Muslim children will not give bhiksha

During my year-long Desh Vandana-2007 all-India peace pilgrimage, I spent a week in Jammu and Kashmir. Wherever and whenever opportunities were given, I liked to address the High School students. Though my focus was on University and College students, I found the High School students to be more enthusiastic about my message of a 'Second Freedom Struggle for the social and moral freedoms that are yet to be won for India. They were also very generous with the 'one rupee bhiksha' that I sought from my audience at the end of my talk to meet the expenses of our traveling across the country calling for a Second Freedom Struggle to build a great new India free from hunger, caste and corruption. This particular School in Srinagar was under the management of a Muslim. Principal was a Christian. He warned me that the Muslim children will not give any 'bhiksha' to me as I looked like a 'Hindu Sanyasi: He even had his apprehensions about me addressing the students during their morning Assembly. However, after my 20 minutes talk to the students, I spread my hand towel on the table and requested for 'one rupee bhiksha' from them. There was few minutes of silence. The students were looking at each other. Then the 'Head-girl' walked fast with resolute steps towards the table, took out a Ten-Rupee note from her pocket and put it in my hand towel that was spread on the table. After that, she turned and walked towards me, gave me a pranam' with folded hands and went back to her place. There was a virtual stampede thereafter! From that Muslim School, I received the highest amount of money on that day in terms of 'one rupee bhiksha' that I ever received during the whole Desh Vandana-2007 ! Children are not yet prejudiced or judgmental. It is our own prejudiced minds that make us take things for granted and pass wrong judgments about others. There is inherent goodness in all of us, especially in our students and youth. This inherent goodness is the 'original blessing' that all of us have received from God in whose image and likeness we are created. Religions that teach people of their 'original sin' are often instrumental in making them prejudiced towards others by focusing on the 'inherent evil' in human nature.