Safar Zindagi Ka (Ep 5) – A Beginner’s Mindset

Event Date: 9th July 2024 

Once again, the fifth episode of “Safar Zindagi Ka” featured another staff member, Mr. Azim Naik, a probation officer. He has been recently promoted from the role of a housemaster to a probation officer. As a housemaster (similar to a warden), he would actively interact with the children. Different children had a different relation with him, but most of them knew him well. I myself have known him for the last five years, but we have only exchanged a few sentences, mainly related to work. So I was also curious to hear his story. When Naik sir entered the hall, the children gave him a warm welcome. After the initial formalities were completed and the mic was in Naik sir’s hand, he began his talk with an intriguing shayari, which was met with a loud applause from the audience.

“Dil se mangi jaye to har dua me asar hota hai,
Manzil unhi ko milti hai jinke jindagi me safar hota hai”

(“Every prayer which comes from the heart has an effect.
The destination is reached only by those who have journeyed in their life.”)

He started with his family background. He comes from a farming family in Sangli and has three brothers. His father was very keen that all his children studied well and achieved financial stability in their lives. His father had studied only till the fourth grade, and his mother never went to school, yet they were convinced in the power of education. His elder brother was the first to earn a B.Sc. and a B.Ed., and the other brothers followed in his footsteps. Despite facing many challenges, they all completed their studies. The hunger for education is visible in Naik sir and it reflected well in this interview. The message of education went strongly to the children from a person who had put in a lot of effort to keep gaining knowledge for himself. 

His family faced economic difficulties at various stages in life and his parents had struggled a lot to ensure that the basics were met while keeping education as a priority. He mentioned that they didn’t have enough money for new supplies, so he and his brothers often used each other’s books and belongings. At one point, due to financial limitations, his father had to sell his gold ring to support Naik sir’s studies! His mother juggled between various tasks and responsibilities including farm work and house work. He recalled that his father was a dominant and strict person, and would often get angry if his mother was late in bringing the tiffin to the farm. As he shared about his childhood, the children started tuning into his story and his perception was slowly changing. 

As the interview continued, his ambition for education and his beginner’s mindset became very evident. He first completed a Bachelor’s of Education (B.Ed) degree, then went on to do a Bachelor of Physical Education (B.P.Ed), then at a later stage he earned a Master’s in Social Work (MSW) and currently, while working as a Probation Officer, he is completing his Law Degree! When he was asked what kept him going to pursue various degrees, he said that knowledge is very important and one should always continue to learn no matter where he has reached in life. This part of the interview was particularly fascinating and inspiring for everyone, the children and the staff. 

After completing his B.Ed, he worked at a village school and later in the 2000 he moved to Mumbai for a job and stayed at his brother’s place. While working there, he took on many additional responsibilities. To improve student performance, he provided individual tutoring for the children, and the school achieved a 100% pass rate. He shared an incident where he was offered a job at a school in Mumbai and was selected, but later he was asked for a bribe of 10 lakh rupees to secure a permanent position. Morally, Naik sir didn’t want to accept a job under those conditions and neither did he and his family have that kind of money at their disposal. These incidents reflected the challenges he continued to face and the efforts he had to put in at every stage of life. 

His journey with Children’s Aid Society (CAS) started in 2007, when he started at the Mankhurd Home. Later, he was transferred to the Dongri Observation Home (DOH) as a housemaster and has now become a Probation Officer here. He has come a long way and done well for himself and for CAS. When he was asked what major change he has seen over the years, he said that “previously, there wasn’t much emphasis on education at the Dongri Home. However, the importance has increased significantly in the following years.”  In each episode, when the speaker speaks about the changes that they have seen at the Dongri Home, it often shocks the children and ignites a sense of gratitude in them to know about the services they receive today. 

Naik sir’s wife, Samina Naik, also works at the Dongri Home in the girls’ section. In her surprise video clip, she shared how Naik sir has supported her in multiple ways to grow and become independent, especially with her education. After their marriage, with Naik sir’s support she completed her graduation. They have a daughter and a son and he was particularly moved when we played the surprise video clip from his son! 

We also played a few videos from his colleagues. When Naik sir heard his colleague, Rathod sir’s video, he felt a sense of closeness and harmony. Rathod sir is a housemaster at Dongri and both of them worked together closely over the years as co-housemasters. In fact, Rathod sir joined CAS just one day after him, and was his buddy. Naik sir thanked him and wished him a prosperous journey ahead. He also acknowledged the support of other staff members, especially the Superintendent, Kanthikar sir, for his kindness and support. 

He ended the interview by saying that he considers his elder brother as a role model. He likes to surround himself with people who engage in positive conversations and is a learner for life. He also shared a motivational video for the boys as his message to them. 

Naik sir’s journey was inspiring for everyone, especially his educational endeavors and hard work. As with the previous guests, this interview was also about meeting the person as a human being and not just his post and indeed this happened over the course of the interview. 

Share the Post:

Stay in touch! Subscribe to new blog posts:

More Stories

Staff Engagement
Sheetal

KalyanMitra – Social Psychology

Event Date: 3rd July, 2024  After the successful staff session on mental health, we planned the next session to focus on breaking down concepts related

Read More »