From Stranger to Akka: Where my Journey Began

I still remember the nerves I felt as I walked into the classroom and met the kids for the first time. This had always been my little lifelong dream – to work with the underprivileged communities, to help with their education, and to make a real impact.

And as a 15-year-old at that time, I was unsure of what to expect. It was my first time working with an organisation, and I was the youngest in the group at that time.

And nothing would’ve prepared me for how deeply this would shape my views on life.

It was a huge, fancy classroom at the TAPMI Institution, Manipal and the kids were taken there for the grand rehearsal of our first event Saksham. The moment the kids saw me, who, at the time was an absolute stranger to them, stood up from their seats and wished me.

This was my first impression of them, and to this day, it has stayed with me.

All of them were very keen to know about me and they all addressed me as ‘Akka’ which means ‘elder sister’ in Kannada. Despite the fact that some of them were of my own age, they still gave me the same respect they would've given to any other member of our team.

They were all dressed in their best outfits, as it would've been their first such outing to a place like this. Their excitement and curiosity were very much evident on their faces.

That day, we prepared them for their upcoming spell bee competition by giving them a mock quiz, and I was honestly so impressed at how they could spell some pretty hard english words and I was also really impressed at my team for having done such a good job. We also had the final rehearsal of the group dances and the choir. After all of it, we bought them snacks and refreshments and they didn't even waste a bit of it.

Later on, we polished off the day with a fun group picture and got into the bus to take them home.

Inside the bus, I saw a whole different version of them. All those well-behaved, quiet kids turned into wild little hurricanes, singing made-up songs at the top of their lungs and dancing their hearts out. This went on to a point where they had to be yelled at, to finally sit down and prevent them from falling down. But that didn't faze them. A few little scoldings did not kill their spirits.

They were the jolliest group of kids I've ever met.

I walked in with a million different questions, doubts and possibilities. But when I walked out, it felt simple. Out of the thousand things I've learnt from them over these past years, one of them would be, that life isn't always as complicated as it seems. We are the ones who are complicating it. The happiness I saw on their faces after that small bus ride to a nearby university is something I wouldn't ever have even if I earn a trip to Kashmir. They taught me to appreciate the smallest of things. And how that would make our lives so much simpler.

The kids never forgot me after that. I slowly blended into a family of our own. The event went amazing, everybody gave their best. I also realised the kids are never really as well mannered as I thought they were, and I started to adopt and like their chaos (not always).

Since that day, I have always been their ‘Deepika Akka’ and they have loved and cared for me endlessly. That experience became my first step in my journey of social service, and it is something I will hold on to forever.

And they have shown me that, love is not always perfect, but it is genuine.

-Deepika