Zubin Sharma | Live a life to be thankful for

Thanksgiving was a time for reflection. As we prepared to give thanks, we considered what we value in our lives.

Apart from food and shelter, material goods are generally not something we give thanks for on Thanksgiving. Instead, we focus on the intangibles — such as our sense of well being and the relationships in our lives that make us feel comfortable and fulfilled.

Yet, why is it that only on Thanksgiving we demonstrate and voice a more holistic definition of value? Once we depart from our families and step back on campus, we narrow our vision towards activities that are instrumentally valuable — that help us “get ahead” often at the expense of the people and activities that we find inherently valuable.

These intrinsically worthwhile activities, such as the arts, athletics and social service, become diversions that may prevent us from becoming successful along the limited material parameters that we set.

At the end of the summer, I decided to take a “risk.” I left Penn for a semester to work for the educational non-governmental organization — Pratham — in a village called Bishanpur in Bihar, India. I have enjoyed the experience not only in spite of, but also because of the material conditions. I have adjusted to sharing a bed and relieving myself in a putrid squat toilet or out in the field. I have learned to live with unpredictable electricity, among mice, rats and moles.

I do not mean to suggest that these conditions are more desirable than a cleaner, more stable environment, but these circumstances have allowed me to learn to slow down, find innovative solutions to daily uncertainties and focus on developing my conversations and relationships with others.

Additionally, I have been able to engage in work that helps promote the well-being of others. Villagers, knowing that I am here for social work, have mentioned various issues in their village, such as municipal waste, poor health facilities and low-quality education.

After reflecting on these conversations, I organized a meeting, in which I asked the villagers to discuss the main changes they want to see in the village, along with a potential plan for bringing about these changes.

Three ideas emerged: First, to improve government schools — where teacher absenteeism is rampant — by mobilizing the community and closely monitoring progress. Second, to organize a campaign to educate families that do not send their children to school about the benefits of schooling. This type of intervention has been shown to be the most cost-effective way to improve attendance. Finally, to close the gap between the wealthier children in the village, who pay for tutoring sessions twice per day, and the poorer children in the village who cannot afford such services, by opening a tutoring service for the poorest children that will cost a nominal 10 rupees, or about 20 United States cents, per month.

To coordinate these efforts, I have started an organization called SEEKHO, which means “learn” in Hindi. SEEKHO also serves as an acronym for the guiding principles behind our work: sustainability, education, empowerment, knowledge, hope and ownership. SEEKHO is trying to improve education at multiple levels — we want to get children into improved government schools and make sure that they enter school prepared to succeed. Our tutoring sessions will impart specific skills, such as basic literacy, numeracy and hygiene and sanitation, that will allow children, even if they are tragically forced to drop out, to make better decisions, avoid being cheated and avert costly illness.

Our hope is that these classes will do much beyond providing children with basic knowledge. We hope to use these classes as a channel to build self-esteem and confidence among lower castes and other marginalized groups that will allow them to succeed on their own at schools and prevent them from dropping out.

I have been working with my new friends and partners in this village to recreate the same conditions that allowed me to begin this journey in the first place. To instill a sense of confidence in young people, the same confidence that allowed me to step out of Penn for a semester to pursue this inherently valuable experience.

I have no idea whether this internship will help me land a prestigious corporate job, but I don’t care. This experience has yielded dividends that cannot be measured monetarily. Although Thanksgiving has come and gone, I urge you to hold on to a holistic understanding of what’s valuable in life. Try to allocate more time towards activities that you find inherently valuable, not just those that will help you succeed in on campus recruitment. If you do so, I guarantee you will be a richer person for it.

Zubin Sharma is a College senior from New York. He has taken the semester off to work in education and grassroots development in Bihar, India. His email address is zsharma@sas.upenn.edu.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.