11 year old B has recently started coming to our Manali library. He is shy and sincere. He arrives exactly at opening time, picks up a book of his choice and keeps reading attentively until closing time. He also borrows a book every day, to read at home.
B hardly ever talks, except yesterday, when he poured his heart out. He opened up about how his family, which has recently migrated from Nepal, has been struggling to make ends meet. His father works as a daily wage laborer despite his chronic back pain. His mother worries constantly that they may not be able to go to school anytime soon. He spoke about how hard it has been because when they first arrived here, they were staying at a cousin’s place, who would sometimes bully him. And that he didn’t want to share his worries and feelings with anyone, because he didn’t want anyone to be stressed on his account.
We then talked about journaling – how he could write as a medium to vent his worries. And that as an 11 year old, his primary responsibility was to focus on his own well-being and study well. As heartbreaking as it was to have this conversation with him, I know that it helped. He smiled at the end and said ‘मेरा मन खुल गया’.
Most children that we cater to at Let’s Open a Book don’t have a safe space to seek guidance or simply talk about their feelings. The child in this photo isn’t B, but it reminds me of another time when I had a difficult conversation with a child.