Recently the school has faced some trouble with the approach road. A few weeks back the owner of an adjoining plot of land claimed that part of the dirt road leading to the school belonged to him and thus he would not allow the children to pass. This, after 18 years of it being used as a thoroughfare. Unfortunately, to show his prowess, he used miscreants to dig a trench in the road one morning, thus blocking the children from entering the school premises. Padmini & Ram, along with the teachers of the school tried to talk to him and make him see reason, but his response was a stream of verbal obscenities.

Soon, the Panchayat head, local police and our most dependable trustee, David Thomas arrived on the scene. The teachers made calls to as many parents of the children as they could and it was amazing to hear about the solidarity displayed by the parents. Each and every child’s parents were there in a short span of time. They sat in silent dharna at the junction of the dirt road as the govt officials tried to control the miscreants.

Finally, with the immovable, silent protest of the parents, the calm logic of David Thomas and the stern admonitions of the Panchayat head and the police, the miscreants were made to refill the trench and allow use of the dirt road to the children and residents of that stretch until an official verdict is announced. David Thomas was a real hero that day. What would we do without his strong and sensible support! We also take our hats off to the courage and steadfastness of Padmini & Ram who faced it all without bending or breaking.

Of course, every dark cloud has a silver lining. In this instance, the silver lining was so bright that it made the dark cloud fade away. We are referring here to the support, faith and unity displayed by our teachers, students and the parents. They proved beyond doubt that the true success of a school and the holistic growth of a child can only happen when the triangle of parent-teacher-student is complete and strong.