other stuff why this area needs an intervention and how we are attempting it but then looked at my watch and told him and that i'll call him in the evening with little more time at my disposal.
Evening I returned back and as always "those two eyes with a smiling face" were waiting for me at the varandah of my landlord. I was somehow in different mood because of problems with the cooperative and I tried to ignore the presence "those two eyes with smiling face" and marched straight way upstairs to my room. She started beating the varandah mini gate. I continued my flight upstairs, removed the lock and by that time it appeared as if mini door at the varandah will break down if she is not taken to my room. Her request or rather order was obeyed and finally there she was in my room, giggling as if she is now in heaven , opened my bag, struggling with pen to become Oscar Wilde on my notebook, taking out the laptop charger and inserting the opposite end in the USB port and finally when she didnt find me taking note of any of her mischiefs, she was there right in front of me. She started uttering something which even best of the best language translators cannot decipher, dont know why but I heard her very patiently. Those cluttered words spoke vividly how eagerly she was waiting for my arrival, how angry she was when I ignored her and didnt bring to my room and how happy she was when she could get the chance to play around with my stuff. I took her outside and showed the traditional "chanda mama",a "bhow bhow" and narrated some kindergarten poem and she responded with a sweet smile as if she understood everything I spoke.
Now there it was ....answer to my friends query. This girl who is barely year and a half who perhaps doesn't understand her mother tongue oriya leave apart hindi feels so happy and waits for a person who is very knew to her and listens and speaks a language which neither of us understand..but then there is a bond which is beyond things called rationality ...which perhaps makes people "feel" that this person is a friend of mine and is speaking something which is good and closely related to me..perhaps there are words which resonate a conviction, a faith and trust..perhaps there is something in the eyes which translate the intentions and a smile which bridges the gap of language. I clearly remember Prof Channiwala said, during one of our evening walks around the college campus, "Beta, if this innocent child like smile can be preserved till death bed, we have lived a successful life". I am not too sure whether that 'innocent child like smile" is still preserved but then whenever in village meetings or now with representative body meetings I speak, I feel a connectedness in the eyes of the people there, now when I have started understanding Oriya and started inserting oriya words in my hindi sentences this connectedness is further improving. Ofcourse to satisfy the rationale thinker, I ensure that after I speak, one of the field staff's translate the stuff in Oriya as well.
Oh yes..."The two eyes with a smile and nothing else" !!
