Our Search for the Right Tutors

 It was a quiet and pleasant Sunday summer afternoon. The entire team of TLI had gathered at Puja and Kunal’s house for conversations over brunch. The verandah was alive with the mellowed notes of classical music and the aroma of home-cooked food. While the general ambiance was that of hope and zeal, the conversations that interspersed the music had a slightly earnest tone in comparison.

The divergence was not coincidental; there was a reason behind it. The conversation concerned ensuring that every student taken under the wing of the program received the best possible all-around education—and that included not only quality education at school, but also the possible tutor outside of school.

The reason was quite straightforward but an important one nevertheless—while the school teachers were doing a perfect job at ensuring development at school, the kids needed help with preparing for the competitive exams they had to take to realize their dreams.

A major concern when looking for tutors was ensuring its vicinity to the kids' home. Time has always been of the essence—every second counts, especially for these kids. Therefore, the closer they were, the better. Another important and perhaps the most significant concern was the tutors themselves—their nature, and willingness to join hands with the cause, and make it their own.

So engrossed was everybody that none realized where the time went and when the sky above their heads turned from a bright shade of blue to a somber violet. Feeling energized and hopeful by how the conversation had fared, everybody said their goodbyes and took their leaves, more resolute toward the cause than ever before.