It can be traumatic for 14 years old boy to watch his mother breathe her last. In fact, it’s a painful experience to lose a parent forever. In such a situation, schools must teach students to offer condolence, prayer and support to a destitute friend. Being Bhutanese is being spiritually connected.
On an early misty Monday morning, I was playing basketball alone when Sonam staggered to school. He appeared distraught, eyes tears and gho shabbily dressed.
“Why did you come this early?” I enquired, doubting his strange appearance.
He mumbled in a tired words, “Mother passed away, sir. Mother passed away.”
I was aghast. “What!” I didn’t anticipate a ghastly news first thing in the morning.
“Really? Aren’t you lying?” I prodded.
“No sir. She passed away before my eyes at three today morning.” His boldness of his darkest news severed my doubt.
I held him and said sorry. “ You should have stayed home. Why did you come?”
“Sir I came to seek leave and take my books.” This hurt me even more. His dedication to study and adherence to school rule was steadfast.
“ You should not have come here. Go now. Take your books and go. Don’t worry about leave. We will be there.” I motivated him, and he returned in a jiffy.
This is the first incident for the year, and I hope it never happens to others.
When Sonam, a class VII student, lost her mother a week ago, all 350 students came together to offer condolence of Nu. 3980 to their friend. Every student contributed Nu. 10 or little more for their friend’s family. This is a revival and infusion of intrinsic Bhutanese tradition that connects a village when tragedy happens to a family.
This is what is enshrined in our school policy, to teach values of compassion and bondage as a family of students in the school.
Upon sharing about the demise of parents of our student in Parent’s Telegram Group, some parents were driven by kindness and pain about the irreparable loss for the child. Some of them, send contributions to commiserate the unfortunate, strengthening our belief that there are parents who cannot wait to provide some support. Twelve parents offered Nu. 7500, and it was an overwhelming surprise.
If this is how we revive the lives our grand parents lived, to reach out to the weak and the sick, unfortunate and the distraught, we are more humane than we are unbecoming today.
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