a 20-17 I was sitting in the audience
excited and nervous
there were 23 children who were
performing for the first time in their
life and they had prepared this entire
performance within seven days the the
costumes were white there was masks and
they’d rock the rock the dance floor
under UV lights the moves are not really
in sync but what was definitely in sync
was their energy and the spirit while
nothing was unusual about this
performance except there was one thing
amar
the lead dance performer of this group
three years ago he was arrested for
murder he came to Bombay to make an
honest living and support his family one
night he and his friend got drunk and
got into a fight into an argument before
Amer knew he had killed his person what
happened next is very obvious he was
arrested he was sent to the observation
home he spent six months there after
which he was sent and committed to a
special home for children children who
commit crimes he this is what happened
in terms of the system but what also
happened is that his father disowned him
his own village his own community
labeled him as criminal and ostracized
him at the age of 18 when amar was
released nothing changed when he had
paid his dues as per the system as for
the law nothing changed for him his
father still did not take him back the
first time I visited the children’s home
there were 150 to 200 kids locked up in
one long room and this is a children’s
home that houses abandoned kids missing
kids vulnerable runaway rescued rescued
from child labor and trafficking these
were children all
locked up in that one long room without
any adult care what I saw was that a
really motivated superintendent and
extremely hard-working probation
officers were only struggling to provide
them the basics the food the clothing
the shelter they were not even thinking
about the emotional support they were
not even able to think about what is the
condition I can create so that this
child doesn’t return back to crime how
can I restore him and heal him amar is
not the only one in my five years of
working with these children are in many
such cases children are victims of their
circumstances for amar his father was
abusive and alcoholic and poverty was a
big big reason for Ravi his parents died
at the age of six his brother got him to
Bombay he lived with his aunt and every
time the child made a mistake when he
was young he was made to stick sleep
outside on the road he was not allowed
inside he was not allowed in his own
home of course a child like that is
angry he’s hurt he’s isolated he’s
lonely there is a mentor of mine called
John Malloy he once said hurt people
hurt people and healed people heal
people if you’ve heard of this Cherokee
story this is an old Native American
story of how there are two wolves inside
us the old grandfather tells his son
grandson that there are two wolves
inside us one that’s a good wolf he’s
loved his compassion his humility his
forgiveness he’s all the good things
that we are and the other one is the bad
wolf his anger his ego he’s greed his
frustration he’s all of those things and
we and the two voles are constantly at
war within each one of us the little kid
asked the grandfather which wolf will
win
and the old man simply replied the one
who you feed basically what I learned
from the story is that there are good
people there is there’s good and bad in
each one of us and this and what John
Malloy taught me is to focus on the good
and to amplify that for this children
restaurant of justice begins by choosing
to be responsible for the impact our
actions have on others so what we do is
create powerful practices that empower
children to take responsibilities of not
only their crimes but also their life
these this is green fence to volunteers
who wanted to come and create a urban
garden they wanted to grow vegetables
what happened actually in one year is
that an infertile ground of this closed
home in Matunga definitely became a lush
green vegetable garden but what also
they did was they created a safe space a
space where children could express
themselves they were not judged they
were being themselves and they could
actually access that good within them so
what I’m trying to say is that green
friends is not just a vocational
training program or skills program a
project it is actually a family it is
the family where children are
experiencing real relationships and
that’s what children need genuine
relationships and connections with
adults who will stand by them when they
are growing up and facing the challenges
of growing up what I feel is that
children need positive role models they
need adults who they can look up to and
say I want to be this person
that’s what disappointed his army
honored he’s a hair stylist by
profession and what he does is every
Tuesday which is actually his off day he
goes to the home and gives haircut to
all the boys who want haircuts what he
actually does is he talks to talks to
the kid he listens to
stories and he tells them what does it
mean to be a hair stylist what does it
mean to be a hair stylist and get those
skills when they step out of the home
he’s also trained a few boys to cut hair
and actually some of the boys want to be
hairstylist when they get out and
actually what is really happening is we
are humanizing this place by bringing
the outside world inside we are really
humanizing this place this place and
telling them that there is a different
word outside let me tell you what
happened with amar and Ravi the two
stories I shared before am i right now
after he was released works at a bakery
my friends bakery he owns honest living
of 7,000 rupees and his employer my
friend actually called me and said he’s
great he communicates well he’s honest
and he’s hardworking he needs a little
bit of hand-holding but you guys have
trained him well but you know what she
did not know that we had nothing to do
in this we really did not train him it
was him who had these values we only
created a space that he could see them
we created a space where he could see
his own good booth I’m not suggesting
that we need to let these boys go I’m
not suggesting that we don’t need to
hold them accountable I’m not saying
that we you know should not do anything
about them and that we should not be
angry when we see a crime story or we
should not we should all forgive them
I’m not saying any of that all I’m
saying is that we need to reach out to
the good wolf in each of these kids
before they are released back into
society we need to really work with
these children heal them because they’re
hurt they’re hurt individuals and we
really need to heal them and I think we
need to heal them because when they get
out in the society we don’t want them to
go back into a life of crime what we
actually want them is to become thriving
contributing citizens of this country so
next time when you come across a child
on the streets a beggar somebody
sniffing solution
a crime story that is sensational I
request you and I invite you to actually
go deeper and see that good wolf that
possibility that potential in that child
to be a good person I don’t I feel like
these children definitely need to be
given a second chance
because every young child no matter how
angry matters they are our children of
the future thank you
excited and nervous
there were 23 children who were
performing for the first time in their
life and they had prepared this entire
performance within seven days the the
costumes were white there was masks and
they’d rock the rock the dance floor
under UV lights the moves are not really
in sync but what was definitely in sync
was their energy and the spirit while
nothing was unusual about this
performance except there was one thing
amar
the lead dance performer of this group
three years ago he was arrested for
murder he came to Bombay to make an
honest living and support his family one
night he and his friend got drunk and
got into a fight into an argument before
Amer knew he had killed his person what
happened next is very obvious he was
arrested he was sent to the observation
home he spent six months there after
which he was sent and committed to a
special home for children children who
commit crimes he this is what happened
in terms of the system but what also
happened is that his father disowned him
his own village his own community
labeled him as criminal and ostracized
him at the age of 18 when amar was
released nothing changed when he had
paid his dues as per the system as for
the law nothing changed for him his
father still did not take him back the
first time I visited the children’s home
there were 150 to 200 kids locked up in
one long room and this is a children’s
home that houses abandoned kids missing
kids vulnerable runaway rescued rescued
from child labor and trafficking these
were children all
locked up in that one long room without
any adult care what I saw was that a
really motivated superintendent and
extremely hard-working probation
officers were only struggling to provide
them the basics the food the clothing
the shelter they were not even thinking
about the emotional support they were
not even able to think about what is the
condition I can create so that this
child doesn’t return back to crime how
can I restore him and heal him amar is
not the only one in my five years of
working with these children are in many
such cases children are victims of their
circumstances for amar his father was
abusive and alcoholic and poverty was a
big big reason for Ravi his parents died
at the age of six his brother got him to
Bombay he lived with his aunt and every
time the child made a mistake when he
was young he was made to stick sleep
outside on the road he was not allowed
inside he was not allowed in his own
home of course a child like that is
angry he’s hurt he’s isolated he’s
lonely there is a mentor of mine called
John Malloy he once said hurt people
hurt people and healed people heal
people if you’ve heard of this Cherokee
story this is an old Native American
story of how there are two wolves inside
us the old grandfather tells his son
grandson that there are two wolves
inside us one that’s a good wolf he’s
loved his compassion his humility his
forgiveness he’s all the good things
that we are and the other one is the bad
wolf his anger his ego he’s greed his
frustration he’s all of those things and
we and the two voles are constantly at
war within each one of us the little kid
asked the grandfather which wolf will
win
and the old man simply replied the one
who you feed basically what I learned
from the story is that there are good
people there is there’s good and bad in
each one of us and this and what John
Malloy taught me is to focus on the good
and to amplify that for this children
restaurant of justice begins by choosing
to be responsible for the impact our
actions have on others so what we do is
create powerful practices that empower
children to take responsibilities of not
only their crimes but also their life
these this is green fence to volunteers
who wanted to come and create a urban
garden they wanted to grow vegetables
what happened actually in one year is
that an infertile ground of this closed
home in Matunga definitely became a lush
green vegetable garden but what also
they did was they created a safe space a
space where children could express
themselves they were not judged they
were being themselves and they could
actually access that good within them so
what I’m trying to say is that green
friends is not just a vocational
training program or skills program a
project it is actually a family it is
the family where children are
experiencing real relationships and
that’s what children need genuine
relationships and connections with
adults who will stand by them when they
are growing up and facing the challenges
of growing up what I feel is that
children need positive role models they
need adults who they can look up to and
say I want to be this person
that’s what disappointed his army
honored he’s a hair stylist by
profession and what he does is every
Tuesday which is actually his off day he
goes to the home and gives haircut to
all the boys who want haircuts what he
actually does is he talks to talks to
the kid he listens to
stories and he tells them what does it
mean to be a hair stylist what does it
mean to be a hair stylist and get those
skills when they step out of the home
he’s also trained a few boys to cut hair
and actually some of the boys want to be
hairstylist when they get out and
actually what is really happening is we
are humanizing this place by bringing
the outside world inside we are really
humanizing this place this place and
telling them that there is a different
word outside let me tell you what
happened with amar and Ravi the two
stories I shared before am i right now
after he was released works at a bakery
my friends bakery he owns honest living
of 7,000 rupees and his employer my
friend actually called me and said he’s
great he communicates well he’s honest
and he’s hardworking he needs a little
bit of hand-holding but you guys have
trained him well but you know what she
did not know that we had nothing to do
in this we really did not train him it
was him who had these values we only
created a space that he could see them
we created a space where he could see
his own good booth I’m not suggesting
that we need to let these boys go I’m
not suggesting that we don’t need to
hold them accountable I’m not saying
that we you know should not do anything
about them and that we should not be
angry when we see a crime story or we
should not we should all forgive them
I’m not saying any of that all I’m
saying is that we need to reach out to
the good wolf in each of these kids
before they are released back into
society we need to really work with
these children heal them because they’re
hurt they’re hurt individuals and we
really need to heal them and I think we
need to heal them because when they get
out in the society we don’t want them to
go back into a life of crime what we
actually want them is to become thriving
contributing citizens of this country so
next time when you come across a child
on the streets a beggar somebody
sniffing solution
a crime story that is sensational I
request you and I invite you to actually
go deeper and see that good wolf that
possibility that potential in that child
to be a good person I don’t I feel like
these children definitely need to be
given a second chance
because every young child no matter how
angry matters they are our children of
the future thank you
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